Does This Bread Pudding Make me Look Fat? A Dizneydawn Food Report Sequel! 11/15 post

[NancyLuvsMickey]

Happy Honeymooning you two!!!

 

[Dizneydawn]

Had to swing by and tell everyone they need to have House of Blues white chocolate,banana bread pudding. Need to. Must do. Holy goodness of all bananas.

Also why have I not enjoyed a jalepeno pretzel in Afreeeeca before now?

Can't wait to tell you all more.

P.S. Walked up to Le Cellier yesterday about 2 p.m. And they took us in as a walk up like we owned the place. They said with food and wine going on they have a ton of no shows .

 

[Avery&Todd]

YEAH!! More DizneyDawn!!

I'm not going to tell you that I had to officially "search" for you, cause that would make me seem like a stalker, but I'll just say that I'm glad I found your latest & grreatest TR!!

Bring on the food!!

 

[jedijill]

I am in Jeff City MO

My question is why? I grew up about 45 minutes north!

Jill in CO

 

[jedijill]

Ok, I'm 3 pages late but I'm here! I will blame my own WDW trip at the beginning of the month and the subsequent family fall out for my absence. Note: Never mix family and DVC points and money.

Jill in CO

 

[tluvstink]

Oh this is going to be fun! I am so in!


Terri

 

[kittychatalot]

count me in~

 

[gardengirl628]

So excited!!!! Count me in - and congrats on your walk-up at Le Cellier-nice score!

 

[Dizneydawn]

We are back and I will start the posts tomorrow but wanted to leave you a few things.

1st - Carsyn found this link and I know many of you will love it if you are fans of Glee, great singing or simply Disney.

Acapella Disney Medley


2nd - Today is Halloween and as always I remember how very blessed we are to have Baylor with us, three years later.

Here is a photo of him taken a few days before Halloween 2008.

Here he is today.

Hope all of you have a happy and SAFE Halloween.


Dawn

 

[grumpyyoungguy]

My question is why? I grew up about 45 minutes north!

Jill in CO

Was working for a week in Jeff City MO

My grip on MO geography is bad. Where is that? And are you driving through STL on your way to alone time?

Sorry for the late reply but no I went south out of Jeff City so not near STL

We are back and I will start the posts tomorrow but wanted to leave you a few things.

1st - Carsyn found this link and I know many of you will love it if you are fans of Glee, great singing or simply Disney.

Acapella Disney Medley


2nd - Today is Halloween and as always I remember how very blessed we are to have Baylor with us, three years later.

Here is a photo of him taken a few days before Halloween 2008.

Here he is today.

Hope all of you have a happy and SAFE Halloween.


Dawn

Time Flies

 

[tlenzendorf]

Bring on the food pics! How was the rest of the drive from Chicago?

 

[LJD2143]

Guten tag Dan and Dawn!
Had so much fun in EPCOT last Wednesday night, but can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Great pictures of Baylor! What change!

That acapella group was awesome - I was laughing out loud!

Welcome back! Can't wait to hear about all the food!!!

 

[sue and co]

YAY - first time back on the boards for a while and I found this Look forward to the updates, glad you got in to Le Cellier and look forward to hearing all about it.

Sue

 

[Dizneydawn]

I may end up writing a trip report in addition to the food report. Either way the start of day one always seems to set the course of the trip and with that in mind I thought a detailed event synopsis of the journey to WDW would be important to get all of you in the groove of where we began…and where we ended up! So grab a refreshment and a snack cause this ones going to be a doosey kids!



The honeymoon commenced with one minor flaw to the perfectly executed itinerary. The butterflies were in the tummy, the lack of sleep was on the face. The only thing missing from the perfect getaway to celebrate love and a life forever intertwined was a small detail.

A microscopic blip.

A minute discrepancy from the hundreds of honeymoons celebrated for centuries, across the sands of time and even the English Channel.

The groom!

That was all I kept thinking as I was dropped off at MSP airport "Terminal 2" (don’t get me started) at 4:15 a.m. central time, after going to “Terminal One” because from Cedar Avenue south and then 494 east, the airports who tried to eliminate the mass confusion of weary travelers, still don’t have signs of which airport serves what at the exits to the airports.

Yes I was flying solo, like a Rolo (minus the caramel center and gold wrapper) because Dan had business travel before the trip and he decided to drive on to SC for a few days, see the oldest two in college and then get me at JAX. I had two connecting flights (one no change) and after a 6 a.m. departure, would arrive in sunny Florida, a mere two hours from Disney, at 2 p.m.

