Ellen & Pods alone at last at F&W- with a twist of Vero! 9/25-10/1/09 Update12/14 p.9

[podsnel]

Thanks everyone for the well wishes- I will post tomorrow night, HOPEFULLY with some good news!!

 

[podsnel]

So, waaayyyy back in November 2007 when we were purchasing our DVC, Pods had made the comment (after the sales CM had suggested it), "Can't ya just see us going down to WDW and staying at OKW for a golf getaway without the kids someday?" Hmmm...well, yes, yes I can. Even if someday to Pods means "somewhere in a galaxy far, far away", and to me someday means, "Yippee!!! Another vacation to plan ASAP!!!" At least that's what he said when I told him where we'd be staying this trip. But I digress... I was very much looking forward to seeing OKW, I had heard it was very relaxing, had huge villas, and was absolutely POPPING with a fervent DVC loving community. And I can say now, that ALL of this is true. We were checking in kind of late, so i wasn't expecting much, just hoping for a golf course view if at all possible. Well, there was exactly ONE studio left- it was on the golf course, but without much of a view, as it was on the first floor and was HA. But, they did tell us when we asked, after checking with the MGR, that we could move the next day if we were unhappy, which I thought was very nice. Here are some pics of the great big studio, Rm. 2816-

We got settled into the new digs and I went out to explore. Since we were very centrally located in Bldg 28, this was easy to do-

The landscaping at OKW is so mature- so beautiful & tropical-

Very pretty, isn't it? And every person I passed said hello, how are you, etc, it was very warm and welcoming. I think DVC resorts in general have a "community" feel, but this one feels a little different- everyone you meet seems like they've been in the family forever; at the newer DVC's, it feels more like nice people who just got married and are on their honeymoon. KWIM? It is just a very comfy/cozy and relaxing place. Glad we went.

Next up- time for our first dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse!

 

[podsnel]

We arrived at the Yachtsman for our 8:20 ADRs and were handed a blinker and asked to wait in the Crew's Cup Lounge, which we were happy to comply with. I enjoyed my first ever flashy cocktail while DH had a vodka on the rocks-

Everyone sing along.."How much is that mee-eet in the window?? The one with the waggl-ee ta...." Oops. Sorry.

Soon we were seated and our very attentive, very nice, and very knowledgable CM was ready to wait on us! He recommended some favorites, and we proceeded to order....First came the rolls and butter and roasted garlic-

I would like to clearly state, for the record, that these onion rolls are EVEN BETTER than the DIS makes them out to be. OMG, pull-apart flaky deliciousness in every bite.... YUM! I debated about ordering the scallops, since I had had them the night before and thought nothing could top THOSE. Unfortunately, I was right. These came out...burnt.

Oh well, our server was great, he took them right off the bill. He also apologized profusely for the new chef working tonight who was just getting used to things. DH did better with the escargot-

Those were yummy. We both ordered the NY Strip for dinner, as that is our favorite cut.

His-

Mine-

LOVED the potato gratin that came along with this. The steaks were good, but not as tender as many we have had at home restaurants. We also drank a bottle of red wine with our meal, sorry i don't recall which one, I think it was a Cabernet (since I was still Jonesin for that Caymus from earlier in the day that never was). I knew we were full, but we HAD to try the Trio of Valrhona Chocolate, as I had been eyeing it for MONTHS here on the DIS-

The espresso one was my absolute favorite-

Salted caramel?

Peanut?

We also went for after-dinner drinks. Pods got a Porto, and I looked over the menu...what's this??? MAGICALE????? You call Fairytale Cuvee Magicale
on your menu???? To which our very friendly, very kind, and VERY HONEST CM says, "NO...those are two different wines. We just got a new wine list 2 days ago (sound familiar?????????). Magicale is meant to replace the Rosa Regale on the dessert menu- it is less expensive, so Disney switched. The FairyTale Cuvee was just supposed to be for the Year of a (2) Million Dreams....but I think I might be able to scare up a glass if you'd like to try it."















