A Salute to Food & Wine but Mostly Wine..12/21 FINAL THOUGHTS...a Solo Trip Adventure

[2xcited2sleep]

I have developed a rather unnatural obsession with the restaurant board. Hours of time lost, looking over the food pictures and menu descriptions. I can't wait to eat my way through WDW!!

I have a pretty good idea of what I'll order at each place. I know... obsessive compulsive. Question: would you choose Earl of Sandwich or Wolfgang Puck Express for dinner? Both look delish to me and I've heard great things about both. I know I could make a game day decision but there would be no planning fun in that. So I'll "reserve the right to change my mind" but want to decide now.

Also under the category of obsessive compulsive, I've started to peruse the list of cities featured at F&W and the potential offerings to see what I might want to snack on. I am, with equal measure, delighted and disgusted that it seems I want to try something at more kiosks than not. And at the kiosks where nothing is "jumping out at me" I am going to try to be mindful of askelton's advice that it's a great opportunity to try a taste of new things and maybe find out that I like things like escargot. I swear I'm going to return 50 lbs heavier after 5 days!!

Here's the list with some random commentary:

Montreal, Canada – Cheddar Cheese Soup, Maple Glazed Salmon, Maple Custard with Almond Crumble Since I have a Le Cellier ADR I may skip this one.
Boston – Hops & Barley – Boston Crab Cake, New England Lobster Roll Living in New England I may pass this one as well
San Francisco, USA – Seared Beef Medallion with Cheese Polenta, California Strawberry Shortcake
Louisiana, USA – Crawfish Etoufée, Seafood Gumbo and Praline Bread Pudding
Buenos Aires, Argentina – Beef & Corn Casserole, Grilled Beef with Chimichurri Yum!
Santiago, Chile – Empanada, Dulce de Leche Double yum!
Mexico City, Mexico – Chilaquiles, Quesadilla con Chorizo Trifecta!
Reims – Champagne – Selection of Moët & Chandon Champagnes, French Chocolates
Lyon, France – Escargot Persillade en Brioche, Quiche Provençal, Crème Brulée au Chocolat Escargot doesn't sound at all appealing to me but askelton likes it... and you don't know until you try it
Munich, Germany – Spaetzle with Creamy Mushroom Ragout, Apple Strudel Apple strudel... delish!!
Athens, Greece – Greek Salad, Spanakopita spanakopita!
Cork, Ireland – Potato Leek Soup with an Irish Cheddar Cheese Stick, Irish Cheese Selection with Apple Chutney and Brown Bread My family - both sides- is from County Cork so I'd better have something here!!
Bologna, Italy – Baked Ziti, Mascarpone Cream Puff with Gianduja Chocolate Don't know how you can go wrong in Italy but I do have an ADR at Tutto Italia as well...
Barcelona, Spain – Cold Tomato and Garlic Soup, Seared Tuna Loin with Roasted Red Peppers
Vienna, Austria – Tafelspitz, Beef Goulash No idea what tafelspitz is (name not too appetizing!). Hopefully there are signs that explain the dishes!
Krakow , Poland – Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup, Keilbasa with Potato Pierogies I live for potato products
Istanbul, Turkey – Manti with Yogurt Sauce, Baklava Not sure what Manti is...
San Juan, Puerto Rico – Mofongo with Shrimp Salsa, Brazo Gitano
Marrakesh, Morocco – Kefta, Spicy Chicken Roll No idea about kefta either
Cape Town, South Africa – Durban Spiced Chicken, Bobotie with Mango Chutney Anything w/ mango is right up my alley!
New Delhi, India – Samosa with Tamarind Sauce, Mango Mousse Both sound good to me...
Tokyo, Japan – California Sushi Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll Please forgive if this is a stupid question. I don't eat sushi. But do they really refer to it as a california roll in Japan??
Wellington, New Zealand - Lamb Slider, Kiwi Meringue Tart Kiwi sounds good. Not a lamb fan...
Melbourne, Australia – Barramundi Fish, Grilled Lamb Chops Barramundi is a mild fish, I think, so I'll try it!
The European Cheesemonger – Selection of Dutch, Spanish and Italian Cheese Cheese, glorious cheese...

