Belly Up to the Bar With Bendy and Her Friendies!!! Button Pics & New Thread Started!

[TheDISneyFamily]

Hi! I just noticed the new F&W 2009 signatures everyone is sporting and had to stop by and say to Catherine! Great job, as usual!

If we get to go to F&W this year... I'll have to commission you for a Tom Colicchio signature!

(BTW - love the Ginsburg graphic - too funny!)

Well, my fellow foodies, we are headed on safari to the 3rd largest Whole Foods market. They just opened the new store in Chicago and with any luck, we won't get lost in the 75,000-square-foot store next week! Hey Lori - have you been to the new Whole Foods yet? Oh, and we have to go to Graham Elliots place! He was great on Top Chef Masters last night!

Cheers,
Michelle #4 (but you can call me Shelly)

 

[D&R love Disney]

Hi! I just noticed the new F&W 2009 signatures everyone is sporting and had to stop by and say to Catherine! Great job, as usual!

If we get to go to F&W this year... I'll have to commission you for a Tom Colicchio signature!

(BTW - love the Ginsburg graphic - too funny!)

Well, my fellow foodies, we are headed on safari to the 3rd largest Whole Foods market. They just opened the new store in Chicago and with any luck, we won't get lost in the 75,000-square-foot store next week! Hey Lori - have you been to the new Whole Foods yet? Oh, and we have to go to Graham Elliots place! He was great on Top Chef Masters last night!

Cheers,
Michelle #4 (but you can call me Shelly)

A 75,000 sf Whole Foods store

 

[kabuki]

Hi! I just noticed the new F&W 2009 signatures everyone is sporting and had to stop by and say to Catherine! Great job, as usual!

If we get to go to F&W this year... I'll have to commission you for a Tom Colicchio signature!

(BTW - love the Ginsburg graphic - too funny!)

Well, my fellow foodies, we are headed on safari to the 3rd largest Whole Foods market. They just opened the new store in Chicago and with any luck, we won't get lost in the 75,000-square-foot store next week! Hey Lori - have you been to the new Whole Foods yet? Oh, and we have to go to Graham Elliots place! He was great on Top Chef Masters last night!

Cheers,
Michelle #4 (but you can call me Shelly)

Shelly have fun! That sounds great!!!!

I love Top Chef Masters by the way!

 

[TheDISneyFamily]

A 75,000 sf Whole Foods store

Shelly have fun! That sounds great!!!!

I love Top Chef Masters by the way!

Would you believe it's what my youngest daughter wants to do for her 15th B-day?! She is definitely a foodie in training! LOL! I'll be sure to post pics & maybe even some Flip video after our Whole Foods adventure!

 

[kabuki]

Would you believe it's what my youngest daughter wants to do for her 15th B-day?! She is definitely a foodie in training! LOL! I'll be sure to post pics & maybe even some Flip video after our Whole Foods adventure!

That is so cool! A child after my own heart! You know that Rick Bayless is also a Chicago chef and he will be on TCM next week. I have missed him 2 times at WDW Food and Wine! I love him!

 

[MA pigletfan]

Well, my fellow foodies, we are headed on safari to the 3rd largest Whole Foods market. They just opened the new store in Chicago and with any luck, we won't get lost in the 75,000-square-foot store next week! Hey Lori - have you been to the new Whole Foods yet? Oh, and we have to go to Graham Elliots place! He was great on Top Chef Masters last night!

Cheers,
Michelle #4 (but you can call me Shelly)

LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 75,000 sq ft whole foods..sign me UP!!
Oooh i will have to watch TCM tonight..i dvr'ed it. Such a cool show!

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Well, my fellow foodies, we are headed on safari to the 3rd largest Whole Foods market. They just opened the new store in Chicago and with any luck, we won't get lost in the 75,000-square-foot store next week! Hey Lori - have you been to the new Whole Foods yet? Oh, and we have to go to Graham Elliots place! He was great on Top Chef Masters last night!

Cheers,
Michelle #4 (but you can call me Shelly)

Wow...75,000 sq ft? Our Whole Foods is so not worthy! We have to drive about an hour to get to WF here so we don't go too often. I'd be in foodie heaven going to the Chicago store.

 

[blissventure]

I booked my flight down
Arrive on Friday the 16th at 10:15 am!!!!!