DUH. That server in Vero Beach at Shutters...the one we double tipped??? Who we ordered Fairy Tale Cuvee from and who I questioned the Magicale bottle about??? The one who said it was the right wine???? SHE WAS WRONG!!!!! If it weren't for the CM at YS, I never would have known (well, maybe someday I would have figured it out, but still....). I have to say, double-tipping the girl at Shutters DID come up- and this CM explained that Disney leaves the "we've already been tipped with the TIW card" to the discretion of the server. In other words, when they circle the tip on the check, or mention to you that it is included in the bill, they are doing you a BIG favor that they are not required to do. AND....they can get double tipped if they don't bring it up. Hmmmmm......very interesting....the server at Shutters just gets curiouser and curiouser to me.....ANywhoooo....

The Fairy Tale Cuvee bottle-

And the Fairy tale cuvee wine-notice how it is NOT RED!

I thought about calling Vero and ratting the girl out. But I just can't because I am holding onto a shadow of doubt that says maybe she didn't realize what she was doing- I did like her when we ate there. But I CAN tell all of YOU so that it doesn't happen again. And that is why, I just did. DH & his port-

Happy us after dinner-

We thanked our server profusely for his service and honesty, and it was time to go-

We were sleepy and ready for bed when we got back to OKW. Unfortunately....our neighbors in the adjoining 1 bdrm villa were NOT as eager to sleep as we were. They were excited about EVERYTHING until 12:30 am when DH got out of bed and knocked on their door and asked them to pipe down please. And they were quiet....for a few hours. But I heard them at 3 am....and again when we got up at 8am, screaming who knows what at each other (although I do recall one girl asking someone about which hairstyle she should wear that day, and I was very happy to yell MY opinion through the door to her). We called up front and said we would be fine staying in this room...if our neighbors were checking out that day. Which, of course, they weren't. So I packed us up, and we got out before our morning of golf at LBV.

Can I just mention....I am soooooooo tired of packing up. I am sooooo not doing any more split stays....

Up next- our morning of golf on the beautiful LBV course!!

 

[work2play]

Ellen, fab report, you are making me want to try OKW! LBV is my DS17's favorite course, he eagled the first hole the first time he played the course and makes sure to remind us whenever Disney golf is mentioned!

 

[podsnel]

Ellen, fab report, you are making me want to try OKW! LBV is my DS17's favorite course, he eagled the first hole the first time he played the course and makes sure to remind us whenever Disney golf is mentioned!

He EAGLED it!!! WOW!! My DH will be very impressed...and pretty jealous. The game we played at LBV was his worst game EVER. Not because of the course....just because he was havin' an extremely OFF day!!


And I just realized I never posted on the thread...we all made it to WDW!! DS15 got on the plane and we had a wonderful week- he was so happy, and of course, so were we all! And sooo proud of him!!

 

[podsnel]

We headed over to SSR for our morning of golf at LBV, the course that winds through OKW & SSR. I was a little nervous, because i am a very, very, UBER Beginner golfer, and i really didn't want to ruin some strangers' round with my cluelessness on the course. I was just certain that we would be matched up with golfers the likes of tiger Woods and Phil Mikelson, and i would be humiliated beyond belief.


Nothing could have been further from who we were paired with. Not that they weren't good golfers- they were- just that, they were so nice and understanding and encouraging and I couldn't have hoped for a better couple to complete our foursome. Even if I did stink it up, BIG TIME, out there! They were a couple from California, Mary & Larry, owners at OKW since the beginning, yearly 10 day Disney vacationers- alternating their visits to OKW with each of their grown children and their families. And they play a LOT of golf while on vacation at WDW. So, pretty much, this is who Pods & i hope to become when our kids are grown one day. Especially, I would like to become Mary. Because Mary was the best golfer of us all. AND....Mary told me that just 10 years ago, she was a beginner JUST LIKE ME. So there is hope, after all!! And FWIW, for the rest of my life, when I golf with DH and I actually have a nice shot? Well, that's a Mary shot- and it will be for all time. Some pics from our day-

I took alot of pictures because I decided in the interest of everyone, I would golf every other hole to keep things at a decent pace. And, since this round of golf was only $39 pp because of the DVC golf membership we got, I didn't feel that bad doing that.

