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

[Tinks "SS"]

Yeah!! i got some more from you!! woohoo. I can totally feel your pain on shopping with the DH's. but my DH will shop some but i refuse to go shoe shopping with him. It is painfully slow. So glad yall had a great time! I can't wait for an Adults only trip. Won't happen for quite a while for us though. The boys love the world too much also.

Well, i'm ready for some more eating through F & W at epcot.

 

[podsnel]

Yeah!! i got some more from you!! woohoo. I can totally feel your pain on shopping with the DH's. but my DH will shop some but i refuse to go shoe shopping with him. It is painfully slow. So glad yall had a great time! I can't wait for an Adults only trip. Won't happen for quite a while for us though. The boys love the world too much also.

Well, i'm ready for some more eating through F & W at epcot.

If we lived in Georgia, I don't know if I'd have enough points left to go without the kids- because we'd be able to drive, so I'd be taking them all the time! I can completely understand those adult trips not being in the near future. Hey- my oldest was 14 before I got one!!

Back soon with more.....

 

[manntra]

I feel so bad that you didn't get to spend much time in Basin....you will definitely need to really look there as well as hit TrenD.
The bath salts are really nice and the bath bombs are...well, the bomb And, of course the Mickey head soaps are a must each trip.
I will have a one bedroom in May and let me tell you those bath bombs in the jacuzzi tub are sooo nice after a long day.
The bike trip looked like a nice little excursion!

Tracy

 

[podsnel]

I feel so bad that you didn't get to spend much time in Basin....you will definitely need to really look there as well as hit TrenD.
The bath salts are really nice and the bath bombs are...well, the bomb And, of course the Mickey head soaps are a must each trip.
I will have a one bedroom in May and let me tell you those bath bombs in the jacuzzi tub are sooo nice after a long day.
The bike trip looked like a nice little excursion!

Tracy

I was wondering about those bath bombs- do they fizz up? What do they do? I think I might buy some stuff off the website for Christmas gifts and shrinkwrap them myself.

And what are the dates of your trip in May? Don't we overlap a couple of days with MEK?

I love exploring on a bike- it's one of my most favorite things to do.
So far alot of these DVC vacations have been very good for bike riding (especially HHI) so I think it's great!

EDTA: Oh, and I love Tren-D, too!! I've been in there a couple of times. Really need to buy something on my next visit- I so far have only "ooh"ed and "aahhh"ed at everything!

 

[podsnel]

We headed directly to France because we KNEW we needed to eat what they had there. The short ribs-

And the escargot-

were both incredibly delicious and never to be missed! We decided to share a Citron Slushie so Pods could try it for the first time, and grope the bottle from whence it came-

Next thing we stopped to eat was in Germany, now it was my turn to grope something!

Seriously, that is one gifted sausage! We also tried the spaetzle, which Pods liked but I thought was overdone. Plus, that meant more sausage for ME! Tee-hee!

We made our way around to India. While we waited for our rice & lentil crepe with potato & onion filling, I took a dessert pic- not that we ate this, it was on display. Gulab Jumun with Rose syrup & pistacios-

It just looked to sweet for us. The crepe was good, although nothing i would dream about. I think they probably could have come up with something tastier for this booth.

In China, we asked what they would reccommend. They said the chicken was delicious, so we went with that. Chicken Urumqi with cumin & traditional Chinese spices-

Ta Daa!

Cheers!

Now, this chicken, while I might not dream about it, was excellent. It was also a very generous portion (compared to many of the other portion sizes at F&W). I hope they have this again, because I definitely want some more! The new booth-

We needed to make our way to the front of the park, as I was signed up for a 2:45 Chef d'France wine & food demo. I had also been signed up for a 1:00 Liberty Tavern one, but skipped it since DH was with me (originally he was supposed to be golfing today and I was supposed to be on my own, but when he nixed the golf, I nixed LTT). We had time to ride MS on our way over. First, Pods stopped in front of the DVC kiosk where I stopped and asked the question, "How long does the tour take?" just 2 years ago. Here he is showing the $1 he has left in his wallet after that little conversation occured-

We love that ride, and we always ride the more intense version, because that's all that was available the first time we rode, and we're fine on it. Always love a good flight to Mars!!

Next up...are these demos worth it and what exactly does a thimbleful of wine look like?

 

[dallastxcpa]

Oh the escargot were so yummy and tasty in their little garlic and butter bread. But oh did I pay. I learned this year that I am allergic to escargot... I spent the next two days living on benadryl.

 

[manntra]

I was wondering about those bath bombs- do they fizz up? What do they do? I think I might buy some stuff off the website for Christmas gifts and shrinkwrap them myself.

