As God is My Witness, I'll Never be Hungry Again - Finished w/lots of pics!!

[oybolshoi]

Welcome back devoted food-porn junkies! Did you miss me? You can lie about it...I'm OK with that as long as the answer is yes.

Today is Thursday, October 26 and thanks to a behind-the-scenes-tour at the Magic Kingdom that started at 7:30AM we ate a hasty breakfast in the room about 6AM...

Well, I had to share...Plankton took the tour, too, and I didn't want him to get the hunger-grouchies. Those of you who watch Spongebob on a regular basis know what can happen when Plankton gets cranky.

This was the last of our chocolate eclairs...so light and creamy...some day I will buy something new and different at the Boulangerie Patisserie...some day.

BTW, our tour was The Magic Behind the Steam Trains at the Magic Kingdom. This was for Jon, who is a steam train geek if there ever was one. Jason and I went along to keep him company, and it was a really interesting tour, but ugh, the time....check out this picture before we go back to the more satisfying topic of food.

Yep...that blurry clock reads 7:00...AM...in the morning...and it was pitch black and still pretty chilly. The next early-morning tour I book is going to be at a spa with a sauna and a heated massage table.

So, by the time we made it back to the Beach Club it was almost 11:30AM and the bellies were demanding food. My mom decided that she and Jon didn't want to eat around the world (Jon actually wanted to do just that but he wouldn't say anything) so Jason and I left for Epcot and lunch from many countries.

What?!?!?

No, we had not already sampled everything at the Food and Wine Festival.

Sheesh. You guys seem to think all we did on this trip was eat.


First lunch - France. You may be saying to yourselves, didn't you already stop here last night? And I would answer yes, we did. But France is so good it's always worth a second visit. Here is a picture of me fumbling for some kind of acceptable currency to pay for my snackable.

And here is said snackable:

This is the picture-perfect goat cheese tart...slightly browned and just warm enough that the cheese has melted into one gooey glob of goaty goodness. And to aid in the digestive process...Kronenbourg 1664 Beer. The only time I ever get to have the Krone is at Epcot. A Krone for a Crohn!!!
Sorry, sometimes you just have to crack a joke about Crohns disease, even if the joke is a bad one. Anyway, I know some people don't like this beer, but I do. It's not too dark and chewy, like the beers that Jason prefers, but it's not like drinking Bud Light, either. I think it has a good strong flavor without being too overpowering and I'd be drinking one right now if they sold it here in Missouri. But they don't, and this makes me very sad.

Second lunch - Spain. I can't help it, but everytime I see SPAIN, I drop the "S" and end up with PAIN, which is what I would be in if I actually ate anything from this food booth.

But I am married to a man with a cast iron digestive system (it matches the table), and he ordered the Papas con Chorizo.

This dish was mushy potatoes with ground up chorizo sausage, hamburger, and lots of spice. Jason thought it was very good...I did not like the way it smelled...too hot and meaty. My nose is super-sensitive, and really strong food odors can put me off eating for hours - luckily this was a small sample and it only turned my stomach a little instead of resulting in a reversal of fortune that would have really upset the French.

Third lunch - India. I look very focused, don't I? That's because Jason dared me to order something here and I was struggling to pick food that wouldn't ruin the rest of the day. The booth is cute, isn't it?

After consulting my stomach and small and large intestines, my brain decided on soup. This is the Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Naan Bread.

**Sigh** Those of you who don't know me well, and now that I think about it, that's probably all of you...well, anyway - I've come a long way in the 12 years that I've known my husband; I eat things today that would have had me retching in horror just a few years ago. I have learned that there is more to life than tuna fish and maccaroni and cheese! But despite my gastronomic progress, I am still, in the end, a picky eater. And I did not like this soup. I think it was the curry, which seemed very strong to me, and the thickness of the soup itself. I just didn't care for it. The bread was tasty, though.

And now, an interlude....

Here are a few pictures of some of the booths we sampled the night before but didn't photograph due to laziness and poor lighting. We learned a long time ago that drinking and nighttime photography really don't mix.