Sadly, DH golfed the absolute WORST game of his life! He is not one to be bothered all that much by his golf game, and he has been playing since he was a kid. But THIS game...well, it put him in a fairly crappy mood for the rest of the day. And that was stink-O!!!

Stick kids on the course!!

One last thing- all of the CM's who worked at the course, from the ones who checked us in to the CMs who worked in the proshop- ALL of them were SPECTACULARLY nice, and kind, and friendly- really, really making it a day of golf with a Disney difference! We finished up just in time to quickly shower up in the clubhouse and head over to Tokyo Dining for our 3:30 Sake & food pairing demo. JUST in time....

 

[Tinks "SS"]

Thanks so much!! You have brightened my day with your update!! Love it of course and the pics are fabulous. Yes, like you, i would like to be like your golfing partners when i grow up and don't have kids (although we don't golf lol) Can't wait to try all of the other great thinkgs at the world.

Thanks so much for my pick me up today!

 

[podsnel]

Thanks so much!! You have brightened my day with your update!! Love it of course and the pics are fabulous. Yes, like you, i would like to be like your golfing partners when i grow up and don't have kids (although we don't golf lol) Can't wait to try all of the other great thinkgs at the world.

Thanks so much for my pick me up today!

Thank-YOU for all the kind words!! I'm so happy you posted, I was beginning to think no one was reading this TR except for me looking for typos!

There really are so many things to do at WDW- it truly is a WORLD of vacation fun, and I'm enjoying being able to check out all of this stuff it has to offer now that we are going more frequently. So fun!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I love the pictures of the golf course and I love your idea of playing every other hole! Best wishes to you as you work toward your golfing goal!

Bobbi

 

[podsnel]

We made it to the park JUST in time- literally, we sat down in Tokyo Dining right as the pairing began, in the last 2 seats- right up in front! We had the pleasure of dining with a pair of sisters from California, both on their first trip to WDW. And they were really enjoying themselves, it was great to sit with them. Anyway, when I booked this in August, all it said was that it was one of the Food & Wine pairings offered at the festival, and because it was at Tokyo Dining, I assumed that meant sake- and I assumed correctly! There were 3 sakes served, each with 2 different foods accompanying them. The food and the sake were fantastic, we tried sakes I have never had before, and we really enjoyed (all of us at the table) the food- especially the sushi, which was perfectly bite-sized. Pods & I love sushi, but there nearly always seems to be an issue of it being too big to fit in your mouth in one bite- which is how all sushi is supposed to be eaten. Tokyo Dining's sushi is perfect! Anyway.... here's some food porn from the day, along with some other shots in the restaurant-

The sake-

Menu-

The first pair-Mu Dai-Ginjo (ultra-premium grade)- served chilled (the bottle on the right in the above photo)- this sake was so light and refreshing, unlike any I have ever tried. The food- Oyako Gunkan (sushi grade raw salmon and salmon roe wrapped with seaweed and thinly sliced cucumber and daikon radish. Served with ponzu) AND Hotate Nigiri with Zakuro Sushi rice (sushi grade raw scallop served on top of Pomegranate sushi rice as nigiri sushi (hand formed sushi). Served with soy sauce and yuzu-kosho(citron pepper taste).

This was truly lovely. Very gentle, subtle flavors. The only misstep was the ponzu sauce was poured on after the food was presented, and we didn't know until it was too late- so I was ponzu-less. That's ok, I loved it anyway!

Pairing 2 sake was Yaegaki Junmai-Kurobin (premium grade), served chilled AND Goma-Maguro Age (sushi grade tuna tartar with sesame oil, green onions, and dashi soy sauce coated with sesame seeds and deep fried. Served with a creamy avocado sauce). AND Gyu no Negi-maki (Thinly sliced sirloin wrapped around green onions and grilled. Served with Hickory smoked Sea salt.).

