A Little F&W, Dessert Party and some Celebrations...10.8-10.13 now completed.

[slk537]

We just returned from a 6 night trip to WDW. Back in June we found ridiculously low airfare for this week...which happened to be 2 weeks after DS's 8th birthday, during his fall break (2 days no school!) and right on our 12th anniversary. With AP's, DVC points and low airfare, we couldn't resist. Throw in F&W and MNSSHP and we were sold!

We agonized over QSP vs DDP and finally decided on the DDP, as we wanted to have a TS dinner for both the birthday celebration and our anniversary. I hadn't planned to do a dining review - there are no lack of them here on the review board - but since I took photos for our family, I thought what the heck??

We had a FANTASTIC time, marred only by the Godawful heat and a nasty bout with the flu (not Swine, just massive headcold) but we had great service, great food, great swimming, low lines, a magnificent MNSSHP, and just overall a great trip!

We definitely came out ahead on the DDP and were able to use up all our credits. We didn't hit all the popular places, but loved most of the ones we did go to. I plan for this to have plenty of photos, but also more reviews than I usually do. I have to upload to photobucket and will start soon, but here's the list:

Counter Service:
Earl of Sandwich
Wolfgang Puck Express
Flame Tree BBQ
Pepper Market
Artist Palette

Table Service:
Cape May Cafe
Tony's Town Square
Turf Club
Kona Cafe
Yachtsman Steakhouse
Olivia's

Snacks:
various F&W booths

Extra:
Wishes Dessert Party (MNSSHP night)

So feel free to join me and I'm happy to answer any questions you have.

 

[slk537]

I started getting sick on the way to the airport the night before and ended up with the full out flu the next morning. It postponed our "hit the ground running" plan, but we did get some breakfast at SSR's Artist Palette (we were staying at SSR). We all split two bounty platters and several drinks. The bounty platters have scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, a biscuit, Mickey waffle and breakfast potatoes.

This trip the eggs were very soft and creamy, but all the way cooked. I like mine much drier, but I have to admit these were good. DH and DS loved them.

The bacon was bacon. Nothing special.

The sausage was firm, salty and very good. Not greasy at all.

The biscuits were very fresh, soft and very good with the added grape jelly.

The waffles were excellent, and we dipped them in the syrup. PSA for Crocs Cleo sandals...I dripped syrup down my leg and onto my shoe and it took nothing to clean up the sticky mess. Comfy and a nice nonstick surface. Great shoes!

The potatoes were different than we remember...a different spice of some sort. DH and I both really liked them a lot.

Photo of platter (we shared two of these)

Photo of drinks (HOT outside - thesse were great to have!)

All in all, a great breakfast to start the trip.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Looking foward to hearing what you have to say since you ate at a few of the places I'm thinking about trying next year!

 

[dizneeat]

Count me in on this one! So sorry you got sick!

 

[natalielongstaff]

great review so far

 

[MickeyNicki]

I love your reviews, count me in! You were in WDW at the time FL was breaking records for the high temps!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

I'm in, too!

 

[slk537]

Looking foward to hearing what you have to say since you ate at a few of the places I'm thinking about trying next year!

Welcome! Hope I have photos of what you're thinking about ordering.

Count me in on this one! So sorry you got sick!

Oooh! I have to go catch up on your review too...haven't DISed since we left on the 8th! And thank you - it was a bit of a damper, but I was always able to taste, so that helped. The worst part was Saturday night when our little guy started coughing and I was so scared he was getting sick...but thank God his didn't go beyond a cough.

great review so far

Thanks!!

I love your reviews, count me in! You were in WDW at the time FL was breaking records for the high temps!

And I completely love yours! You inspired one of our OOP purchases, btw! And we just couldn't believe we were stuck in record temps AGAIN. The same thing happened to us in May...we were there right before the two weeks of torrential cold rain when it was so incredibly hot. And the trip before that was July 2008. Needless to say, our thick blooded Wisconsin bodies really want to head down in cooler temps next time...

I'm in, too!

Welcome!!

 

[slk537]

So after stocking up on Smart Water and such at SuperT, and me taking a nap in the room while the boys raided DTD and the Lego Store, I stuffed my pockets full of Kleenex and we headed out to do a little Food and Wine. I was very lucky that I still had working taste buds, but disappointed that I was on some cold meds and had to forego the grownup drinks for a few days. That said....we decided to head clockwise and started out at Champagne and Desserts.

