~We seldom report of having eaten too little~ 06/22 New Pre-Trip Posted!

[TinkerBelle_325]

Hi Meg!

What a great change of plans even if you have to postphone Europe! I guess it's not going away in a year - we have been here for a long time!

More exciting news! You will be there the same time as we are! And we actually have reservations at Le Cellier and Jiko the same days you do!
Maybe we run into each other - would be fun!

Greetings from good ol' Europe!
Karin

Hi Karin!

We are definitely happy to be going to WDW if we can't go to Europe! Plus, we really want to take the time to plan the trip to London and Paris properly.

That is fantastic news that we will be at WDW at the same time. Our Le Cellier ADR is for 12pm and our Jiko ADR is for 8:35pm. It would be great to meet and say hi

And your suggestions for London (they are still good for next year hehe):
- DMom is terrified of Ferris Wheels but now I have more than a year to convince her to fly the eye
- I never thought of climbing St. Paul's - great suggestion
- We will definitely be going to Harrods!

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Snacks & Breakfasts​

Here is a selection of snacks & grab & go breakfasts from the first few days of our trip

Main Street Bakery

Mickey Waffle

Dole Whip

Breakfast Pizza & Crispy Cornflake French Toast

Kona Island Sushi Bar​

This has become one of our favorite spots for a light dinner. We sat at the counter along the windows and watched the monorails come and go. We also had an interesting view of the torch lighting ceremony!

Hawaiian Bread

- I could easily eat an entire loaf of this bread myself and half of what makes it soooo good is the honey macadamia nut butter....where is the "drooling" smiley?

Lapu Lapu

- One of the best and simplest drinks on Disney property - A must have for me!

Sticky Wings

- While I know everyone loves Ohana's wings, I think these are so much better! The tangy mustard drizzle makes them!

Kona Salad

- DMom's favorite salad, we often make the honey lime dressing at home.

California Luau Roll

- This sounded better than it tasted. There wasn't enough texture....soft crab, soft avocado and relatively soft pineapple.

Volcano

- One of the best sushi rolls I've ever had! I love that the tuna and pickled vegetables have a tangy taste, and the spicy creamy sauce contrasted with the tender shrimp and the crunchy tempura....wow! I want one right now!

Shrimp Tempura

- Great, but it pales in comparison to the shrimp tempura roll from the California Grill.

Bread Pudding

- The best dessert on Disney property. It is gooey, soft, comforting and sweet. Every time we have requested it at Kona they happily oblidge, and it only costs $6 for the same family style portion delivered at Ohana.

 

[dizneeat]

Snacks & Breakfasts​

Bread Pudding

where is the "drooling" smiley?

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Aww, too bad you aren't going to Europe this year. But YAY that you get to go to WDW in September!! It looks like you are going to have some awesome meals on your trip!

I absolutely love the cinnamon buns from Main Street Bakery! And I could eat that bread pudding right now! It looks soooooooo good!

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Le Cellier​

We used to love Le Cellier, and would make a point of eating dinner there once a trip. We even ate there long before it turned into the super popular steakhouse it is today. I still remember the insanely good baked macaroni & cheese and the incredibly tacky red leather booths

However, lately we have found the food and service to be lackluster. We adore the Cheddar Cheese Soup and it is about the only reason that we still attempt to book a lunch at Le Cellier every other trip or so.

We were seated in PEI, and had a good server, not amazing, but good.

We all started with.....the Cheddar Cheese Soup! (duh )

We wanted something a bit more substantial than just soup, so we each opted for another appetizer.

DDad had the Duck Three Ways

He said this was ok, he had much better duck at Chefs de France and Victoria & Albert's. He said that the little puff pastry round was dry and tasteless, while the other two offerings were acceptable.

DMom had the Tomato Stack

She nearly licked the plate clean! She loves tomatoes and blue cheese, so this dish was practically made for her.