Turkey:

Morocco:

Japan:

We now return you to the food...we remember it fondly.

Fourth lunch - Italy. We ordered Pizza alla Salsiccia, Zeppole Fritte al Cioccolato, and a glass of Pinot Grigio.

So what is this, really? It's a big hunk of deep dish sausage pizza - very soft and chewy and actually quite good - just the right amounts of sauce and cheese. That puffy thing on the other plate is basically a chocolate cream puff - mmmm, mmmm, good! No false advertising in Italy...pastry dough and powdered sugar mean that there is no meat hidden inside this taste treat! The wine was also very good, especially with the cream puff.

You'll notice that from this point on Jay and I stopped taking pictures of the food booths. I don't know why...guess we just got lazy (again).

Fifth lunch - Australia. Time for some Shrimp on the Barbie, and a Beef Skewer with Green Bean Salad.

I've just gotta come out and say it: Australia let us down. In years past this was always a popular stop and it could always be counted on for some tasty samples. Maybe we caught them on a bad day, but this was really not up to our level of expectation. The shrimp were OK, but they were tasteless and chewy (Barbie obviously left the shrimp on the grill too long). The beef was too chewy and it was dried out (Barbie should just let Ken take over the grilling duties). As for the veggies...I didn't eat them.

Can I just say that I miss the grilled tenderloin with pepper-berry sauce they had two years ago? And I miss the bread they used to serve with the more-than-two grilled shrimp. And why does every dessert from down under have macadamia nuts in it? Really, why ruin a perfectly good calorie-laden dessert by adding nuts? It's a puzzlement.

Sixth Lunch - Scandinavia. Feeling somewhat frisky after our Australian disappointment, we ordered Grilled Salmon Salad and some Ligonberry Mousse.

A couple of comments here. First of all, I'd like to commend those two parents who were in line ahead of us who wouldn't let their children taste any of the four (yes, four) frozen margaritas they were drinking. Not only did they enforce the unspoken hard-core alcoholic "no sharing" rule, but they purchased a beverage for each hand, taking two-fisted drinking to a whole new level. I could only stare in slack-jawed admiration.

Secondly, and this is not a complaint, but that salmon doesn't look like it's been grilled at all. It looks like cole slaw with salmon, if such a thing actually exists. And it's sitting on a super-sized triscut. Or maybe that's hardtack...I'm not exactly sure. Either way, this was actually very very good. I'm not a fan of salmon, but this was a very light flavor which was a relief because some salmons are just too fishy for my taste. And the cracker was a nice touch - soft and gooshie foods always pair well with hard and crunchie.

Thirdly, dessert: I did not and still do not know what a ligonberry is. Before stopping here and using our last two snack credits I'd never even heard of a ligonberry. Have you ever heard of a ligonberry? What type of US berry is it related to: Strawberry; Raspberry; Gooseberry; Twinberry; Dave Barry???

After much discussion Jason and I have decided that it is similar in taste to a raspberry with some undertones of cherry (which, while not a berry should be considered a cousin just because it rhymes). This was a really tasty dessert - light the way a mousse is supposed to be with a nice sweet / tart contrast. Two thumbs up for the ligonberry, whatever the heck it is.

From here we decided to check out those margaritas we kept seeing on our travels around the world showcase.

This booth, to the best of my knowledge, is a permanent fixture in the Mexican area of the world showcase. Somehow, in all our past visits, Jason and I never saw this place. I can guarantee you that oversight has been corrected and will not be a problem on future visits.

The stand offers four, I mean five different frozen margaritas for $7.75: Strawberry, Kiwi, Mango, Lime, or Fiesta (a combination of all four). You will be given your choice of salt, sugar, or neither for the rim of your cup. And then you will be very happy giving yourself an alcoholic brain-freeze at 2PM on a very sunny Thursday afternoon.

Here is a picture of me imitating my mother with the very yummy Fiesta Margarita (rimmed in sugar!).

Don't let this picture fool you - I was actually very happy. But I did a pretty good job of imitating the Grimace, if I do say so myself.

