"could I have another glow cube?" - spring 2017 DR - COMPLETE 8/17 Homecoming

[nicoleakr]

AWe were going to try San Anglo Inn this trip but have decided to try chef de France. After your review I am glad we changed our minds!

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

So, I had read your response but hadn't had a chance to reply and I thought of you this morning. I saw a gentleman crossing the street on my way to work this morning who had on a shirt that said "How can you drink all day if you don't start in the morning?"

Note to self: Need this shirt.

And OK just...wow. I hope Mr. Burbank Manager Dude is whipping Sebastian and the rest of the staff at San Angel into shape because Sean and I are having lunch there in September and there will be hell to pay if we don't get our chips and salsa! Seriously though, what a jerk. Score on the free margs, though! We had one of the jalapeno ones at F&W last year and really liked it.

Your report was awesome, as usual! This really seemed like a fun trip. I will of course be here to read about the next one...keep the reviews coming!

 

[pepperandchips]

Yuck! I actually crossed that off my list the other day and I'm definitely decided on not getting it now.

Yeah, I looked at Disney Food Blog today and their picture is way different than what I was served. Mine is like totally flat and theirs was nice and plump and round. I really think mine could have been sitting under a heat lamp for hours.

I'm so sorry! I think I told you this is a good place to go for drinks and apps and now I feel terrible. I did like the queso fundito and drinks however. But your server was awful! We didn't have the server problem so I think that's why it was still alright even though I didn't love everything. That's so ridiculous! We got chips before we even ordered so they didn't know we were getting an entree and we almost didn't get one we split one. So that guy completely lied! I'm so glad the manager semi helped.

Yeah, your review actually made me want to try San Angel Inn (I mean, it helped, you're certainly not responsible or anything haha). Any place can have a bad server or a good server on a bad night, I get that. I do think our service was unacceptable but there were a lot of other things about that restaurant I didn't care for, so we won't give it another shot. I can't believe they took those tostadas off the menu, they sounded so good! Oh well, live and learn. Spoiler: we did return to the Mexico pavilion in April and had a GREAT experience. So it's not all bad under that big beautiful pyramid!

Yay there's more!

You know me and my disney addiction Gotta finish up the April dining report before I head out to Aulani and Disneyland in late May!!!

That all looks delicious and really fresh!

Yes it really really was! I am sure the salads and stuff aren't really all that healthy but they certainly feel fresh and healthy after a weekend of eating junk!

Glad you got a better steak this time. It does look good but those eggs yeah not so much.

This looks amazeballs though! I love me a good eggs benny.

Can't disagree with you. They do a great job on the brunch items!

I was not a fan of this either. There wasn't enough filling.

Was yours flat and sad too? Disney food blog has a picture of a nice, normal looking chile relleno.

Sorry you had such crappy service and mediocre food. At least the manager made up for it! I've only been to San Angel once and we had this chicken in a cream sauce and it was really good. But the churros we had for dessert were amazing. I think they've taken them off the menu though.

Booo. I totally panicked since I didn't know what to order. And then I ordered poorly!

Normally the thought of chocolate and alcohol is not appealing to me but that looks really good. I might have to change my mind.

Oh it is SO GOOD. I am not normally a creamy beverage gal because I find dessert drinks to be too sweet and too heavy but this one is sheer heaven

AWe were going to try San Anglo Inn this trip but have decided to try chef de France. After your review I am glad we changed our minds!

Well I am sure it has its redeeming qualities as it was jam packed full when we were there! Ironically enough we cancelled our Chefs de France ADR to swap for San Angel. I will have to try Chefs in the future!

Note to self: Need this shirt.

And OK just...wow. I hope Mr. Burbank Manager Dude is whipping Sebastian and the rest of the staff at San Angel into shape because Sean and I are having lunch there in September and there will be hell to pay if we don't get our chips and salsa! Seriously though, what a jerk. Score on the free margs, though! We had one of the jalapeno ones at F&W last year and really liked it.

Your report was awesome, as usual! This really seemed like a fun trip. I will of course be here to read about the next one...keep the reviews coming!

Yeah it was so weird because the manager (I am not sure if I should say his name since I am not sure he was really supposed to be telling the guests he was sent out from California to help...) was absolutely fantastic and personable and just a general doll. But anyway it's sort of hilariously bad now, and it certainly didn't keep me away from the margaritas in April! Haven't met a La Cava margarita yet that I didn't like. Stick around because I am fresh off more dining from April and ready to write it all up!

 

[inkedupmomma]

really enjoyed your reviews. SO fun going to deny with friends! We also loved cali grille brunch. cant justify the price on our next trip,but will return again one day!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I love my husband but yes, he sometimes has some really silly rules about photos or about gym clothes in public or calling the bathroom the lavatory b/c he hates the other words. Everyone has their quirks - luckily I can live with his!

Looks like you guys had a good afternoon of alcohol at least! Mexico did seem to hate you with both the drinks and the food today. I'm glad Mizner's made it better as who doesn't love Mizner's? Poor guy trying to get with KJ!