I ordered the Macaroni & Cheese

Sadly, this was bland and very disappointing. It is like they forgot to put any cheese in the sauce, and the panko on top was greasy and not crisp. It was pretty gross

We noticed Blood Orange seems to be the "salted caramel" of this year. That is, it is the popular dessert trend, so we ordered the Blood Orange Sorbet

This was on the house for my birthday, which was very sweet However, it was only decent. It didn't really have enough "orange" flavor to it. In fact, it tasted a bit like red food colouring

All in all, we weren't impressed with Le Cellier. I will be returning for lunch in September, but I'll be sticking to the cheese soup and perhaps the caesar salad. I know those are excellent items.

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Too bad about Le Cellier. We are eating lunch here for the first time in August and really looking forward to it. Hopefully the service and the food will be better next time!

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Artist Point​

It had been a few years since our last visit to Artist Point, so we felt that it was time to throw it back into the rotation.

We were seated within 5 minutes of checking in and given a gorgeous table at the windows.

They had also given me a special menu because my birthday was noted on the reservation

I can't remember our waitresses name but she was very friendly, knowledgeable and prompt in her service. She suggested a lovely crisp white wine for me, which I will have to look up when I get home as I can't recall the name.

As we were deciding what to order a lovely surprise was delivered to our table!

We each received an amuse bouche - a seared scallop sitting atop wild mushroom risotto and drizzled with white truffle oil. YUM! Unfortunately for DDad, he could not partake as he has a white fish allergy and as he has never tried a scallop its too much of a risk. However, it worked well for me because he gave me his amuse (and I LOVE scallops!)

Shortly after the amuse we placed our orders and our waitress delivered bread to the table. It was sourdough and it was good, but nothing outstanding.

We ordered two appetizers to share: The Chesse Plate and the Venison Potstickers.

The Cheese Plate, while generous, was the weakest that we have tried on Disney property. I don't feel that three cheeses is enough in terms of variety (especially when DDad and I are allergic to blue cheese). There was an aged cheddar, midnight moon goat and an american blue. We didn't even come close to finishing. We were disappointed as they were all semi-hard, crumbly cheeses. We prefer cheese plates that offer variety in texture.

I did not realize that the Venison Potstickers were going to be steamed. They tasted more like Venison Dumplings and I disliked the texture of the wrapper, it was almost rubbery. The venison itself was more gamey than I remembered it being in the previous variation (Venison Springrolls, which I adored). This was a miss for me. DDad on the other hand, loved them!

For entrees we were a bit boring, we all ordered the Cedar King Salmon.

It was paired with a sourdough bread pudding and a mulled wine beurre blanc. The salmon was cooked perfectly, just firm all the way through and the mulled wine beurre blanc was like fall dancing in your mouth! The sourbough bread pudding was a bit too heavy for me though.

DMom subbed the sweet potato hazelnut gratin and I wish I had done the same, I felt that it complimented the savory sauce better.

We also ordered a side of the macaroni and cheese with basil crust. It was delicious and a very generous portion.

After I had finished my delicious white wine I felt like something else to drink. I ordered a coke, seemingly boring I know, but this is what our lovely waitress delivered!

So cute!

We passed on dessert as we were very full. We enjoyeed our meal, but we won't be rushing back. I would say that Artist Point is an every other year restaurant for us.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Garden View Tea​

The Garden View Tea has become a tradition for DMom & I. We love getting a bit dressed up and spending a relaxing afternoon at the tea room. The only downfall is that it always rains when we go!

Our ADR was for 2:10 and we were third in line to check in. The party ahead of us caused a bit of a scene. When they checked in the CM at the podium confirmed "Party of 2" to which the woman replied "Actually, now it's a party of 3!" and the CM got a bit flustered. He explained that the tea was fully booked and he wasn't sure he could accomodate the increased party size. The woman got very angry at the CM and made a terrible scene and after a few minutes they were seated.

The CM had not been lying about the tea being fully booked. We had never seen it that busy! Every single table was taken by 2:30.

We were seated shortly after the scene caising woman at a table for 2 by the window.

Tea Place Setting

We already knew that we would be ordering The Grand Tea. It is our selection every trip.

We started off with a lovely glass of sparkling wine

I didn't take pictures of the tea pots, but DMom ordered Harmony - which was a blend of chamomile, peppermint and verbena. I ordered the Mad Hatter - which is vanilla with orange and berry flavors.

