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

[sunny04]

Aww, don't be askeert of the CB, Brenda. Everybody would love you over there! And the whole point of the CB is that nothing's OT, so a Vegas TR would be just fine and dandy.

Don't feel bad, Brenda. I'm kinda scared of the CB too.

 

[S.Poppins]

Okay, I know I am a little late on this. But for some reason last night I was laying in bed and reading and trying to go to sleep when I came across a word and thought, "I love that word" and I never posted my favorite words on Brenda's report when I get online tomorrow I will need to post that before I forget... Hey I kind of want an oreo, even though having an oreo at midnight is a really bad diet idea. But I don't care.....and anyway it was downhill from there. So here are my favorite words:

Juggernaut
Eclectic
phlegmatic
haphazard
bulwark (not even sure what it means)

Hope these aren't repeats. I am still trying to catch up.

 

[Tink rules]

Sometimes I can't tell the difference between whether and weather...


there and Their????

Go to bed Michelle...

 

[BabyPiglet]

I've read all of your other food reports and really look forward to any new ones you make. You're such a good writer.

Can't wait to see what happens at Spoodles.

 

[Tink rules]

Yeah... me too since I made ressies there for March....

Hurry up Bendy!!!

(go to bed Michelle...) (we mean it this time...)

(Sorry... working for an overseas company causes self induced insomnia that could only be cured by good food and drinks by a pool....) (time zones...they suck...) (unless you are actually in the right one...)

 

[andrabell]

I'm finally up to date with the orgy of delicousness.

Proper loose leaf tea served in a press pot, doubleyou tee eff? Just seeing the photo made me have to rub my eyes and temples. Just NO.

OK, I'm over it. *goes back to coveting the mini castle cake and chocolate slipper*

 

[Tink rules]

My niece just mentioned the word

SNAFU...

Man... I'm glad we're sending her to college....

 

[zweihund]

I'm finally up to date with the orgy of delicousness.

Proper loose leaf tea served in a press pot, doubleyou tee eff? Just seeing the photo made me have to rub my eyes and temples. Just NO.

OK, I'm over it. *goes back to coveting the mini castle cake and chocolate slipper*

I love, love, LOVE your avatar.

 

[disneyquilter]

I just realized that I actually have a current "routine" before sitting down to read a Brenda & Jay installment.

Before I ever read another installment from Brenda & Jay's World of Food Porn, I run to my pantry (because I know at some point I will get hungry ), swing open the door, and grab a snack....it's always these cheap vanilla sandwich cookies that catch my eye--I think it's the bright blue wrapper they come in. So, I sit, with my cheap vanilla cookies, a diet Pepsi, and peruse the food adventures of Brenda & Jay and long for my upcoming trip

Thanks so much for another awesome installment. It always makes me laugh!

Can't wait for Spoodles!!

 

[andrabell]

I love, love, LOVE your avatar.

Why thank you!

 

[cntkg1]

DisneyDuet and her hubby are going to be joining the Bash on the Boat gang and they're sailing the Magic on 10/24/09 with us!

And I do believe Tink Rules is giving serious consideration to joining the fun as well!

 

[arieljasmine]

I am a first time reader and just wanted to say how much I am enjoying your reports. Being English, however, I am sceptical about that scone - I have seen much nicer looking ones and so dread to imagine what the trifle was like!

Laur's

 

[TheDISneyFamily]

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.

I had to go back and hunt for this post when I read some recent comments about you going to Vegas! LOL! Jordan & I just got back from Vegas! We went for a week in December and stayed at the Bellagio!

I started a Vegas TR here on the community board... but I kinda stopped posting to it... Anyway, there are some pics you can look thru...

Michelle & Jordan take on Vegas!

We went to visit Mandalay Bay, and I've gotta tell you, you picked an excellent place to stay! I loved the Bellagio, but Jordan & I both agreed that we would like to stay at Mandalay Bay next. They have so many great places to eat there! You are going to be in heaven! Red Square is at the top of Jordan's must-do list for our next Vegas trip! Rum Jungle looked amazing - it's quite the club! You'll have a blast. We ended up eating a most excellent dinner at a place called Envy - it's off the strip, kinda close to the Hilton where the Star Trek experience is (yes, we went there and saw Quark's!). I had a Champagne Pairing dinner at Envy, and I can honestly say, it was in my top 3 dinners of ALL TIME. I still drool when I think about it. Jordan & I also ate at Michael Mina's in the Bellagio and I had the Kobe beef filet trio dinner. YUMMY! Michael Mina has another really great restaurant at Mandalay that serves all kinds of Kobe beef, and that one is at the top of my list! We also ate at Todd English's Olives (thanks for the recommendation, Lori!) in the Bellagio shops area. IT WAS OUTSTANDING! Guess what?! We even got to see the man, himself!!! Todd English was walking into the restaurant as we were leaving! I almost died. He's so gorgeous.

