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

[pepperandchips]

Just reporting back that I have not gone missing or fallen victim to Atlanta traffic. We are back from Orlando, back to work, and soon I'll be back to updating this bad mamma-jamma. And the glow cubes persist - I may have purchased one for myself as a souvenir, but you must stay tuned! Will it be the tiny glowing hat or a tiny glowing flower?

 

[pepperandchips]

This sounds like my perfect drink. And Nomad lounge looks like my perfect bar, I may end up their for the entirety of future AK days.

God I hope not!! It seems so perfect as is, right now!

It so is. I had to go back for another research trip, you know, for science. And it was still FABULOUS!

I always see everyone talking about this and think "Hmm...maybe I'll try it", but I've heard it's strong, and I'm a total lightweight. Should I try it or convince my husband to try it and take a drink?

Yes, share one with your husband! Always a good way to try something new. That way if you don't like it, you can make your compadre down the rest Also I am going to tag you so I can try to double notify you @toomuchtv I LIED TO YOU! I re-sampled the carne asada last week at Florida Fresh in Epcot and every time it was spicy! I think it was in the black bean patty maybe if you asked for just the beef and salsa/sour cream, because the salsa was definitely mild. I don't want to cause you tastebud or gastrointestinal distress so I wanted to make sure I came back and reported that I lied. It would be fine for someone who can do mild spice but I just remembered your question the whole time I was eating it and I was like oooh. Yea, more spice than I remembered. Still super tasty though!

Girl, you don't have to drink "water," at WDW, unless you're driving! Its vacation, with a girlfriend, with a DD. Enjoy it! Also, thanks for the pro tip on getting the Lapu Lapu sans pineapple! I wonder if it would take the sweetness down just a notch? I don't do well with much sugar. I can hold my alcohol, but too much sugar makes me not unlike a superball in a racketball court.

Hmm... good question... but I still remember it being pretty sweet. I tend to end up with boozier drinks because the sweet ones make me just feel icky if I drink more than one, and one Lapu Lapu is my limit . In fairness I find the Tambu bartenders delightful so if you told them you wanted a tiki drink that's less sweet they could probably hook you up!

Also I am glad you are here to talk some sense back into me! OF COURSE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN DRINKING ALL THE DRINKS!

SEE YA REAL SOON!

Oooooooo!!

But you had water, right!? I am so jazzed to see this show! I might also need the probably stupidly overpriced ROL glowing flower.

Ugh, I am dying to try Tiffins and this is not helping. That cheese board sounds fantastic.

BARGAIN CITY. I really love a good bargain... if there is such a thing in WDW. I am part of the Ohana cult following.. ashamedly. We've skipped it as of late (ok, we skipped it once and we're skipping it this time) because I can think of a lot of other places I'd rather drop $50/person on dinner. The bread pudding is just amazing though.

YESSSS.. Cannot wait to read that one!!

I had sooooo much fun with you guys! Did you end up getting a glow cube? Did you get to try Tiffins?! I guess I better stay tuned to your DR...

No offense on the Cult of Ohana! I am in the Cult of Sanaa. My Kool-Aid is cilantro chutney...

I'm late but I am here!

ABOUT DANG TIME Happy to have you as always Renee!

How long did it take? I mean, I flew twice and I swear the whole shebang took almost the same amount of time as driving does, so we just save the money.

Errrr.. I think we left Buckhead around 5:30, we were on the Plane Train at 6:30, and on the Magical Express around 10:10. I didn't take any photos between then and Trader Sam's which doesn't really help me with what time we actually arrived but I would say it was about the same as driving. The difference was there was NO ATLANTA RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC (which means even more now than it did in early March), I got to have drinks before (and on ) the flight, and I got to watch most of a really great movie. Which I definitely do not get to do in the car! So this particular time it was worth it. But it's definitely a splurge and I probably wouldn't fly with kids. Oh and those peach pass lanes down by Eagle's Landing are great!!

If you want the WDW President's email, I have that. May get a better response.

LOL! You don't play around. I will let this go this once. If there's a next time I will be messaging you..

Yes, I have heard about this and wish this were DVC standard.

Don't even let yourself look at the Kidani one bedroom with TWO FULL BATHS!

I will be utilizing this, as well, on our June trip! I'm a little nervous because it is a bit of an organizational nightmare...but I have my plans for it all set.

Oh it was so wonderful - but we truly thought of them as a "bonus" and it ended up working out great and having more availability than I thought.

I love the lotus glow cube. I hope they still have them when we go. I am looking forward to seeing ROL. I think i have heard enough about it to know what to expect and love it!

Those ribs looks amazing!!!!

And I am sure all of your "water" was super tasty!

It was truly a moment of jealousy when she came back with that cute glow lotus! We saw ROL again and yep, still love it. The ribs and "water" at Tiffins are amazing!!! Definitely check that out!

No scorn from here. Nothing but love, admiration, and pure green eyed jealousy

Well if I had any comrades in arms, I knew I could count on my girl Kari.

Love all the animal pics. When we went on a dusk safari we saw just about nothing

Uh yeah, I feel like seeing animals later in the day is a combination of voodoo, guessing, and dumb luck. About an hour before sunset is the closest I've done it and this one still didn't have too many great animal sightings other than the scant few pictures I posted. What we did see was at least cool!!!