 

[Quacktatty]

I have a pretty good idea of what I'll order at each place. I know... obsessive compulsive. Question: would you choose Earl of Sandwich or Wolfgang Puck Express for dinner? Both look delish to me and I've heard great things about both. I know I could make a game day decision but there would be no planning fun in that. So I'll "reserve the right to change my mind" but want to decide now.

I have been struggling with this EXACT same problem. Right now, my decision is to eat at Cooke's of Dublin instead

I think you might need to make it a game time decision. It's going to depend on what you are in the mood for. When all else fails, you can always eat at Goofy's Candy Co!

 

[nts4wdw]

What a list! I've got to get Chuck to go to the Food and Wine Festival!! Of course, it would not help my diet!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Wolfgang Puck's always has delicious pictures on the food pic thread, but Earl of Sandwich always looks yummy, too!

Those menu items from Food and Wine -- sigh -- so tempting!!!

 

[KatGarcia]

I say go for WPEx, its more food for dinner than the sammies at Earl. Just my opinion.

 

[askelton]

What if it rains? A few DIS friends have returned from trips recently and they had a lot of rain. A LOT. And it got me thinking about how I would handle it if it rained a lot during my trip.

You shouldn't have to worry about too much rain, but good idea to prepare anyway!

Question: would you choose Earl of Sandwich or Wolfgang Puck Express for dinner?

I've never eaten at either. But I want to. I just haven't had time.

Montreal, Canada – Cheddar Cheese Soup, Maple Glazed Salmon, Maple Custard with Almond Crumble Since I have a Le Cellier ADR I may skip this one. Oh, so good!
Boston – Hops & Barley – Boston Crab Cake, New England Lobster Roll Living in New England I may pass this one as well Also very good.
San Francisco, USA – Seared Beef Medallion with Cheese Polenta, California Strawberry Shortcake
Louisiana, USA – Crawfish Etoufée, Seafood Gumbo and Praline Bread Pudding New, so 'll be interested to try.
Buenos Aires, Argentina – Beef & Corn Casserole, Grilled Beef with Chimichurri Yum!
Santiago, Chile – Empanada, Dulce de Leche Double yum! Both are yummy
Mexico City, Mexico – Chilaquiles, Quesadilla con Chorizo Trifecta! exactly!
Reims – Champagne – Selection of Moët & Chandon Champagnes, French Chocolates exactly!
Lyon, France – Escargot Persillade en Brioche, Quiche Provençal, Crème
Brulée au Chocolat Escargot doesn't sound at all appealing to me but askelton likes it... and you don't know until you try it Right!
Munich, Germany – Spaetzle with Creamy Mushroom Ragout, Apple Strudel Apple strudel... delish!!
Athens, Greece – Greek Salad, Spanakopita spanakopita!
Cork, Ireland – Potato Leek Soup with an Irish Cheddar Cheese Stick, Irish Cheese Selection with Apple Chutney and Brown Bread My family - both sides- is from County Cork so I'd better have something here!!
Bologna, Italy – Baked Ziti, Mascarpone Cream Puff with Gianduja Chocolate Don't know how you can go wrong in Italy but I do have an ADR at Tutto Italia as well...
Barcelona, Spain – Cold Tomato and Garlic Soup, Seared Tuna Loin with Roasted Red Peppers
Vienna, Austria – Tafelspitz, Beef Goulash No idea what tafelspitz is (name not too appetizing!). Hopefully there are signs that explain the dishes!
Krakow , Poland – Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup, Keilbasa with Potato Pierogies I live for potato products Me too!
Istanbul, Turkey – Manti with Yogurt Sauce, Baklava Not sure what Manti is...
San Juan, Puerto Rico – Mofongo with Shrimp Salsa, Brazo Gitano
Marrakesh, Morocco – Kefta, Spicy Chicken Roll No idea about kefta either
Cape Town, South Africa – Durban Spiced Chicken, Bobotie with Mango Chutney Anything w/ mango is right up my alley!
New Delhi, India – Samosa with Tamarind Sauce, Mango Mousse Both sound good to me...
Tokyo, Japan – California Sushi Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll Please forgive if this is a stupid question. I don't eat sushi. But do they really refer to it as a california roll in Japan?? You must try the CA roll! There's nothing raw in it.
Wellington, New Zealand - Lamb Slider, Kiwi Meringue Tart Kiwi sounds good. Not a lamb fan... I don't care for lamb either, but DH says this is very good.
Melbourne, Australia – Barramundi Fish, Grilled Lamb Chops Barramundi is a mild fish, I think, so I'll try it!
The European Cheesemonger – Selection of Dutch, Spanish and Italian Cheese Cheese, glorious cheese... This is new too. Cheese!