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

But anyway it's sort of hilariously bad now, and it certainly didn't keep me away from the margaritas in April! Haven't met a La Cava margarita yet that I didn't like.

I really am only interested in San Angel so I can feed Sean some tacos and get a margarita, especially now that they took the chicken tostadas off the menu! Thanks for the heads up on the menu--looks like they changed quite a few things. He thinks the restaurant looks cool so we'll keep the ADR but I am going in with fairly low expectations and planning to get my lunch at the F&W booths!

 

[kastoney]

You live among geniuses. Seriously, I never would have thought of that! When they perfect the recipe, hook yo friend up with the at-home know how!

I'll see if I can get the recipe hook-up from my brother. He's tried it a few times so he should have it down by now.

On Sunday, we got to sleep in a tiny bit since we'd be enjoying brunch at California Grill and our reservation was at 10:25. This was the meal we'd most been looking forward to -- calling it "fancy pants brunch" in all of our plans leading up to departure.

Oh, I'm so excited you are doing this. Think I have Jason convinced to do this in November post his half marathon. We've always wanted to, but the $50 price tag for the kiddo is pretty hard to swallow

Oh and you are greeted with a welcome mimosa!

I thought these were bottomless. Is that no longer the case??????

I was trying not to be TOO weird of a vacation pal to KJ so I only took one picture of her plate but I got a few angles of mine.

Weird with your vacation pal??? I have to do the same thing with my hubby! One quick pic is all I get

Which was unlimited and we took full advantage of that fact. There is a beautiful clear sparkling beverage with fruit skewers offered as a non-alcoholic option. Clearly KJ and I did not investigate that option so I am sorry to say I have no photo of it, but it looked great and a woman seated at those booths in the background of the above picture had a few of them.

So here is the unlimited booze!!!!! Sign me up!

The steak was so much better this time! I don't know if I just had a better cut or if it was actually prepared improperly last time but this steak was tender and flavorful, and I really enjoyed the zesty chimicurri. The potatoes were still a little bland. I ordered my eggs poached but these were a little too "rare" for me. I didn't even attempt to eat them as I cannot do undercooked egg whites at all.

Brave gal going for something that didn't work out last time. Glad it turned out well, but if it didn't guess you could just have ordered something else

Our fantastic server accomodated us with two each of the "colors" we'd requested - delicious, decadent salty caramel with just a subtle smokey buttery flavor to the caramel. I thought the other flavor was pistachio when we requested them, but after tasting them I think it was actually green tea. The caramel was much better but I've never said no to a macaron so I still ate the green tea anyway!

YUM!!!!!! Can't wait to try these

Of course, KJ was a lady on a mission since we were at the Contemporary... we had to pop in to see if George was on duty at The Wave. He wasn't, but not to worry - the bartender whipped us up a captain's mai tai and a magical star cocktail to go! Yes, that's right, KJ got ANOTHER glow cube!

What's the count up to????

BRYON!

KJ ordered her very first martini (I know, how do you make it through life 26 years without having had a martini?) a "very dirty grey goose martini with extra olives"... which Bryon translated as a "filthy martini with chunks" . (Behind the magic: you can see KJ's real name if you are curious on her birthday button. Actually maybe that's hard to read. It rhymes with "whim")

Bryon is awesome!!!!!! Though I have a confession. You will think less of me but I'm forty - cough - something and never had a martini

Chile relleno de Picadillo: battered poblano pepper filled with ground beef served with tomato sauce and garnished with queso fresco and toasted almonds. Now, I am a huge fan of chile rellenos but this was not good. It tasted like it'd been there a while, which is odd because this was pretty much prime dinner time. Actually what it really tasted like was a freezer burned stouffer's meal that had been overmicrowaved (delicious, mmm) since it was kinda chewy. And I see nary an almond to be found! Liars. ($6 wasted)

Yuck, yuck, yuck!!!!! I love chile rellenos but this just sounds plain awful

I felt like we were sitting with the nearest family.

The seating here is the absolute worst. Its like they did all kinds of crazy math and geometry to figure out how they could get as many tables in there as possible to make us as uncomfortable as they could.

Anyway, I was disappointed upon reviewing the menu that the highly lauded Chicken Tinga Tostadas were no longer available.

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love these.

nyway, I was disappointed upon reviewing the menu that the highly lauded Chicken Tinga Tostadas were no longer available. Honestly there wasn't much on the menu that looked good to me, for whatever reason, but we had been big on getting avocado margaritas from there and so we picked out two decent looking appetizers and ordered our margaritas and obviously pissed off our ABYSMAL server who I will call out by name because I don't think I've ever had worse service or experienced a worse attitude in any dining experience before or since (thanks, Sebastian, you're a jerk). We had noticed huge cones of chips being delivered to every table in sight distance, and KJ sweetly asked our terrible server if we could have a basket of chips. Sebastian, despite having just put in $60 worth of orders for margaritas and appetizers for us, refused to bring us chips and salsa. This was not a situation of me being pissed that he informed us we could pay for them, he more or less flipped out on us and scolded us to inform us we could not have the chips and salsa because we had not ordered entrees. Umm. Okay. So we were resigned to drink our margaritas, eat our crappy appetizers if they ever showed up, and find more food elsewhere.