My brother and Jason were obsessed with this drink when we were there. So much so that my brother video'd the bartenders making it so he could recreate it at home.

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!

Ah, my favorite. Best drink on property IMO. And you are so right, there is nothing bad on the Nomads menu. Not a thing!

Gotta love it when Disney actually hits one out of the park with something "out there". Makes me optimitic about Pandora.

Wow, you all got a ton of ribs. We ordered these too and If I recall I think we got 3 or 4 ribs. They were good, but I was expecting a bit more quantity wise. Have you ever tried the ribs at Morimoto? Hands down best ones I've ever had

UM YES, BEST RIBS EVER! I feel fortunate that I got so many at Nomad but seriously they hooked us up since it was so close to closing (I think, I mean that's the explanation I got for the free bread)

Why does no one ever give you enough bread with a cheese board? We always struggle with the same thing. But the cheese looks great, purple haze is one of our all time favorites

It really is so good! I don't even mind paying for more bread, just give me the option, people. I mean... I can eat cheese off my naked fingers... but who really wants to see that?

Sweet baby Jesus. This sounds AMAZING. You know how I feel about mint and lime and gin. I'm not a huge AK fan, but I could hang in that lounge all day I think.

Well you let your family go ride triceratop spin and the safari and whatever while you chillax with the glory of an Annapurna Zing! (I mean, to expound on your DR thoughts, what are those grandparents for anyway JK)

Nor I. The Poly is so fun to visit, but I would be just as happy having a Lapu and a hunk of bread pudding at Tambu.

I am so proud of you for keeping yourself hydrated with all that water

Maybe that's what I need to embrace... I'm just not that much of a "mains" person at a fine dining place. I want to taste all the appetizers, cocktails, and desserts!!!

Appreciate the solidarity in my hydration pursuits. I knew I had to have some friends who'd understand!

 

[pepperandchips]

Following along! I was so happy to find another fun and entertaining trip report from pepperandchips! Thanks for sharing.

Not sure I appreciate those kind words but I am so happy to have you along! I will try to keep up the fun and entertainment!!!

OMG! I wish I knew about that last weekend! Definitely stopping in to get one in May

Seriously ALWAYS something for next time. Always!

I can see why you'd love it It was definitely beautiful but, and don't get mad, it didn't "wow" us. I guess I, like many others, expected more after the long wait and all the hype. I definitely prefer Wishes and think I even prefer Fantasmic!......................

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

Gotta keep some things on the list for "next time" right?!

I got the cheese board at Tiffins last Sunday and had those raspberry fruit gel cubes. I thought they were so freakin' good lol!!

Oh yeah! Gimme tasty berry globs of sweetness. Thinking about that cheese plate is making me hungry and I seriously just ate.

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

I truly love Animal Kingdom, so I know I'll enjoy ROL! I made a ROL dining package at Tusker House to ensure we wouldn't have to wait in a gigantic line when we go in May. I was so torn between Tusker House & Tiffins. I think Tiffins is only around $10 more for the dining package, but not sure my sister & my BFF will enjoy the Tiffins menu. I thought Tusker House was a safer bet since more food choices, and we could always go to the Nomad Lounge to check things out at Tiffins. Can't wait to go on an evening safari! I just can't wait to see AK at night!

I definitely think you made the right choice! It's almost too much pressure for a signature to deliver when you're so worried about everyone having a satisfactory option. Tusker House seems like they do great with allergies and the food is SO GOOD for a buffet! I think it's perfect for a mixed group. I've been loving your report and I am sorry I am so far behind. I promise to scuttle back over there soon and get back to commenting. And I so blame you for the massive baked potato craving I've been having...

Loving all the drinks and compiling a list for our October trip! Sounds a great trip

It was such a fabulous trip! Happy to help provide some intel for your plans. That's why I love the Dis so much. Everyone's reports always keep me supplied with information for my future trips!!!

I'm excited to see all of the Nomad Lounge offerings! That's on my list of things to do in August, and I'm super excited.

Oh yeah! I think it's on our "must do" list for just about every trip now. We just revisited it and it was great, AGAIN!

Just wanted to say, loving the dining report!
Nomad lounge is totally on my list to get drinks and apps next time. Everything sounds delicious especially that cheese board. Mmmm.
And totally psyched that you can get the Ohana bread pudding at the Tambu Lounge ala carte now. It's probably my favorite old school dessert in Disney and I'm not a big dessert person nowadays (but I always end up doing a dessert party or two, go figure )

And your delicious Plaza Inn lunch!! Wow I've never been there but looks like I'll have to give it a try for a cheap yet good meal! That is so cute about the twitter thing. I had no idea they would respond!

Yay! Su-Lynn! Glad you made it over. Nomad Lounge was so great. I think I would go there if it was here in Atlanta and that's high praise. It's definitely come into our regular rotation, and I know you guys would love it since you enjoyed Tiffins!

I am so glad I got to try the legendary bread pudding. It was definitely delicious and such a great deal!

The Plaza... again, such a great value. I can't remember whose dining report I read about it on and thought "Okay, sure for counter service prices we'll give it a try since there's not much to lose" and we've been very impressed both times.

I love the twitter cast compliments! They are doing a great job with that social media account.

OMG I NEED IT!

ME TOOOO

I love that cup too! It's way better than the pineapple.