You guys are going to have an excellent time in Vegas! (I know Jordan & I did! )

PM me if you want any other tid-bits!

Oh, and BTW your GF Afternoon Tea review was wonderful! I think I'm going to book it for the girl's & I when we go in August!

So, do you have any WDW trips planned for this year, or are you skipping a year??? We've got 3 on the books...

I've missed you!
Take care,
Michelle

 

[BriarRosie]

We also ate at Todd English's Olives (thanks for the recommendation, Lori!) in the Bellagio shops area. IT WAS OUTSTANDING! Guess what?! We even got to see the man, himself!!! Todd English was walking into the restaurant as we were leaving! I almost died. He's so gorgeous.

Oooh, I'm so jealous you got to see that smokin' hottie, Todd English in person! That man could cook for me, anytime! (Wipe up the drool, Lori...

I've been keeping tabs on the restaurants listed, because I'm almost positive I'll be going back to Vegas in September.

Eep, Michelle! I didn't mean to hijack Benda's , I mean Mayor McCheese's, I mean Brenda's thread.

 

[Circusgirl]

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.

You must, must, must try Bouchon (Thomas Keller's place) at the Venetian!!! They specialize in bistro food, and they have a simple roast chicken which is one of the best things I've ever had anywhere, anytime. I haven't had a mouthful of anything there that isn't transcendently good. Excellent breakfast, too.
If you are thinking of doing shows, Le Reve at the Wynn is spectacular. They also have a cool patio area at the Wynn outside at the Parasol Cafe where every half hour at night there are light, water, music and delightful effects shows. They have drinks and smoothies.
Lunch at the top of the Stratosphere is a great deal, excellent food and lunch covers the trip to the top of the tower. You get a terrific overview as you rotate around above Las Vegas.
Have big fun!

 

[andrabell]

I am a first time reader and just wanted to say how much I am enjoying your reports. Being English, however, I am sceptical about that scone - I have seen much nicer looking ones and so dread to imagine what the trifle was like!

Laur's

Being married to an English ex-pat and having eaten my way from tea house to tea house around England, I'm right there with you. A scone as a vehicle for jam and clotted cream should not contain dried fruit.

Our next trip will be with my Dear Sister (Steamboat Girlie) and her family. Girlie and I wanted to plan something for just the two of us (since this will be the first time we'll be at Disney together since 1988) and the Grand Floridian Tea was at the top of the list. But now I'm thinking we may need to seek an alternative.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Finally got caught up to the afternoon tea (my boss stayed home to avoid the snow today) and I'm kinda bummed to hear about the new "french press" protocol. What's the point of going to a full English afternoon tea at a pricey Victorian style hotel if you don't get the china teapot and cozy?!

Anyways, Brenda, I have to ask, have you ever read The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar? I got it for Christmas and spent the whole time I was reading it thinking of you and your wonderful trip reports.

 

[My princess Livy]

Why were there no strawberries and cream though, thats one of my favorite parts!
P.s. I love reading your reports!

 

[oybolshoi]

Okay, I know I am a little late on this. But for some reason last night I was laying in bed and reading and trying to go to sleep when I came across a word and thought, "I love that word" and I never posted my favorite words on Brenda's report when I get online tomorrow I will need to post that before I forget... Hey I kind of want an oreo, even though having an oreo at midnight is a really bad diet idea. But I don't care.....and anyway it was downhill from there. So here are my favorite words:

Juggernaut
Eclectic
phlegmatic
haphazard
bulwark (not even sure what it means)

Hope these aren't repeats. I am still trying to catch up.

Nice choices, Stacy - I particularly like phlegmatic.

Sometimes I can't tell the difference between whether and weather... there and Their????

Go to bed Michelle...

You forgot they're ...

I've read all of your other food reports and really look forward to any new ones you make. You're such a good writer.

Can't wait to see what happens at Spoodles.

Welcome to the fun and thanks for reading - glad you've enjoyed our dining adventures! Spoodles should be coming up later today...finally.

Yeah... me too since I made ressies there for March....

Hurry up Bendy!!!

(go to bed Michelle...) (we mean it this time...)

(Sorry... working for an overseas company causes self induced insomnia that could only be cured by good food and drinks by a pool....) (time zones...they suck...) (unless you are actually in the right one...)

I'm going as fast as I can ... although you may be "gone" by now. If so, have safe trip and some good chocolate (tell the folks at Lindt I said hello!).

I'm finally up to date with the orgy of delicousness.

Proper loose leaf tea served in a press pot, doubleyou tee eff? Just seeing the photo made me have to rub my eyes and temples. Just NO.