Thus no groom and a bride who felt not very Kathy Kodak like at the airport. Or at 3:30 a.m. when I woke my sister whose satanic cat sleeps in her bed with one eye open and one claw ready to decapitate an intruder. I was not sure which sight was harder to witness. My sister in her skibbies and night shirt sleeping with her pillow in a death grip or the cat ready to pull a Kung Fu Panda move and take out my larynx. She had offered me her bed the night before but I chose to risk my life on the couch and whoever may break into her apartment through her deck on the second floor in the “hood” she calls home, just south of the Minneapolis border, than that nut bag of a feline she calls Cinders and I call Dr. Evil.

You think I must be making this up don’t ya?

Well her cat, was banned from several vets due to “emotional instability” and attacking the poor suckers who have to work with it, so due to it’s “anxiety” she needed a vet who made house calls and was licensed to use a blow dart.

Okay…maybe not the blow dart.

It was a tazer.

So yes, I was a bit out of sorts and needed a hug.

I mean, don't get me wrong but my sister, who loves me enough to drop me off at that unholy of hours, did not feel like cuddling in the car as her apple of a cat did not fall far from her tree, if ya know what I mean. She is lovely and I love her more than any other member of my extended family but she is not a touchy/feely sort of gal. She often pretends to wretch if she is hugged for more than three seconds.

Once the baggage was dealt with and the nice TSA agent let me through even though my license had expired two months earlier on my birthday (oops,) I was still feeling a bit unsettled and I am pretty sure the lady sitting next to me on the connected seat bench, who was heading to Vegas,where she actually lives, and also who happened to be eating a Snickers for b-fast, did not want me to stroke her hair and tell her how much I loved her. (Well maybe she might have but I did not offer cause her peanut breath quite frankly scared the Swedish out of me.)

Nope, I just needed Dan and nobody else would do.

Then, I had a moment when I thought I might not make the trip and would need to flee the airport because who did I see, sneaking to the front of the line and looking pompous and well coiffed like he just popped out of Judy Jetson's personal hair pod?

Former Governor of MN, Tim Pawlenty, who was also recently a candidate for President and had just stepped down, much to my sisters delight.

Yes, he was on our flight. Yes, I hate flying, especially by myself and strapped in the same tin can as someone who might just get struck by lightening without notice.

I mean why tempt fate?

Or the Democrats?

Call me paranoid but the thought I could be united in death with that man, gave me the heebie jeebies.

So what did I do?

I called my sister because she loathes him like some people loathe sardines.

She said to ask him what he would do with $100 a month.

I told her I was not planning on giving him an allowance and with his pretty hands, I doubted he could do much in the way of chores, so what was I offering him $100 for exactly?

She told me to stop joking around and then proceeded to re-explain his policy to lower the money people receiving help from the state with mental handicaps/disabilities got, to $100 a month. Then she became more passionate and loud as she described how many things that $100 had to cover for these people including haircuts, medication, bus fare, etc., Now I have to confess, I did know what she was talking about but the chance to have her go off on one of her tirades is a beautiful thing to witness and besides, I knew if her blood was boiling, she wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep and why should I have to suffer being awake at that hour by myself?

While listening to this Social Worker sister of mine preach on like Al Sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson's love child, I may have noticed the Snickers lady, moving a bit over in her chair. I think she might have been afraid I was some radical extremist protestor and might just get unhinged and yell "Bomb" in the airport.

She did not look very protestor-ish and probably feared getting tackled when security came flying in.

I told my sister she gets a bit moody when woken up early and offered that as a possible factor in her being single still.

She told me I owed her and Dan would be single if she killed me for being a smart mouth and asked if I could at the very least, deck the ex-Gov with my carry on as I strode past.

I told her I would contemplate the request but seeing as how she was not on death row and it was not her dying request, odds were not good but if I could make it seem like a legit accident, he might have a run in with a poorly secured luggage in the overhead compartment.

Snickers lady, eyes getting wider, was concerned now for real and because I felt slap happy I might have encouraged her ill-placed fear, by starting to look through my purse frantically. Perhaps I mumbled to myself that I could not find my medication and answering myself back in a different voice, explaining I needed to keep it together before the secret service showed up.

The rocking back and forth in my seat was the clincher though.

Poor young thing.

Not wise in the ways of the warped world at only 23.

Or at least a person with a warped sense of humor.

So about the time she looked as if she might tear up and run screaming for her mother, I told her I was just messing with her and in no way did I intend to ruin this flight or her connection to Vegas. I reassured her I was just heading to Florida for my honeymoon and was looking forward to the start of our vacation.