I may or may not (may) own it and drink out of it when I have a bad day

OMG! How am I going to stay sober enough to ride the Fps with the kids?
We somewhat reluctantly switched our stay FROM the Poly (to the GF - so, it's not all bad news) but I DO want to get drinks (in souvenir glasses) in Trader Sam's (It's a short, and doable, hop on the monorail, right?)
But now, I have to make it over to AK to try the Annapurna Zing too!
Thanks for your reviews!

1.) FPs will be MORE fun with a beverage or 3
2.) UM it's a great choice to stay at the GF aaaaannddd pro tip: the resort boat goes straight from the GF to the Poly. The monorail goes the other direction so it might be a weather decision for you. And not a bad walk, depending on where you start out at the GF! Monorail is super convenient for the way back though. Just one stop!
3.) Yes you DO have to go get that Annapurna Zing!

Now I have Moana in my head... "What can I say except you're welcome"

Yeh they did not work for Will and myself in June. Not sure if it was bc the camera couldn't see the little guy or just general malfunctio

POOP. Well Spaceship Earth is one of my all time favorite rides so I guess I would ride it even if there were no pictures and we were just riding down a weird black tunnel with some missing ceiling tiles in the dark.

I've never asked to wait fir the middle but I've heard the distortion is bad with the new version so I will be this trip.

Yeah, I really feel like it's pretty much necessary with this new one. It's even better if you can get the middle of the middle but I try not to act like a diva.

I, too, wish this were available year round...or at least in June. Yum!

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN, BRING US A YEAR-ROUND LA VIE EN ROSE!

Never have I had cheese strudel...but it sounds really good.

Not sure I have really ever had it elsewhere either... but it's yummy!

I'm so happy to see a review from people who like drinking around Disney as much as mom and I do! I would have loved to be there with you that Epcot day in particular- sounds like a crazy blast!

yes yes yes! Thanks for the encouragement, it's nice to know people love to eat, drink, and read about eating and drinking as much as I do! Glad to have you here for the shenanigans.

I can't do anything more than Soarin' but maybe I should try a patch....

Oh my gosh they all but changed my life. I got them for a cruise... I think in 2015? And I had no car sickness and no sea sickness at all. I even rode star tours! I still haven't braved Mission Space but I can do pretty much anything at Universal with a patch on. Transformers still made me feel unwell but I don't have any reason to ride that one again anyway...

So it was fairly easy to get a SDFP for TSMM? I plan to try for it in June. I'll be hitting the kiosk around 10am or so, booking for 7pm or so. When I practiced, I saw availability, therefore I'm hoping it works out.

I would imagine this plan will definitely work! A couple of times we were at the kiosk around 10 like you will be and we just kind of took our time, backed out of the system and refreshed if we needed to but I think we just got lucky a couple times as well. We also had really good luck with 4th floating FP+ and doing modify and refresh a bunch of times on the app. I even saw SDMT as an option when modifying...

This sounds wonderful. I do love me a good, flavorful salad.

This comment makes me want that salad again, and I even had a similar salad for dinner!

I am planning for a just before dusk safari in June. We had close to that last June but it was just a tad too late.

This is also in my plan for June. Ya know, to get *ahem* water from Thirsty River. Lol

Oh, I may have to get one, too!

Love this whole plan! That sounds perfect. Ours was still light out but at least an hour before sunset. Love those roving lions!!!

For sure! Now my DH loves those backscratchers,his fav!!!

A man of discerning and excellent taste, I see. LOL

 

[pepperandchips]

March 5: Fancy Pants Brunch!

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.

We were celebrating KJ's birthday in earnest this day since I'd told her I was picking up the tab on brunch as a late birthday gift to her. We made our way to the Contemporary Resort in our "fancy pants brunch" dresses and were seated almost immediately at a table for two along the long banquette in the front of the restaurant nearest Magic Kingdom.



The menu had not changed much since my last trip here, but the self-serve options had changed a little. If you are new to reviews of the California Grill brunch, the process is that you may enjoy unlimited items from their buffet (which they call "self-serve" cause they tryna be all fancy) and you can select one or more item(s) for your "entree" from the menu, which are cooked to order. Oh and you are greeted with a welcome mimosa!

The server we had was great with pacing our meal and not invasive at all. She took our orders for the entree portion we'd order off the menu, but waited to confirm with us when we wanted the entrees prepared so we could enjoy the buffet portion.

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.

The charcuterie spread here is insanely delicious and a unique offering for a buffet. I am obviously a big fan of cheese and also a fan of charcuterie so I love the option to grab just a few pieces of each and not feel obligated to eat a massive pile of the stuff (but still be granted the freedom to eat a pile of cured meat if I want to, GOSH!)

You might be able to see the sticky bun and cheese biscuit on my plate, which were previously brought to the table on a pastry plate. Probably better to put these on the buffet as we certainly did not need one each of every bread option.

As usual the wedge salad was a big hit with me! I do still miss the individual plates that the salad initially was offered plated on. I also couldn't get enough dressing for my salad the way it was served. I should have asked for more, in retrospect. Oh well, I had no trouble wolfing this one down!! Actually there's not much on this buffet I don't like, and I had a hard time not filling up on self-serve selections, but I wanted to save room for my entree. The sushi, fruit cups, and salads are all fresh, well-made, crafted with thought and were big winners with me.

As was the prosecco...

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.