I'm glad the margarita was good, but that server is just plain awful. I know you've been tweating in compliments to disney but you should really capture this encounter for them too. Our service at San Angel has never been better than mediocre, but what you had to endure is beyond anything acceptable.

Fortunately the manager was amazing and spent quite a few minutes with us, just chatting (about how he'd been brought out from Burbank, actually, to help out at San Angel Inn specifically) and he later arrived at our table with complimentary jalapeno margaritas that he wanted us to try and offered gratis as an apology. I didn't even take pictures of the appetizers - we had pork tacos and the queso fundido. They were meh at best and it was super dark in there and I was not very happy by the time the food arrived anyway. (Per my additional research for you lovely people, they were the tacos al pastor and I didn't like them because I thought the pineapple on them tasted like canned pineapple and it was too sweet). This is the only time I can recall that I didn't leave anything additional on top of the TIW gratuity, and the total came to $55.73. The only positive thing I can say is that the manager was excellent and rehabbed the situation as best as he could, and the margaritas were delicious. After the rage wore off, I grabbed this photo (sorry for the partially consumed photo).

Glad you got another margarita, but this is just wrong. Sorry it was such a waste of your time. I am now officially protesting them in solidarity to my disney food sister

GO BACK TO THE LAST AWESOME PLACE YOU WENT! So we traipsed back over to a bustling Mizner's lounge and helped ourselves to two seats at Bryon's hospitable bar. KJ had yet to experience the majesty and wonder of a Mizner's chocolate martini (or as I like to call it, an adult Yoo-Hoo) and Bryon was only too happy to introduce her to this marvel. We even got chocolate Mickeys! I believe the official name of this masterpiece is the Godiva Chocolate Martini - which is comprised of Stoli Vanil Vodka, Godiva Chocolate Liqueur, White Crème de Cacao, and Frangelico. ($10.75)

And Byron brings it home!!!!!

It wasn't happening for him but we had a really fun time swapping stories with our co-vacationers. I'm breaking @Dis_Yoda's husband's photo rule but here is the only decentish (okay, still really bad) picture of us after the party broke up. The whole experience was just... wait for it... GRAND!

Looks like KJ is about ready to go home with Byron

 

[Raeven]

Yeah, your review actually made me want to try San Angel Inn (I mean, it helped, you're certainly not responsible or anything haha). Any place can have a bad server or a good server on a bad night, I get that. I do think our service was unacceptable but there were a lot of other things about that restaurant I didn't care for, so we won't give it another shot. I can't believe they took those tostadas off the menu, they sounded so good! Oh well, live and learn. Spoiler: we did return to the Mexico pavilion in April and had a GREAT experience. So it's not all bad under that big beautiful pyramid!


You know me and my disney addiction Gotta finish up the April dining report before I head out to Aulani and Disneyland in late May!!!

I know I remember you saying you wanted to try after. We probably wouldn't return either (at least not anytime soon). I had read not so great reviews but Josh wanted to eat there. Now that we've tried it I don't think he'll ask to go back.

Ooo Aulani and Disneyland!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

The jalapeno margarita was very good, I must admit. I had just had such an unpleasant time at dinner that I can't even describe it well. It tasted like frustration and disappointment. ha.

I am kind of afraid to try the avocado Margaritas. But those look yummy!

I was hoping your experience at San Angle Inn would have been better, but doesn't sound like it.

 

[krrrristen]

I read through everything last night everything looks delicious! I have so many things (read: drinks) that I want to try now! That avocado margarita has been on my list for a while... next time!

 

[ariane37]

I... may have actually never *seen* fantasmic

I'll allow this, but only because I'm not a fan of RoL and you loved it. An eye for an eye, but don't give me any more shocks

When are we going to snack around Walt Disney World together again?

I hope it happens soon! Seriously, can't you just take the what, 8 hour drive over some time when I'm down there? Screw work OK so we're working on our next trip after next month, I'll keep you posted

First of all, I am extremely impressed in your daydrinking abilities. If this were me, I probably would've been found backstroking through the Seven Seas Lagoon.

I see myself sitting at the table on the computer when this story pops up. I say to Steve, "OMG you won't believe it, another dorkus decided swimming in the lagoon at Disney is a good idea. Wait a minute......that looks like........"

Ummmm did I know there were macarons to be had in Universal? why haven't I done this?! I better work on getting that AP renewed...

Well they aren't actually in the parks, but their are tons of them at Toothsome! I think I spent about $75-$80 on macarons there in Feb. lol. I have some pics coming up in my TR

Actually what it really tasted like was a freezer burned stouffer's meal that had been overmicrowaved (delicious, mmm) since it was kinda chewy.