She looked at me.

Then she looked around me.

She looked behind me.

She looked across from me.

She then quite astutely and tentatively, pointed to the fact there was no husband within reasonable distance to my person, like I might be shocked to discover this! I believe she might have considered the possibility of multiple personalities or even a psychotic break.

I took pity or her tortured psyche and explained I was meeting him in Florida. It eased her mind a bit but I never really could figure out if she would have felt safer next to a Republican hazing plane rider or a person with an imaginary husband!

With that, we boarded and good ole pucker pout Pawlenty was unfortunately being guarded by a stewardess who was making sure he had the left side exit row all to himself. He had his attention focused on his I-Pad and minus the 120 pound blonde, with perfect airplane hands, guiding us past and onto any open seat in the back, had no other body guards with him.

I could have been a contender.

Instead, I headed for the back of the plane and sat with a lovely set of parents from NJ, who had been in WI, visiting their son who played hockey.

We were supposed to have a connecting with no plane change in Chicago but after a few minutes when those leaving the plane had exited, we were informed over the PA system that we indeed need to change planes right next door. The fact the plane was empty and she could have shouted to the 10 of us staying on board, was pretty funny. I reflected back to the scene in "Meet the Fockers" when Greg was trying to board an empty plane with his luggage. I will say they were nice though and as a courtesy and apology, allowed us to be seated first.

After this minor delay, we were once again, proceeding to the runway, only to turn back and be told there was a mechanical problem.

This made me nervous because I only had an hour layover in our next stop at Baltimore and if we missed it, how was I going to get to JAX on time? Indeed, I was starting to wonder if I had put some bad juju on myself for all the Pawlenty shenanigans and I even contemplated bargaining with God to get Laura to vote Republican next time if the plane left and I was not late. Before anything that drastic needed tto transpire, we were given the green light to go and I got to Baltimore with literally 2 minutes to spare before they closed the gate for my last connecting.

I was going to make it and had the pleasure of sitting next to a scare crow lady and a nice younger man (33) who was a rep for a medical device company who works with athletes knee replacements and tissue/ligament damage. He taled about life living near the beach and I listened to my future locale as if he was a real estate agent.

So if we are all still alive and together at this point in the saga, let us re-cap.

Dawn was up at 3 a.m. central time. She consumed part of a juice on the way to the airport, at the airport in Minneapolis, bought a Cracker Barrel Cheese square and a large water which she ate while tormenting Snickers lady. On all three planes she only drank water and on one segment a spicy tomato juice with no snacks because bathrooms on the planes are an even greater claustrophobic nightmare than a unitard on Fat Albert and one can never be too careful with the result from astronaut grade peanuts with an expiration date of 2097. She also gave up on the all fruit roll-up that her sister had given her because it made sounds like someone being waxed, every time she tried to peel of a section of pummeled strawberry.

There was no room for a bathroom break let alone a food stop while running and screaming for the Baltimore flight helpers to hold the plane with the late arrival from Chicago.

So when I got to JAX, I had been awake for over 11 hours and nothing substantial had passed my lips minus hints of imaginary bodily damage to a former politician.

I found the luggage area and to my happiness, both of my pieces were there, safe and sound. They did not even look as if the pilfer police in screening, had their mitts on Dan’s silk, heart boxers!

I waited for Dan who must have fallen asleep while waiting for me, because it did take him a good 10 minutes to get to the pick up area once I had exited the airport with luggage in tow.

This was the first site of my other half of the honeymoon…foggy lens from the humidity and all!

We had a two hour drive ahead of us and I knew I felt sick from lack of calories so we stopped at a Taco Bell and bought a $20 gift card because with it, came a free meal combo that had enough for both of us to share a drink!

We were excited to get to OKW and check in. I had requested a room overlooking the water, thinking we could sit on the patio and listen to the ducks. I also was very excited to have our first meal that evening at DHS and Mama Melrose. We were making good time so I even contemplated a ride or two if we got there early enough. I had originally planned a night with California Grill but after the issue of running into traffic at 4:30 p.m. in Orlando on a Monday was brought to my attention, I decided not to book something I could be charged for if we missed it altogether.

Before we knew it, we were entering our place of bliss.

Got right to OKW on time (a bit before 5 p.m.)

and then had one problem after the next at check in.

They had us checking out a day earlier than we were supposed to.

They could not find any tickets for Dan and I from guest relations at Epcot that I had been assured would be sent over.

