NoOrdinaryPrincess's Inaugural Dining Report: And we're back! (Updated 10/18)

[partyof2]

I too love YA fiction and Doctor Who!

Your own personal blue envelope journey is so romantic, and I'm not known for being soppy!

I'd love to do the Cape May Cafe buffet but my boyfriend hates seafood, and wouldn't even entertain the idea despite the fact he would actually have to eat any if he didn't want to.

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Subscribing! I'm hooked already! . Your hubby sounds so sweet.

Aww thank you very much. He is the greatest!

Coming back to comment.

1. I love your writing style. Excellent.

2. You do a great job of describing food and their combination of flavors so we can imagine it ourselves. Unlike MY descriptions which are basically, "we ate here. It was good." LOL.

3. I have to read that book now. It sounds like a great one !!

4. How sweet of your DH to send you on this scavenger hunt !! Oh my goodness ... he's a keeper !!! Lucky you !!

5. I can't wait to see what happens next !! Thanks so much for sharing !!

Susan

Thank you very much for you nice compliments. One thing I wanted to accomplish with this report was to create entries that would help people understand my preferences and why I had the opinions I had, so they can determine if it would be right for them (ie, the snakebite was a little hard to drink for me because it was so carbonated, but someone who is more accustomed to drinking carbonated beverages may like it more.

And yes, J is the best.

I too love YA fiction and Doctor Who!

Your own personal blue envelope journey is so romantic, and I'm not known for being soppy!

I'd love to do the Cape May Cafe buffet but my boyfriend hates seafood, and wouldn't even entertain the idea despite the fact he would actually have to eat any if he didn't want to.

J is quite the romantic (we both are, really). I'm quite fortunate to have him.

What is your favorite YA? J titled this adventure "13 Little Who Envelopes" and the narrative in the letters discusses how we are traveling through time as well as space to get to these destinations. It's really quite creative!

I really enjoyed Cape May and wouldn't hesitate to return, even without the inclusion of the oreo bon bons, but perhaps you can find some compromise. Narcossees has some good seafood options (the lobster is even included on the DDP!), but also some excellent terrestrial options. Coral Reef is known for it's steaks. Maybe one of those would be a good alternative?

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

This next letter instructed me to travel to Italy, as per the story, and try "un bacio" an Italian chocolate and hazelnut candy. Also the Italian word for "a kiss".

This particular delicacy can be found in the Delizie Italiane shop in the Italy pavilion. These are bell-shaped candies with cream filling surrounding large chunks of hazelnut and a dark chocolate coating.

I also have an image of me giving my Dearest un bacio, but you don't get to see that one.


Up next, the adventure that wasn't...

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Mmm, I've had that candy before, but it's been a few years. Dark chocolate and hazelnut together - yum.

 

[DisneyMomFanatic]

I'm in, just found this! I always think that when I am going to do a TR or DR that I am much funnier than I really am or that I have cute/funny ideas that never quite make their way into the report, or ideas that seem good then just flop when writing them. But I am still doing it anyway! I love the envelope idea and can't wait to see more.

 

[MLinDisney]

I'm so glad that you led me to your DR in my DR You write so well and so does your DH! The blue envelopes are very Clever! As a math teacher I do not have a great writing style but I would love to. I would guess that you are a writer or a teacher of writing.

I am thoroughly enjoying your adventure and reviews. I definitely want to try EoS and Rose and Crown, but I never thought of Cape May. It looks great and I love seafood!

I just looked up 13 Little Blue Envelopes on Amazon. I really need a book for my next book club read. This one looks great, but I'm a little hesitant to choose it because it is YA. Do you think it would make a good discussion book?

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Mmm, I've had that candy before, but it's been a few years. Dark chocolate and hazelnut together - yum.

I agree! I have such a sweet tooth, this was a delightful treat.

I'm in, just found this! I always think that when I am going to do a TR or DR that I am much funnier than I really am or that I have cute/funny ideas that never quite make their way into the report, or ideas that seem good then just flop when writing them. But I am still doing it anyway! I love the envelope idea and can't wait to see more.

Don't sell yourself short, I'm sure your reports are much more than you give yourself credit for. Besides, they're a lot more valuable than the person who never posted any kind of report, aren't they?

I'm so glad that you led me to your DR in my DR You write so well and so does your DH! The blue envelopes are very Clever! As a math teacher I do not have a great writing style but I would love to. I would guess that you are a writer or a teacher of writing.

I am thoroughly enjoying your adventure and reviews. I definitely want to try EoS and Rose and Crown, but I never thought of Cape May. It looks great and I love seafood!