We were seated one table away from the water, which was cool, but man are those tables crammed in tight!

YES. This was Steve's complaint when I finally got him to agree to eat here last Aug. Love the atmosphere but we could have kissed the couple next to us without so much as straining ourselves in our seats

Sebastian, despite having just put in $60 worth of orders for margaritas and appetizers for us, refused to bring us chips and salsa. This was not a situation of me being pissed that he informed us we could pay for them, he more or less flipped out on us and scolded us to inform us we could not have the chips and salsa because we had not ordered entrees. Umm. Okay.

What??? Makes no sense. We did order entrees so I can't speak to whether normally people get them if they just do drinks/apps, but why wouldn't you? You can run up a hefty bill on drinks and apps! Jerk.

And then we waited. And waited. And waited. 45 minutes later (seriously, I checked the time stamps on my pictures) our appetizers had not come, our margaritas were long gone, and Sebastian was nowhere to be found.

Umm, usually you don't even have time to pee between the time you order Mexican food and when it comes out.

chocolate martini (or as I like to call it, an adult Yoo-Hoo)

My 80 year old MIL orders these everywhere she goes!

Loved your report as usual! Can't wait to hear about your April trip

 

[Vernie822]

I see myself sitting at the table on the computer when this story pops up. I say to Steve, "OMG you won't believe it, another dorkus decided swimming in the lagoon at Disney is a good idea. Wait a minute......that looks like........"

"Wait a second that's..... oh..."

 

[toomuchtv]

Wow, Sebastian sure sounds like a winner. At least the manager tried to help things out.

So we traipsed back over to a bustling Mizner's lounge and helped ourselves to two seats at Bryon's hospitable bar. KJ had yet to experience the majesty and wonder of a Mizner's chocolate martini (or as I like to call it, an adult Yoo-Hoo) and Bryon was only too happy to introduce her to this marvel. We even got chocolate Mickeys! I believe the official name of this masterpiece is the Godiva Chocolate Martini - which is comprised of Stoli Vanil Vodka, Godiva Chocolate Liqueur, White Crème de Cacao, and Frangelico. ($10.75)

Oooh, chocolate. My husband would probably really enjoy this. He's a fellow chocoholic and loves Frangelica.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Just wanted to say that I've been loving your dining trip report and looking forward to your next trip. I sent a link to my friend and RunDisney race partner and told her we definitely need to up our game. You guys put us to shame on the fun cocktailing, and we have a good 20 years on you So you've inspired me to get another girls' trip on the calendar. We've done a few DCL cruises, but I think Food & Wine is in our future.
P.S. Just scratched San Angel off the summer fam trip. I was a little ambivalent anyway. I think I'll just pick up the margarita at the cave bar place and save the meal for something better.

 

[ArielSRL]

We got on our usual monorail to Epcot via the short walk to the TTC and arrived around 6:00.

I'm going to stay there and do this one day....

Aren't they pretty? Otherwise these are pretty much not something I'd recommend. I keep falling for this stupid semi-permanent booth and the margaritas are never good. I had the $11.25 (!!!) Elderflower pineapple margarita, because, you know, St. Germain. Maybe that's what I should have made the title of my dining report....

Oh, I can so relate to the falling for the pretty drinks. Usually with an amazing sounding name or description....

Actually what it really tasted like was a freezer burned stouffer's meal that had been overmicrowaved (delicious, mmm) since it was kinda chewy.

Oh my!

FOILED AGAIN BY THE PROMISE OF THE MEXICO BOOTH! darn you (shakes fist)

but man are those tables crammed in tight!

And it is so darn (I wanted to use a different word) dark in that place.

so we picked out two decent looking appetizers and ordered our margaritas and obviously pissed off our ABYSMAL server who I will call out by name because I don't think I've ever had worse service or experienced a worse attitude in any dining experience before or since (thanks, Sebastian, you're a jerk).

Oh no, he didn't....

refused to bring us chips and salsa.

Apparently it was worth more than his tip....I mean, was he the chips and salsa police???

The margaritas, at least, were tasty.

I'm glad there was that.

Fortunately the manager was amazing and spent quite a few minutes with us, just chatting

it was super dark in there

See my comment above....

We even got chocolate Mickeys! I believe the official name of this masterpiece is the Godiva Chocolate Martini - which is comprised of Stoli Vanil Vodka, Godiva Chocolate Liqueur, White Crème de Cacao, and Frangelico. ($10.75)

So cute! And sounds yummy!

We spent our last hours at the World paying for the previous night's choices, but it was so worth it!

Oh goodness. I used to be able to handle that. Not so much anymore.

The trip was a fabulous adventure of food, drink, and fun with one of my favorite friends.

Yay!

 

[evre13]

I currently have a reservation at San Angel to kick off eating and drinking around the world -- guess I'll lower my expectations! I can't think of another place to start the day, so I'll suffer through margaritas and (hopefully) chips and salsa.

