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

[Quin]

So glad you liked 'Ohana; it's on our always-do list!

Originally Posted by emmysmommy

had a distinct sense that all of the servers and wait staff were on their A game since they were all very nice and helpful and stopped by our table to provide more food even if we had no idea who they were!

I have said it before and will say it again: 'Ohana means "family" but 'Ohana also means "we can't bear to see you with an empty plate". No matter who your specific server is, I swear that every CM that walks past your table feels compelled to hand you some food.

It's why some people report they feel rushed: the first server who walks past them once they are seated happens to be carrying a skewer of steak and they immediately try to feed it to you. The best advice I can give guests here is to remember that you are in charge of the pace of your meal. Don't feel like you have to take the food when it is offered. I promise you the servers will be back with more.....and more....and more....

Anyhow, made my ADRs Friday for our trip next May and this is definitely one of our dinners too.

[Tracerr00]

You are a woman after my own heart! I love the bacon/onion tart at Les Chefs as well as the onion soup. My entire plan for the Princess Half Marathon has changed as Vince said that he's not able to go so my friend and co-worker Amanda is going with me and she'll be running as well! And it turns out that the shin splints in my left leg is actually a stress fracture so I may be walking the 1/2 marathon. I'll have to see if I can squeeze in an ADR here because I'm still going to WDW regardless!

And 'Ohana is one of my fave's too. I loved it but I know we won't be going there because Amanda didn't like it at all when she was there with her DH. I didn't like the pork much either as the marinade wasn't for me. But I liked most other things that I tried...especially that bread pudding!!

It was great to see the photo of you and your children. How nice to have them all together!! What a proud mom you must be!

[debrapagliasotti]

I enjoyed seeing your pics from Vegas. Seeing the pics from Bellagio made me a little sad, we love that hotel and stayed there for our Anniversary last year.

Another great review of Ohana! We are very excited to be having Christmas Eve dinner there Cant wait for some yummy bread pudding!

[minniebeth]

Hi Brenda! So I've been reading your DR, but haven't had a chance to comment since way back. I just read your TR this am too. What an awesome adventure, thanks so much for sharing!

There's so much I want to comment on, but I'll keep it short(er) since it's way too much!

I love, love the list from Jabead! A culinary scavenger hunt of sorts. How fun!

I loved your Dis meet with and reaveal of Mr. DDW. I love his Dining Reports and is somewhat of a culinary idol despite being more than half my age, lol. He's adorable.

I love all your reviews, many of our well loved Disney restaurants.

I've been not so patiently awaiting reservations to open up in January for the Wishes Dessert party for our trip. Not even sure if this will work for us, as DD has peanut and tree nut allergies, so not sure if she can even eat much. Must investigate with dining. But your reviews have made it a top wish list item!

Can't wait for your Citricos review, we have reservations there in Jan. DDs and I have eaten here with my in-laws and family but DH and DS have not.
It's my second favorite Signature.

I loved seeing your Vegas photo of the restaurant at the Palazzo. DH is staying there in December for the Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon. He was supposed to be staying at the Encore but they were booked up by the time he went to reserve his room. He is overwhelmed with how many restaurants there are just in the one hotel!

Your family is beautiful! I loved the photo of you with all your kids together.
Thank you for your son's service too, as it is yours and your family's service as well.
Beth

[nanhol]

I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed your dinner at Ohana--it sounds like it was a lot of fun and really yummy. I'm looking forward to it for my upcoming trip, but have read some mixed reviews lately. I think I'll stop reading those negative reviews and just remember your experience, so I can go into our trip with an optimistic perspective!

The pictures with your family are great--how fun to spend some time together before your son is deployed. Thanks for sharing these parts of your life on here--I'm enjoying following your dining report!

[MrsB1228]

Hi Brenda! I'm all caught up with your DR again and I have to start off by saying how much I love the picture of you with your kids. You seriously look more like their sister than their mom!