I'm not a big fan of meat but I'll try a small taste of most of these!

 

[pl'smama]

Great PTR Christine! Love that you are going solo! Your Molly is just a doll! No wonder the neighbor kids love her!! Your plans look great. I can't wait to hear more!

Suz

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I have been struggling with this EXACT same problem. Right now, my decision is to eat at Cooke's of Dublin instead

I think you might need to make it a game time decision. It's going to depend on what you are in the mood for. When all else fails, you can always eat at Goofy's Candy Co!

I hadn't even thought of Candy Co for dinner! Hmmmm.... And I'll just go ahead and admit that I don't think I've heard of Cooke's of Dublin.

What a list! I've got to get Chuck to go to the Food and Wine Festival!! Of course, it would not help my diet!!

Yes you do!! So get to it and start planning, will you?!

Wolfgang Puck's always has delicious pictures on the food pic thread, but Earl of Sandwich always looks yummy, too!

Those menu items from Food and Wine -- sigh -- so tempting!!!

Well, missy, judging by your new ticker it would seem that you will be tempted live and in person soon enough!! And it looks like you'll go before me so I expect a FULL report.

I say go for WPEx, its more food for dinner than the sammies at Earl. Just my opinion.

Thanks! Opinions are what I want. And welcome back! I'm so excited you've started your TR and can't wait to hear about everything that happened!!

I'll try a small taste of most of these! [/COLOR]

I think we have to meet. Sounds like we were separated at birth!!

Great PTR Christine! Love that you are going solo! Your Molly is just a doll! No wonder the neighbor kids love her!! Your plans look great. I can't wait to hear more!

Suz

Welcome Suz! Thanks for the compliments on Molly. I think she's pretty cute too. Except when she's hogging the bed and snoring!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I've never been to a hard ticket event at WDW. I don't know quite what to expect but I am really looking forward to it. I hear that Hallo-wishes is AMAZING. And the parade is supposed to be great. I've already seen some pictures of Main Street decked out in fall colors and I cannot wait to be there in person!!!! I can't wait to see my Disney friends in their Halloween finest (see below). I'm not really a candy person but I hear one can really collect POUNDS of candy if they want to -- particularly at the end of the evening (I may have to bring an extra suitcase to cart my souvenirs and the candy home!)

I have always had a Disney obsession and a love of fall but I think that Michelle of The DISney family really brought the two together for me in a trip report she did last year. That got me really thinking about Food & Wine and well... the rest is history. So she has started what I'm sure will be an amazing 4 trips in 4 months report here. She also shared a link to a new MNSSHP official site which is so cute!

MNSSHP 2008 Official Site

And I've seen reported on AllEars that Mickey and company have new costumes for this Halloween. Mickey and Minnie look divine but I'm just in love with Donald. How cute is he??

Only 47 more days to go...

 

[nts4wdw]

Those costumes are so cute! You are gonna have a great time. I am so looking forward to hearing about it.

I'm still working on Chuck.....

 

[Charleston Princess]

I just adore the characters' new costumes!!!

You are going to have so much fun at MNSSHP!!! It is one of our favorite things at MK! Make sure you get a good parade spot so you can see the Headless Horseman before the parade!

 

[askelton]

We went on Friday and loved it! I so want to go back. Michelle gave me some great tips. She definitely is in the know! HallowWishes was amazing and I absolutely loved the music! There was a very small crowd and we waited for nothing. The candy was ehh but it was the first night so that may have something to do with it. You'll love it!

