Sunday, October 22nd - The Names Have Not Been Changed to Protect the Impatient, the Uncooperative, or the Purple.
And now, what you've all been waiting for: the over-hyped story of one woman's misguided attempt to purchase family harmony with a greasy sandwich.
Dinner...oh dinner. Oh, wherefore art thou dinner?
I wrestled with this question during the the six-month dining reservation change-and-guess-and-cancel-mixathon that begins with the 180-day ADR window. It really sucks trying to make dining plans for other people, especially when those people say things like, "Oh, we don't care where we eat. We'll be happy with whatever you choose."
And initially I did choose our ADRS using my own fabulous judgement and all was right with the world. But then I started to think (always a mistake), and I fell right into the trap of trying to make everyone happy instead of simply telling them that if they didn't eat their meat they wouldn't get any pudding.
When you guys find out what I did - I'm probably going to end up being shunned. First I admit to not watching parades and live shows, and now I'm going to tell you about the ADR that I let get away.
For this Sunday evening I originally had a dinner reservation for the four of us at...
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wait for it...
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Le Cellier.
Jason and I were keen to try it and I had read so many good reviews of the restaurant here at the DIS that the flexibility of the Dining Plan seemed like the perfect opportunity for us to give it a go. And my parents like steak but there are also other choices for them like salmon and...stuff. Once finished with dinner we could just hop the monorail over to the MK and enjoy Wishes and some late-night fun with Mickey and Company.
But here's what happened: sometime in September while I was recovering from my second surgery of the year and dreaming of WDW, my mom said to me, "Brenda, we can have steak any time. I want to have dinner at the Magic Kingdom. Is there someplace we can go that I can get a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich?"
Does anyone else notice that her request still includes steak???
I was flying higher than a kite from all that percocet - there's no other explanation for the seeming reasonableness of her request. Allow me to share some advice: Don't change your ADRs while taking narcotic pain killers...it will only lead to heartache, and quite possibly, heartburn.
As I think back on this somewhat distorted conversation with my mom, I'm struck by the fact that her idea of dinner at the MK is a cheesesteak sandwich. Had my brain been working at it's usual speed I would have at least suggested that we give Liberty Tree Tavern a try - we've got the dining plan, woman; let's get a little bang for our buck!
The result of all this was that I cancelled the Le Cellier ADR and got us in to the Plaza for dinner that night - specifically so that she could have her cheesesteak sandwich. I'm just that nice.
As I mentioned before, this Sunday was EMH at the MK - it was crowded...our ADR was for 6:50PM. Although I got us to the podium with about 10 minutes to spare we waited nearly 30 minutes before being seated in the dining room. I can't stress how important ADRs are if you really want to eat somewhere - I lost count of the number of people who walked up to the podium to ask for a table only to be told that the restaurant was booked solid.
My mom, by the way, doesn't really like to wait. I am my mother's daughter because I'm not known for being patient, either. But I do understand that at a teeeny little place like the Plaza on a busy night at the MK you will have to wait for your table. It's important that people chew their food thoroughly and take the time to digest it - we shouldn't rush them because a reversal of fortune, whether in the restaurant or on the sidewalk or in a line queue, is really a shared disaster.
Jason and I amused ourselves during the wait by watching my mom's lips grow thinner and thinner while she heaved her shoulders with dramatic, long-suffering sighs punctuated with occassional eye-rolling. We don't have children but I think my mother became the oldest living teenager ever that night.
Once we were seated we all agreed that the Plaza is a charming little place, styled like a turn-of-the-century ice cream parlor - I always think 1904 World Fair for some reason when I'm here. The menu choices were nothing spectacular, although the desserts were quite tasty - save room if at all possible. The service was fine and the food was decent, but I don't think that eating here was a wise use of a Dining Plan table service credit.
You want to see the sandwich that started it all?
THAT'S NOT A CHEESESTEAK SANDWICH - THAT'S A RUEBEN!!!!!!
The Grimace just pulled a Bait and Switch on me, which is illegal in most states.
"I thought you wanted a cheesesteak sandwich; that's why we changed the reservation and came here for dinner."
"I know, but it just didn't sound very good. Besides, you really have to go to Philadelphia for the best cheesesteak sandwiches."
I suggested that we could have ordered the sandwich to go and had a picnic dinner in Liberty Square, which is modeled after 18th-century Philadelphia, but she wasn't having any of it.
You know what I learned from this? I don't need a child...I've already got one.
Coming soon - Day 6...EMH at the Animal Kingdom, a F&W Festival drive-by eating, a mini DIS-meet with two of the nicest English citizens we've ever met, Plankton sets his plans in motion, and dinner at Victoria & Albert's!!!
- I've never seen the Rockin photo before - its cool
- scratching those cards I guess
It can get here fast enough! Are you and Jay planning a 2008 trip?
who cared less about Star Wars weekend last year when we were there, now can't get enough of it...go figure.