As a true lover of the Grand Marnier slushie, married to a man who loves citrus fruit almost more than he loves me, there was no question what we picked:

Frozen Grand Marnier Parfait, Orange Coulis

This was excellent!! The frozen part was so cold that even in the hot day, we could barely saw through it. The coulis had a ton of citrus flavor with a little grownup bite to it. It looks small, but DH had 3 bites and so did I and then I scooped up the sauce with spoon (needed my vitamin C to get better, you know ). We immediately rated it as something we would absolutely order again. DS tried it too and gave it a 7/10 because there was something about it he didn't care for. My guess would be the Grand Marnier and the fact that it was not a creamsicle on a stick (he's not the most adventurous, but he tried). All in all, this was incredible...refreshing, tangy, and delicious! A perfect way to start our F&W walk.

Next up we switched to savory over in Argentina with the Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Pureé:

I am not entirely sure, but I think this may have been my absolute favorite F&W item over all. The beef skewer was big - DH and I each had 2 bites - and although it was fully cooked, it was incredibly tender like a rarer steak. The chimichurri was so full of garlic, it was actually spicy with it and blended really well with the boniato potatoes. They were just sweet enough to be different, but not overwhelmingly so. DH liked the beef and the chimichurri, but I thought the whole package was perfect. There was a lot of oil on this plate, but it wasn't heavy at all. DS didn't try this one - the garlic would have been a little too much for him.

So we stopped in Mexico and got him one of these...

Mexican Sunrise

This was a non alcoholic slushie that had a very unusual taste. We kept trying to figure it out...is it pineapple? Is it coconut? Is it banana? Strawberry? What????? Whatever it was, it wasn't a very strong taste against the watery slush part and DH and I decided the best parts of it were:

* it was cold
* it was liquid
* it made DS happy

Overall, it was meh. But DS loved it and that was what mattered.

Next up we stopped in Spain for something I had been dying to try since I saw the menus...the Taste of Spain.

I spent a summer in Spain, mainly Madrid, the year after I graduated and I practically lived on jamon serrano. I had it for snacking, I had it in eggs, I had it on bread for a sandwich. The family I was with for a few weeks actually had a whole ham and would just cut off of it whenever they wanted some...very unusual for me. But I loved it and I fondly remembered the dried ham jerky much more fondly than some of the really scary seafood I also tried . Let's just say they have some frightening paellas in Spain. But this was familiar and I was excited to try:

Taste of Spain (Serrano Ham, Chorizo, Manchego, Olives, Tomato Bread)

The ham was cut much thinner than I used to have so the chewy "jerky" consistency wasn't as strong. DH, DS and I really enjoyed it, although it was more like a prosciutto than I remember. The tomato bread was crunchy and drizzled in olive oil, the manchego was a dry and firm cheese, the chorizo was thick cut and very firm and the roasted peppers were excellent. The best part of this plate? Trying everything separately and then tasting them together. I loved the olive, chorizo, cheese, pepper and a little bread. Just wonderful!

DS tried the olive and jamon serrano, DH tried everything. This was a favorite for me and they thought it was okay. I would have liked to see some paella and tortilla espanola at the booth, but this was enough for some really lovely memories.

Next up we had South Africa, where the steak lovers and BBQ nuts that we are absolutely HAD to try the:

Seared Beef Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Purée, Mango Barbecue Sauce

Yes, the tenderloin was waaaay overcooked but it was still very tasty. We tend to be medium rare people (all three of us) and I think it would be very hard to keep the booth foods to those temps. In a restaurant I would have been disappointed, but this was still very good. The mango BBQ sauce was not surprisingly very sweet, but worked really, really well with the beef. DH really enjoyed it and DS thought it was okay. I was the only one who really enjoyed the sweet potato puree. It was definitely a lot looser than a mash would have been, but I like sweet potato flavor more than they do and the combination of everything was really good.

At this point, I totally wimped out and we had to head back to the room for some A/C and more cold meds. We were full and happy though and ready to do a little swimming and relaxing before dinner at a true family favorite: Cape May Cafe.

 

[mcarthur205]

I'm enjoying your reviews, you have some great photos! We're going to be at SSR for Food & Wine next year, did you enjoy staying there?

 

[dizneeat]

Reading your review makes me hungry again!!!!

I am glad your little guy didn't get sick! Nothing worse than having a sick little one!

Can't wait for more!!!!!!!

 

[slk537]

I'm enjoying your reviews, you have some great photos! We're going to be at SSR for Food & Wine next year, did you enjoy staying there?

