Hungry Are The Damned! 10/15/07-10/25/07 - COMPLETED W/LOTS OF PICS!!!

[BriarRosie]

Wednesday, October 17th - Bistro de Paris, Part Deux

Where were we before I got knocked flat by a 2-day migraine and a unwelcome visit from the Crohn Goblin?

Because you need one.

Ahhh, that's right ... the mysteries of French food. At least they were mysteries to me since I don't really know the language; and while Jay took French in high school and definitely has a gift for languages, he is no longer fluent so I guess it was a mystery for him, too.

Let's get back to it, then, shall we?

Yes, dammit, get on with it! Er, I meant to say...
Please, Brenda. Do get on with the rest of your meal.

I mentioned this in a response to another poster, but I think it bears repeating here. The service at Bistro was quite good, but I felt it was rather slow between courses - I'd say it was about 20 minutes between the table being cleared for one course and our being presented with the next. I understand that the object is not to be rushed through dinner, but it just felt a little too long. Our ADR was for 7:30PM and by the time we left the restaurant it was close to 10:30PM - we did enjoy having the World Showcase to ourselves, however; talk about a lovely and romantic walk back to the Beach Club through the International Gateway.

Sounds like they've got V&A Envy at the Bistro. When I ate there 10 years ago, it wasn't stuffy. It was what I wanted Chefs de France to be.

Time for our second course!!

Jay ordered the snapper while I chose the scallops. Both of these choices were excellent, but I thought the scallops were just a little bit better. They were light and smooth and flavorful - not a bit chewy or fishy tasting. I ignored the cabbage - I don't care who prepares it, that's one vegetable I just don't like. But the tomato blini, just peeking out from underneath the cabbage near the bottom of the plate, was divine and actually tasted good by itself, with the scallops, and with some of that sauce ... or all three. Yummy! Blini, by the way, are small buckwheat pancakes that originated in Russia. They're so cute and tasty! And just above the scallops you can see the bacon - a nice thick cut cooked to perfection. Bacon and scallops ... oh-so-good!!!

I think I rhapsodized about the bacon / scallops combo from my South African wine event. I don't think you can go wrong with that, either.

Jay's snapper dish looks a little bizarre, doesn't it? Apart from the arti-fartiness of the presentation, I was struck by the size of the fish, which I thought was quite generous for a tasting menu portion. That's a good hunk o'snapper sitting on his plate and it tasted quite good. Some of the noodles were actually crunchy - maybe they were baked? I didn't care for that so much, nor did I like the saffron sauce, which tasted bitter to me.

Such a disappointment, considering I would have ordered the snapper.

And of course, being the freak I am, I couldn't help singing a lyric from Mellow Yellow just to annoy Jay while he was trying to eat.

I'm just mad about Saffron;
Saffron's mad about me.
I'm just mad about Saffron;
She's just mad about me

They call me mellow yellow
Quite rightly
They call me mellow yellow
Quite rightly
They call me mellow yellow

Quite rightly! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thinks of this song when they hear about saffron. (And I had to giggle because they're dealing with saffron in a Food Network show right now. The timing is perfect.)
I posted how I had "Don't Stop Me Now" lyrics at the beginning of my trip report, so I'm glad I'm not the only freak who does this.

After what seemed like a very long wait, our main courses arrived at the table.

Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Morels, Potatoes, and Shallot Confite

Chicken Breast Stuffed w/Porcini Mushrooms & Prosciutto, Macaroni w/Black Truffle Au Gratin and Baby Onions

The tenderloin was the better choice in this instance and I ended up eating more of that than the chicken. I'm not crazy about mushrooms ... alright, I hate mushrooms, so both dishes were actually a little iffy in my book. My issue with the tenderloin was all the sauce and the fact that it was a bit more rare than either of us would normally order, but it was still very tasty.

Oh man, I would have loved that tenderloin.

The chicken was a tad dry but it tasted very good wrapped in the prosciutto ... pork, is there anything it can't do? The macaroni was not to my liking at all, which is strange because I normally love it, but I think I was just picking up too much mushroom and onion - a doubly bad, dare I say evil, combination.