I just looked up 13 Little Blue Envelopes on Amazon. I really need a book for my next book club read. This one looks great, but I'm a little hesitant to choose it because it is YA. Do you think it would make a good discussion book?

I replied to this on your profile. Thank you again, for such a thoughtful response.

 

[nfggirl5454]

I love Maureen Johnson; she's one of my favorite authors! I've read all her books except Burmudez Triangle (the only one I can't manage to find for ereader), including Name of the Star. I can't wait for The Madness Underneath in February.

For me, Maureen Johnson isn't as "deep" as, say John Green, but she is engaging and relatable in a way that appeals to a broad audience, not just teenagers.

Oh, you should read The Bermudez Triangle, I thought that one was really good. Have you thought of the library? I'm looking forward to The Madness Underneath too, and hopefully another Scarlett book sometime soon. I love John Green! Do you watch any of the Vlogbrother videos? Or the Lizzie Bennet Diaries? I don't mean to get away from the food topic, but my only friends who read YA are my younger sister (thanks to my influence) and a former college roommate who teaches HS English, so it's always nice to meet someone else who's into it.

Back on topic, does the Italian shop have many other candies? That one sounds good, but I'm not a big fan of hazelnut.

 

[Dalamara]

I am a librarian and I LOVE YA literature! . I am a big fantasy fan, and some of the best fantasy series I have read have been YA or even J.

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Oh, you should read The Bermudez Triangle, I thought that one was really good. Have you thought of the library? I'm looking forward to The Madness Underneath too, and hopefully another Scarlett book sometime soon. I love John Green! Do you watch any of the Vlogbrother videos? Or the Lizzie Bennet Diaries? I don't mean to get away from the food topic, but my only friends who read YA are my younger sister (thanks to my influence) and a former college roommate who teaches HS English, so it's always nice to meet someone else who's into it.

Back on topic, does the Italian shop have many other candies? That one sounds good, but I'm not a big fan of hazelnut.

Feel free to fill my thread up with as much YA talk as you want! I *love* the Lizzie Bennett Diaries. Why haven't they shown us Darcy yet? I feel like they might be building up too much anticipation for their own good.

Do I watch Vlogbrothers videos? French the Llama, how could I not? Really. Seriously. Can we have a nerd[fighter] party on the Disboards, please? [I'm sure anyone else on the boards reading this likely thinks we're crazy by now, but this is my DR, and I'll be as tangentially nerdy as I like!]

Regarding your culinary question, yes they did have other candies at the Italian shop, but as I don't read italian, and was somewhat preoccupied with my own mission, I couldn't tell you much about them. Perhaps I'll stop by and investigate more when I'm there next week.

Thanks for reading along and DFTBA

I am a librarian and I LOVE YA literature! . I am a big fantasy fan, and some of the best fantasy series I have read have been YA or even J.

J loves fantasy. He went to university for physics and creative writing, so he has all the trappings of a good fantasy or sci fi author. He only writes for fun, though. Right now we're working our way through the Temeraire series.

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Following the route in the book, the next letter instructed me to go to France and catch the 12:30 viewing of Serveur Amusant.

[Isn't J a fantastic artist?]

However, as anyone who has planned a Disney vacation can attest, you should always have a plan, but allow yourself to be flexible as inevitably things will not go exactly as expected.

Unlike Ginny's journey from Italy to France, ours had a detour through northern Africa where we ran into our old friends Aladdin and Jasmine. It would have been *ahem* impolite not to stop and say hello, right?

So anyway, the visit with Aladdin took longer than anticipated, and we missed the Serveur Amusant show. (I did, however, look it up on YouTube once we got home. It's quite good; you check it out.)

It was at this point that J and my's path diverged from the story we were imitating, as we had to scurry back to North America for lunchtime reservations at Le Cellier!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Serveur Amusant! Or, as I've always called it, "that show in France with the chairs." That picture is really cool!

Sorry you missed the show, but I agree that part of the fun of WDW is when things don't go according to plan. After all, the main reason I plan things is so I can deviate from the plans.

Looking forward to your LC review!

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

I'm getting quite tired tonight, but I'd like to get through my Le Cellier review tonight, so I can get some PDR entries in before we leave next Monday.

Once we reached Le Cellier we waited approximately half an hour for a table. The Castmemebers kept us entertained with both Canadian and Disney trivia. While my knowledge of Canadian history left something to be desired, I correctly answered every Snow White question that was asked, collecting a king's ransom in Mickey stickers.

I ordered the house's signature dish, the mushroom filet. If you have spent any time on these boards, I don't need to tell you about this wonderful dish. I ordered it medium rare, and the center was perfectly pink; The meat was tender and flavorful. The risotto was quite nice as well. It was salty, but not prohibitively so as some have complained about.