I kept running back and forth to the car to get everything I had made copies of about the correspondence from Epcot, my reservation numbers etc. The CM I had was a great guy who was trying to overcompensate for the sour puss Old Maid manager who kept assuring me I was not correct about the tickets being there. That Epcot would not have tickets at the hotel for someone. I explained the situation through gritted teeth and could she please, just look one more time.

I also very quietly explained that if the tickets were not there, it was not my misunderstanding at all it was alack of follow through from someone else. Then, literally 45 minutes later, after another CM went to the back and looked in an area the first CM suggested they might be and the manager said could not be, would not be, she returned, victorious, waiving an envelope with my name on it and our reservation number as well as arrival date, since that is what I had given Epcot to make sure it was attached to our arrival.

This was again, my silly thought in hopes and anticipation of making it an easy process.

At this point, they still were at a loss of the early departure day but I did not care where we would be staying Thursday night. That was three days from then and all I wanted was my room, a shower and a nice meal with my husband. We needed to hurry because we had to get to DHS to buy our TIW card for our meal. The nice CM said he would be there the next day and if we did not get to buy it before the meal, then I was to bring it to him the next day with my receipt and he would credit my room charge the difference! What a great guy and again, proof even when things go wrong, a person extending a gesture of kindness helps ease the frustration!

By the time we (mostly Dan) hauled our belongings to our room, on the second floor which did have a view of the waterway over a golf course… it was a quick shower and a fast drive/mini marathon to the turnstiles of DHS.

As we grabbed our correct passes and prepared to use them for the first time, Dan looked at me and said, "What if the passes do not work?"

I said, "Nobody could have that bad of luck."

He said, "You could!"

With that, I threatened to stab him with his wedding button and we went in, no problems. It was already past our time for check in and we decided to get the TIW card after our meal.

I followed a CM's advice on the fastest route to MM instead of listening to my husband and went a tad bit longer than needed to but we got there, huffing and puffing, apologizing for our tardiness and they were happy we just had made it and took us into an empty restaurant and our first lesson on never taking a last seating of the night! Reservation time was 6:45 p.m. so not too late but I did not pay attention that their restaurant closed at 7:30 p.m., not 8:00 p.m., like the park.

You see when you arrive somewhere and they are already wiping up tables, putting chairs on top of empty tables and closing whole sections down…it does not make you feel relaxed as a customer.

The woman who sat us was happy to give us a detailed description of an incident involving a room at POR she stayed in which had not been cleaned to any reasonable extent and in fact, her grandson had found a “horrible” male contraceptive device, lying on the floor next to the bed.

Now I get that she might have been trying to make us feel better when we apologized for being late and explaining the mix up with the room departure upon check in etc., but for all that is sacred, did I really need to know that much info when I am about to break bread???

I just nodded politely and inside was screaming, “Lalalalalalalalalalalalalalaaaaaaa.”

She left and our waitress arrived. She asked if we were on any dining plan and when we explained we would be on TIW but did not yet have the card because we had ran late, she said she would see if she could not take care of our bill as if we had the discount and then upon leaving the park, could get the TIW card.

We decided to go with an appetizer and then I ordered the steak as it had gotten rave reviews and Dan ordered a flat bread.

[

It was then we also realized we did not understand a single thing about the flash of this new camera! The normal family of four sitting next to us kept whispering to each other about our propensity to blind the food with too much flash! After a few wrong takes…we got it together though!

The bread basket came out first and the oil was better with pepper added but the bread was fresh and a perfect combo of crusty outer shell and soft, melt in your mouth tapestry of carb inside! I loved the reduction in the oil. It did not overpower the olive taste and each bit of dipped bread was unique depending on the composite of oil to reduction you came up with. We were good and each only had one roll and made the decision to really eat with a conscious and make sure we did not stuff ourselves.

I loved this plating.

Everything about it .

I adored the perfection in arrangement. The subtle nuances in color hues and the way it is delicate yet inviting to try.

Some plates scream at you, “Come and get it!” Like onion rings and a big ole burger.

Some plates like this call at you to appreciate, to investigate and to linger over.

I truly wish I would have paid attention to the romance of fresh mozzarella and tomatoes earlier in my life. It is a pairing that makes you slow down and master the texture discrepancies on your tongue and collaborate new methods of ratio mixing and reduction dipping. Of all the meals we had that week, I was most happy and in the moment right there, with that plate.