OMG! Our table could not get over how they managed to deep-fry a ball of sesame seed coated rice without cooking the tuna tartar inside! And that Smoked sea salt... WOW. They told us it was sold (not at the store below ) at Whole Foods. I am SO getting some this weekend!

Pairing 3 sake was Kagatobi Chokarakuchi Junmai (premium grade)- served warm-

This was the boldest of the three. The chef told us that this was usually the men's favorite, while the women usually like #1 best. I must be ambiguosly sexed, because I gladly drank it all! It was served with Buta no Kakuni (Kurobuta pork belly that has been slowly simmered with ginger, sake and soy sauce. Served with spicy yellow mustard)-

Wow again. Can you say I love me some pigs from Japan? And the mustard was soooo hot- I LOVE that! Next to that melt in your mouth yumminess was Ankimo (steamed monkfish liver thinly sliced and topped with green onions and momiji-oroshi (grated daikon with red chili pepper). Served with ponzu sauce- even for me this time!)

I love this- and i haven't had it in years, so it was nice to be reminded of it's sturdy, full, fatty flavor. It is the japanese equivalent of foie gras. The woman next to me felt it was too fishy tasting for her, though.

The happy chefs!!

Finally, and this was not on the menu, so forgive my less than perfect description, a green tea broth (I think) was poured into a bowl filled with rice, scallions, and pressed fish roe. They said this was a very traditional Japanese dish.

We were instructed to break up the fish roe and mix it into the bowl. Then put the bowls up to our mouths and SLURP!!!! Slurp, Pods, SLURP!

To me, the fish roe had a very dense, very salty and very strong flavor- but it balanced out when mixed in with the broth and rice. I thought it was much fishier than the monkfish liver- but the woman at my table who didn't like that DID enjoy this. I guess it just shows, taste is so subjective! The chef who spoke about the food was so cute and funny-

The gentleman next to her discussed the sake-

I really enjoyed this. The only downside was that it was VERY noisy in the restaurant surrounding this area, as that was filled with loads of people dining or waiting. Well, and that I think they could have come around with some refills on the sake, especially since it was meant to go with 2 different small plates. But I look pretty satisfied by the end, i think-

Outside in Japan, DH had a few work calls to answer, while I wanted to peruse the shops- actually, I wanted to see about purchasing the snacks Lou Mongello had tried on his podcast- because while he said they were pretty delicious, i just was having a hard time believing that mini-dried crabs and shrimp chips tasted better than GACK!

Cont'd next post-

 

[podsnel]

The sake bar- I will need to visit this in May with the DISmoms!

I took pics of this so I would remember to buy one for DH's Aunt we'd visit on our November trip-

My man and his phone-

Our plan today was to just eat & drink our way around WS, we had no reservations. I was planning to do a LOT of damage, especially because tonight there were EMHs. Would that matter for us? You'll see.....

Ridiculous amounts of F&W food porn in the next installment!

 

[manntra]

Great update! Your sushi looks so delicate and pretty! I am a chicken though...this past trip at The Wave was the first time I tried tuna...the first time because the look of it scared the ___ out of me!! Guess what? I loved it!!! I even had the tuna surprise at the Japan kiosk for F&W....tuna with avocado. Loved that too!! I want to want to like sushi so maybe we'll see!!

Looking forward to your next installment!

Oh yes...one of my brothers has a penchant for wasabi peas and other Japanese goodies...one being the shrimp chips. Run away! Far away! Or at least if you do eat them don't smell them first!!

Tracy

 

[papertraveller]

Thanks so much for such a captivating trip report. We aren't likely to get to Vero before March break 2011, but your photos and descriptions are so lively (and lovely!) that we'll be dreaming of it for a while! I told DH your Caymus story, and he nodded knowingly at your shock and dismay!
The photos are great, and your sense of fun is truly infectious. Thanks!