Thank you! The photos will soon get much less in quality...we started using the point and shoot a lot more than our good camera since it was easy to keep in our pockets instead of hanging around our neck or in a large camera case. I know I keep whining about the heat, but it made a convenient camera a lot better.

SSR is a gorgeous resort. It feels like a very friendly upscale country club. We were in the Grandstands, which is an excellent location. Close (walking distance) to the Carriage House and main pool and with a very nice pool of it's own.

Unfortunately for me, I am in love with the Beach Club and Wilderness Lodge(our home resort) and I love having a lobby close by to run through and the hustle and bustle of a smaller resort so I felt that was missing. But there was absolutely nothing I disliked about SSR. Beautiful grounds, rooms, great food, close to DTD...I would definitely stay there again.

Reading your review makes me hungry again!!!!

I am glad your little guy didn't get sick! Nothing worse than having a sick little one!

Can't wait for more!!!!!!!

Thanks Karin! And your Palo review has me checking out cruise prices for the Spring....hmmmmm.......

 

[KatMark]

Enjoying your reviews and looking forward to more.

 

[slk537]

Cape May Cafe is a total family favorite. There is honestly something for everyone here. DS had asked me to make Oreo Bon Bons for his birthday cake this year and I was excited to be able to let him know on his birthday (when we surprised him with the trip) that we would be celebrating his day at CMC with his beloved Oreo Bon Bons.

When we first walked in, we noticed immediately that there were buckets of snow crab legs on the buffet. I remember way back when, you were able to order crab legs as a supplement to the buffet for an extra cost. DH loves crab legs and was pleased to give them a try. We both tried them and they were fine. Not Fultons or even Joe's Crab Shack quality, but for being on a buffet, they were very good. They were obviously very popular so they were very freshly prepared.

Everything else on the buffet was really good. I enjoyed some clam chowder and salads - caesar, potato salad, etc. The fish was tilapia - very mild with crispy batter. The sirloin was okay.

We don't enjoy the mussels and clams and I really hate peeling my own shrimp (and crab legs...DH does the work for me ) so we tend to eat more of the "American" ordinary food. But it's all good!

After our desserts (Oreo bon bons) DS was presented with a special birthday treat - he was really excited. It was a chocolate mousse dome with strawberries. At first he didn't really like it, until he mentioned that he liked the inside, not the outside. The inside was more of a dark/milk chocolate and the outside ganache was all dark. We peeled the outside layer off and he ate the rest. I was almost sad that he liked it because the bite I tried was unbelieveably decadent and delicious...like a creamy truffle.

It was a wonderful evening!

Afterwards, we went into the Marketplace and bought two treats to take back to the room. One was an apple blossom and the other was a coconut bar. I'd had both on a previous trip and loved them. The caramel apple blossom made it a few days and the coconut bar came home with us. A nice WDW treat at home!

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

great review. We never tried Cape May clambake (we went tried the character breakfast buffet), we must give it a try for next year. Thanks for sharing

 

[NuttyDisneyMom]

We're staying at SSR next month and have a dinner at CMC too! I'm in

 

[lynn46356]

Loving the food reviews along with the photos of the food! I so hope they still are serving the crab legs when we go to Cape May's in Nov/Dec even if they aren't the best. If not, the shrimp will do. Looking forward to the rest of the reviews.

 

[mcrabeck]

Really enjoying your reviews and pictures! Looking for to more!

 

[onelilspark]

I'm in! Wasn't that Grand Marnier Parfait yummy?!

 

[slk537]

great review. We never tried Cape May clambake (we went tried the character breakfast buffet), we must give it a try for next year. Thanks for sharing

Thanks - it is truly a family favorite. I teased the boys about not feeling up to going and they both protested quite loudly. There was NO way we would miss CMC. And I'm not really a buffet fan.

We're staying at SSR next month and have a dinner at CMC too! I'm in

Have you requested a location yet? Seriously - the Grandstand is great...you can walk to the CH, the quiet pool there has a bar and fountains and water horses that shoot, it's the first bus stop....We've stayed here twice and it's our favorite location at SSR.

Loving the food reviews along with the photos of the food! I so hope they still are serving the crab legs when we go to Cape May's in Nov/Dec even if they aren't the best. If not, the shrimp will do. Looking forward to the rest of the reviews.

Hellooooooo!!!!! Glad you're enjoying...you're the one who really made up my mind to do a report. Enjoy while you count down to YOURs!!!

Really enjoying your reviews and pictures! Looking for to more!

Thanks!!!!

I'm in! Wasn't that Grand Marnier Parfait yummy?!

Oh my GOSH yes!!! I would love to try to make it at home.