Then we were presented with sandwiches: Pear & Gorgonzola, Watercress, Chicken Salad, Shrimp Salad and Egg Salad. As well as a pate and an onion tartlet

DMom and I swap out different sandwiches. I can't eat gorgonzola and I can't stand watercress but she likes both. She isn't a big fan of the chicken salad or the shrimp salad, so she gives them to me. We both LOVE the little onion tartlets!

Next up were warm scones with devonshire cream and a jam tart.

I love that the scones are flaky, but tender at the same time. I find that some scones are way too dry. The tart is wonderful because I love the flavor of berries but can't stand the seeds lol.

We decided to order some Lemon Pound Cake as well

This was ok, we've both had better poundcake.

Our waitress got a bit distracted at this point. We ended up waiting 20 minutes between our scone/pound cake course and our pastries. Plus, we were a bit disappointed that she brought the pastry platter to three tables seated after us BEFORE she served us...AND she didn't replenish the plate...there was very little selection remaining.

Pastries

The pastries were nice, but we would have appreciated choosing from the complete selection, not a platter picked over by three parties before us.

Overall the experience was relaxing and fun. We will definitely return soon.

California Grill​

The California Grill is easily one of our favorite restaurants. We dine here at least once a trip and we even have a favorite server, Ron!

We checked in at about 7:30 and we were lucky enough to find a table in the lounge. We ordered drinks and were prepared to wait for Ron. He stopped by to say hello and mentioned that one of his tables would be turning by 8, so we should be seated then. We enjoyed the view of Seven Seas Lagoon and before we knew it our pager went off.

Ron had us at a table right by the window with a perfect view of Cinderella Castle.

As usual, we started with a Sushi Platter

It consisted of one shrimp tempura roll, one spicy kazan roll and one california roll. While they were all good, we decided that next time we will get two shrimp tempura instead of getting 1 and a cali roll. The shrimp tempura is just too good to only have one

For our next course we opted for cheese

This was wonderful! I have the listing of cheese at home and I'll post it later but we loved every selection. The winner in terms of pairings = candied marcona almonds and honey comb! So good!

We weren't really in the mood for entrees so instead we ordered two courses of appetizers.

DMom had the seasonal salad

I've have to double check but I believe there were pears, pecans and blue cheese in this.

DDad opted for the Lobster salad with Blood Orange

See? Blood Orange is the new "in" flavor lol. This was lovely. The creamy lobster salad was accented well by the bright citrus and the buttery avocado.

I decided on the Crispy Asian Rock Shrimp Salad

Wow! This packed a lot of punch for a salad. There were at least a dozen perfectly crisp little rock shrimp pilled atop mixed greens with slivers of carrot and red onion all dressed in two sauces, soy based and wasabi based, that combined to make an earthy, spicy dressing. I would get this again.

For the second round of appetizers DDad ordered the Braised Lamb Shank Risotto

This was incredibly rich. The lamb was tender and the risotto was the perfect consistency, not too runny or too firm.

DMom decided to try the Creamy Onion Soup

The onion flavor was subtle, like a perfect french onion soup but cream based. It was rich and light at the same time!

I had to have the Goat Cheese Ravioli

This is such a perfect appetizer. The creamy goat cheese, the tender pasta, the tangy and bright tomato sauce, the earthy mushrooms and the garlicy pesto all combine to make each bite blissfully good.

Last but not least, we had the moment I had been waiting for ALL night....

My Birthday Cake!!

I swear, the entire restaurant watched as Ron brought it out. Thankfully there was no singing It was perfect, it looked better than I imagine (which never happens! I always idealize things!).

Ron said that he has seen lots and lots of cakes go through CG in the past, but felt this was in the top 5 he had ever seen.

It tasted fantastic. The cake was nice and moist and the buttercream wasn't overly buttery or overly sugary. We offered Ron a piece, which he gladly accepted and we still had a bit more than half of the cake to take back to the resort with us.

It was a fantastic meal! Can't wait to return to the California Grill.

 

[Gouden Leeuw]

Wow what a cake!