And what are the dates of your trip in May? Don't we overlap a couple of days with MEK?

I love exploring on a bike- it's one of my most favorite things to do.
So far alot of these DVC vacations have been very good for bike riding (especially HHI) so I think it's great!

EDTA: Oh, and I love Tren-D, too!! I've been in there a couple of times. Really need to buy something on my next visit- I so far have only "ooh"ed and "aahhh"ed at everything!

Yes, the bath bombs fizz for a bit

And yes, Mek and I are actually the same dates...May 2-7th, although I am flying on Saturday the 1st because it's cheaper to fly and it's direct : Probably stay at a hotel near the airport or maybe one of the Disney hotels if I can get a good AP rate. When it gets closer we are all going to have to plan a meet. There is another that I know of, Katie, (kschafer) going the same time too. I am bringing my friend/neighbor.

Love the geese...I saw some fantastic news the other day regarding the Cosmo slush and that it is a permanent resident

Tracy

 

[podsnel]

Oh the escargot were so yummy and tasty in their little garlic and butter bread. But oh did I pay. I learned this year that I am allergic to escargot... I spent the next two days living on benadryl.

Oh, how AWFUL!!! Are you allergic to any other bugs? Sorry- really they are mollusks, so are you allergic to clams, oysters, etc, too? I hope you didn't have a hospital-type of reaction, although I'm sure any reaction is not at all fun. Was your allergy discovered at F&W?

 

[podsnel]

Yes, the bath bombs fizz for a bit

And yes, Mek and I are actually the same dates...May 2-7th, although I am flying on Saturday the 1st because it's cheaper to fly and it's direct : Probably stay at a hotel near the airport or maybe one of the Disney hotels if I can get a good AP rate. When it gets closer we are all going to have to plan a meet. There is another that I know of, Katie, (kschafer) going the same time too. I am bringing my friend/neighbor.

Love the geese...I saw some fantastic news the other day regarding the Cosmo slush and that it is a permanent resident

Tracy

We are April 30th to May 4th, so hopefully can see you early in your trip! Thanks for the info about the bombs- I am not a bath person, but I have a few people to give gifts to who are! And I saw that about the geese, too!! Great news!!

 

[podsnel]

So Pods went off to enjoy Ellen and her Universe of Energy (and maybe a nap!) while I headed for the festival center-

I was seated with some very nice people, while Pam the MC introduced the champagne chick. THEY drank from great big normal glasses of champagne, while we, the audience grunts, got to look on and save our teeny weeny sips to go with our food. Nice and classy.

The Chef was very charming- he told us he would be preparing escargot. He made it one way, we were given a recipe with a different escargot, and we were served the escargot made the way he prepared it. I think.

The escargot was very tasty, and i enjoyed the presentation which was over in maybe 20 minutes. I did NOT appreciate the teeny weeny itsy bitsy champagne pour, though- when you taste wine, there should be at LEAST enough to swish around in your mouth a couple of times- the first time, to acclimate your palate to the acidity of the wine, the next to actually taste what is in the glass. And if you then want to taste the wine with the food, that should be one more swish. This glass had maybe a little more than one swish worth. So you had to decide what to do- most of us took eensy weensy baby sips and pretended we could taste them. What a waste of time. I won't say there went 20 minutes of my life I'll never get back, because the food part of this was good. The champagne part looked like a really good time for the 3 people on the stage. C'mon, Disney. This isn't a freebie anymore- you're charging people- and we're happy to pay, but give us a little something in return!

ANyway, this was over much more quickly than expected- so when I called Pods and he was just out of his afternoon nap with the other Ellen, it was perfect! We headed back to WS for more fun!

I need to upload- see you soon!

 

[5forDiz]

Enjoying your TR as always & hope that you're feeling better too.

LOVE the captions on your monorail photos !!!!

Obviously your DH is a very wise man as he knows a happy wife means a happy life !!!!

Your dinner at V & A's looks & sounds AMAZING ! My DH & I have yet to dine there but we're thinking we will definitely try to schedule it in during our trip in August.

 

[podsnel]

We walked by some purty-purty flowers.

I love plumbago, I try to grow it at home as an annual, but it never grows well in my yard here in NJ. We stopped in Argentina and tried one of the GINORMOUS Beef Empanadas-

Then a taco with pickled onions (I think) from Mexico-

They were both good, I think we preferred the taco. I remember thinking the Mexico City booth looked pretty sturdy for a temporary structure-

I guess cause it was permanent. It was there when F&W closed in November as a Taqueria. Next, a stop in New Zealand for a Lamb Slider with Tomato Chutney-

This was more like a meatball than a slider. Not what we were expecting.