Rewind back to my bacon comments. I thought the chicken looked great, too. But then again, I like mushrooms.

Jay really liked both dishes and ended up eating most of them and he really liked the wine, too. He's a red wine guy, so if it's deep, dark, and red, he's sold. I have issues with red wines - they give me baaaaaad headaches - so this was the only wine I didn't finish during dinner.

I just discovered Menage a Trois red wine. I bought it at Costco and I love it. It's not as dry as I'm used to having with a Shiraz or a Cab, but it's got a great flavor.

The next course was an optional one, and it carried a $5 surcharge. How could I pass up the cheese plate? How could Jay pass up the cheese plate? The answer is that we didn't ... neither one of us passed it up because for some idiotic reason known only to our pleasantly buzzed brains we each ordered a cheese plate.

French Assortment of Cow and Goat Cheeses w/Mixed Salad, Toasted Bread, Pine Nuts, and Chives

Yes, we really ordered two of these...

I don't think it's humanly possible for you to pass up a cheese plate! If you had, I would have probably done some mocking.

I have no idea what these cheeses actually are, but I thought all three of them were outstanding. I was particularly pleased to note that there were no stinky bleu cheeses in our assortment. I have to keep my leafy green intake to a minimum, so I didn't each much of the "salad" and as far as the nuts are concerned ... just say no if you have any kind of intestinal disorder, trust me. Does anyone else here think that the "toasted bread" looks an awful lot like a Ritz cracker? Perhaps something got lost in translation between bread and cracker ...

Uh, yeah. That does look more like a cracker. Sheesh. But the cheeses look great. I'm not a big fan of bleu cheeses, either. I can take it in small doses, but it tends to overwhelm me if I have more than a tiny taste of it.

Look - an onamatapoetic device right there on the plate!

That's right ... Happy Birthday Benda ...

It's a good thing there were only a few other people in the restaurant by the time this showed up because we sat at the table and giggled like little kids for the longest time. The harder we tried not to laugh the more we ended up laughing ... we even gave it a go with the Name Game: Benda, Benda, Bo-Benda, Banana-Fana-Fo-Fenda, Fe-Fi-Fo-Menda, Benda!

OMG! I saw the picture first. And I had to giggle. Then I read the comments below the picture, and I had a bigger giggle fit. I don't think I could have kept a straight face, either.

Your eyes do not deceive you - there are five desserts on that plate for Jay and I to share. And they were all incredible. I'm half tempted to tell you fine readers to make an ADR at Bistro and order the tasting menu just so that you can experience the joy of sharing five desserts with the one you love.

The French and dessert - does it get any better?

I think not.

Attagirl, "Benda"! Desserts are the best part of the meal.

We waddled back to the room slowly, enjoying having the World Showcase to ourselves and stopping to take some pictures that just didn't turn out well and ended up being deleted. And then when we ended up back at the villa, look at what was waiting for us:

Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate dipped Strawberries with a Dark Chocolate Wave. I think we were supposed to eat these on our balcony with a bottle of Fairy Tale Cuvee, but that was before we knew that the French were trying to kill us with culinary kindness. Alas, these had to wait for another day, but it was worth it. These defy description, really; just order some for yourself if you happen to stay at Deluxe Resort that offers them and you'll understand what I mean.

That is some sexy fruit! You can almost hear the "BOW chicka BOW BOW" in the photo.

 

[wilma-bride]

I'm pleased you're feeling better Brenda. So many laughable moments in that last update - but 'Benda' has to be my favourite. I'm not at all sure if the sound of that word has the same connotations as it does here in the UK but, no matter what, it made me laugh - and at 8:30 am (having been up since 5:30 with the darling boy ) that is some feat, I can tell you.

Regarding actually visiting Bistro, it all looks a bit 'posh' for me but I could be tempted, if only for that sinfully decadent dessert platter. The mint ice-cream sounds like a little bit of heaven on a plate. Not sure I could share though

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

Brenda

ooohhh....dining reviews...descriptive, humorous, yummy reviews...