For entrees, I decided to revisit a previous "miss" for me and give it another chance to shine. So I ordered the Grilled Hangar Steak with chimichurri, marbled potatoes, and charred red onion, served with two eggs any style.

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.

KJ had the eggs benedict - two soft poached eggs with toasted english muffin, orange honey ham, and classic hollandaise. She loved this! Her eggs were noticably more well done than mine, I will say.

Of course the crowning jewel of this delightful brunch experience is the dessert tray! This time our desserts weren't quite as impressive looking as they had been in the past.

I just revisited a past photo and I guess in the past our desserts were just piled more in the middle of the tray, because it looks like we got the same quantity of each item. As it was her birthday, I offered KJ both macarons (*such a good friend*)

(yes, I see that L and it is driving me nuts but hey I didn't make this gif)

We of course had more prosecco and took our bubbles outside to soak up the gorgeous view

I see you, castle.

Upon our return to the table, we asked our server if we could possibly try a couple of the other macaron flavors we'd seen served to other tables.

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!

We ended up at california grill for a little over two hours. We really enjoyed this experience and it was a great way to celebrate KJ's birthday!

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!

You can't really tell from pictures, but upon taking her drink out into the daylight it became obvious that the magical star cocktail is actually a very strange purpleish color without the glow cube's effects.

(you can kinda see the weird color, it's in the bottom left of this photo. Also KJ is probably snapchatting but isn't she cute illuminated by her phone screen glow cube?!)

KJ was just happy to have added to her glow cube collection but I was eager to keep us from drinking too much too early and so I suggested that we take the scenic route to our next destination. Plus I got the opportunity to walk from the Contemporary to the Magic Kingdom, a lovely route when the weather is mild and pleasant as it was on this day. We next got on a resort launch, continuing our celebration in the vein of all things fancy pants!

We took a pedestrian tour through the Grand Floridian grounds, which KJ proclaimed to be her "home" (and is my actual DVC home!) on our way to the main building and the lobby. The band wasn't playing upon our arrival, to KJ's disappointment. No big deal, we found seats and made ourselves comfortable in Mizner's lounge.

Enter my other favorite CM:

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")

He was the best server/bartender! I had an old fashioned... because... it's me and I'm a one note artist. It tasted like the disney standard old fashioned, which is not really how I like them, I feel like the Disney bars go crazy with the symple syrup and cherries and I don't really like much sweetness in an old fashioned, but it was fine.

KJ enjoyed her martini and ordered another. I decided to get crazy and ordered a St. Germain champagne cocktail, which is essentially St. Germain and bubbly. I love St. Germain a LOT and it felt like this was the right fancy cocktail for the atmosphere. Well, KJ ended up reversing her opinion on the filthy chunky martini so I swapped her. Because again, *SUCH* a good friend . Also I love martinis. Anyway, Bryon even arranged to have the band play Happy Birthday for KJ! She was extremely impressed. We had such a fun, silly time with Bryon that we hated to leave but we had big plans ahead for our evening, so we bade him farewell and went back to the Poly to change and get ready for the evening plans.

Up next: Frozen melts our hearts! A disastrous dinner(?) at San Angel Inn! MORE EPCOT SNACKS!

 

[Laurajland]

Usually a lurker, but I love all your DRs, so I had to pop in and say how much I'm loving this one! We are definitely kindred spirits. I too love any drink with St. Germain and especially love a champagne and St. Germain cocktail! And now I'm desperate to try the La Vie en Rose! I may have to plan a F&G trip just to try it You've also made me really want to try California Grill brunch. Maybe on that future F&G trip

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I really need to do this California Grill Brunch one of these days! Unlimited mimosas or wine - sounds like my kind of party!

Everything looks so good.

I guess she didn't like the martinis. I'm not a gin fan so you can keep all of those with their dirty olive water!

 

[Vernie822]

I had sooo much fun with you guys too!! We'll have to do it again sometime!! I did not get a glow cube. I did get a hangover though. We didn't end up at Tiffins, I honestly can't remember why but we ended up at Territory Lounge w/ the plan to go to Tiffins after ROL, and never did, we just weren't hungry.

I gotta come back and read that brunch review! After reading another one on here, it looks incredible!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Yum, Brunch at the top! It was so delicious. Definitely cost a pretty penny though. My DH liked the steak there too. Are the mimosas/prosecco unlimited? I never know because one is usually enough for me.
Such fun drinks at the Contemporary! And at the GF too! Love how you got great service there and your friend had a special birthday! Can't wait to hear what you did in the evening.

 

[nco91590]

The charcuterie spread here is insanely delicious and a unique offering for a buffet. I am obviously a big fan of cheese and also a fan of charcuterie so I love the option to grab just a few pieces of each and not feel obligated to eat a massive pile of the stuff (but still be granted the freedom to eat a pile of cured meat if I want to, GOSH!)

Omg. I'm dying over this brunch. I'm sitting here at work and want to throw this stupid oatmeal against the wall. This is my new MUST DO on our next trip.

KJ had the eggs benedict - two soft poached eggs with toasted english muffin, orange honey ham, and classic hollandaise. She loved this! Her eggs were noticably more well done than mine, I will say.

YUM! Love me some eggs benny. Your poached eggs look super weird. Did they not offer to send them back?

Upon our return to the table, we asked our server if we could possibly try a couple of the other macaron flavors we'd seen served to other tables.