Can't wait to hear about your April trip!

 

[nco91590]

SEBASTIAN...WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEMO?!?!?

Also, I'm super surprised that the Mizner's Cooler doesn't appeal to you with the St.G and the mint and gin??? That chocolate martini looks like a fierce competitor tho. Can't wait for the next trip!!

 

[pepperandchips]

really enjoyed your reviews. SO fun going to deny with friends! We also loved cali grille brunch. cant justify the price on our next trip,but will return again one day!

Yes it is so much fun going with a friend! This was my first time back at Disney with a friend (and not a romantic friend) since 2006, if you can believe that! California Grill brunch is definitely a special occasion treat, but what a great one it is!

I love my husband but yes, he sometimes has some really silly rules about photos or about gym clothes in public or calling the bathroom the lavatory b/c he hates the other words. Everyone has their quirks - luckily I can live with his!

Ha, I don't think that particular rule is that silly. Pretty smart actually. Some of us can't help being rebels though!

Looks like you guys had a good afternoon of alcohol at least! Mexico did seem to hate you with both the drinks and the food today. I'm glad Mizner's made it better as who doesn't love Mizner's? Poor guy trying to get with KJ!

I almost feel like the Mexico pavilion is so super popular because it's "familiar" so they just rely on the crowds for that reason and then dish out crap. Except La Cava...

I really am only interested in San Angel so I can feed Sean some tacos and get a margarita, especially now that they took the chicken tostadas off the menu! Thanks for the heads up on the menu--looks like they changed quite a few things. He thinks the restaurant looks cool so we'll keep the ADR but I am going in with fairly low expectations and planning to get my lunch at the F&W booths!

I think we definitely could have chosen better, but the queso fundido was actually decent once it arrived. KJ wasn't happy with it as she didn't realize it wasn't going to be cheese dip, but I thought it was fine. If only it hadn't taken 45 minutes to arrive! I'm sure you guys will have a different server and a great experience.

Oh, I'm so excited you are doing this. Think I have Jason convinced to do this in November post his half marathon. We've always wanted to, but the $50 price tag for the kiddo is pretty hard to swallow

Yeah, that's why my sister has still never been. She goes through phases of not being well if she eats a lot (still won't really put in the effort to get a diagnosis though) and so it would be a waste of money to bring her and then find out she can't enjoy it. I think Casey would love the unlimited Slushi! I guess it's too early in the day for her to have a Casey's night out at Lilo's, huh?

So here is the unlimited booze!!!!! Sign me up!

Yes ma'am!!! We don't need no stinking OJ!

Brave gal going for something that didn't work out last time. Glad it turned out well, but if it didn't guess you could just have ordered something else

For some reason the steak was just appealing to me that morning and I am glad I gave it another shot. But that chicken cutlet is usually my siren song.

What's the count up to????

Oh gosh, I have no idea. Maybe 4 or 5? I asked her what she does with them at home... lol!

You will think less of me but I'm forty - cough - something and never had a martini

I CANNOT believe it! Well I guess martinis aren't as ubiquitous as I thought they were prior to this trip report! I guess I have my mother to thank for getting me started on dirty martinis from an early age. It's like a bloody mary, hold the tomato

The seating here is the absolute worst. Its like they did all kinds of crazy math and geometry to figure out how they could get as many tables in there as possible to make us as uncomfortable as they could.

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love these.

I know, I can't believe the chicken tinga tostadas were gone. In hindsight I should have asked if they could still make them, but I didn't think of that at the time. And I totally laughed at the idea of the Disney managers sitting around with a compass and a protractor and graph paper figuring out the hypotenuse of the pythagorean margarita formula...

I'm glad the margarita was good, but that server is just plain awful. I know you've been tweating in compliments to disney but you should really capture this encounter for them too. Our service at San Angel has never been better than mediocre, but what you had to endure is beyond anything acceptable.

I thought about it but a.) I don't want to end up in the "whiny guest blacklist" file and b.) I escalated the problem to the manager while there and he corrected it. We got our food, we got a freebie drink, and we had a nice time talking to the manager. I do think it was the worst service we ever had but the manager didn't seem surprised so I have a feeling he was already keeping a close watch on Sebastian Jerkpants.

And Byron brings it home!!!!!

Looks like KJ is about ready to go home with Byron

Well she should have been! He was treating us like true princesses. Alas, none of these gallant suitors caught her eye. (Oh gosh I am now remembering a drink we had in Rose & Crown that I didn't write about or photograph, and there was another really eager suitor in there too... some stories are better saved for a Dismeet I suppose )

I know I remember you saying you wanted to try after. We probably wouldn't return either (at least not anytime soon). I had read not so great reviews but Josh wanted to eat there. Now that we've tried it I don't think he'll ask to go back.

Ooo Aulani and Disneyland!

Well I am glad we tried it once (and I am sure you are too). Now I don't feel like I'm mising out on anything, so there's the silver lining! Aulani and Disneyland is in 38 days!!! But who's counting anyway? haha

I am kind of afraid to try the avocado Margaritas. But those look yummy!