J ordered the New York strip, also medium rare. If it hadn't been held up to the filet by comparison, this would have been a superb dish, and it was good! The steak was well-seasoned, though drier than the smaller cut. The potatoes may, arguably have been a superior accompaniment than the risotto, but at the end of the day the filet is just a far superior dish to the strip.

I will say, I am inherently suspicious of any restaurant with one dish that is so blatantly superior to the rest of the menu. The filet would definitely be worthy of its future signature dining status, but I can't, in good faith, say the same for the strip. I hope the chefs are tweaking the restaurant's offerings to raise the quality with the increased price tag. I do worry that the quality will be hit or miss with an inflated price tag.

This meal was our anniversary celebration, so our waitress brought us complementary maple creme brulee (with both Anniversary and Birthday recognition!).

I love creme brulee, and this dish did not disappoint. The texture was creamy and smooth with a noticeable, but not overpowering flavor of maple. Overall, an excellent dish, and excellent anniversary meal.

Due to extreme fatigue, I lack the cleverness to craft a witty cliffhanger. You'll just have to see where the next adventures find us.

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Serveur Amusant! Or, as I've always called it, "that show in France with the chairs." That picture is really cool!

Sorry you missed the show, but I agree that part of the fun of WDW is when things don't go according to plan. After all, the main reason I plan things is so I can deviate from the plans.

Looking forward to your LC review!

Sorry I missed this yesterday! I think we all plan so heavily so we can deviate from it, but I also think that planning a Disney Vacation [for many of us] is almost as fun as going on a Disney Vacation, and helps us handle the pre-vacation anticipation. (I will say, I hope this DR helps to mitigate the post-vacation blues...)

 

[partyof2]

What is your favorite YA? J titled this adventure "13 Little Who Envelopes" and the narrative in the letters discusses how we are traveling through time as well as space to get to these destinations. It's really quite creative!

I really enjoyed Cape May and wouldn't hesitate to return, even without the inclusion of the oreo bon bons, but perhaps you can find some compromise. Narcossees has some good seafood options (the lobster is even included on the DDP!), but also some excellent terrestrial options. Coral Reef is known for it's steaks. Maybe one of those would be a good alternative?

I love a UK author called Sarra Manning.

I know she's had a few things published in the US but I feel her books are very British. Her Diary of a Crush series is a favourite of mine, I can read it over and over again - although this likely has more to do with nostalgia than anything else, it was originally serialized in Just Seventeen when I was in my teens.

That mushroom fillet is my most anticipated meal! I absolutely cannot wait to try it, did the juices run cooked medium rare? Generally that's how I have my steaks cooked, but when they are served with sauces I prefer them to be pink but not runny.

 

[Tracerr00]

Ok, I'm all caught up on your PDR! This is one of the most entertaining PDRs that I've ever read! I love the letters and the adventures. J sounds like a gem! As for the food, I'm in love with the filet at Le Cellier but now that it's moving to 2 credits for both lunch and dinner I'm not sure how often I'll get there when I visit.

I'm excited to read more!

 

[butiflfeet]

This is a great PDR! I can't wait for your trip!

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

I love a UK author called Sarra Manning.

I know she's had a few things published in the US but I feel her books are very British. Her Diary of a Crush series is a favourite of mine, I can read it over and over again - although this likely has more to do with nostalgia than anything else, it was originally serialized in Just Seventeen when I was in my teens.

That mushroom fillet is my most anticipated meal! I absolutely cannot wait to try it, did the juices run cooked medium rare? Generally that's how I have my steaks cooked, but when they are served with sauces I prefer them to be pink but not runny.

Sara Manning's book sound a lot like Stephanie Perkins's. Have you read "Anna and the French Kiss"? Really a sweet book.

Regarding the filet, the juices ran a little bit, but I'd bet if you asked them to make sure they didn't, they could accommodate you.

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Ok, I'm all caught up on your PDR! This is one of the most entertaining PDRs that I've ever read! I love the letters and the adventures. J sounds like a gem! As for the food, I'm in love with the filet at Le Cellier but now that it's moving to 2 credits for both lunch and dinner I'm not sure how often I'll get there when I visit.

I'm excited to read more!

Thank you very much for your kind words. J is an absolutely generous soul, inside and out.

This is a great PDR! I can't wait for your trip!

Thank you very much. I do worry that I'm building up a little bit too much anticipation, I think people are so entertained because my Mr. is so sweet, but alas. What can you do?

 

[nanhol]

I am so enjoying your thread--I had to figure out how to subscribe to a thread so I can keep following your adventures! Thank you for sharing!