I'll have to come back later. I don't usually visit the dining board but I'm glad I did today.

Loved your Beaches & Cream review, it's one of our favorites also. (I know, I'm late to the game. But this will provide entertainment for weeks!)

Christine

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

DisneyMom5, as sorry as I feel for you having so many sick kids at once I can tell you, as you probably already know from experience, that it can be far worse. I am the oldest of 8 and I remember us getting whooping cough, one after the other. Non stop coughing for months at that rate.

Does misery make good company? Are YOU getting any sleep? I used to tuck the sick one in with me so it was easier on all concerned but I am guessing you do not have a bed quite that big.

May you all get well and soon!!!

SG/Linda

 

[Sunshein]

Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate dipped Strawberries with a Dark Chocolate Wave. I think we were supposed to eat these on our balcony with a bottle of Fairy Tale Cuvee, but that was before we knew that the French were trying to kill us with culinary kindness. Alas, these had to wait for another day, but it was worth it. These defy description, really; just order some for yourself if you happen to stay at Deluxe Resort that offers them and you'll understand what I mean.

Those strawberries look amazing! We are staying at the Poly for three days at the end of April before we move over to POR where we can actually somewhat afford to stay. We decided to pamper ourselves a little this trip with a little extra bonus money we got. How do you order all of these nice surprises you and Jay often do? Is there a website? I just have to tell you that I think it is wonderful that you too are always doing special things for each other. I know so many people these days who do away with celebrating anything from birthdays to anniversaries just to save a dollar. I say if you are happy together, don't ever stop celebrating that.

Take care and I am looking forward to the rest of your reviews as I always do!

 

[oybolshoi]

Hi Benda Foodanddrink!

Love the paella remix of "Mello Yellow!"

Thank you, thank you ... I'll be here all week.

Somehow I seem to keep it under control... in between I curse the Gods and try to remember that there are better times on the other side...


Brenda... We finally figured out how you could come on our trip!!! (Planky is allowed 2 bags, isn't he? How flexible is Jay?


On the aside... I used to be able to bend like that before my stomach got in the way...

It helps to have a good attitude, although sometimes you can't help but shake your fist at the invisible arbiter of ongoing health issues. It's bad enough to have a chronic problem, but sheesh, how are you supposed to explain it politely to someone who's never heard of it?

Jay always says I should just quote Dave Chappelle and tell people that Crohn's Disease means I have the mud butt.

As for the cruise ... I think Plankton would exceed his weight limit with us, so he'll just have to rely on your goodwill and travel without us once again.

Great update as always Brenda

I'm looking forward to your reviews of the afternoon tea and Spoodles. I really enjoyed both of them on my trip in November.

Thanks for reading, Jeminni! We really enjoyed our tea and our Spoodles - and we've got some yummy pictures to share too!

Hi there "Benda"!

My grandson is jealous as the lady in the suitcase trumps his picture doing the self same thing. He was trying to show me that he would fit so he could hijack my Disney trip. If only!!

I grow mint next to my garage just so my husband can pick a leaf and smell it. Of course, at the time I did not realize that is what he intended. I had thoughts of making mint tea etc. Silly me!!

How did you get that picture of me in the topless bathing suit with the strange purple creature?

Have you ever eaten at the Maya Grill? It is unique and we have had some very good food there. Am I the only one who shakes their head at all the folks standing in line for McD fries while at DW???

SG/Linda

Hey there SG! We've never eaten at Maya Grill - if it's more of a Mexican menu that would probably explain why. Spicy foods don't like me.

And I do wonder about the McD stuff at WDW ... but I guess if it's another way to get money out of parents Disney is going to make it available. And little kids can be awfully picky so I guess it's good that there's something available that they'll eat.

Hi "Benda"

New to the boards, but really enjoyed your reviews (think I am just a sucker for Simpsons references).

Gotta admit that the fact that my DW and I are on our third bottle of Guwurztraminer for the night is certainly making anything even remotely silly seem like it was written by Mel Brooks .