Sea salt caramel?!?!? YUM.

KJ enjoyed her martini and ordered another. I decided to get crazy and ordered a St. Germain champagne cocktail, which is essentially St. Germain and bubbly. I love St. Germain a LOT and it felt like this was the right fancy cocktail for the atmosphere.

You ARE a fancy pants! I love St. Germain too. The restaurant we frequent has a St. Germain, gin and champs cocktail that is to.die.

 

[Raeven]

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.

That is a good name for it

For entrees, I decided to revisit a previous "miss" for me and give it another chance to shine. So I ordered the Grilled Hangar Steak with chimichurri, marbled potatoes, and charred red onion, served with two eggs any style.

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.

I hope Josh gets this so I can sample some! I have my eye on the chicken cutlet and/or pancakes for myself. And I don't want to order 3 entrees just for me

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!

Salted caramel sounds good, but green tea flavor sounds strange. I've actually never had one though so this trip will be the first time

Up next: Frozen melts our hearts! A disastrous dinner(?) at San Angel Inn! MORE EPCOT SNACKS!

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

That brunch just looks sooooo yum. One day it shall be mine! I like how you girls roll with the steady stream of cocktails, by the way.

And tell us about San Angel Inn already! I want to know what happened! LOL

 

[TeresaNJ]

Great update! I loved our brunch at the Cali Grill when we went this past November. Can't wait to do it again!

 

[ArielSRL]

calling it "fancy pants brunch" in all of our plans leading up to departure.

Love it!

We were celebrating KJ's birthday in earnest this day since I'd told her I was picking up the tab on brunch as a late birthday gift to her.

How nice of you!

If you are new to reviews of the California Grill brunch, the process is that you may enjoy unlimited items from their buffet (which they call "self-serve" cause they tryna be all fancy) and you can select one or more item(s) for your "entree" from the menu, which are cooked to order. Oh and you are greeted with a welcome mimosa!

Sounds like somethin gI need to try on a girls' trip (@ariane37 ahem) or a couple's trip with the DH!

As was the prosecco...

Which was unlimited and we took full advantage of that fact.

Um...of course!

I ordered the Grilled Hangar Steak with chimichurri, marbled potatoes, and charred red onion

This sounds delicious.

I ordered my eggs poached but these were a little too "rare" for me.

For sure.

Of course the crowning jewel of this delightful brunch experience is the dessert tray!

Looks so yummy!

We of course had more prosecco and took our bubbles outside to soak up the gorgeous view

Very nice!

Upon our return to the table, we asked our server if we could possibly try a couple of the other macaron flavors we'd seen served to other tables.

So everyone gets different flavors?? I would probably want to try as many as I could as well.

We really enjoyed this experience and it was a great way to celebrate KJ's birthday!

Nice photo!

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!

Too funny! I think I have actually had the magical star cocktail at Chef Mickey's. Yes, with the glow cube. And I still have it in my freezer. Ask me how many times I have used it. Oops.

KJ ordered her very first martini (I know, how do you make it through life 26 years without having had a martini?)

I'm not sure I have had one in 43.5 years. I mean, its possible I have and don't remember, but they have just never appealed to me. Too strong is what I assume. I like cocktails where you can just barely taste the alcohol.

(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")

St. Germain

Ok, so I had no idea what this was and looked it up (along with chimichurri). Looks like something I really need to try.

Bryon even arranged to have the band play Happy Birthday for KJ!

How nice!

 

[ariane37]

Man you two really had a fun trip!

Oh and you are greeted with a welcome mimosa!

Ooh,

As was the prosecco...

some more!

As it was her birthday, I offered KJ both macarons (*such a good friend*)

You are a VERY good friend because I don't know that I would've done that lol. I certainly would've been happy to be the bday girl on the receiving end of the 2 macarons though!

Upon our return to the table, we asked our server if we could possibly try a couple of the other macaron flavors we'd seen served to other tables.

How nice! When I was in Universal in Feb. I became a huge fan of macarons so I knew I would love all of those flavors.

 

[toomuchtv]

Yes, share one with your husband! Always a good way to try something new. That way if you don't like it, you can make your compadre down the rest Also I am going to tag you so I can try to double notify you @toomuchtv I LIED TO YOU! I re-sampled the carne asada last week at Florida Fresh in Epcot and every time it was spicy! I think it was in the black bean patty maybe if you asked for just the beef and salsa/sour cream, because the salsa was definitely mild. I don't want to cause you tastebud or gastrointestinal distress so I wanted to make sure I came back and reported that I lied. It would be fine for someone who can do mild spice but I just remembered your question the whole time I was eating it and I was like oooh. Yea, more spice than I remembered. Still super tasty though!

Thank you so much for the update! I think we'll probably skip the carne asada. It's probably for the better, as we are only at Epcot one day and really only have lunch to eat everything since silly me has both a breakfast and dinner ADR.

Of course the crowning jewel of this delightful brunch experience is the dessert tray! This time our desserts weren't quite as impressive looking as they had been in the past.

As if I wasn't already sold on this brunch, you got me here! Is this one of the brunches that is only on Sundays?

Upon our return to the table, we asked our server if we could possibly try a couple of the other macaron flavors we'd seen served to other tables.

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!

I've never said no to a macaron either, but I'm with you. I would jump to the conclusion that green was pistachio.