Your review of Chefs makes me want to try it again. We haven't been for over 5 years now because the last time was just meh. We were there for dinner, and I'm thinking the lunch menu is more appealing. I'm happy to see they've added some accompaniments to the cheese plate! If memory serves, it used to be served sans anything. Just big chunks of cheese you had to eat naked. (The cheese, not the diner )

Glad you had such a wonderful experience at 'Ohana. The one and only time we ate there was such a miserable experience we haven't been able to bring ourselves to try it again. Never say never, but for right now it's off our radar. That's ok though, it leaves more ADR's available for the folks that love it.

[francis6306]

Hello!! I'm caught up! Again, all the food looks amazing! Hmmm… O'hana!!! That is on my "must do… someday!" list!

Small side about the pork. Apparently some people really react to pork, and when I first started avoiding it, people thought I was crazy. But the last time I had some real pepperoni? YIKES… it was bad! But trust me… a slab of Country Fried Ham makes me want to test my tummy! (Showing off my southern roots! )

[emmysmommy]

Originally Posted by KatMark

Two great reviews.

You have me so excited for our first ever visit to Chefs with Nicki and Todd next month and I am so having that french onion soup--my all-time favorite soup.

We have yet to hit Ohanas either. I'm going to try very hard to get it on the August list for Mark and I if it will fit with our schedule.

Great pictures of the three of you.

I hope you like Chefs de France! I'm sure you won't be disappointed with the french onion soup! And the French waiters arn't too bad to look at too!

Originally Posted by nfggirl5454

Great review of Chefs. I chose that for our Candlelight Processional dinner next month, and there are such mixed reviews, so I like reading good things about it. Same with Ohana! What a nice picture of you and your children, btw

Hi there nfggirl! Thanks for reading and for the compliment! Between Chefs de France, an old favorite, and 'Ohana, a new favorite, it sounds like you have a couple of great choices for your dinner next month! What an awesome time of the year to visit WDW!

Originally Posted by wilma-bride

Daniel and I both love 'Ohana. Sadly, Gary is indifferent and vetoed a trip there in August. We are planning to go back in October 2014 (yes, I know it is a long way away) when we are taking both Gary's Mum and Step-Dad and my Mum to WDW for their respective Birthdays. The perfect location for a big family dinner, in my opinion.

Oh, and I do hope you and Michael would be able to 'pop' up to Vegas in March (if we ever get it booked). Would love to celebrate my (dreaded) big four-oh with you guys

Even though Gary nixed the idea for the summer trip it sounds like you are working your magic to book for next year. Isn't Oct/Nov. 2013 the time that Linda was maybe going to go and perhaps I'll show up as well. You know I'm there if it works out!!

As for Vegas - all you have to do is tell me the dates and Michael and I are there! I would love to buy you a big cocktail to celebrate your special day! 40 was so long ago for me!

Originally Posted by Linda67

Hi Brenda!

Love the photos from Las Vegas

Tonight we have had our anniversary dinner and seeing as we got married in LV it was very timely to see your photos!

We totally loved 'Ohana when we had dinner there and the chef prepared me a wonderful vegetarian feast whilst DH tucked into to the meat!

Awesome videos of you and Michael dancing.

Oh and love the photo of you and your kids.

Happy belated anniversary to you and Phillip!! I do remember that you said you were married there.

I've wondered what people do who do not eat meat at 'Ohana. Sounds like they have it covered. I've heard that they have alternatives to the traditional meat and sides with chicken fingers and fries. I can't imagine going there and only getting that.

Originally Posted by Jersette

Oh, boy! Another new place for us on our Jan trip gets a good review from Emmysmommy! Yay for 'Ohana! I'm a sucker for noodles/potstickers/wings anyway. Great pics, looks like a great evening.

And your whole family is filled with good lookin' people. Glad you had such a good visit with your son and daughter in law!

I gotta say that I was looking forward mostly to dessert at 'Ohana but I walked away a big fan of so much more! I think you will definitely like it.

Awwww thanks for the nice comment.

