999 Meals, But There's Room for 1,000 - An April 2016 Dining Report - Complete/New DR Link - 10/16

[NJlauren]

I have no idea what he is doing or why he would have even shared this with me, his evil wife, but as you can imagine its made its way to basically everyone I know, is the screensaver on my phone, and is now part of the DIS universe. Somehow he really does still love me, I swear

Omg legit dying... I got yelled at for being to loud on the quiet car on the train....that's how much I was laughing.... Not sure if it was the picture, your description, I think it was everything!

Happy to hear whispering canyon was a good choice, even if not fabulous!

 

[kastoney]

I'm in!

Welcome! Hope you enjoy

Following along. The title drew me in but I am loving your posts. Congrats to Jason and Casey. Can't wait to read the rest!

Thanks for coming along on our food adventures. We're definitely a family that loves to eat and now at least 2 of us love to run too

Yep, we had a little townhouse in Alexandria right by the Huntington station. Then as the family grew we moved to the bigger house in Loudoun. Ironically, my job recently put me on a temporary post and while I'm normally in Reston for work, now I'm in Springfield 3 days a week. Oh joy. But I totally agree with you- good food is good food, fancy or not. Have you been to Bastille in Alexandria yet? Best food AND wine I've ever had. Period.

Sounds like we travel in the same circles. My first place (outside of my parents place in Burke) was a condo right by the Van Dorn metro. Then oddly my
job moved from Reston to Springfield right before Casey was born

No we haven't been to Bastille and sadly I hadn't even heard of it. We obviously love food, but sadly don't get out of our bubble too much at home which is part of the reason we love Disney so much. We usually stick to Centreville or Fairfax places. Our "foodie" go to is Trummers in Clifton which isn't too far from our house and lets us indulge our "signature" restaurants at home. In fact we had a yummy brunch there yesterday.

You are being a supportive wife sharing pictures of your husbands accomplishments!!
Casey's breakfast looked like the winner....yum! I love eggs Benedict any way you can get them, and that there are so many variations at the WDW restaurants

Thank you so much. I'm so glad you see it that way. I sure did.

I cannot stop laughing at that picture, LOL!

You and me both. We went to a concert on Friday with a bunch of friends who had all seen the pic, yet still passed my phone around just so we could get a good laugh. Jason of course was very appreciative.

ROTFLMAO. . . you are sinister for that running pic (that is a good one and the peeps at RunDisney are sinister too). Glad everyone enjoyed themselves

Maybe I should take my sinisterness to run disney and just cause havoc for everyone

Last night while I was perusing Pinterest (ugh, a huge obsession of mine!), I had seen a recipe for sweet potato waffles and thought how interesting it was to incorporate into a waffle! And now this with pancakes! Sounds like i'm going to have to give it a try then.

You'll have to let me know how that goes. These were pretty darn tasty, but I'm not sure I could pull it off myself. I"m a great cook but that whole exacting recipe thing is something I just can't get a hang of

Uh, just please replace 'hate' with 'love' and all will be right with the world again

I know I should, but I'm gonna stick with hate until I develop any semblance of self control.

Omgosh and she's ending the race like real runners do, leaning forward trying!

She's her daddy's girl.

And you're not doing this why?!?! Don't care if you don't like running, you can speed walk this ish and like the sprinkles off for energy!

I'm going along for moral support and taking pics with my friends hubby. Then of course we're gonna head back to our house for some bloody marys

Oh wow, all this food is RIGHT up DM's alley! I really should check this place out next time, especially knowing now that alcohol is unlimited! But what if one person wants beer and one person wants wine, how does that work for the unlimited?

You all should definitely check it out. Great food, great show, and free booze would make all of your crew pretty happy (except for maybe the baby). I believe each person can order whatever they like. We just all wanted Yuengling so they brought us a pitcher.

I seriously love that you guys love breakfast just as much as I do. Wish DH felt the same

Let's be clear, Jason likes breakfast as much as you do. I'm really not a fan, but provide moral support by way of bloody marys.

 

[kastoney]

That picture of Jason is HILARIOUS. Of your wifely duty is to show it to everyone!

That banana bread french toast looks amazing. I'm going to have to try it some time.

Thanks. Been able to avoid making it in poster since and putting it up in the house so far but its coming one of these days....

If you love banana bread this stuff was pretty darn good. Definitely a different take.

So many yummy choices!!!!!!!

So little time

Very sassy (and fast!) little Stormtrooper you have there! Love the determination in the last picture!