Here is a picture of Jason trying to taste the frozen goodness of the Fiesta margarita.

We parked ourselves on a bench just past the bridge near the Aztec temple and shared the frozen-fiesta love while watching these funny looking birds wander around Cantina de San Angel. We thought the ducks were aggressive, but they've got nothing on these babies!

If anyone happens to know what this bird is called, would you mind letting me know? Right now Jason and I are just calling it the Big Whitey Bird.

Seventh Lunch - Greece.

The last Food & Wine sample of the trip - Wahhhhhhhhh!!!! It's Spanakopita!

Don't misunderstand - I'm not upset about the food sample, I just don't want to go home. I didn't try this, so let me see what Jason has to say about it; hold on for just a second.....

Jason said, "it was flaky, yet crisp; the inside was a cheesy-spinachy mixture that coated my teeth with Greecie goodness."

Having spanakopita is something of a F&W tradition for us, I mean for Jason. Ever since our first F&W Festival three years ago when we were literally mowed down by a very hairy, very burly man who kept shouting to his companions, "THEY HAVE SPANAKOPITA!!!!!" We always look for Greece and find comfort in the continuity of its spanakopita samples.

And thus ends our tasty travels around Epcot. We set a new record for us: 23 visits out of a possible 25 food booths (the 26th was just selling beer and since we got to taste most of that for free, it doesn't really count). The only two booths we did not sample were Thailand and Germany. We did have some pretzels in Germany one afternoon, though, for what that's worth.

Stay tuned...California Grill is coming soon!!

 

[oybolshoi]

I don't know if Corgano's S/A friends are still following this thread, but if you are I just wanted to say thanks for sending us a copy of that cookbook! What an incredible collection of recipes you guys put together - there are so many yummies that I don't know where to start.

And, I'm not sure who submitted the recipe for the PB&J sandwich, but that was great!

Thanks again for sharing with us - we really appreciate your time and generosity!

Brenda

 

[Syrreal]

That bird is an Ibis

 

[oybolshoi]

That bird is an Ibis

Thank you, Syrreal! We would have never guessed that!

 

[Cass]

OMG the server spat on your dinner

 

[oybolshoi]

OMG the server spat on your dinner

That's what I thought when he put it on the table in front of Jason. Turns out that's fancy fungus froth! I don't eat mushrooms so I can't comment on the taste, but Jason and my step-father both said that dish was incredible.

I'll take their word for it.

 

[zweihund]

I think you and Jason did F&W the right way - a few booths at a time on multiple days. Every single time we go, we think we are up to the challenge and lose our steam at the halfway point (as evidenced in my TR)...next year we're doin' it the PLANKTON WAY!

 

[oybolshoi]

We now return you to the ninth day of An Excess of Food, already in progress.

Tonight's dinner at the California Grill was another attempt on the part of Jay and I to escape and have a nice dinner for two in a restaurant filled with 120 other people shouting at the top of their lungs. When my step-father said he thought the menu sounded tasty how could we leave him to the tender cheesesteak mercies of my mother?

Jay and I were very excited to try CA Grill - we had read and heard a lot of good things about it and we thought it would be fun to watch the fireworks later that evening from the restaurant's observation deck..unless of course we somehow ended up with a table next to a window, but we weren't silly enough to think that we could be that lucky.

Our reservation was for 7:30 that evening - because we're good little doo-bees Jason and I decided to comply with the dress code.

Before I go any further I must confess that I was not feeling well this evening - mostly I was just tired but I also had a pretty good headache and was also feeling some leftover ouchies from the surgery I'd had in September. No problem, I thought to myself...I'll just take a couple of these Advil PM and by the time we get to the Contemporary Resort I'll be feeling fine. Not perhaps the best judgement call I've ever made in my life.