 

[podsnel]

So we were ready after our little bit of downtime in Japan to start the food & drink frenzy back up in full force. We went to Morocco, actually hearing and seeing the last 2 notes of the last song performed by Mo Rockin-

We never see these guys!! We tried the Beef Kefta Pita pocket-

which was boring and not so hot, think I'll stick to the schwarma platter from now on. See the skywriter? I think it ended up saying Jesus loves you or Jesus saves-

We backtracked to Tokyo, because I was in the mood for more sake and wanted to try the tuna sensation-

It hit the spot, but in all honesty, I make a similar thing a LOT and....mine is better. Pods got sidetracked taking a pic of me-

No! That's not me!(I guess that one's for Kara ) YO! I'm over HERE! Cheers!

Then over to New Orleans for some Crayfish Etouffe and an Albita Purple Haze- YUMMMMM on both!

Richard Marx was playing, so we stopped for a bit to listen. Pods & I went to college and then were married in the 80's, so you would THINK we would know this music, being that RM had a TON of hits in the 80's. Well, one of us (umm, that would be ME) knew all the songs, but Pods was in some sort of Marshall Tucker/Charlie Daniels/Clash/Frankie-Goes-To-Hollywood haze in the 80's while he was living under a ROCK, so all these tunes were NEW to him.

Every song, i'd be like, "so you'll definitely know THIS one" and everytime he said, "nope, never heard it before- but it sounds nice!" Too funny. We decided to go into the American Adventure, since we had not been in there in years, and with all that's going on in the world, we thought it might be nice to see. It really and truly WAS- makes you proud to be an American.

Next, we went to Italy. Now, i know this looks like run of the mill, really ordinary Italian food, but it was very, very good red sauce, and we really enjoyed every bite! The chianti was yummy, too-

I'm happy- I'm feelin' glad...I got sunshine...on a trash can..."

Meatballs-

Canneloni (made with crepes, not pasta tubes- YUM!)-

Then we had the pleasure of devouring a grilled lamb chop with red wine sauce and murray river sea salt, and a shiraz/cabernet in Australia. Delish!

The only problem with that one was when you were finished, you wanted about 10 more! I'll continue later- need to run-

Ellen

 

[podsnel]

I love the pictures of the golf course and I love your idea of playing every other hole! Best wishes to you as you work toward your golfing goal!

Bobbi

Yes, i think everyone liked my idea of every other hole! Thank-you for the encouragement- golf really is a lot of fun, especially when the ball goes anywhere but the woods or the water!!

Great update! Your sushi looks so delicate and pretty! I am a chicken though...this past trip at The Wave was the first time I tried tuna...the first time because the look of it scared the ___ out of me!! Guess what? I loved it!!! I even had the tuna surprise at the Japan kiosk for F&W....tuna with avocado. Loved that too!! I want to want to like sushi so maybe we'll see!!

Looking forward to your next installment!

Oh yes...one of my brothers has a penchant for wasabi peas and other Japanese goodies...one being the shrimp chips. Run away! Far away! Or at least if you do eat them don't smell them first!!

Tracy

Well, I give you a ton of credit for giving tuna a shot! You never know until you try, right? And quite honestly, if you enjoyed the Tuna Sensation, you should have no trouble at all with regular sushi. Try yellowtail- it's very mild and sweet, not fishy at all and a great beginner sushi. Also a great sushi when you've had most of them, FWIW. Make sure to one day get past the fear of eel (if you have it), it is cooked (barbqued) and delcious!

I LOVE wasabi peas- could eat the whole bag! But I still haven't opened those shrimp chips... Thanks for the tip on how to eat them, though!

Thanks so much for such a captivating trip report. We aren't likely to get to Vero before March break 2011, but your photos and descriptions are so lively (and lovely!) that we'll be dreaming of it for a while! I told DH your Caymus story, and he nodded knowingly at your shock and dismay!
The photos are great, and your sense of fun is truly infectious. Thanks!

Well, you are soooo welcome. Thank-you for the high praise- what you wrote was so nice, I even showed it to Pods!! Ya know, just to remind him of how wonderful i am and all. You write very well, and you OBVIOUSLY have GREAT taste, I hope you'll consider writing a TR one day- it's alot of fun to relive your trip and so fun to share it with the DIS peeps!