Sassy indeed!!!! You should have seen her this weekend at her dance recital. The sass was in overload!

Great reviews of 2 breakfasts. Now I'm trying to figure out a way to squeeze in The Wave for brunch one morning. Too much food, too little time.

HDDR has been on my list for the past few trips. I'm just not sure if the boys will be interested in the show. The food looks delicious, of course!

There really is too much food that you can never seem to get everywhere you want to. If you can squeeze the wave in definitely do so. We're hoping to try trails end, tiffins, morimoto, and hopefully if its back open flying fish on our next trip!!!!

HDDR was SO MUCH FUN! For me the cornbread and the sweet churned butter was the winner of that meal. The strawberry shortcake was great too, if only I had enough room for it after all that food!
And I got the same "instrument" as Casey did.

Glad to hear you loved hoop was much as we did. Maybe your review can convince Billie that solo and hoop aren't mutually exclusive!!!!

Congrats to Jason on his first half. That picture is hilarious! Couldn't help but think of the song "Zip a dee doo dah".

Thanks on his behalf Yeah zip a dee doo dah or maybe a little whistle while you work. Definitely a bit of a dwarf thing going on.

I've never had falafel, but I was looking at menus today and saw this, and thought it sounded good. Hoping I can get my crew to try this place when we go in January.

Hope you can go too. The falafel was oh so good. We'll definitely be back again!

Loving the finish photo

Thanks. Feel free to pass it around

I am so behind, but I have to say YAYYY way to go Casey!!! That picture of her smokin' all the boys behind her is fantastic!! So determined. Sounds like you have a speed demon on your hands. The outfit made it all the more fantastic.

Behind???? What are you planning a wedding or something

The Wave has been on my list for a while. Sweet potato pancakes, sign me up! $20 isn't too bad at all. I think when we ate at Tusker House it was like $29 (and since we don't have little ones the characters aren't really a must). We will have to try it sometime.

Yeah I thought the price was really good and I think it may even be cheaper during the week. We love Tusker House too, but even with Casey they characters aren't a must. Think I'd go Wave over the 2 of them, but just by the hair of a bloody mary

You posting that running pic of Jason makes me REALLY want to post my picture of Steve as the Angel at HDDR
WCC breakfast looks pretty good, hoping we enjoy our lunch there, too! I'd love to do more breakfasts but by the time I get my crew up and out in the morning, if we did breakfasts all the time we wouldn't be in the parks until like 3:00

Oh please, please, please post the picture of Steve. We won't tell him

We had lunch at WCC a few trips back and absolutely loved it. Their bbq was delicious and I still remember their amazing baked beans. Weird thing to obsess over, but I can never make them right and these were oh so good.

Hello again! Just getting caught up. I love Casey's outfit for the run, by the way!

Welcome northern neighbor!!! Casey originally wanted to be Leia but I thought that was too overplayed. Thankfully she went to the dark side when she saw the storm trooper costume.

This made me laugh. I would probably do the same with my wife! And if you're still wondering what's he's doing, I do believe he's practising for the 3:00 parade as a dwarf. It looks like a whistle while you work pose!

Hilarious!!!!!! I just thought the same thing when I was responding to someone else. And at only 5'7" I think he could qualify for the parade height requirement

We are trying this place as well for a late lunch. We went and looked around the Wilderness Lodge our last trip and even with the construction outside, what a beautiful lobby area. Are you planning to attend the Illuminations Dessert party on 8/25, put on by TA? If so, maybe I can have my first dis meet. We decided to do it because the cost was so cheap compared to the Disney ones, I am looking forward to it.

No I had no idea they were doing a party. Mind if I ask how much it is????? Did you just book it with your agent? And most importantly is there booze??? If the price was right I would definitely consider it.

Omg legit dying... I got yelled at for being to loud on the quiet car on the train....that's how much I was laughing.... Not sure if it was the picture, your description, I think it was everything!

Happy to hear whispering canyon was a good choice, even if not fabulous!

You better keep it down Lauren or Jason may here you!!!! He's been trolling around the dis lately and while I've told him to stay away from me and all things food I know I'm bound to get caught any day now.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Hi Kari, this is the info on the Illuminations dessert party it does say enjoy a delicious array of desserts and select beverages so not sure if adult ones or not. The party is at the Italy Isola West Plaza and it was only 26.00 per person so for my DD and I it is less than the cost for 1 at a Disney dessert party. I got the email from our TA and sent him a check for it. If you are interested I would email your TA.