I was hoping your experience at San Angle Inn would have been better, but doesn't sound like it.

The avocado margaritas are actually fabulous, but I would never steer you away from the tasty jalapeno margarita! The avocado variety tastes a bit like a pixie stick to me. I was hoping our experience would be better too so I would have a new go-to spot for those great margaritas at 20% off, but I don't think I mind paying full price at La Cava now.

I read through everything last night everything looks delicious! I have so many things (read: drinks) that I want to try now! That avocado margarita has been on my list for a while... next time!

YAY!! Glad to have you here. More reviews coming up very soon! I am glad I could help add a few things to your list.

don't give me any more shocks

I will do my best... I also still haven't seen the Star Wars fireworks yet

I hope it happens soon! Seriously, can't you just take the what, 8 hour drive over some time when I'm down there? Screw work OK so we're working on our next trip after next month, I'll keep you posted

Well it's actually only like 6 if there's no traffic, so YES, I probably can. HAHA be careful what you wish for -- my family is starting to get sick of me asking them to accompany me. I may have to start arranging trips with my Dis girls instead.

Well they aren't actually in the parks, but their are tons of them at Toothsome! I think I spent about $75-$80 on macarons there in Feb. lol. I have some pics coming up in my TR

I can imagine how that would be easy to do! It's funny that I don't mind shelling out for the macarons at Les Halles but we went to Ponce City Market last Friday and I looked at the macarons and the price and I was like um nope! It's too much sticker shock to pay that much for a tiny bite of heaven "in the real world" (where Disney math does not apply)

Love the atmosphere but we could have kissed the couple next to us without so much as straining ourselves in our seats

Pucker up, neighbor-poos! Thank goodness the family that was seated at that table left right as we were seated and the table stayed vacant (and dirty ) for a little while so we had a little breathing room.

You can run up a hefty bill on drinks and apps! Jerk.

Can and DO proudly!

My 80 year old MIL orders these everywhere she goes!

Loved your report as usual! Can't wait to hear about your April trip

As usual, I have the same preferences as everyone's 80 year old MIL. I'm not surprised. More reviews (and the April introduction) coming up shortly!!!

Wow, Sebastian sure sounds like a winner. At least the manager tried to help things out.

Oooh, chocolate. My husband would probably really enjoy this. He's a fellow chocoholic and loves Frangelica.

The manager was great and very sweet. Oh well, you can have a bad server anywhere! I do highly recommend that chocolate martini and you can't beat the atmosphere with the band playing just on the other side of the bar!

Just wanted to say that I've been loving your dining trip report and looking forward to your next trip. I sent a link to my friend and RunDisney race partner and told her we definitely need to up our game. You guys put us to shame on the fun cocktailing, and we have a good 20 years on you So you've inspired me to get another girls' trip on the calendar. We've done a few DCL cruises, but I think Food & Wine is in our future.
P.S. Just scratched San Angel off the summer fam trip. I was a little ambivalent anyway. I think I'll just pick up the margarita at the cave bar place and save the meal for something better.

Thank you!!! So glad you read along and enjoyed the reviews. I always aim to share something in my reports that would be helpful so I am very honored that you shared with your friend I have not tried a DCL cruise but that sounds like it would be an amazing girls trip!!

There is a La Cava review coming up here in the April report and I have nothing but nice things to say about that experience. I am more an apps and drinks girl in a Mexican restaurant anyway so La Cava serves my purposes nicely. I don't want to influence anyone not to try San Angel since you can have an off night or a bad server anywhere but it's hard to recommend San Angel Inn over La Cava! And if you go to Food and Wine you'll need to ration tummy space anyway!

I currently have a reservation at San Angel to kick off eating and drinking around the world -- guess I'll lower my expectations! I can't think of another place to start the day, so I'll suffer through margaritas and (hopefully) chips and salsa.

Can't wait to hear about your April trip!

I am sure you will have a much better experience than we did! Like I said above, you can have a server on an off night anywhere. If the menu and ambiance appeal to you, you should definitely try it! April trip coming right up!!

SEBASTIAN...WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEMO?!?!?

Also, I'm super surprised that the Mizner's Cooler doesn't appeal to you with the St.G and the mint and gin??? That chocolate martini looks like a fierce competitor tho. Can't wait for the next trip!!

Um. I am ashamed of myself that I have never had said Mizner's Cooler. Guess I better get another trip on the books so I can go visit Bryon and procure myself some St. Germain gin happiness! I don't know why, but I seem to always get old fashioned cocktails at Mizner's. I think there's just something about the dim and rich atmosphere that says "fancy gentleman's cigar club" (never mind the princess parade or big band playing Disney tunes or the lack of cigars) and I end up wanting a bourbon. Gonna have to remember about the cooler though! April trip starting shortly... I promise!