Then we went for the other dessert I was dying to try at the festival, the Praline Bread pudding with bourbon caramel sauce over in Nawlins- yummmmmmmmmmmm......

We were FULL! But not yet ready to leave, so we rode the boat across the lagoon and paid a visit to the 3 Cabelleros. On the way in, we peeked in the Ditch-

but a visit there would have to wait for May, because Pods doesn't like tequila and I was too full to drink a Rita. I KNOW! It STINKS!!

I really wanted to ride Soarin before we left the park, so that's where we went next (we had FPs).

Yay! It's Putty!

Back to BCV for a little shopping and to get the car-

Ahhhh...I can't wait for May! Hey look! It's our favorite Valet with the speedy white sneakers! I wonder if his sneakers are still white, being that they are probably getting NO USE since DVC lost free Valet parking...

By the way, i did ask, and all those guys just LOVE their sailor suits!!

Back soon with a quick stop at the Gurgling Suitcase!

 

[dvc4life]

Great report Ellen! I just laugh and smile while reading your adventures.

That one picture you took of the statue guy in Germany, after the gifted sausage , reminds me of Lord Farquat (sp?) from Shrek? Do you see it?

 

[podsnel]

Enjoying your TR as always & hope that you're feeling better too.

LOVE the captions on your monorail photos !!!!

Obviously your DH is a very wise man as he knows a happy wife means a happy life !!!!

Your dinner at V & A's looks & sounds AMAZING ! My DH & I have yet to dine there but we're thinking we will definitely try to schedule it in during our trip in August.

Yes, finally feeling better, thank-you!! Actually rode my bike yesterday (it was unseasonably warm here in NJ, it was in the high 60's and GORGEOUS!!!) and went to the gym for the first time in ages. We have alot of plans this weekend, so I'm very, very glad i am finally well!

Glad you liked the captions- that IS true, a happy wife means a happy life! Every DH needs to learn that rule just to stay sane, I think!!

Great report Ellen! I just laugh and smile while reading your adventures.

That one picture you took of the statue guy in Germany, after the gifted sausage , reminds me of Lord Farquat (sp?) from Shrek? Do you see it?

I'm so glad you laugh at what I'm writing, I'm glad you understand my warped sense of humor!!

YOU ARE RIGHT!!! It DOES look like Lord F!! Everytime I look at that guy, I always think, he looks so familiar...thanks for clearing it up for me! FWIW, he is actually a Hapsburg Prince- I learned that on the Segway tour last year.

 

[Tinks "SS"]

THANK YOU for the food porn and the awesome report! You have me giggling alot reading yours.

Keep on bringing it and i'll keep on reading and dreaming for now.

 

[podsnel]

THANK YOU for the food porn and the awesome report! You have me giggling alot reading yours.

Keep on bringing it and i'll keep on reading and dreaming for now.

You're welcome!! I am hoping I can provide more food porn from f&w next year- Pods & I are booked for the first week again. But they are now releasing different dates than what they originally did, so I'm not sure if we'll be there for F&W or not next year. Well, we'll be there for a day or two before the cruise, so I will probably get SOME in....

 

[podsnel]

Back at OKW, I mentioned to DH that I really wanted to check out the OKW watering hole, the Gurgling Suitcase. So many people said such wonderful things about it, I wanted to see what was so great for myself. If you haven't been, it's a pretty small bar- just a couple of rooms. But it has to be Disney's warmest, friendliest, homiest bar! There was no one in there but Ken, the bartender, when we sat down. But the memories of great times past were evident- There are photo albums with YEARS worth of good times had by the families who own at OKW. Holiday parties, just hangin' out, all kind of pics of the great times that have taken place at this bar. I ordered a bloody mary- which was one of the best I had ever had, and Ken explained his secret- Mrs Dash! Ken filled us in on what it's like to be a bartender at GS. Families come at the same time every year, and they are a real community of people who look forward to the time spent at OKW with each other. They are a very dedicated bunch, he said. And a lot of fun. Anyway, while we were there, a man and his son stopped by for a beer- Ken, who is from NJ, introduced us to this man, who was also from NJ. His son sat outside. It seems this man and his family like OKW the most because it is so quiet and laid back- and that really helps their son, who is autistic. And this man was also on the board for COSAC, which is the support organization for autistic people here in NJ. Small world, being that we have an autistic son, too! So we had a nice chat, it was a lovely experience, stopping at the GS. A very warm and inviting place. Here's a few pics-

The maker of the yummy bloody mary, Ken-

We said our goodbyes and went back to get ready for our last dinner of the trip- Citricos! On the way out we passed-

See ya in a few!