Originally Posted by SweetSpot

Your review of O'hana makes me wish to go there again. My DD and I went but she is so picky she didn't care for any of it so it would be a waste to bring her and my DH is a plain eater and wouldn't care for anything. I loved it though. I'm not a big meat eater so really only tried one piece of beef but I ate almost all the brocolli and a good bit of the salad. I loved the noodles and the inside of the pot stickers (the outside was really tough so I just ate the inside). What I can't stop wanting again is the banana pudding. I am not a sweets eater really. We never order desserts but the I could have eaten several orders of the bread pudding. Luckily my DD also didn't care for that and I didn't have to share. Considering my small appetitie and how little I am usually able to eat at a meal I really ate way more than my share of this meal.

I love your reviews especially seeing how sweet a relationship you and your DH have with your DD. You have a beautiful family!

We sound similar with the lite appetite and love of the bread pudding! I'm not a huge meat eater either. In fact, I eat more meat on vacation than I ever do at home since I rarely cook meat... no reason, I just don't. For 'Ohana I really didn't eat that much but I didn't regret paying the $33 or whatever it was since it was also entertaining!

You are so sweet with the kind words. Thank you!

Originally Posted by jabead

I just got caught up on your reviews. So many great pics! While the pic of Michael getting friendly with the tiki god made me chuckle, my favorite is the one of you and all your kids. Thanks so much for sharing all the pics with us!

Hi Barb! Thanks for taking a break from the live thread and stopping by!

I rarely have photos with all 4 of my kids so that one is a treasure! Thanks for your kind words.

Originally Posted by AvasMommy526

Great review of O'hana!!! I cannot wait to have dinner there, I've read many great reviews and yours just seals the deal

Love the Vegas pictures! Did you stay at the Bellagio? Beautiful! My DF has been to Vegas many times and I have never, (I love the slot machines so I need to go lol) I am so looking forward to that grown up trip someday

Lovely picture of you and all your children!! And also all the family pics in your update too! Em is very photogenic! I'm so happy you all enjoyed your family time together, and again prayers and thoughts for a safe, speedy return for your son

Hi AvasMommy! I really hope you LOVE 'Ohana like me! I was excited and nervous about eating there. I had read some not so great reviews but everything was fantastic.

For my Vegas trip, I stayed at the LVH which was formerly the LV Hilton. It was the hotel where the conference was hosted. A cruddy hotel but convenient. I've stayed at the Bellagio before and LOVE it. My new favorite is The Hotel at Mandalay Bay. Yes, you need to go and enjoy all the pretty lights and action of Vegas!!!

I so appreciate your thoughtful comment and kind words!

Originally Posted by Quin

So glad you liked 'Ohana; it's on our always-do list!
I have said it before and will say it again: 'Ohana means "family" but 'Ohana also means "we can't bear to see you with an empty plate". No matter who your specific server is, I swear that every CM that walks past your table feels compelled to hand you some food.

It's why some people report they feel rushed: the first server who walks past them once they are seated happens to be carrying a skewer of steak and they immediately try to feed it to you. The best advice I can give guests here is to remember that you are in charge of the pace of your meal. Don't feel like you have to take the food when it is offered. I promise you the servers will be back with more.....and more....and more....

Anyhow, made my ADRs Friday for our trip next May and this is definitely one of our dinners too.

Sounds like you have had great experiences at 'Ohana if you always come back! I intend to do the same! You nailed it - Ohana does mean family and it's just like cousin Mavis is coming around and bringing more food to the table whether you asked for it or not. I actually didn't mind the frenetic pace - it just seemed to fit. Glad that you will be back!

Originally Posted by Tracerr00

You are a woman after my own heart! I love the bacon/onion tart at Les Chefs as well as the onion soup. My entire plan for the Princess Half Marathon has changed as Vince said that he's not able to go so my friend and co-worker Amanda is going with me and she'll be running as well! And it turns out that the shin splints in my left leg is actually a stress fracture so I may be walking the 1/2 marathon. I'll have to see if I can squeeze in an ADR here because I'm still going to WDW regardless!

And 'Ohana is one of my fave's too. I loved it but I know we won't be going there because Amanda didn't like it at all when she was there with her DH. I didn't like the pork much either as the marinade wasn't for me. But I liked most other things that I tried...especially that bread pudding!!

It was great to see the photo of you and your children. How nice to have them all together!! What a proud mom you must be!