The cheese was smooth and not too crumbly or pasty once you began to chew. The tomatoes were bursting with flavor and yet crisp enough to still stab with a fork. The onions were just cooked enough to have a hint of buttery softness without becoming soggy and see through.

My steak plate was soon arriving and the smell was enough to open the heavens. The macaroni was BAR NONE…the best I have ever had anywhere. Literally had not a coating of cheese but an infusion of cheese. I would order just this every time I went back. It makes Le Chef's taste like La Puke.
The minor glitch was that I had ordered my steak medium well, with a closer relationship to well than medium.

When I cut into my tantalizing piece of sirloin…

The darn thing mooed.

Literally pink and rare at best throughout the center and medium rare at the ends.

I was proud I did not throw up.

I just waited to get Claudia’s attention and munched happily on my macaroni from the cheese Gods and even shared a few bites with Dan.

I also waited some more as she took care of two tables bills and ate a piece of Dan’s flatbread.

Carne D'Italia Flatbread - with Pepperoni, Italian Sausage, Pancetta, and Spicy Marinara Sauce $12.99


Now the flatbread was pretty good overall but the sauce tasted much liked canned tomato soup. The meat was tasty and at times spicy. The crust was crisp and flaky all at the same time and not burnt. There was plenty to share. When Claudia came back around, she apologized for the carcass on my plate and agreed it was rare. She took it back to the chef to cook again and it came out soon after, a bit more medium rare, with the outside a now chewy med-well.

I took a few bites and it was okay in flavor but by this point, it had been off the grill for 20 minutes plus and that poor cow had met his prime time and now was just old and chewy. Not a $29 steak.

Claudia came back and agreed it was still not okay all the way through. You could tell she was frustrated with the Chef and bottom line, although her attentiveness to our table could have been better, she was not in charge of delivering the description of the menu and a patrons preference in doneness. The kitchen is.

So I just asked if she could take off the steak on our bill and she agreed. She had offered for it to be sent back a third time but when the cooks are cleaning the kitchen and are visibly ready to depart, I thought I did not want to push my luck and I also knew it sure would not be any softer.

She then offered us each a dessert on the house as an appology, which was very kind and our first bit of pixie dust of the trip.

I had ordered this dessert in March as well and it might just be a dessert that needs to grow on you because I liked it a whole ton better this time around.

The cake was uber moist and the center was so perfect. Like an adult version of the Ho-Ho. The sweet and bitter taste of the dark chocolate was only magnified by the wine reduction and I actually enjoyed it, where as last time I would never have ordered it again but for free…worth a second opinion!

Dan had the spumoni gelato and seemed to find it a pleasurable dessert. I am not a fan of ice cream and so to me it is like ordering a bowl of cereal at a 5 star breakfast joint.

Looking at All Ears menu’s just now, they do not list the cake I ordered and they say fingerling potatoes have replaced the macaroni with the steak. If that is accurate - I would go back and give the vodka penne another go-round from March with my favorite appetizer but would in no way order the steak or flatbread again!

How did I rate this meal….

Stay tuned for the wrap up!!!

 

[jedijill]

Yay! Dawn is back. My dog is looking at me funny (well more than usual!) as I was literally laughing out loud at the whole ex-governor saga. I think I like your sister!

Can't wait to read more!

Jill in CO

 

[Breadwinner]

Bread pudding is made by soaking pieces of bread in a mixture of milk, sugar and eggs. It's a great dish to make with leftover, stale bread that's otherwise unusable. How to make bread pudding will show you how.

Bread pudding was invented by cooks who couldn't afford to waste stale bread by throwing it out. Instead, they would break a stale loaf up and mix it with other ingredients before baking it to get rid of the stale flavor. Eventually, bread pudding became a Christmas tradition for many families. It's delicious served hot or cold and is often offered with a sweet liqueur sauce.1

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Dawn, great to see you back, love your reports. And I plead for a trip report as well, pretty please, I was disappointed you abandoned your last one.

At any rate, looking forward to any reports from you, thanks!

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

That is quite a start to the trip!

Your meals look good! And your right, there is something about the Tomatoes and mozzarella that is very appealing. I have never had it before myself and never really been interested in it. But that dish makes me want to taste and savor it!

We have never been to Mama Melrose, but maybe we will have to give it a go!

 

[rndmr2]

Read your post last night then my computer froze up on me so I came back today to reply. Loved the start of your report, hilarious as always! Sounds like you had a good experience at Mama Melrose for the most part, too bad about your steak being wrong. We went there once on our trip in 2010 and liked it, I would go back again. My brother loves it there. Can't wait to hear more.