Welcome to the DIS and thanks for reading our food reviews! And by the way, Mel Brooks has been helping us with this latest report so that may be why you're enjoying it so much.

We are thinking of going down for the F&WF this October and any additional information on where to eat is always appreciated. I always put together the Excel spreadsheet with where we are going to eat (with full color maps and everything) so obviously I love information.

We went down for the F&WF in 2006 so info on anything new that they added would be appreciated. Glad you are both feeling better!

There was a lot of new stuff for 2007, which we were really excited to see. And then of course most of the programs we were most interested in were scheduled right before or just after our vacation dates.

Bilge!

Anyhoo, some of the reviews coming up may help you a bit, but I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have. And I'm taking wine notes from your sideway conversation with Michelle ... Gurwhatsamacallit ... good ... got it.

Brenda! I am among many who love your reports! Thank you for Bistro! It is one of the few places we haven't done yet and I hope to get to soon. You and your husband seem to drink around the mouse as much as we do!!! Can't wait for more!!!!

Hi Kabuki - thank you for reading! I always follow your food reports because I often think you and your DH vacation at WDW the same way Jay and I do ... Great minds!

Bistro was wonderful - I hope you get a chance to try it and then come back and let the rest of us know what you think.

BENDA!




Those wacky French.
Lovers of all things cheesy, including Jerry Lewis.
Ahhh....

Whoo...thanks for the good laugh.
It has been a s*cky week...6 out of seven children with stomach flu...
Need I say more???

Poor DisneyMom5 (er, it's really 7, right?) ... ... hope you all start feeling better soon.

I forgot about the French fascination with Jerry Lewis. It probably wouldn't surprise you to know that I grew up watching Jerry Lewis movies and I still laugh myself silly when I watch them today. Sad really, the things Grimace did to twist my mind when I was too young to know any better.

 

[oybolshoi]

Because you need one.

Thanks. If there's a bright side when this happens it's that the calorie retention drops waaaaaay down.

Sounds like they've got V&A Envy at the Bistro. When I ate there 10 years ago, it wasn't stuffy. It was what I wanted Chefs de France to be.

You may be on to something. They time things perfectly at V&A so even though the meal is a long one you don't seem to notice the time between courses. When I start noticing the lag-time that tells me someone needs to do some tweaking. I don't know if I'd call Bistro stuffy, exactly, but it did feel more formal than any of the other Signature restaurants we've eaten at, which is funny considering that it's the only one inside a theme park.

I think I rhapsodized about the bacon / scallops combo from my South African wine event. I don't think you can go wrong with that, either.

I do remember that you mentioned that in your review and now I have to agree 100% after trying it at Bistro - divine!

Such a disappointment, considering I would have ordered the snapper.

Well, for what it's worth Jay didn't seem to find any fault with the snapper dish at all, but I don't like crunchy noodles.

Quite rightly! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thinks of this song when they hear about saffron. (And I had to giggle because they're dealing with saffron in a Food Network show right now. The timing is perfect.) I posted how I had "Don't Stop Me Now" lyrics at the beginning of my trip report, so I'm glad I'm not the only freak who does this.

Great minds, my friend! So far you are the only other person around here that seems to have that song-thing going on with the trippies. I can't help it - the stuff just pops into my head and then it won't go away until I share with lots of people who wish I hadn't.

Oh man, I would have loved that tenderloin.
Rewind back to my bacon comments. I thought the chicken looked great, too. But then again, I like mushrooms.

I think that I would have enjoyed the chicken more if I hadn't been thrown by the palate non-cleanser that was served before it. I felt almost sick when the tenderloin and the chicken were first served ... so I ate some bread and let Jay enjoy the meat-fest. The mushrooms definitely didn't help, that's for sure.

I just discovered Menage a Trois red wine. I bought it at Costco and I love it. It's not as dry as I'm used to having with a Shiraz or a Cab, but it's got a great flavor.

Taking notes ... thanks!

I don't think it's humanly possible for you to pass up a cheese plate! If you had, I would have probably done some mocking.

Will it ruin my TR for you if I admit that I did pass it up at Narcoosee's? And I'm still kicking myself now - three months later - for doing so.