Hi Tracy! (I can't stop thinking of your DD and beef jerky in a Christmas stocking now! ) We definitely sound like we would be ordering the same thing on the menu at Chefs. Hmmm.... maybe you need to liquor up Amanda with a couple lapu lapus and then take her to 'Ohana!!

Yikes - stress fractures?? Ouch and Bummer! I'm sure there are others who plan to walk the 13 miles. I can't even run 13 miles anyway so you are far more ambitious than me.

Thanks for the kind words - yes, I'm a proud mom.

Originally Posted by debrapagliasotti

I enjoyed seeing your pics from Vegas. Seeing the pics from Bellagio made me a little sad, we love that hotel and stayed there for our Anniversary last year.

Another great review of Ohana! We are very excited to be having Christmas Eve dinner there Cant wait for some yummy bread pudding!

Hi Debra! How AWESOME that you get to have Christmas Eve dinner at such a wonderful place!

Wow! You stayed in style in Vegas! What a wonderful hotel. Did you enjoy the fountains and the conservatory?

Originally Posted by minniebeth

Hi Brenda! So I've been reading your DR, but haven't had a chance to comment since way back. I just read your TR this am too. What an awesome adventure, thanks so much for sharing!

Thank you for reading!

There's so much I want to comment on, but I'll keep it short(er) since it's way too much!

I love, love the list from Jabead! A culinary scavenger hunt of sorts. How fun!

It was a lot of fun to tackle the list and see me expand my horizons or in some cases fizzle out but the idea was genius!

I loved your Dis meet with and reaveal of Mr. DDW. I love his Dining Reports and is somewhat of a culinary idol despite being more than half my age, lol. He's adorable.

That was such a blast. He is a charming young man with whom we thoroughly enjoyed meeting and spending an evening having a ton of fun!!

I love all your reviews, many of our well loved Disney restaurants.

Awwww... thank you!

I've been not so patiently awaiting reservations to open up in January for the Wishes Dessert party for our trip. Not even sure if this will work for us, as DD has peanut and tree nut allergies, so not sure if she can even eat much. Must investigate with dining. But your reviews have made it a top wish list item!

You may want to contact the dining folks and ask ahead of time what are some "safe" options. They may even have some special items available. The ice-cream should be fine!

Can't wait for your Citricos review, we have reservations there in Jan. DDs and I have eaten here with my in-laws and family but DH and DS have not.
It's my second favorite Signature.

I love Citricos. We have dined there 3 times and plan a repeat dinner next trip.

I loved seeing your Vegas photo of the restaurant at the Palazzo. DH is staying there in December for the Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon. He was supposed to be staying at the Encore but they were booked up by the time he went to reserve his room. He is overwhelmed with how many restaurants there are just in the one hotel!

It is a beautiful hotel! How awesome that your DH will be running in Vegas - December is a great time to do that since its not 110 degrees!! I think I counted 37 restaurent between the Venetial and Palazzo not counting the food court places. Crazy huh?

Your family is beautiful! I loved the photo of you with all your kids together.
Thank you for your son's service too, as it is yours and your family's service as well.

Thank you.
Beth

Hi there Beth! Thank you so very much for reading and joining in. You are so very kind with your sweet comments.

Originally Posted by nanhol

I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed your dinner at Ohana--it sounds like it was a lot of fun and really yummy. I'm looking forward to it for my upcoming trip, but have read some mixed reviews lately. I think I'll stop reading those negative reviews and just remember your experience, so I can go into our trip with an optimistic perspective!

The pictures with your family are great--how fun to spend some time together before your son is deployed. Thanks for sharing these parts of your life on here--I'm enjoying following your dining report!

Another person looking forward to 'Ohana!! Yay!

I read mixed reviews as well and just hoped that our experience would be on the positive side of the reviews. We had a great server so that helped but honestly, the food was really good. You have a great attitude.

Thanks nanhol!!!

Originally Posted by MrsB1228

Hi Brenda! I'm all caught up with your DR again and I have to start off by saying how much I love the picture of you with your kids. You seriously look more like their sister than their mom!