And the meal looked really good too! Cant wait to eat there.

 

[monorail girl]

Great review. I really enjoyed the California Grill too. I loved your Birthday cake, it was simple yet elegant, loved Tinkerbell

 

[liz827]

Definitely watching your reviews! Great so far!!

 

[irongirlof12]

amazing photo's - I love your birthday cake

 

[MissScarlet]

Does the California Grill always offer a shrimp tempura roll? And what comes in it? Thanks!

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Does the California Grill always offer a shrimp tempura roll? And what comes in it? Thanks!

It isn't listed on the menu, but it is always offered and in my opinion it is the best roll there.

It is tempura shrimp, with thin slices of mango and watermelon, wrapped in soy paper and served with a orange ginger dipping sauce. Out of this world!

 

[texasgirl73]

That cake was gorgeous! California Grill was my favorite during my first trip. I had my first sushi roll there- the Spicy Sensation I think it was called. It started my love affair with sushi.

 

[iloveeeyore]

Your birthday cake is gorgeous! Did you order it through Brian? We are also celebrating a special b'day at CG and we would love a cake like that! Did you post the details about it on the cake chatter thread? If so, please post a link (I looked but didn't see anything). Thanks!

 

[goldielocksraj]

All caught up again!! Lots of yummy food and wonderful reviews!!

I was sooo excited to hear about your European vacation (I've never been but wanted to go almost as long as I've wanted to say in the Contemporary), and then I was "bummed" that you would be waiting! Totally understandable and I think a very good choice. And, you still get your Disney trip. Which means, we all get to "eat" your food with you!!!

Thanks for the reviews!

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Your birthday cake is gorgeous! Did you order it through Brian? We are also celebrating a special b'day at CG and we would love a cake like that! Did you post the details about it on the cake chatter thread? If so, please post a link (I looked but didn't see anything). Thanks!

Thank you! I loved it it was even better than I imagined.

I ordered through Contemporary Private Dining and asked for Brian's contact info. I then emailed him with pictures of cakes I liked and a list of requests:

- White Cake, Buttercream Filling & Frosting
- Hand Painted White Chocolate Tinkerbell
- Light purple fondant with sugar effect I had seen on another cake
- Sugar flowers in a variety of pastels
- White chocolate banner

My cake was 8 inches and I was quoted $100.

All caught up again!! Lots of yummy food and wonderful reviews!!

I was sooo excited to hear about your European vacation (I've never been but wanted to go almost as long as I've wanted to say in the Contemporary), and then I was "bummed" that you would be waiting! Totally understandable and I think a very good choice. And, you still get your Disney trip. Which means, we all get to "eat" your food with you!!!

Thanks for the reviews!

We were really excited about Europe too, but we are so much happier now that we have more time to plan. I will still do a TR of my travels to Europe in 2011

You guys definitely still get to "eat" my food with me and you get another V&A review (plus...*shhh don't tell anyone*......yet another V&A review in Jan 2011 )

 

[dizneeat]

Hi Karin!

We are definitely happy to be going to WDW if we can't go to Europe! Plus, we really want to take the time to plan the trip to London and Paris properly.

That is fantastic news that we will be at WDW at the same time. Our Le Cellier ADR is for 12pm and our Jiko ADR is for 8:35pm. It would be great to meet and say hi

And your suggestions for London (they are still good for next year hehe):
- DMom is terrified of Ferris Wheels but now I have more than a year to convince her to fly the eye
- I never thought of climbing St. Paul's - great suggestion
- We will definitely be going to Harrods!

Oh my gosh, so many new reviews!
I loved the CG one, esp. since Ron is our favourite server as well, we always ask for him as he knows how to make your visit extra special!

Your birthday cake was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!!!!!! So beautiful!!!!!!!!!

As for our "little meet" ....... we had to change around our Le Cellier ADR and we are going there a day early, BUT .......

our ADR at Jiko is for 8.35 on Sept 4! The exact same time your ADR is, so I guess we will get to say HI after all!

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Wow, lots of updates! I adore your cake. It is so beautiful! I'm going to WDW for my birthday in July and I would love to have a cake that is similar to yours.