 

[pl'smama]

My heart belongs to Mickey and Minnie Christine, but you are right! Donald and Daisy look adorable!!

suz

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I could really stand to be in WDW right now. I know, couldn't we all?!?! I am just aching for a total disconnect from reality. I don't want to think about gas prices, the election and associated "future of our country", bills, work, work, did I mention work???? Blech.

The good news is that six weeks from today I will be in WDW. The bad news is it is SIX WEEKS away!

So instead a virtual trip via my trip in April 2006 for the Flower & Garden festival.

The topiaries really are amazing:

Pardon me to the poor woman whose bum I captured in the above photo. That's like my worst nightmare that my behind is immortalized in someone else's TR!

And the overall landscaping is beautiful too. I love me some World Showcase. I cannot wait to be relaxing there!!

40 days!!

 

[Lady Lallie]

Those pictures are just beautiful! My goodness. Were those taken with your Canon camera?

 

[2xcited2sleep]

While on my "escaping reality" kick, I've decided that I need to retire to WDW. Granted I have more than a few years 'til a traditional retirement age but nonetheless, in the spirit of dreaming I present (in no particular order) my top 10 retirement jobs at WDW:

10. Cashier/personal shopper at The Emporium on Main Street or World of Disney in Downtown Disney. I worked in retail for years and actually liked it. Operating the cash register was my favorite. Go figure. Maybe it was counting the money. But if I liked it in Connecticut I imagine I would love it in WDW.

9. Fairy godmother in Bibbity Bobbity Boutique. This assumes that they aren’t using aqua net hairspray. Because if they are, then this may just take me back uncomfortably close to my middle school days.

8. Special events planner in Epcot – Flower & Garden, Food & Wine, Holidays etc.

7. Lifeguard (but only if the job comes w/ having a bathing suit ready body!! )

6. Dole Whip purveyor

5. DVC guide. How great would it be to set other families up for a “lifetime” of Disney vacations. I know… for only $16K of their hard-earned $...

4. Tour guide (Keys to the Kingdom or other backstage tours)

3. Jungle Cruise skipper (minus the unattractive costume). Ladies and gentlemen… the backside of water!

2. Safari guide at AK- it must be somewhat different just about every time. And I love animals!

1. Bartender. Anywhere


A few jobs I know I couldn’t do:

Haunted Mansion. No way could I stay in character. I’d be smiling and laughing and that just won’t do in the HM!

Balloon seller. I’d have those tangled in a huge mess before you knew it. I don’t know how they do it!

Hostess in a restaurant. I could not resist delivering snarky comments to guests who show up and think they are going to get into Le Cellier (or anywhere!) for 8pm that evening. ​

So what would YOUR retirement job be???

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Those pictures are just beautiful! My goodness. Were those taken with your Canon camera?

Thanks so much! Those were actually a Fuji Finepix that has since died. I'm anxious to try out the Canon. And also anxious to hear how it worked for you! Since you enlightened me on some of the features I've been trying the stitch together and the color thingy (forgot the technical term!). I try to fancy myself a photographer but when you take hundreds of photos you're bound to get a few right!!!

 

[Lady Lallie]

Thanks so much! Those were actually a Fuji Finepix that has since died. I'm anxious to try out the Canon. And also anxious to hear how it worked for you! Since you enlightened me on some of the features I've been trying the stitch together and the color thingy (forgot the technical term!). I try to fancy myself a photographer but when you take hundreds of photos you're bound to get a few right!!!

I really like my Canon but have decided I want a "real" tripod for our next trip. I just posted a bunch of Main Street pics on my TR. I didn't use the stitch thing as much as I wanted too. I was too impatient, trying to soak everything in.

 

[Lady Lallie]

Also, while we were down at WDW, I told DH I would be happy emptying the trash cans.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Also, while we were down at WDW, I told DH I would be happy emptying the trash cans.

I hear that janitorial is the primo job for those that want guest interaction. So if you went into your interview saying "I really like people and want to help them make the most of their vacation" they would probably "stick" you in janitorial. Not that that would be bad.

My brother and I have a long-standing joke about the white-coated men (and women) that have to follow the horses in the parade picking up you know what! But I tell you what... I think I'd take that job over my current one in a heartbeat!