(I know, how do you make it through life 26 years without having had a martini?)

I've almost made it 37! (My list of alcoholic drinks that I've had is very, very short.)

 

[Vernie822]

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. But really, your brunch sounds amazing, save for the all too rare egg whites!

I think that bread looks sooo stinkin good. I feel like I could fill up on the "serve yourself" area alone.. of course we can't call it a buffet, it's too classy for that!

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.

What a way to start a morning

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")

I don't think I've ever had a martini, either And don't worry, I won't be googling Whim with a K + Melinda + ATL to figure out who you are

 

[pepperandchips]

Usually a lurker, but I love all your DRs, so I had to pop in and say how much I'm loving this one! We are definitely kindred spirits. I too love any drink with St. Germain and especially love a champagne and St. Germain cocktail! And now I'm desperate to try the La Vie en Rose! I may have to plan a F&G trip just to try it You've also made me really want to try California Grill brunch. Maybe on that future F&G trip

Aw, shucks. I am flattered. So glad you came out of lurkdom to say hi!! Any friend of St. Germain is a friend of mine!

Flower and Garden is my favorite time of year to visit WDW. Epcot just looks so beautiful with her best and finest flowers out! I even like it better than Food and Wine and the weather tends to be better too. California Grill brunch is definitely a special occasion kind of experience, but just visiting Disney in the spring can be that special occasion to celebrate!

I really need to do this California Grill Brunch one of these days! Unlimited mimosas or wine - sounds like my kind of party!

Everything looks so good.

I guess she didn't like the martinis. I'm not a gin fan so you can keep all of those with their dirty olive water!

I'm surprised you haven't done the CG brunch yet. It's fantastic. Martinis are apparently a very divisive topic! I'm surprised that folks don't like them or haven't tried them. Oh well, more for me! (And I do love gin, but I'm a vodka martini type chick... but give me bourbon any day of the week and I'll be saying "martini who?")

I had sooo much fun with you guys too!! We'll have to do it again sometime!! I did not get a glow cube. I did get a hangover though. We didn't end up at Tiffins, I honestly can't remember why but we ended up at Territory Lounge w/ the plan to go to Tiffins after ROL, and never did, we just weren't hungry.

I gotta come back and read that brunch review! After reading another one on here, it looks incredible!

Ummm good call on the Territory Lounge! Plus there's always next time to try Tiffins/Nomad Lounge.

Yum, Brunch at the top! It was so delicious. Definitely cost a pretty penny though. My DH liked the steak there too. Are the mimosas/prosecco unlimited? I never know because one is usually enough for me.
Such fun drinks at the Contemporary! And at the GF too! Love how you got great service there and your friend had a special birthday! Can't wait to hear what you did in the evening.

Yay! Su-Lynn, glad you made it over!!! The first time we did the CG brunch our server offered the prosecco without orange juice, and since then I've always asked for it (too much OJ gives me heartburn) and our servers have never batted an eye. I think every server we've had so far has tried to ply us with more mimosas and/or prosecco. They are so great at making the brunch a truly special and celebratory event!

I just love celebrating birthdays at WDW (not even necessarily my own) and loved reading about your birthday trip too! More on the rest of our crazy day coming up soon.

Omg. I'm dying over this brunch. I'm sitting here at work and want to throw this stupid oatmeal against the wall. This is my new MUST DO on our next trip.

YUM! Love me some eggs benny. Your poached eggs look super weird. Did they not offer to send them back?

Sea salt caramel?!?!? YUM.

You ARE a fancy pants! I love St. Germain too. The restaurant we frequent has a St. Germain, gin and champs cocktail that is to.die.

I am certain they would have happily cooked me a fresh pair of eggs but at that point I'd eaten so much tasty stuff from the buffet that I didn't even finish my steak, much less need eggs! My mom has had the lobster eggs benedict at the CG brunch as well and she loved them too. I think a California Grill eggs benny brunch is calling your name!

Why am I not at all surprised that you are a St. Germain maven? That cocktail sounds super tasty, like a St. Germain champagne cocktail meets a French 75, both of which I adore.

Suddenly thirsty... lol

That is a good name for it

I hope Josh gets this so I can sample some! I have my eye on the chicken cutlet and/or pancakes for myself. And I don't want to order 3 entrees just for me

Salted caramel sounds good, but green tea flavor sounds strange. I've actually never had one though so this trip will be the first time

Oh I definitely think that chicken cutlet entree is the way to go! It is soooo good. Maybe chicken and pancakes for you, steak for Josh (minus a bite).

Honestly it was a little hard to tell what flavor the green macaron was, but KJ said green tea and after she said that I did taste a faint hint of green tea. Mostly it tasted like sweet almond heaven! I really don't think there are any bad ones at CG. Now you've got me fantasizing about those jam cookies too! I wonder what they offer for GF desserts. You'll have to tell us!

That brunch just looks sooooo yum. One day it shall be mine! I like how you girls roll with the steady stream of cocktails, by the way.

And tell us about San Angel Inn already! I want to know what happened! LOL

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?"

We definitely overdid it with the drinks this day, but we did drink a lot of real water alongside our "water" consumption. This was my booziest trip! But it sure was fun

San Angel disaster forthcoming...

Great update! I loved our brunch at the Cali Grill when we went this past November. Can't wait to do it again!