Good for you!
Hey D&R, quick question for you--I think I read that you've stayed in the Garden Suites at BWI before?
Do you have any thoughts on them vs regular CL or deluxe CL rooms?
How far away from the lounge are the suites? Was the walk OK..are you covered? (hurricane season is always in my mind.)
Last question, is there a quiet pool nearby these Garden Suites?

Thanks a bunch!!!!

 

[TheDISneyFamily]

That is so cool! A child after my own heart! You know that Rick Bayless is also a Chicago chef and he will be on TCM next week. I have missed him 2 times at WDW Food and Wine! I love him!

Thanks! I'll be watching for Rick on the show. I hope he does well! Sorry you've missed him at F&W.

LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 75,000 sq ft whole foods..sign me UP!!
Oooh i will have to watch TCM tonight..i dvr'ed it. Such a cool show!

Yeah, so far TCM has been great. It was fun watching the show last night... I don't think Wylie Dufresne expected it to be so much of a challenge. I won't say anymore since you haven't seen it yet!

Wow...75,000 sq ft? Our Whole Foods is so not worthy! We have to drive about an hour to get to WF here so we don't go too often. I'd be in foodie heaven going to the Chicago store.

LOL! 75,000 sq feet of foodie goodness! Yes, I can't wait to go. It's about an hour away for us, too, but if it turns out to be a good experience, we'll plan on a monthly trek to stock up on stuff we could never get around home.

 

[TDC Nala]

I have three Whole Foods and two Trader Joes within 5 miles. (I never go to WF - I stick with TJs)

Ahh the Rick Bayless Lunch & Learn...what happened to the good old days at Epcot.

 

[ChelleinNC]

Have any of the Friendies made the Artist Point Berry Cobbler? Angela, I saw both recipes in the exchange thread, has your opinion changed since those were posted? Any one else have any opinions?

My dad & stepmom and my inlaws (who haven't seen my dad since my wedding 18 years ago) are all coming for dinner tonight and I thought the cobbler would be a good dessert.

Which recipe should I use? All thoughts on this are welcome (as long as I get them by late this afternoon)

 

[kabuki]

I have three Whole Foods and two Trader Joes within 5 miles. (I never go to WF - I stick with TJs)

Ahh the Rick Bayless Lunch & Learn...what happened to the good old days at Epcot.

Did you get to do the Bayless lunch and learn? I bet he was great! Seems so nice!

 

[hmgray95]

Wow, you guys have been busy since I last checked in.....

Angela, your new kitties are adorable! My 5 year old DD has been begging us for a kitty or a puppy for about 1 year now....I think we are going to have to break down and get a kitten after our October F&W trip.

Catherine, your Ginsberg perfume is too funny! It reminds me of the real ads that Donald Trump puts out for whatever new product he is hawking this week!

I too am hooked on Top Chef Masters. Although I do find it ironic that when the judges are critiquing the "real" chefs, they say that it's understandable that a dish may have been less than perfectly cooked given the restrictions of the challenge....but when it's the regular old cheftestants that are competing, they don't give them any excuses for putting out a less than perfect dish, regardless of the situation they were faced with when cooking. Bit of a double standard, I think. And who could cook a perfect meal when they are cooking a seven course meal, using only Pop-Tarts, Spam and Dr. Pepper, over a campfire, during a hurricane, with one hand tied behind their back, anyhow!

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I too am hooked on Top Chef Masters. Although I do find it ironic that when the judges are critiquing the "real" chefs, they say that it's understandable that a dish may have been less than perfectly cooked given the restrictions of the challenge....but when it's the regular old cheftestants that are competing, they don't give them any excuses for putting out a less than perfect dish, regardless of the situation they were faced with when cooking. Bit of a double standard, I think. And who could cook a perfect meal when they are cooking a seven course meal, using only Pop-Tarts, Spam and Dr. Pepper, over a campfire, during a hurricane, with one hand tied behind their back, anyhow!

I thought the very same thing as I was watching last night. The critiques seem a bit homogenized because these are big name chefs. Oh well, still very fun to watch.

 

[D&R love Disney]

Good for you!
Hey D&R, quick question for you--I think I read that you've stayed in the Garden Suites at BWI before?
Do you have any thoughts on them vs regular CL or deluxe CL rooms?
How far away from the lounge are the suites? Was the walk OK..are you covered? (hurricane season is always in my mind.)
Last question, is there a quiet pool nearby these Garden Suites?