***Took you long enough to get into the "Pain Relief with Sleep Aid" game, ibuprofin - where have you been all these years?!?***

Per the wonderful advice that swirls around the DISboards, I requested a "window seat" when we check in at the second floor podium. And the restaurant gods smiled upon us once again! We had to wait an extra fifteen minutes to be seated, but so what? The view from this restaurant is spectacular, and we were fortunate enough to be seated at a table that faced the front of the Contemporary with a bulls-eye view of the Magic Kingdom. The MK was hosting another Halloween party this evening so it was really cool to see some of the special effects while we were eating and my mom especially liked watching Cinderella's castle change colors all night.

Back to the restaurant - it is very loud here...I said, it is very loud here! Oh, for heaven's sake; I SAID, IT IS VERY LOUD HERE!!!

Yes, dear readers, this is a very noisy restaurant. We didn't find that the noise detracted from our enjoyment of the evening, but I just wanted to alert any of you who have not yet eaten at CA Grill - there is a lot of hustle and bustle going down. If you are looking for a cozy, quiet, and intimate venue for dinner, I'd suggest you examine other options.

We had a great waitress and she made some great suggestions during the course of our meal. When I asked to see a drink menu, however, she said, "We can make anything."

Hmmmm...I find myself dissatisfied with this response for two reasons:

1) I do not often know what it is I want to drink until I've pondered my options. I don't have a signature drink - I wait for something to jump out at me and then I give it a try.

2) There is no way that they can make "anything" and so I have already been set up for disappointment. I was tempted for a moment to ask for a Guavaberry Colada - I could be wrong but somehow I don't think the bar at CA Grill is stocked up on Guavaberry liquor.

I must have looked lost because she suggested that I try a French Martini. When I asked for the ingredients she said it was vodka and chambord with a splash of juice. A fancy name for a Cosmo...well, why not? Sure, I'll have one.

A picture of my second bad judgement call of the evening...alcohol and sleep aids don't mix, my friends.

This was quite a tasty drink, but it was also very strong - the bartender was pouring with a very liberal hand.

You know what we need? We need some food to help soak up all this vodka.
So we ordered four different appetizers and they were all wonderful.

First up, yours truly being all adventurous and taking the sushi suggestion of our waitress by ordering the Dungeness Crab California Roll with avocado and cucumber.

This was excellent! I'm a sushi novice so a less threatening and crab-filed choice like this was a wonderful introduction to sushi. That green glob on the plate is wasabi and that pink colored stuff is ginger (the first time I saw it I thought it was a slice of salmon!). And this is covered under the dining plan for any of you who may be curious.

Jason ordered the Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli:

One monster ravioli stuffed with melted goat cheese taking a tomato bath = please, sir, can I have another? The cheese had a nice flavor and paired really well with the saltiness of the sauce. The next time we go back I think I may end up ordering this, I liked it that much.

My mom ordered this for her appetizer:

We think it's something along the lines of Vietnamese Crab Salad. It definitely had a mound of crab in it and she really enjoyed it, so I know whatever it is couldn't have been too exotic (like mother, like daughter ).

Jon ordered the Black Mission Fig Flatbread, which is made with Serrano Ham, Gorgonzola, and Arugula with 1000 Flower Honey.

Look at that thing! It's huge! That one portion would have been enough for the entire table to share. And was it ever good, too! I've read great things about the flatbreads at CA Grill and this definitely lived up to its billing.

By the way, they were also offering something like three different cheese plates that evening as well. Perhaps next time we'll give one of those a try because they all sounded yummy, too.

Before our dinner showed up I made the third bad judgment call of the evening. The Advil really wasn't taking the edge off my discomfort and since one really isn't supposed to eat dinner while reclining, especially in public, I whipped out the Darvocet and dry-swallowed it like a pro.

Let's recap, shall we? Two Advil PM shortly before leaving the Beach Club, one very vodka infused martinii, and a Darvocet - in about a two-hour time span. I'm just lucky I didn't end up face first in my dinner.

Speaking of dinner, here's mine: Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta, Cremini Mushrooms, Zinfandel Glaze, and Sage.