 

[manntra]

I have heard that eel is delicious....a friend of mines husband is from Japan and he and his Japanese friends came to our lake one weekend to fish for eel because they wanted to bbq it!
Thanks for the sushi tips..like I said I really, really liked the tuna at The Wave and the Tuna Sensation so we will see!
Good luck with those shrimp chips!!

Tracy

 

[5forDiz]

~ He EAGLED it!!! WOW!! My DH will be very impressed...and pretty jealous. The game we played at LBV was his worst game EVER. Not because of the course....just because he was havin' an extremely OFF day!!


~ And I just realized I never posted on the thread...we all made it to WDW!! DS15 got on the plane and we had a wonderful week- he was so happy, and of course, so were we all! And sooo proud of him!!

I think you are TOO modest ! You must be your DH's favorite distraction & that's why he couldn't concentrate on his game !!!

Sooooo glad to hear all went well with your DS ! Happy is written all over your faces - such a beautiful family !

 

[podsnel]

We continued on...

We stopped again in Bangkok, Thailand, to sample the Green papaya salad with Shrimp and the Chicken & Coconut soup with mushrooms, lemongrass & ginger. And a Singha beer. The best part of the whole thing was the beer- and we LOVE thai food, we eat it fairly often at home. This food was just kind of blah, and BLAH is the LAST word i would use to describe good Thai food, which is really more hyper-flavorful. The papaya salad was refreshing, though, and the shrimp was well cooked.

Our next stop was Cape town, South Africa, to try the Beef tenderloin with sweet potatoes and mango bbq sauce and a pinotage-

Now, I know everyone loved this one, but I think we just got a bad piece. It was teeny-tiny (especially compared to all the ones we saw after we had finished ours) AND it was super, super chewy and tough. I think we got the end tip of the tenderloin. Oh well... Believe it or not, we were actually FULL at this point!! So we walked on to China where we went in to visit all those cool soldier boys...

Well, THIS doesn't look too comfy!

Aaahhhh...here they are! I LOVE these guys!!

Especially HIM- he looks like the troublemaker of the group!

Probably that's ME in a previous life... Back outside, we continued around ...

Hey! Cell phone guy! Get outta my way!

That's better. We stopped in Canada, because there was incredibly
no line AT ALL for soup! Pods & I have never eaten at Le Cellier together- well, not since it was a cafeteria (anyone remember THAT?) so I was really excited for him to try the cheddar soup, which I KNEW he would LOVE, and which he DID love. It was by FAR his favorite thing all day. I didn't take a pic of the soup,or the Moosehead we got to go with it, I was too busy taking pics of these guys who were VERY excited to see us!!!

EH!

OOps... I forgot to turn on my flash- could you be happy to see us again, please?

SOUP, EH!!! CANADA, EH!!! MOOSEHEAD, EH!!!

That cheddar cheese soup server was too funny!! There was still one more thing for us to try....in Ireland.....

Yummmm..chocolate lava cake with Bailey's ganache...which made us thirsty for just one more beverage, over there in France, the Parisien Cosmo Slushie-

We were ready for Illuminations and EMH....or were we??????? Cont'd next post...

 

[manntra]

I am ready for anything after the Parisian Cosmo Slush! That was sooooo good I hope it finds a permanent home with the Geese!

Tracy

 

[podsnel]

I have heard that eel is delicious....a friend of mines husband is from Japan and he and his Japanese friends came to our lake one weekend to fish for eel because they wanted to bbq it!
Thanks for the sushi tips..like I said I really, really liked the tuna at The Wave and the Tuna Sensation so we will see!
Good luck with those shrimp chips!!

Tracy

Well, I think going to the lake and catching the eel to bbq might be a little bit of a deal-breaker for me. I can eat it, I just don't want to see how it wiggles around before i do!

I think you are TOO modest ! You must be your DH's favorite distraction & that's why he couldn't concentrate on his game !!!

Sooooo glad to hear all went well with your DS ! Happy is written all over your faces - such a beautiful family !

Yea...well...I think he was just STINKO out there, and it had nothing to do with me dazzling him to distraction!

And thanks- we were all sooooo glad he came!!