 

[pepperandchips]

Renee gets her own special reply I didn't want to risk my multi quotes going poof and I love our "conversation"!

I'm going to stay there and do this one day....

I loved it! I always thought the Poly was pretty but I never realized how convenient it would be. Right now my next Disney World trip is booked for October at the Grand Floridian studios. I am eager to stay there again (it will have been three years almost to the day) and see what I think about the room and convenience, etc.

Oh, I can so relate to the falling for the pretty drinks. Usually with an amazing sounding name or description....

I already have a few things picked out to try at Disneyland based on being pretty!!

And it is so darn (I wanted to use a different word) dark in that place.

Um yeah, like is this atmosphere or covering up a bad carpet?

Apparently it was worth more than his tip....I mean, was he the chips and salsa police???

all I can think of is the Minion "siren" noise

So cute! And sounds yummy!

Oh that martini was both cute and yummy! Kinda like how it can be a drink AND a dessert!

Oh goodness. I used to be able to handle that. Not so much anymore.

Who are you telling?! Me too. I was in a BAD way the next day. Very bad. Thank heavens for the golden oak outpost or whatever it is across from Pecos Bill that serves that life-saving remedy, chicken nuggets and fries.

 

[pepperandchips]

April Trip Kickoff! 3/31: the trip begins with calamity

Hello again! Back with "Trip Two" or "Part Two" of the spring dining report. This trip was my usual crew plus one: My mom, my partner (R), my sister, and my sister's boyfriend (he's the plus one). For most of this trip, my sister and her boyfriend did their own thing while my mom stuck with R and me. For the sake of journalism, here is a picture of my sister and her boyfriend.

We stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek again this trip, as it really works for our family set up. Normally we stay in a two bedroom unit, which is like a two bedroom condo, and I paid my highest rate ever for this stay - $180/night, taxes included. Which translates to less than what we could have booked a 5-person moderate Disney onsite room for. Not that my family would EVER survive having 5 people in a standard hotel room. Nope. We'd have needed 3 of those which would have totally blown the budget! Anyway, it was another great stay and I am glad we chose WBC for this trip. Here's the view from our balcony this time:

Ah, Florida heaven!

So where does the calamity kick in? Well, actually prior to leaving. On March 30 a fire consumed materials stored underneath a bridge on one of Atlanta's major highways, causing the bridge to collapse and send Atlanta into a traffic disaster (as you may recall from a few pages back).

(photo borrowed from the internet)

The fire compromised the integrity of the highway in both directions of traffic and for now the interstate is completely closed. This has effectively doubled my commute to and from work, since the highway closure has detoured hundreds of thousands of drivers (and, to my chagrin, onto my surface street sneak routes).

Anyway, enough whining. The only positive thing about this major traffic conundrum is that R's school system decided to cancel school for the day after the fire. (He's a teacher, and Spring Break was the following week anyhow, and his school system announced that there was really no need for them to contribute to the traffic vortex of death that would surely ensue on Friday.) I had to go into the office for an important meeting but I was able to leave work as soon as that wrapped up. We got on the road a little before 2:00 pm and were passing under this beauty at 8:10

I was glad we were able to leave early and check in "early" (early for us, we normally show up at midnight or 2:00 am it seems like) so we got a lake view room in Tower 4, second floor. R and I dropped off our bags and hauled it over to Disney Springs. We had some eating to do!

We bandied about a couple of options, R wanting to get back to the Boathouse to try their outdoor bar, but I ended up convincing him to try a new spot (that also honored TIW)

My family actually really liked Fulton's Crabhouse (the former occupant of this space). Fulton's was the first signature we did back in 2014 and we loved the food and the service. I was a little sad to see Fulton's close, but I understand the need to update. So it was exciting to me to see Paddlefish reopen this year and the rooftop bar had been calling to me. There's an outdoor staircase so you can just make your way up on your own and seat yourself. There are some great views from the rooftop area!

We initially selected a low table with chairs but we were sort of tucked out of sight and didn't seem to be noticed by any servers, so we ended up finding two spots at the actual outdoor bar which worked out well.

The cocktails are a little pricy but the bar staff seems to actually craft these with a lot of care and attention to detail, so the price doesn't hurt as bad since you're getting quality. This wouldn't be an every-trip thing for me since I think the prices are about 50% higher than they ought to be. Still, for a nice splurge, we loved the atmosphere.

I had been on a mai tai kick, so I chose the Prohibition Mai Tai ($17) which is Scarlet Ibis, orgeat, banana liqueur, fresh lime, Scrappy Orleans, amarena cherry. This sentence doesn't even seem like English to me, so let me translate via google. Scarlet Ibis is a brand of rum, orgeat is a sweet almond syrup (I did not have to google this one since I've been on a mai tai kick), and Scrappy Orleans is a type of bitters. Well, why couldn't they just say so? ha. It was a good mai tai!

R went simple, with a bourbon and soda.

I loved the 360 degree views from up here

There's something about those Imagineers, they are certainly masters of nighttime lighting. The glow of Disney Springs on the water at night was a special atmosphere.