Uh, yeah. That does look more like a cracker. Sheesh. But the cheeses look great. I'm not a big fan of bleu cheeses, either. I can take it in small doses, but it tends to overwhelm me if I have more than a tiny taste of it.

Those cheeses were great - a nice variety of texture (hard, semi-soft, and gooey) and flavors (mild, tangy, sharp). I tried a bleu cheese over Christmas just to see if my cheese-buds had matured ... blech! No thank you - I'll stick with the goat cheeses!

OMG! I saw the picture first. And I had to giggle. Then I read the comments below the picture, and I had a bigger giggle fit. I don't think I could have kept a straight face, either.

Attagirl, "Benda"! Desserts are the best part of the meal.

The first picture we took of this didn't show the "Benda" and I told Jay to take another shot because no one would believe us if we didn't have proof. I still laugh today when I see that picture.

That is some sexy fruit! You can almost hear the "BOW chicka BOW BOW" in the photo.

Can we call it fruit-porn or will we get in trouble?

I'm pleased you're feeling better Brenda. So many laughable moments in that last update - but 'Benda' has to be my favourite. I'm not at all sure if the sound of that word has the same connotations as it does here in the UK but, no matter what, it made me laugh - and at 8:30 am (having been up since 5:30 with the darling boy ) that is some feat, I can tell you.

Regarding actually visiting Bistro, it all looks a bit 'posh' for me but I could be tempted, if only for that sinfully decadent dessert platter. The mint ice-cream sounds like a little bit of heaven on a plate. Not sure I could share though

Hi Joh! Glad you enjoyed that last update - always happy to leave you guys laughing! I'm intrigued about the British connotation of Benda ... I will have to do some discreet research now, won't I?

You could always go to Bistro and order two dessert samplers - then you wouldn't have to share!

Brenda

ooohhh....dining reviews...descriptive, humorous, yummy reviews...

I'll have to come back later. I don't usually visit the dining board but I'm glad I did today.

Loved your Beaches & Cream review, it's one of our favorites also. (I know, I'm late to the game. But this will provide entertainment for weeks!)

Christine

Hi Christine! I remember you from the Cruise boards - welcome to the wonderful world of Disney Dining! And you're not late at all - things are just starting to get good!

Thanks for stopping by to take a read!

Those strawberries look amazing! We are staying at the Poly for three days at the end of April before we move over to POR where we can actually somewhat afford to stay. We decided to pamper ourselves a little this trip with a little extra bonus money we got. How do you order all of these nice surprises you and Jay often do? Is there a website? I just have to tell you that I think it is wonderful that you too are always doing special things for each other. I know so many people these days who do away with celebrating anything from birthdays to anniversaries just to save a dollar. I say if you are happy together, don't ever stop celebrating that.

Take care and I am looking forward to the rest of your reviews as I always do!

Hello there! The strawberries were terrific, let me tell you. If you are staying at a Deluxe resort like the Poly, just check their in-room dining menu - they'll have the prices and options available for you to order the same day. I think our fruit-porn platter from the Beach Club cost $25, which isn't bad all things considered.

As for the stuff we ordered on our trip in May, that all came from the WDW Florist - they have a website you can look at which lists all kinds of different gifts in all price ranges.

Thank you for reading and thank you for the lovely comments - we always try to do a little something special on each trip, just as a way to keep it fun. We're very lucky that we like being with each other so much.

Hope you have a lovely trip in April!

 

[whogirl'smom]

Well, hey up there, Maraena, didn't know you hung out over here, too! We'll need those BC powders for all the drinking we'll be doing 'round here!

Finally got caught up, Brenda, we spent all day yesterday with DH turning the power on/off/on/off/on/off while he tried to re-wire and replace things in the breaker box for the new dishwasher. Sheesh!

I have had frog legs once, and seem to remember they tasted like chicken (doesn't everything?). Mostly, I thought they looked like the bottom half of a Barbie doll! Funny, yet gross. So, the frog mousse didn't sound as gross as it could have. Scallops looked very yummy--they're my favorite seafood.