It's a testament to just how out of it I was that when I ordered this I forgot to tell them to hold the mushrooms. Yuck! I gave them all to my mom, who is a 'shroom fiend. The rest of this was just great - pork is not usually my meat of choice at dinner but I really wanted the polenta and I just have to say that both were excellent. The pork was tender and juicy, the sauce had a slightly tart taste and the polenta was to die for. I actually ended up eating more of the polenta than the pork.

Jon and Jason both ordered Scallops Three Ways:

I have only recently discovered the joy of a really well-cooked scallop, and these were very very good - grilled so that they were lightly crisped on the outside and so tender and and tasty that I actually asked Jason for more than one bite. It's tough to find well prepared scallops - these were fabulous!

My mom ordered the Oak Fired Beef Fillet with Boniato Mashed Potatoes, Blue Lake beans, and Teriyaki Barbecue Sauce.

I did not taste this, but my mom said it was very good.

Here's where things start to get a little fuzzy. We had finished our entrees and I really wanted a good coffee drink to help clear the cobwebs a bit and because it was getting really cold in there. So I asked our waitress for the restaurant's menu of coffee drinks.

And she said... say it with me everyone... "We can make anything."

Fine.

I can play this game. I would like a cafe mocha with whipped cream and a shot of napoleon brandy.

While I was waiting for my warm yummy drink to be delivered we had the good fortune to be able to watch the electric water parade wind its way around the Seven Seas Lagoon. This was an added treat - Jason had never seen the electric water parade before so it was a lot of fun to share that with him.

And then, our waitress showed up...empty handed. Turns out they can't make everything at the California Gril, after all. I was told that they don't make cafe mocha.

Huh?

I asked her if they make cappucino and she said, "yes, we make that."

So, why not cafe mocha? Both drinks have espresso...both drinks have milk in some fashion...what's the problem? Honestly, it's not like I was asking for something exotic.

It's a mystery that has yet to be solved.

First I tried some other coffee drink that tasted like bitter whiskey. I gave that to Jason and he was a trooper and finished it all. I tried one other combination but that was equally as bad and I didn't finish it either - no one did. I should have just gone with the cappucino and called it a night. Oh, well - lesson learned. When the server at California Grill tells you that they can make anything they really mean something that may or may not be your anything. Or, to quote Andy Gibb, it may not be your everything.

And now for dessert...

My mom and I ordered the Cherries, Chocolate, Cherries - warm valrhona chocolate cake with molten center, bing cherry ice cream and cherry sauce.

This looks very pretty, doesn't it? It looked better than it tasted unfortunately. The cake was actually pretty dry and the molten center was very bitter. The ice cream was super-sweet and it just turned my stomach. My taste buds were probably off by then anyway, but I was disappointed in this because it could have been outstanding but someone left the cake in the oven too long.

Jon ordered this...an apple tart thingie (it's not on the menu that I'm using as a reference, sorry 'bout that!).

Jason had this: Bananas and Butterscotch "Buzz" - caramelized bananas and butterscotch custard stack with coffee caramel, cocoa nib, and crunchy plantain.

I was so tired by this point that I didn't even try Jay's dessert. Man, that's tired!

As for the fireworks, I may need to put on my flame retartdant suit here, but Jason and I both agreed that we like them better from ground level. It was cool to see Hallowishes from our table, but when you are that high up you can actually see where the fireworks are being shot from so it really spoils the illusion you get when you're standing inside the MK. Add that to the fact that when the show is over hordes of people from the observation deck are crowding into that small lobby area waiting for elevators to take them all back downstairs, and well, it's just not a very pleasant ending to the evening in our opinion.

We're glad we had the chance to experience the show from our table this one time, but we plan on having future dinners at the CA Grill well before fireworks are slated to begin. As for the restaurant itself, we really enjoyed our dinner here and are looking forward to going back and not having cafe mocha another time.

Thanks for reading! The last day at the world will bring breakfast at the Yacht Club Gally, lunch at Columbia Harbor House, Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian, and a room service treat to celebrate the World Series!!

 

[Cass]

No contacts tonight, though not as special as V&A lol

 

[Scratch42]

OMG the server spat on your dinner

Cass you weren't kidding! OMG!