Your review of Chefs makes me want to try it again. We haven't been for over 5 years now because the last time was just meh. We were there for dinner, and I'm thinking the lunch menu is more appealing. I'm happy to see they've added some accompaniments to the cheese plate! If memory serves, it used to be served sans anything. Just big chunks of cheese you had to eat naked. (The cheese, not the diner)

Glad you had such a wonderful experience at 'Ohana. The one and only time we ate there was such a miserable experience we haven't been able to bring ourselves to try it again. Never say never, but for right now it's off our radar. That's ok though, it leaves more ADR's available for the folks that love it.

Hi Carol! Thanks! I'm going to stop saying the ages of my kids because if I say that I have a 30 year old it will really show my age!!

As for Chefs, I am much more conservative in my tastes and I really like the options on the lunch menu better. Ha! Naked cheese!!

I know what it is like to have a bad experience and not want to return... it happened to us for Captain's Grille.. now I'm a fan so go figure! Oh wait, now I remember ... Turf Club... I'll never go back. So yes, leave an ADR for me!!

Take care!

[emmysmommy]

Originally Posted by francis6306

Hello!! I'm caught up! Again, all the food looks amazing! Hmmm… O'hana!!! That is on my "must do… someday!" list!

Small side about the pork. Apparently some people really react to pork, and when I first started avoiding it, people thought I was crazy. But the last time I had some real pepperoni? YIKES… it was bad! But trust me… a slab of Country Fried Ham makes me want to test my tummy! (Showing off my southern roots! )

Hi Christen!!! Your girls would love 'Ohana! They would get a flower lei and be so pretty!

I can completely understand the porkless diet considering... No bueno if the tummy rebels!

How exciting that you are so close that you were able to do on-line check in today!!!!!

Happy packing!

[emmysmommy]

Contempo Cafe Breakfast

This was the morning that we were supposed to have breakfast at Boma. It had been 2 years since we have dined there and I was looking forward to returning. However, the far reaching effects of Hurricane Isaac were creating heavy rain and being the lightweights that we are, we bailed on going to AK that day which meant that once again, we cancelled Boma. Instead we opted to have breakfast across the sky-bridge at Contempo Café.

Here's how the morning dawned!


The reason it was very wet out:

We have had lunch and dinner at CC in the past; therefore, I was looking forward to trying breakfast here. We didn’t make it downstairs until after 10am but even eating that late it was extremely crowded. Michael grabbed a table while we placed our order on the self-help kiosk.

Emily found the breakfast vegetarian menu which was a few options away from the main menu since we didn’t want breakfast meat. There were a couple other customization options so if you click around long enough you should see more options that you see on the main menu screen. It took us about 8 minutes to place our breakfast order!

Once we took our receipt to the cashier and received our pager it was a short wait for our order to be ready.

Michael’s breakfast choice was the Bounty Platter; scrambled eggs, biscuit, French toast, breakfast potatoes and turkey sausage - $8.79


Emily had the French Toast (no meat) - $5.19



I ordered the Mickey Waffle with banana-caramel topping $5.59

Starting with Michael’s platter, it was a very blah selection of very meh food – that’s how he described it. He didn’t eat the biscuit since he said it was hard and dry. In seeing the photos I wouldn’t be too quick to be excited over that selection of breakfast items. Perhaps with the right amount of condiments; ketchup, syrup, butter, jam/jelly it may be just fine??

Even though Emily’s French toast didn’t look too exciting, she actually thought it was good. I suppose a little butter and syrup did wonders with this.

Now, give me a Mickey waffle and I don’t think you can go wrong but top it with banana caramel topping and I will have a smile on my face all morning! This was good! I loved the salty/sweet caramel with the bananas. I just wished there were more banana slices but it was still very good.

We had people stalking our table and asking for it before we were done eating so we finished quickly so that someone could have a seat.

Next Up: Counter Service lunch at MK

[emmysmommy]

Cosmic Ray's lunch at MK

Because our plans for the day had changed we were in MK and didn’t think about having lunch until nearly 3pm. This was the first time that we considered a dining repeat….when we ate at Cosmic Rays the 2nd night of our trip they had closed down the chicken bay so Em and I were not able to enjoy our favorite Cosmic Ray entrée – the rotisserie chicken. Michael thought the chicken sounded good as well so we ended up sharing 2 rotisserie chicken entrees.