Loved seeing the desserts; I seriously want to do more dessert suppers during the next trip! Like Beaches and Cream, Ghiradelli's....mmmm.

Ok, gotta go, I'm supposed to be playing Connect 4 with DD. I'll get beat if I don't pay attention!

 

[Elmo888]

Hi, Brenda!

I am enjoying your dining report.

I'm just de-lurking to tell you that I was "channeling Brenda" last night at a restaurant. We went to a steakhouse for our anniversary, and I am usually a wine-only kind of girl. Well, the waiter suggested some before dinner drinks, so I thought "what would Brenda do?". I asked him for some suggestions, and I ended up with an apple martini! Okay, it wasn't great (kind of like fake apple shampoo), but it was certainly an adventurous choice for me! I did go with a glass of wine with dinner, but they brought us some free dessert drinks after our meal. (It was coconutty tasting with milk or cream? I don't know what it was, but it was tasty. And what a plan - alcohol for dessert!)

Thanks for the inspiration!

BTW, I'll be 40 in the fall of '09, too, but I'm still trying to figure out what to do.

Keep on truckin'! (I don't know where that came from, but it seemed appropriate.)

 

[Tink rules]

Planky will send post cards (begrudgingly...) & buy T-shirts...for himself...

He will however require your sizes so he can THINK about getting you some... then he will laugh...skip gleefully out of the store and spend the OBC on yet another Planky drink...

(must remember to pack baby aspirin for Planky or is he big and cranky enough for the full sized ones???)

 

[AnninIowa]

Brenda, I wish you had a mailing list so you could alert us to your awesome reports! I haven't been here in a while and almost missed this!! Another fabulous report and pictures, as always!

 

[BriarRosie]

You may be on to something. They time things perfectly at V&A so even though the meal is a long one you don't seem to notice the time between courses. When I start noticing the lag-time that tells me someone needs to do some tweaking. I don't know if I'd call Bistro stuffy, exactly, but it did feel more formal than any of the other Signature restaurants we've eaten at, which is funny considering that it's the only one inside a theme park.

Well, not stuffy, really. But more high-falutin' full o' themselves for a theme park restaurant. I can't put my finger on it, but I don't feel that way at Vicki and Al's Diner.

Great minds, my friend! So far you are the only other person around here that seems to have that song-thing going on with the trippies. I can't help it - the stuff just pops into my head and then it won't go away until I share with lots of people who wish I hadn't.

Well it made me feel loads better knowing that I wasn't the only person who provided her own orchestration at Disney. (I swear the Queen song really popped into my head while I was walking. I was keeping a pace to the beat of that song.)

Will it ruin my TR for you if I admit that I did pass it up at Narcoosee's? And I'm still kicking myself now - three months later - for doing so.

It's ok to skip the cheese once in a while. There's gotta be a quote somewhere about skipping cheese means never having to say you're sorry, but I can't seem to get the thought out there. Go ahead. Insert your own "just don't cut the cheese" joke here. I know you want to.

Those cheeses were great - a nice variety of texture (hard, semi-soft, and gooey) and flavors (mild, tangy, sharp). I tried a bleu cheese over Christmas just to see if my cheese-buds had matured ... blech! No thank you - I'll stick with the goat cheeses!

I like a good goat cheese. And I discovered that I like it in salads, too.

The first picture we took of this didn't show the "Benda" and I told Jay to take another shot because no one would believe us if we didn't have proof. I still laugh today when I see that picture.

I think the part that made me lose it was the "name game" part.

Can we call it fruit-porn or will we get in trouble?

Oh that's most definitely fruit porn!

Hi, Brenda!

I am enjoying your dining report.

I'm just de-lurking to tell you that I was "channeling Brenda" last night at a restaurant. We went to a steakhouse for our anniversary, and I am usually a wine-only kind of girl. Well, the waiter suggested some before dinner drinks, so I thought "what would Brenda do?". I asked him for some suggestions, and I ended up with an apple martini! Okay, it wasn't great (kind of like fake apple shampoo), but it was certainly an adventurous choice for me! I did go with a glass of wine with dinner, but they brought us some free dessert drinks after our meal. (It was coconutty tasting with milk or cream? I don't know what it was, but it was tasty. And what a plan - alcohol for dessert!)