 

[kastoney]

Hi Kari, this is the info on the Illuminations dessert party it does say enjoy a delicious array of desserts and select beverages so not sure if adult ones or not. The party is at the Italy Isola West Plaza and it was only 26.00 per person so for my DD and I it is less than the cost for 1 at a Disney dessert party. I got the email from our TA and sent him a check for it. If you are interested I would email your TA.

Thanks for the info. Just sent an email

 

[Wood Nymph]

Then we have my most favorite picture of our entire trip. First, this face captures my determined little girl to a tee. But second, I just love all the older boys that she is leaving in her dust.

I love this race picture of Casey. It looks like she is sizing up the competition ahead of her and trying to get ahead of them.

Then we have the finish line, where my baby finished an amazing 4th. We were pretty impressed.

Fourth in a race with boys in it is pretty good for a girl. I love her outfit, too.

We made the La Vie En Rose last weekend. It is super delish!

I love that drink. Where did you get the recipe?

This was our first trip to Hoop and we'll definitely be back again someday. It's certainly not an every trip kind of place, but it was a fun and engaging show that pleased everyone from our 5 to 70 year olds.

We ate here with our daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren who were 5 and 3 at the time. It was also a time when we were staying at Wl, so it was super convenient. Everyone had a great time, especially the kids. But, like you said, it isn't something that you would do very often.

Though the RunDisney folks did catch this lovely gem, which is my second favorite photo of the week.

Jason looks like he is enjoying every bit of that race finish.

Overall Whispering Canyon was a solid breakfast choice but nothing special. I was hoping for some of the shenanigans as I'm sure Mike and Casey would have gotten a kick out of it but no such luck. I don't think I'd ever travel to Wilderness Lodge just to have breakfast here, but if staying here its an easy choice. With our tables in wonderland card we saved $17.02.

We have had decent breakfasts at WCC but nothing special. I certainly wouldn't eat there if I wasn't staying at the WL. Our favorite breakfast is at Trail's End, a nice 20 minute walk in the morning.

 

[kastoney]

I love this race picture of Casey. It looks like she is sizing up the competition ahead of her and trying to get ahead of them.

And sized up she most certainly did

We ate here with our daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren who were 5 and 3 at the time. It was also a time when we were staying at Wl, so it was super convenient. Everyone had a great time, especially the kids. But, like you said, it isn't something that you would do very often.

Glad to hear the fun wasn't isolated to just us. I'm sure we'll be back in a few years, though Casey wants to go back again now

We have had decent breakfasts at WCC but nothing special. I certainly wouldn't eat there if I wasn't staying at the WL. Our favorite breakfast is at Trail's End, a nice 20 minute walk in the morning.

Completely agree with you. I'd never travel to eat breakfast there, but it sure is good and convenient when you are right there. Plan on trying TE next trip so we'll see how it stacks up

 

[kastoney]

Kingdom of Snacks

After breakfast we took the boat to the Magic Kingdom where we soon encountered some pirates and felt the thunder of the mountain, before we felt the felt the non-thunder of our beloved Pooper (aka the name of people mover accordingly to Casey for any newbies).



After that our half marathoner was started to a falter a bit, so caffeine and snacks for all. First stop was starbucks where everyone else just got a cup of coffee and I got some sort of caramel concoction (I'm not versed in starbucks so I have no idea what it was). Apparently the cast member ringing us up didn't either as he forgot what I ordered and I had already taken off so he comped the whole bill for Jason. #StarbucksPixieDust


For some snacky, snackies we headed up to Fantasyland for the soon to be famous popcorn and cinnamon roll combo. This one wanting the former....




And Jason taking down the ladder.

And of course when at Gaston's one must have some of LeFou's brew.


Tummy's satisfied enough to hold us until dinner we then saw a pretty trippy orchestra led by a duck, swam under the sea with a mermaid. and then it was time for our fast pass with seven really short men.

(Yes that is my husband. I'm such a lucky girl)

Continued in next post.....​

 

[mara512]

This looks amazingly delicious! Adding it to my snack list.

Love the picture on the 7DMT. You are so lucky I am still trying to convert mine from a H to a DH LOL!

 

[kastoney]

It Ain't Fancy but it Sure is Good

After our mine adventure, Casey said she was up for her first ever trip on Space Mountain.


#Before


#During


#After

She says she was a little bit scared, a little bit in love, but thought it best she waits until she is 6 till she rides again. I'm just thrilled she got on it and while she still isn't 6 she is asking to ride Everest next trip. Love my little dare devil.