Thank Goodness we did not have anything like that when we ate at V&A!

I think I would have thrown up!

j

 

[oybolshoi]

No contacts tonight, though not as special as V&A lol

It's funny you say that - I was planning on wearing them, but between the headache and the fact that I had busted some vessels in my left eye on Tuesday I decided to play it safe and go with the specs.

Besides, Jason equates having my glasses with us at all times as something akin to survival gear. If we ever get lost in the wilderness he figures my prescription is so strong that we should be able to start a signal fire by shining the sun through them at just the right angle.

 

[Cass]

You looked very nice though considering you weren't feeling well, your dress was also very pretty

It sucks to be under the weather on holiday.

I agree with what you said about the noise level at CG, I was really surprised at that - there is no way anyone could propose here LOL "WILL YOU MARRY ME?? MARRY M A R R Y ... me??" You'd have to know sign language or scrawl it on a cocktail napkin.

Oh, I'm excited about tea at the GF, looking forward to pics!!

 

[oybolshoi]

You looked very nice though considering you weren't feeling well, your dress was also very pretty

It sucks to be under the weather on holiday.

I agree with what you said about the noise level at CG, I was really surprised at that - there is no way anyone could propose here LOL "WILL YOU MARRY ME?? MARRY M A R R Y ... me??" You'd have to know sign language or scrawl it on a cocktail napkin.

Oh, I'm excited about tea at the GF, looking forward to pics!!

Thanks, Cass, that was very sweet - I love that dress.

And your comment about the noise level...
It's funny because it's true!

BTW - I love those little guys in your signature, where did you find them or did you make them yourself? They crack me up!

 

[oybolshoi]

I think you and Jason did F&W the right way - a few booths at a time on multiple days. Every single time we go, we think we are up to the challenge and lose our steam at the halfway point (as evidenced in my TR)...next year we're doin' it the PLANKTON WAY!

We really found F&W to be much more enjoyable this way - we've tried the commando method before and it just didn't work.

Allow me to offer you and Lionel this bit of photographic inspiration for the Plankton approved F&W approach:

Yep, we are certifiably insane.

 

[S.Poppins]

Your dining review has been so much fun! Are you doing a TR too? I am actually surprised you can remember anything that happened at CG!
I would have been laying on the floor!

 

[oybolshoi]

Your dining review has been so much fun! Are you doing a TR too? I am actually surprised you can remember anything that happened at CG!
I would have been laying on the floor!

Thank you! I do plan on doing a trip report, too, but I've got to finish this one first - if I tried to do both at once I really would go crazy.

I think I did doze off at the table at one point later in the evening and I know for a fact I fell asleep in the cab on the way back to the Beach Club...

 

[zweihund]

Allow me to offer you and Lionel this bit of photographic inspiration for the Plankton approved F&W approach:

Yep, we are certifiably insane.

Just when I thought your TR could not get any better........ I love it!

Can't wait to read about afternoon tea - I might have to nudge Lionel into choosing that as my birthday in February....I am a tea junkie, and this would just be the ultimate for me!

 

[saschab]

Before our dinner showed up I made the third bad judgment call of the evening. The Advil really wasn't taking the edge off my discomfort and since one really isn't supposed to eat dinner while reclining, especially in public, I whipped out the Darvocet and dry-swallowed it like a pro.

Let's recap, shall we? Two Advil PM shortly before leaving the Beach Club, one very vodka infused martinii, and a Darvocet - in about a two-hour time span. I'm just lucky I didn't end up face first in my dinner.

Holy Moley!
:wink:

 

[Nynaeve]

I'm so jealous! Your food looked so great! We were supposed to go to CA, but had to cancel. My MIL, who was going to baby-sit for us, wasn't feeling good that night.

I'll just have to settle for drooling at your pictures.

 

[Cass]

BTW - I love those little guys in your signature, where did you find them or did you make them yourself? They crack me up!

I just find them on the net

So where are the GF Tea pics? I am dying to see them, we are having afternoon tea on Dec 19

Surely Tea at the GF brought a smile to your mother's face?