Thanks for the inspiration!

BTW, I'll be 40 in the fall of '09, too, but I'm still trying to figure out what to do.

Keep on truckin'! (I don't know where that came from, but it seemed appropriate.)

I like your style, girlie! And I'm one of those turning 40 in the fall of '09, yet I cannot go on that cruise. As it stands, there is a DIS cruise for 5/10/09 (4 days on the Wonder) that I really am seriously considering. That might have to do it for me.

 

[swankybeth]

Bistro looks so yummy. I don't know if I would be so thrilled with the frog legs but everything else looked great!

 

[oybolshoi]

Off Topic!!

Not that it really matters much if I go off topic on my own thread, but just to warn anyone who doesn't really want to read anything non-Disney food related...


We finalized our plan for the trip we're taking to Vegas this year - we're going to be staying at Mandalay Bay April 20-25 and are we ever hungry! Right now we're going to try to eat at the following places:

Red Square (Russian - at Mandalay)
Rum Jungle (Carribbean - at Mandalay)
AquaKnox (Seafood - at Venetian)
L'atelier (French - at MGM)
Isla Mexican Kitchen (Mexican - at Treasure Island)

We also are planning on stopping in at the Burger Bar and House of Blues - both also at Mandalay Bay. And thanks to Cass (love ya, babe!) we will be making a pilgrimage to the Hilton to see the Star Trek Experience! And I know that our dorkiness won't be fully unleashed until we pull up a chair at Quark's bar and order a freaky drink.

So, anyone have any thoughts on our choices? Anyone here wanna see food reviews from someplace other than Disney? I wonder if I need to start my own blog ...

Thanks for letting me share - we now return you to the Disney food love, already in progress.

 

[DISNEYDUET]

Off Topic!!

Not that it really matters much if I go off topic on my own thread, but just to warn anyone who doesn't really want to read anything non-Disney food related...


We finalized our plan for the trip we're taking to Vegas this year - we're going to be staying at Mandalay Bay April 20-25 and are we ever hungry! Right now we're going to try to eat at the following places:

Red Square (Russian - at Mandalay)
Rum Jungle (Carribbean - at Mandalay)
AquaKnox (Seafood - at Venetian)
L'atelier (French - at MGM)
Isla Mexican Kitchen (Mexican - at Treasure Island)

We also are planning on stopping in at the Burger Bar and House of Blues - both also at Mandalay Bay. And thanks to Cass (love ya, babe!) we will be making a pilgrimage to the Hilton to see the Star Trek Experience! And I know that our dorkiness won't be fully unleashed until we pull up a chair at Quark's bar and order a freaky drink.

So, anyone have any thoughts on our choices? Anyone here wanna see food reviews from someplace other than Disney? I wonder if I need to start my own blog ...

Thanks for letting me share - we now return you to the Disney food love, already in progress.

VEGAS BABEE!!! We love Vegas! Usually stay at MGM or Bellagio (if we can get a killer rate) You have to go to Margarettaville and go to the roof top bar. It has an amazing view and if your lucky our friend Brian might be working! Best bartender we know!makes one mean 'rita! (it took me 4 hours to drink it one night because it was so strong! I had to keep having a beer in between a few sips!)

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

whogirl'smom, I have thought the self same thing about frog legs myself. I will cook almost anything, as long as I do not have to eat it.

Brenda, I do not remember the food I ate at Maya Grill as being Mexican per se nor very spicy but then I do like spicy. You might check out the Food Pics and some other reviews. I think I like it cause it was so quiet and relaxing and had different foods. Nice views if you can get a seat near the windows. I could understand the McD fries if it were kids but it is grownups walking around with them. Of course if someone saw me with a double cheeseburger they might think the same since they do not know that I go off my low carb diet at DW and am in hog heaven at the thought of bread, wonderful bread!!!

SG/Linda

 

[BriarRosie]

Off Topic!!