After space we commemorated the occasion with our very own family castle pic.


Before heading to one of our MK staples for dinner: The Plaza. While Mike and Connie were with us we dialed back the signatures a bit and focused on some more low key places with good food. We were thrilled to have them in Disney with us and given they were already in sticker shock from the ticket and hotel prices, we elected to keep food on the simpler side to hopefully allure them back again soon.

As we contemplated our dining choices, our "side" of the family elected to have dessert with our dinner. Jason and Casey got a a mint chocolate chip milk shake to share.


And I for some odd reason, despite not having one for at least 30 years, I got a root beer float. Must have wanted to get as close to "beer" as I could in MK.

This was fine, but clearly not the beer I had in mind. Will stick with the milkshakes next time.

For our entree's Connie went with the Cheesesteak.

This is Shaved Beef grilled with Onions, Mushrooms, Red Peppers, and White American Cheese served on a Hoagie Roll with Fries. I didn't try it but our West Virginia food reporter proclaimed it good but it didn't have enough cheese and she didn't care fore the bread.

Keeping the WV theme going, Mike got the turkey sandwich.

This is Smoked Turkey, Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, and Mayonnaise on Toasted Multigrain Bread with a side of their homemade fries. Unlike Connie he liked the bread on his and found it very satisfying.

For the last West Virginian in the bunch, Jason got the beef brisket onion burger. This is pretty much what it sounds like, a burger, topped with onions, lettuce, tomato, provolone, and bacon.

After running 13 miles that day, 10K the day before, and traversing MK Jason proclaimed he could have eaten a shoe so it didn't matter what this tasted like ; ) Though for the record he said it was good but would be better if cooked to order.

Casey insisted on eating a salad for dinner (I didn't get a picture, but I'll let your imaginations go to work on what a salad looks like) and I rather selfishly ordered some tomato soup for her to eat with it.

If you've never ordered the tomato soup at The Plaza you must. @GoofySon'sMom (shameless plug to check out her great dining reports if you haven't already) turned me on to this and I've been hooked ever since. Even on a hot summer day this deliciously creamy and decadent tomato soup hits the spot every time.

And last but not least the Virginian (with no West) ordered herself her Plaza favorite: The Reuben.

This is Thinly Sliced Corned Beef on Grilled Marble Rye with Sauerkraut, Swiss, and Thousand Island Dressing with a side of Fries. Unfortunately this disappointed just a bit from previous trips as the meat to sauerkraut/thousand island ratio was off a bit. I'm sure most people would have loved all the meat this had, but I'm a sauerkraut fiend and I just wasn't tasting it. I ended up taking off some of the meat so it was more in balance (side note the half marathoner may have piled the excess meat on his already meat laden burger). As for the fries they weren't the big, thick steak fries we'd become accustomed to at the Plaza. They were fine, but not nearly as good. I'm presuming Disney changed them out. Anyone know for sure????

For those who have never dined at The Plaza it is solid table service food at what amount to nearly counter service prices. We rarely miss it and even with a few off moments this trip I don't think that will change. It is almost always open with a last minute ADR, though I've read they are now getting away from them so we'll see how that changes the equation. With our tables in wonderland card we saved $18.00.

We headed out after that as Jason was beyond exhausted. When we got back to the lodge he and his dad hit up the hot tub for a few beers, while we enjoyed some girl time on Connie's balcony with a lot of wine and some of the electric water parade.

Up next, we dine in the dark....​

 

[Terra Nova guy]

And Jason taking down the ladder.

Love those things! Did you know you can ask for extra icing, if you wish (and I do). Just FYI!

(Yes that is my husband. I'm such a lucky girl)

You know, I have never played it up for the ride cameras before. Whether it's a good thing or bad thing, this picture motives me to seriously consider striking a pose next time

I have been known to get a little goofy at home from time to time, especially if embarrassing your kids is involved. Just for fun, why don't I show you how I *tried* to take DD to the bus last year on May the 4th (a.k.a. Star Wars Day, although I suspect you may know that already)

She says she was a little bit scared, a little bit in love, but thought it best she waits until she is 6 till she rides again. I'm just thrilled she got on it and while she still isn't 6 she is asking to ride Everest next trip. Love my little dare devil.

She's different than my little anti-daredevil then! Our last trip DD was 7 and I managed to get her on the mine train, but that was pushing it. I have to admit I'm not a huge coaster fan myself, and I prefer the speed and turns of BTMRR over big drops.