 

[podsnel]

Our last night in WDW, and we had an 8:30 ADR at Citricos. This would be our first time dining here, and I was excited to check it out! We arrived at GF and decided to Valet park (because of course we were running late), but it was a little different than the previous evening when the parking was free for V&A's. DUH. Stupid me, I forgot about free TIW parking. Oh well, that's a lesson learned, I guess! We checked in and sat at the bar while we waited for our table.

Well, hell-ooooo BIG FELLA!

We were called to our table in no time at all. It is lovely in there, but we were unfortunately not near any window for fireworks....what a SHOCK! Bread and butter were brought to the table very quickly-

I do like this trend of putting the coarse salt atop the sweet butter- it is so nice when you crunch down on the salt crystal and it floods your mouth with salty flavor. The bread was ok, but not nearly as good as V&A's as my DH pointed out. Umm, ok, Honey, if you'd like to eat there exclusively from now on, just say the word.... I was a little torn with what to order for apps, since there are so many opinions about what is best here, it seems everyone has their favorite- between the shrimp, the gateau of crab, and the arancini. Hmmm... well, our server informed us that the shrimp is no longer served with the pasta....so THAT helped!! We ordered the crab & arancini- (and, FWIW, I found that pasta the shrimp used to come with at home, and made it with Shrimp & lemon, tomatoes & feta-it was fabulous!)

Arancini Crispy Risotto-Italian Sausage, Quattro Formaggi & White truffle aioli-

A close up-

They were good, crispy and tasty. Pods had the Gateau of crab-Jumbo lump crab, orange fennel cream, and Tomato fennel slaw-

Yummmmmm...we thought that was delightful. The clear winner between the two, for us. A few pics while we waited for our main course-

Love sitting near an open air kitchen so I can watch the action- it is almost as good as seeing fireworks!

The lovely wine of the evening-

So I had short ribs. But, at the advice of the server, I believe I kind of combined two dishes- I had braised short ribs, served with polenta, but with the sweet vidalia onions, peppadew and banana peppers and veal glace. Or, then again, maybe I did have the filet, but substituted polenta for the potatoes. But I think it was the first thing. Because it looks like short ribs to me, and I don't usually order filet.

Sorry for the confusion- this is what happens when I go to Disney twice in a month and don't take notes, i guess!! I DO remember I enjoyed it, though- and that it was very rich and filling. Pods had the braised veal shank , carrot potato puree, roasted vegetables and toasted citrus gremolata (because how could we go to Citrico's and NOT eat it??????)-

Ohhhh...that was delicious and luscious!! So glad we had it, and would most definitely order it again!

Cont'd next post-

 

[podsnel]

We had to pass on dessert...which was sooooooooooo hard for me, because of all the food porn I've seen of their desserts, but really, we were stuffed. We decided to just sit and enjoy our wine. Our server took our pic-

And then I of course, took his-

It was a wonderful way to spend our final evening- a beautiful restaurant with great service and almost sexy food. We will most definitely be going back on our next trip.

So, we left Citricos, and Pods had to...powder his nose. I waited outside of V&A's for him. And gazed longingly through the glass doors (well, my nose wasn't pressed up onto the glass, but maybe it would have been if we had had an after dinner drink!). And guess who was staring at me from the other side? Well, the other side not for long, because in a FLASH my girlfriend DIANE was out that door and giving me the HUGEST HUGS!!! Can you believe it? She said "Oh, Mrs. Geissel, I'm so happy to see you!! I'm so sorry I missed saying good-bye to you last night! How was everything? How was your evening tonight?" She REMEMBERED MY NAME!!!!! WOW. If that isn't impressive, I don't know WHAT is- it's not like I'm there every day- it was our first visit! How wonderful is Diane??? And the fact that she literally came CHARGING out of V&A's doors to hug me several times....when she could have just stayed in her restaurant and waved...well, that all goes back to what I said the other day- she is just the ROCKSTAR of CM's, I adore her, if I could have stuffed her in my pocket and brought her home with me I would have. She is AWESOME and she helps set V&A's apart from all the 5 star restaurants there are everywhere else. Yay Diane!

When I took this, she said, "how should I pose?? Oh..I know! Very Victorian!"

Talk about ending the vacation on a high note!!!

Downstairs, I had a few more pics to take of the bazillion dollar floor-

Then it was back to OKW for some packing up...in the morning, we would be attempting to golf again, this time at Osprey Ridge. I wonder how it will go .....

 

[podsnel]

Hi! Bumping myself up, just to say, now I have LINKS!!! On my first post!!!! WOO-HOO!!! Finally figured it out after HOW many TRs???