Not that it really matters much if I go off topic on my own thread, but just to warn anyone who doesn't really want to read anything non-Disney food related...


We finalized our plan for the trip we're taking to Vegas this year - we're going to be staying at Mandalay Bay April 20-25 and are we ever hungry! Right now we're going to try to eat at the following places:

Red Square (Russian - at Mandalay)
Rum Jungle (Carribbean - at Mandalay)
AquaKnox (Seafood - at Venetian)
L'atelier (French - at MGM)
Isla Mexican Kitchen (Mexican - at Treasure Island)

Boy am I jealous! I know you saw pics of my one and only trip to Vegas a year ago almost to the day. (You saw a pic of the port tasting at that cellar place at the Rio, near the noisy bar by the seafood buffet.) The only chichi place I ate at was lunch at Olives at the Bellagio. (Which rocked my socks, btw.)

We also are planning on stopping in at the Burger Bar and House of Blues - both also at Mandalay Bay.

I saw Giada DeLaurentiis feature the Burger Bar on one of the shows she does. It looked really good, too!

And thanks to Cass (love ya, babe!) we will be making a pilgrimage to the Hilton to see the Star Trek Experience! And I know that our dorkiness won't be fully unleashed until we pull up a chair at Quark's bar and order a freaky drink.

Woot! I'm so excited you'll be doing this! If you can, go to the Tix 4 Tonite booth to get discounted tickets for the Star Trek Experience. It was a red roofed building just north of the giant Coke bottle across the way from you. And the monorail station at MGM will be convenient for you. Just buy a round-trip, and it goes all the way to the Hilton.

We did the simulator ride first, then the Borg encounter. We were glad we did, because the similar was offline for a while after we went on it. And I did make fun of stuff in both the ride and the Borg encounter experiences. I hope you find your inner snarky when you see them!

So, anyone have any thoughts on our choices? Anyone here wanna see food reviews from someplace other than Disney? I wonder if I need to start my own blog ...

Unfortunately, I didn't eat at any of the places you listed above...but...

I had lunch at Quark's, and let me tell you it was an experience, too. We saw two characters roaming around, and let me tell you, they were cool! There were two women; one Andorian and one Klingon. We didn't order the Warp Core Breach drink, because it was just huge. (I'm not sure, but they might have a smaller sized drink. I don't remember the drink I ordered, but I had a steak pita dish that was really tasty, and TDC Nala and I split a dessert.

I'm really excited for you! Vegas was so much fun that I want to return again. My April trip from April 17-21 will be for the the food and wine weekend at Disney's California Adventure.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Gurwhatsamacallit ... good ... got it.

Pretty Close

I guess we have a thing for hard to pronounce wines. One of our favorites is a blend of two grapes: Rkatsiteli-Sereksiya => even we sometimes forget how to pronounce it.

Looking forward to the rest of your TR (still planning our trip for October, but the more I read the more I can't wait )

 

[jknepfle]

VEGAS BABY! I LOVE vegas. It's like an adult disneyworld.

A couple thoughts from a fellow "foodie":

1. Unless it's really easy, I wouldn't bother with the burger bar. It's just not great....nothing special at all.
2. If you're going to do a vegas buffet, I REALLY liked the one at Paris, especially for breakfast. Can you say made to order crepe?!
3. Another great dinner place, a little more casual, is Mon Ami Gabi at Paris. I know Paris is a long walk from Mandalay, but this place is worth it. And they have outside tables right across from the free show at the Bellagio fountains. Highly recommended.
4. The truffled potato chips at Delmonico Steakhouse (Venetian) were just incredible. Rest of the food was great, too, if a little pricey.

And unrelated...but, go see a Cirque du Soleil show. Totally worth it!

 

[Tink rules]

Anyone here wanna see food reviews from someplace other than Disney? I wonder if I need to start my own blog ...

Thanks for letting me share - we now return you to the Disney food love, already in progress.

As they say...

If you build it .... they will come...

Write away my dear... we will follow...

So you and Jay are going to test the "What stays in Vegas" theory?