I'm sure most people would have loved all the meat this had, but I'm a sauerkraut fiend and I just wasn't tasting it.

I would be one of those "meat people". Based on the picture it looks good.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Great updates! Looks like a fun morning in the MK! Hurrah for conquering Space Mountain!! I love The Plaza too. I am sooooooo sad they've apparently changed the fries. I've seen the thin ones in several reports now. Those steak fries were the best!! I also heard they're converting to taking walk-ups only, which is interesting.

 

[ALEXandFAB]

Get it, girl!

And Jason taking down the ladder.

I can practically taste this cinnamon roll through my computer.

 

[ariane37]

I LOVE those cinnamon rolls from Gastons Your picture made me so hungry I had to find something sweet and gooey in the house.....closest thing were brownies, so I just ate one the size of my head. And I'm not ashamed in the least

Kudos to Casey for riding Space! I hope she does ride EE next time, and enjoys it!

 

[ArielSRL]

I'm glad you have an adventurous one. My 4 year old showed me how non-adventurous he is on our trip. 7DMT was our 2nd ride of the trip and he proclaimed he was never going on it again! So, I changed a lot of his FP's for the rest of the trip...lol.

I had the LaFou's Brew myself and thought it was great! Full disclaimer: I'm a lover of ICEEs and Slushies, so it sort of fits the bill.

Enjoyed the update!

 

[Ron from Michigan]

I'm joining in. Let's keep the reviews going.

 

[suse66]

Fabulous updates Kari! Loving the WWC Eggs benny.....mmmm! Like you, I have never met an eggs benny that I didn't love. I am a soft poached egg girl though. Have you ever tried crab cake eggs benny? I had them for brunch on Sunday when we took DH out for Father's Day. So good. Looking forward to hearing more about your adventures!

 

[NJlauren]

Nice pixie dust at Starbucks! That drink looks good! I love me some Starbucks and I love it even more at Disney! I found this shirt it says there is nothing a little Disney and Starbucks can't fix..... I plan on getting it and wearing it to DL in August.

Snacks look yummy! So much yummy food!

Love that she tried space mountain! I love that she likes different food and rides!

We tried the plaza last trip for the first time and loved it, the best meal ever? No but a solid choice with very good food!

 

[Xclusive2WDW]

Score on the Starbucks pixie dust ​

YAY to miss Casey for riding Space Mountain, it's my fave MK ride. Funny story: My dad took me on when I was about Casey's age and he kept telling me it was going to be fun. I asked if it was going to be scary and he said "naaaaaaaaah". We got on with my aunt and older cousin, and I was like Casey, sunken into the rocket really low with a slightly "what was that?" look. When we got outside I proclaimed "That was scary daddy". His reply? "Yeah. . . you wanna ride again?" Me: "YEAH" LOL, to be a kid.

I have yet to try The Plaza, doubtful that we will be able to this trip either. That corned beef looked tasty, but I understand not liking an imbalance.​

 

[Chrystmasangel]

Hello! Joining in. Just started trying to find new places for the family to try on our maybe March or June trip. Really enjoying this report and am looking at reading the older ones too.

Casey is amazing! I am sure you know that though! I love her outfit for her race! Glad she is liking the faster coaster rides. I thought my son would be like her when he was her age. Took him on a coaster at Kings Island here in Ohio...The Racers. Scared him so bad he won't ride them to this day and he is now 21.

While Mike and Connie were with us we dialed back the signatures a bit and focused on some more low key places with good food. We were thrilled to have them in Disney with us and given they were already in sticker shock from the ticket and hotel prices, we elected to keep food on the simpler side to hopefully allure them back again soon.

May I ask? Mike and Connie, did they do much traveling before hand? I am experiencing this with my mom right now. When she see's the prices of the hotels at Disney and then the cost of adding on park tickets and the dining plan (I like to have everything paid for up front) she about has a heart attack. I have been trying for years to get her to go with us on at least 1 trip since my dad passed away 19 years ago, but she won't give in and if we paid for it, it significantly increases our costs too because it takes us from a party of 5 to a party of 6 and the increase cost of the rooms available for that party size are so much more. We could pay for some of it, but not all of it, but then when she see's the costs, she falters. We never did any traveling when we were growing up. Our only "trips" were to Lake Erie for a day or two which was only an hour and a half away. Did they just finally decide they wanted to go, or was there something that you did to help convince them it was worth the cost?