Oh it was so fantastic! I can't wait to do it again but my wallet says not every time

So everyone gets different flavors?? I would probably want to try as many as I could as well.

We were seated near a few very large parties who'd been brought a couple of huge cake platters piled with the same treats we had, just in larger quantities. Of course, those silly people didn't finish all their macarons so we saw all the other "colors" on the nearby tables (some of them sadly left behind, RIP little macarons, I'm sorry no one loved you) I'm sure you could ask for one of each of the flavors and they would bring them if they had enough!

Too funny! I think I have actually had the magical star cocktail at Chef Mickey's. Yes, with the glow cube. And I still have it in my freezer. Ask me how many times I have used it. Oops.

I am guilty of this too but every once in a while I have a very bad day and my cocktail dons its fanciest light up glow cube to cheer my mood But I did just clear out some cabinets this past weekend and noticed the light up cup I got at Food and Wine in 2014, just sitting around collecting dust. At least the glow cubes take up less room!

I'm not sure I have had one in 43.5 years. I mean, its possible I have and don't remember, but they have just never appealed to me. Too strong is what I assume. I like cocktails where you can just barely taste the alcohol.

I had no idea that martinis were not a universally experienced phenomenon! You are right, they do usually taste very strong. That's why I encouraged KJ to order Grey Goose since that vodka is very light. With so many tasty options, why even bother with a standard martini? I totally get where you are coming from!

You are a VERY good friend because I don't know that I would've done that lol. I certainly would've been happy to be the bday girl on the receiving end of the 2 macarons though!

How nice! When I was in Universal in Feb. I became a huge fan of macarons so I knew I would love all of those flavors.

I know, I have no idea what came over me that day to pass up my favorite treat. In fairness, she told me to eat whatever else I wanted and I might have eaten both of the jam cookies

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...

As if I wasn't already sold on this brunch, you got me here! Is this one of the brunches that is only on Sundays?

I've never said no to a macaron either, but I'm with you. I would jump to the conclusion that green was pistachio.

I've almost made it 37! (My list of alcoholic drinks that I've had is very, very short.)

Yes, unfortunately this one is only on Sundays. There was a time period that we all had a scare that the CG brunch wouldn't be continued but then it seems like the popularity caught on and hopefully it stays a while. I can only imagine how much more fabulous it would be if the green macaron was, in fact, pistachio. My two favorites!

No worries on living a martini-free life. I certainly wouldn't recommend it over any of Disney's other fabulous choices (including many great booze-free options)!

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. But really, your brunch sounds amazing, save for the all too rare egg whites!

That brings to mind a really hilarious mental image. Yeah, I am pretty impressed with our day drinking capability over this trip as well, but (non-surprising spoiler alert) I paid dearly for this day's overindulgence. THE BRUNCH WAS SOOO GOOD. The eggs were just overkill at that point anyway, so no harm done!

I think that bread looks sooo stinkin good. I feel like I could fill up on the "serve yourself" area alone.. of course we can't call it a buffet, it's too classy for that!

Oh I totally could, and have in the past. The good news is that they will box your entree selection if you happen to eat too many wedge salads from the non-buffet I mean who would do such a thing?!

I don't think I've ever had a martini, either And don't worry, I won't be googling Whim with a K + Melinda + ATL to figure out who you are

Weeeeelll. It's not YOU I'm worried about, I told you about my fears at Trader Sam's!!! Creepers

 

[pepperandchips]

March 5 continued:

Ah! I didn't realize how close to the end of this trip I had gotten. Alas, the long-weekend life of a nearby-state-living AP holder brings me closer to the end of my dining reports in a sneaky way. The good news for y'all is that I have plenty more photos from my April trip to share also!

So, that brings me to the final installment of this March trip.

KJ and I relaxed in our room for a while and de-fancy-outfitted ourselves. We'd made several Epcot fastpasses but were mostly excited about Frozen and checking a new restaurant off of our Disney dining bucket lists: San Angel Inn!

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

Side note: why isn't there more Daisy Duck at WDW? I love her.

Anyway, KJ has been mourning the loss of the margarita cart in World Showcase since its disappearance in the Frozen update to Norway, so we seized the opportunity to procure a couple of seasonally available margs from the Jardin de Fiestas booth.

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....

It was sickly sweet and very artificial tasting and just kind of icky.

KJ had the $10.25 hibiscus margarita and she liked hers. Okay, upon reviewing the receipt it says blueberry pomegranate margarita... soooo don't know if that was a leftover register button from last year or if that is really offered again this year?... really sorry for the bad intel. I can't remember if I tasted it - if I did, it's not something I would get again. We also sort of bombed with our food selections which we grabbed to tide us over until dinner:

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)

We also had the Brocheta de Pollo con Salsa Morita: Grilled chicken with red and green bellpepper served wtih salsa chile morita and garnished with micro cilantro and edible flowers. Doesn't that description sound fantastic?! And per my google research, "Chipotle Morita, or "blackberry" chile, comes from slowly smoking red ripe jalapenos over a wood fire ". Wow. That sounds amazing!