We decided to try the Crab Fries appetizer

Crab Fries ($14) Hand cut potatoes, lump blue crab, spicy Louie dressing. Louie dressing is basically mayonnaise, chili sauce, and seasonings. I thought these fries had a massive amount of crab! It was great quality lump crab also, and tasted very light and delicate. I thought the flavors of this dish worked well together and who doesn't love a big ol' bowl of fries? They were great and I think that the price on these (ironically several dollars less than my cocktail) was very fair for the amount of good quality crab you get. R was not a huge fan of the type of fries - there was nothing wrong with them, but I think he was expecting hand cut fries and these just seemed like frozen fries.

Round two for me was a dark and stormy. I wanted to stick to rum but I was ready to move onto something less sweet than the mai tai. This was fine but I was underwhelmed by the rum choices at the rooftop bar. I think there were only two choices, one of which was Bacardi. I can't remember what the other option was, despite going with it.

R was doing the reverse of what I'd done, and picked a signature cocktail for his second drink. This is the Southern Sangria ($15) - Medley Bros. Bourbon, peach liqueur, Tempranillo, seasonal fruit. He let me try this and we both loved it! Admittedly we both love red wine and bourbon, so this was right up our respective alleys. I have never had a drink quite like this so it was cool to experience something unique. The red wine gave this an interesting depth of flavor, and coupled with the bourbon it was a very boozy drink. It was not at all what I'd call a "sweet" drink but the peach liqueur finished the flavors with a nice round sweetness. I'd get that next time.

Isn't he cute?

After reading so many glowing reviews, I knew what I wanted to try next on our "progressive dinner" (or Disney Springs drink crawl, depending on who you ask). D-Luxe burger was calling my name and R was fine to give it a try.

The decor is nothing fancy but not your average burger quick serve.

I had not seen this option talked about on the boards so I took a photo to share:

The fine print is tiny, but it says "All duos are served with one regular fry and two fountain beverages", so if you were going to get those items anyway you could save $6.50 or so (more if you were getting two southern burgers)!

Not usually soda people, we went for two Lagunitas IPAs ($9 each). D-Luxe had run out of my first choice of Funky Buddha Floridian, but I liked this IPA. It wasn't bitter, which is my only complaint about some IPAs.

When you order they give you a coaster-looking table locator and you select a seat, while the staff prepares your food and then delivers it to your table. We opted for an outside seat to enjoy the evening and the view

Having already had the crab fries, we decided to share one order of fries and one classic burger.

We also selected the chipotle, buffalo, and ranch dipping sauces.

These were the fries we'd been imagining at Paddlefish! They were very good, especially as potatoey vessels for those tasty dipping sauces. I thought the chipotle mayo tasted like Chick-Fil-A spicy dressing, which is my favorite condiment there. Neither of us really cared for the buffalo dressing, which is usually what would appeal to me the most. The garlic ranch was good also, but I really preferred the chipotle.

Finally, the reason we were here!

This was actually a very good burger, maybe not $9.99 good, but it's Disney prices. I thought this tasted like a delicious ballpark hamburger (that is to say, nothing fancy, but executed well). I added mustard and thought the burger was perfect. This is pretty much what I am thinking of when I crave a burger. The buns were light and buttery as well.

I don't know that D-Luxe lived up to the gushing accolades I'd read and heard about it, but it was definitely a solid option and a great addition to Disney Springs. I would certainly come back in the future if I was craving a burger! And since we had already had the appetizer, one burger and one order of fries was enough for the two of us to split. Not a bad meal for $15! (well, plus the cost of the beer). D-Luxe has not upstaged the fabulous Crew's Cup burger for me, though. (Can I get an amen @nco91590)

I think the two of us are incapable of going to Disney Springs and not visiting Homecoming, at least for a drink, so we had to do just that.

It was just before closing, so we quickly perused the menu for a "to go" drink.

I believe I took this picture to remind myself that I had the bootlegger, which seems right as I think I was trying to stick with rum (despite the beer with my burger). It's $12 and described as RumShine and dark rum, blackberry jam, house-made grenadine, simple syrup, lime juice. I remember liking this but I didn't take any notes, so I'm sorry about that.

I don't exactly remember what R had, but I am pretty sure it was a Basil Smash "on the rocks". I definitely remember the discussion of putting it on the rocks, I can see the basil leaf sticking out of the cup, and I know from the past we both loved the Basil Smash which is served "up" in a coupe, so I am 85% confident this is what he had. It's $12 and described as Woodford Reserve Bourbon, sour mix, simple syrup and smashed basil leaves, which does this delicious beverage no justice at all. I love this drink! It's so light and refreshing.

We took the drinks and strolled through Disney Springs, enjoying the ambiance as the crowds thinned. After we finished our drinks we headed back to the room to hit the hay. The rest of my family was still en route, but R and I had big plans for Epcot the next day!

Up next: more Flower and Garden booths