Rotisserie Chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans: $9.99

Now that we knew about “Sonny Eclipse’s Dining Room” we were seated in there to enjoy the unique songs of this lounge lizard, err alien. We skipped the toppings bar since rotisserie chicken didn’t really require any enhancements.

The chicken was as good as it always is, nice and flavorful and not dry at all. I always remove the skin so there may be more flavor there but I think it is just perfect! Michael liked the chicken as well. I was glad that he didn’t eat his mashed potatoes since I dug in and finished those off! The green beans tend to be overcooked or left in a warming tray way too long here – but I still liked them - they were not horrible, just not crisp and al dente. Realizing that we were eating at a place that mass produces the same dozen or so items I am still a fan and will continue to have this on our list of dining options at MK. Also, since trying the chili cheese fries and bacon cheese burger the night we had the pleasure of dining with Mr. DDQ, I am more a fan than before since those were good as well.

Next Up: Trying a favorite MK snack.

[emmysmommy]

Sleepy Hollow Snacks

After being unduly influenced by all of you Disers out there that have shared photos of your delicious snacks from Sleepy Hollow, I HAD to stop by and try the Nutella and fresh fruit waffle sandwich myself! (Shame on you, you know who you are! ) Em had her sights set on the funnel cake with strawberry topping and fresh whip cream.

Nutella and Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich: $6.39


Funnel Cake topped with Strawberries and Whipped Cream: $6.29

Both of these snacks were huge and more like a meal than a quick bite to eat. Em really liked her funnel cake which was served dusted with powdered sugar and a generous portion of strawberries and whip cream. It looked and smelled heavenly. That is now on my list to try in the future as well. Emily weighed in on this one in this video clip

As for the fruit and Nutella waffle& I had not tried Nutella before so I wasnt sure what to expect other than it was a hazelnut chocolate spread. It looked lovely!! As for the taste&. This video clip says it all!

Yes, it was really, really good. I ended up eating all the fruit out of the middle since I knew I couldnt finish this. I think I ate less than half and it was a shame that Michael didnt want the rest of it because it went in the trash. Next time, I need to come with more of an appetite!

Thanks to all the Disers that wrote about this so that I could add it to my list!

Edited to add my successful completion of one of the items from Jabead's list:
3) Try something with Nutella, but preferably the Sleepy Hollow waffle and not the overpriced dessert at Tutto Italia. CHECK

Next Up: The world's longest HBD review!

[wilma-bride]

Wow, 3 updates all in a row - we are lucky DISers

We finally got to try the waffle sandwich during our August trip and it was phenomenal - probably one of the best snacks we've had at WDW.

As for the Contempo Cafe, we have only eaten there once (while waiting for our GV at BLT to be ready in Oct 2010) and, to be honest, found it very disappointing. My chicken was blackened (and not intentionally) and the bread was stale. It was not a good experience. Having said that, some of the cupcakes that I have seen on various reports have meade me consider stopping by to try a dessert or two but, otherwise, I certainly won't be rushing back.

As far as the next trip to WDW, we are already booked for Oct/Nov 2013. I thought I had mentioned that to you previously and we have deliberately tied it in to when Linda and Phillip will be there. We are doing a Disney cruise first (26th Oct to 2nd Nov) but have a week at WDW after, during which Linda and I are planning at least one cocktail-drinking session. Would be great if you and Michael (and Emmy obviously) were there at the same time My eldest DD, Sian, will be joining us on that trip too and I am sure she would love to meet Emily

[GoofySon'sMom]

So much to catch up on while we were gone! Great reviews, as always.

I cannot wait for the HBD review! Since I had a sneak peak from you, I have been looking forward to this one!

[wilma-bride]

Originally Posted by GoofySon'sMom

I cannot wait for the HBD review! Since I had a sneak peak from you, I have been looking forward to this one!

Haha, me too