Thanks a bunch!!!!

I love the Garden Suites, we've stayed there 2 times (before DVC). They are much bigger than the regular and deluxe CL rooms. It is a walk to the lounge. There is a hidden entrance under these stairs that takes you to an elevator. It's a long hallway to the lounge.

We were there once over Labor Day weekend and did have a bit of rain to deal with but not a problem.

The quiet pool is very close. There are only 15 suites all in a row. 3 of them have balconies, these are my favorite since the layout is a bit different.

 

[TarzansKat]

Hey everyone! Just popping in to say I am loving all the new siggies around here!

 

[TDC Nala]

Did you get to do the Bayless lunch and learn? I bet he was great! Seems so nice!

It was great! Somewhere one of my friends (who reads here HELLO) has a photo of him holding up a slice of bread that coincidentally is shaped like Mickey Mouse.

 

[blissventure]

I love the Garden Suites, we've stayed there 2 times (before DVC). They are much bigger than the regular and deluxe CL rooms. It is a walk to the lounge. There is a hidden entrance under these stairs that takes you to an elevator. It's a long hallway to the lounge.

We were there once over Labor Day weekend and did have a bit of rain to deal with but not a problem.

The quiet pool is very close. There are only 15 suites all in a row. 3 of them have balconies, these are my favorite since the layout is a bit different.

Thanks very, very much D&R for all your helpful information. I called DH a bit ago, we talked it over. Next call I made--WDW. We're booked!!!

 

[Tatania]

Thanks to everyone for the congratulations on my adorable new "babies" (kittens). I spent most of the morning playing and cuddling with them and am way behind in my day now!

Sorry, Chelle, I didn't see your post earlier about the Artist Point Berry Cobbler. If I made it again I would definitely use more filling, because I much prefer filling to crust anyway. When I eat pies, I tend to leave the crust unless it's extraordinarily good. One recipe that is very good - especially because you can get the ingredients fresh right now - is the Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble from Raglan Roads's chef Kevin Dundon. I made it as one large crumble instead of the individual serving sizes. It has fabulous taste than going to make it again. The recipe is on the recipe exchange.

Would you believe it's what my youngest daughter wants to do for her 15th B-day?! She is definitely a foodie in training! LOL! I'll be sure to post pics & maybe even some Flip video after our Whole Foods adventure!

You brought her up right. Does anyone else, when travelling overseas, does anyone find visits to local grocery stores/delis/food markets among the most interesting sights? I'll remember my supermarket visits (esp. in places like China & Japan) more clearly than the usual monuments because it's so interesting.

I've worked out my ADRs and will book them in a week. We'll do 2 OOP meals (Boma breakfast and Crystal Palace lunch) as this will allow enough TS credits for Jiko and Citricos. It will be my first time at both those places and I'm very excited. I couldn't fit in California Grill because a week is just not enough time.
Other first time tries will be Chefs de France, Paradiso 37, Pepper Market (because we're staying at the Coronado), The Mill and Contempo Cafe. I hope to get the cupcake recipe from Contempo as people are raving about them. My sister wants to try Kona Cafe, Sci Fi and WCC and either San Angel or Restaurant Marrakesh so had to put those on the list. I'm a big fan of Kona Cafe, so that's OK. To me the quality of Ohana is too "hit and miss."
I'd love to get to the Poly for breakfast (and the Tonga Toast as have never tried it) but time-wise it just won't work.

 

[TigerKat]

I've worked out my ADRs and will book them in a week. We'll do 2 OOP meals (Boma breakfast and Crystal Palace lunch) as this will allow enough TS credits for Jiko and Citricos. It will be my first time at both those places and I'm very excited. I couldn't fit in California Grill because a week is just not enough time.
Other first time tries will be Chefs de France, Paradiso 37, Pepper Market (because we're staying at the Coronado), The Mill and Contempo Cafe. I hope to get the cupcake recipe from Contempo as people are raving about them. My sister wants to try Kona Cafe, Sci Fi and WCC and either San Angel or Restaurant Marrakesh so had to put those on the list. I'm a big fan of Kona Cafe, so that's OK. To me the quality of Ohana is too "hit and miss."
I'd love to get to the Poly for breakfast (and the Tonga Toast as have never tried it) but time-wise it just won't work.

Sounds like a great line-up, we're excited about trying Citrico's as well! I'll be interested in your opinion of Paradiso 37.