Well look at this thing. for $6 we got a measly 3 or so bite sized pieces of chicken and you can actually see that the sauce is pretty much congealed onto the thing as it had been sitting out waiting. They also ran this through the Disney trademarked flavor vacuum as there was no tasty chipotle smokiness to this. It was like dry grilled chicken with bland tomato sauce. FOILED AGAIN BY THE PROMISE OF THE MEXICO BOOTH! darn you (shakes fist)

So anyway we were not the first to pass this way toward Frozen Ever After, which we both loved but sorely missed our opportunity to DISAPPEAR DISAPPEAR from the trolls in Maelstrom (insult added to injury with the cute troll topiary outside Norway, which I apparently did not photograph, the protest runs so deep). I wish we could have Frozen AND Maelstrom. Anyway, enough wishing.

(at least there are still puffins)

After our ride concluded we backtracked to the Mexico pavilion where, for the first time in forever, we'd be trying San Angel Inn for dinner! We were seated one table away from the water, which was cool, but man are those tables crammed in tight!

I felt like we were sitting with the nearest family.

(recently vacated table next to us, taken from our table, just to show the proximity of the table next to us)

Anyway, 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.

The margaritas, at least, were tasty.

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.

A manager had been making the rounds and had checked on us early on (I think before we even ordered) so we flagged him down explained that we had been waiting for a really long time, had not seen Sebastian in quite a spell, and vented our frustration about wanting chips at least to pass the time and ease our tummy rumbles but we were not even offered the opportunity to pay for them. Well, lo and behold! Out comes Sebastian with a cone of chips shortly thereafter that he "made a special exception" for us on. Basically from the interaction where KJ asked for chips until we left (which I think was three total appearances) Sebastian would spend 2.5 seconds at our table saying something rude and literally throwing something (chips, dinner, check) down on the table before turning tail and stomping off. I have no idea what this guy's problem was.

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).

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.

After having had really quite enough of the Mexico pavilion, we watched half of Illuminations and scooted out to the monorail to beat the crowd. Because what is there to do when you experience crappy food and service?!

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)

A couple of hours of great company and wonderful service ensued. We had very friendly and fun barmates alongside for the following two hours, and more cocktails were ordered and imbibed, friendships formed, and an eager young gentleman who'd escaped his extended family vacation attempted to woo KJ. 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!

We love you, Bryon!

And with that, I will end this dining report. The next day brought me many, many hours of misery, made better only by consumption of chicken nuggets and fries in the magic kingdom, which I did not photograph, but I think y'all know by now what they look like. We spent our last hours at the World paying for the previous night's choices, but it was so worth it!

The trip was a fabulous adventure of food, drink, and fun with one of my favorite friends. We had a ton of fun celebrating and just hanging out together and I can think of no better place to do it! Thanks for reading along with me and I hope you will all stick around for the next trip, which I will also post about here on this same report.

UP NEXT: I return to the World! I eat some new stuff! I paddle the fish... errrr... I drink at Paddlefish!

 

[Raeven]

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

Anyway, 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.

The margaritas, at least, were tasty.

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.

A manager had been making the rounds and had checked on us early on (I think before we even ordered) so we flagged him down explained that we had been waiting for a really long time, had not seen Sebastian in quite a spell, and vented our frustration about wanting chips at least to pass the time and ease our tummy rumbles but we were not even offered the opportunity to pay for them. Well, lo and behold! Out comes Sebastian with a cone of chips shortly thereafter that he "made a special exception" for us on. Basically from the interaction where KJ asked for chips until we left (which I think was three total appearances) Sebastian would spend 2.5 seconds at our table saying something rude and literally throwing something (chips, dinner, check) down on the table before turning tail and stomping off. I have no idea what this guy's problem was.

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.

UP NEXT: I return to the World! I eat some new stuff! I paddle the fish... errrr... I drink at Paddlefish!

Yay there's more!

 

[Neverland_Girl]

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.

The charcuterie spread here is insanely delicious and a unique offering for a buffet. I am obviously a big fan of cheese and also a fan of charcuterie so I love the option to grab just a few pieces of each and not feel obligated to eat a massive pile of the stuff (but still be granted the freedom to eat a pile of cured meat if I want to, GOSH!)

You might be able to see the sticky bun and cheese biscuit on my plate, which were previously brought to the table on a pastry plate. Probably better to put these on the buffet as we certainly did not need one each of every bread option.

That all looks delicious and really fresh!

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.

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

KJ had the eggs benedict - two soft poached eggs with toasted english muffin, orange honey ham, and classic hollandaise. She loved this! Her eggs were noticably more well done than mine, I will say.

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

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")

Yeah martinis do not look appetizing to me. Filthy with chunks is pretty accurate haha.

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)

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

Anyway, 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.

The margaritas, at least, were tasty.

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.

A manager had been making the rounds and had checked on us early on (I think before we even ordered) so we flagged him down explained that we had been waiting for a really long time, had not seen Sebastian in quite a spell, and vented our frustration about wanting chips at least to pass the time and ease our tummy rumbles but we were not even offered the opportunity to pay for them. Well, lo and behold! Out comes Sebastian with a cone of chips shortly thereafter that he "made a special exception" for us on. Basically from the interaction where KJ asked for chips until we left (which I think was three total appearances) Sebastian would spend 2.5 seconds at our table saying something rude and literally throwing something (chips, dinner, check) down on the table before turning tail and stomping off. I have no idea what this guy's problem was.

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).

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.

After having had really quite enough of the Mexico pavilion, we watched half of Illuminations and scooted out to the monorail to beat the crowd. Because what is there to do when you experience crappy food and service?

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.

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)

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