OK, I'm over it. *goes back to coveting the mini castle cake and chocolate slipper*

Hi Andrabell - thanks for posting! Yes - the whole french press / absentee-pot threw me for a loop, too. Next time I'm just asking for a teapot. I dare the Grand Floridian to say 'No!"

As for the slipper and cake ... order them and enjoy- they're totally worth it!

My niece just mentioned the word

SNAFU...

Man... I'm glad we're sending her to college....

SNAFU is a great... word? Technically isn't that an acronym? Can an acronym also be a word? I guess it can since non-words are used as words ... gacky isn't a word although "gack" is a word. And now I'm going to shut up because I'm shooting off on a tangent to nowhere...just like trigonometry.

I love, love, LOVE your avatar.

I agree with Erica - andrabell, your avatar is great!

I just realized that I actually have a current "routine" before sitting down to read a Brenda & Jay installment.

Before I ever read another installment from Brenda & Jay's World of Food Porn, I run to my pantry (because I know at some point I will get hungry ), swing open the door, and grab a snack....it's always these cheap vanilla sandwich cookies that catch my eye--I think it's the bright blue wrapper they come in. So, I sit, with my cheap vanilla cookies, a diet Pepsi, and peruse the food adventures of Brenda & Jay and long for my upcoming trip

Thanks so much for another awesome installment. It always makes me laugh!

Can't wait for Spoodles!!

Thanks so much disneyquilter - glad to know you're enjoying the updates (and always happy to know I'm spreading some laughter around the DIS).

Remind me to post a picture of the quilt that Jay's mom made for us at Christmas - it's really cool!

I am a first time reader and just wanted to say how much I am enjoying your reports. Being English, however, I am sceptical about that scone - I have seen much nicer looking ones and so dread to imagine what the trifle was like!

Welcome to the thread and thanks for reading! I've heard other people express doubts about the GF "scone" in the past, but I have nothing else to judge by. In my book, what actually gets served at the GF is a biscuit that they name a "scone." Either way, it is tasty, especially smeared with cream!

As for the trifle - the very first time we tried it at the GF, we thought it was great. But since then it's gone downhill in our opinion and we've opted to bypass it. Again... having not had the chance to try a proper English trifle in England, I can't really make a comparison.

I had to go back and hunt for this post when I read some recent comments about you going to Vegas! LOL! Jordan & I just got back from Vegas! We went for a week in December and stayed at the Bellagio!

I started a Vegas TR here on the community board... but I kinda stopped posting to it... Anyway, there are some pics you can look thru...

Michelle & Jordan take on Vegas!

We went to visit Mandalay Bay, and I've gotta tell you, you picked an excellent place to stay! I loved the Bellagio, but Jordan & I both agreed that we would like to stay at Mandalay Bay next. They have so many great places to eat there! You are going to be in heaven! Red Square is at the top of Jordan's must-do list for our next Vegas trip! Rum Jungle looked amazing - it's quite the club! You'll have a blast. We ended up eating a most excellent dinner at a place called Envy - it's off the strip, kinda close to the Hilton where the Star Trek experience is (yes, we went there and saw Quark's!). I had a Champagne Pairing dinner at Envy, and I can honestly say, it was in my top 3 dinners of ALL TIME. I still drool when I think about it. Jordan & I also ate at Michael Mina's in the Bellagio and I had the Kobe beef filet trio dinner. YUMMY! Michael Mina has another really great restaurant at Mandalay that serves all kinds of Kobe beef, and that one is at the top of my list! We also ate at Todd English's Olives (thanks for the recommendation, Lori!) in the Bellagio shops area. IT WAS OUTSTANDING! Guess what?! We even got to see the man, himself!!! Todd English was walking into the restaurant as we were leaving! I almost died. He's so gorgeous.

You guys are going to have an excellent time in Vegas! (I know Jordan & I did! )

PM me if you want any other tid-bits!

Oh, and BTW your GF Afternoon Tea review was wonderful! I think I'm going to book it for the girl's & I when we go in August!

So, do you have any WDW trips planned for this year, or are you skipping a year??? We've got 3 on the books...

I've missed you!
Take care,
Michelle

Michelle! I was just thinking about you the other day and meant to send you a PM and instead you show up here! Great minds, my friend!

I will have to take a jaunt over to the CB and check out your trippie. We were originally booked at the Bellagio for May but I ended up with a much better deal at Mandalay for April (airfare was cheaper, too) so we changed the dates. And honestly, Mandalay has far more restaurants that we were interested in trying and the atmosphere seems like it might be a bit more relaxed than Bellagio.

OK - I've noted Envy so I can go look it up and I'm so hyped to read another thumbs up for Star Trek! Jay and I can't wait to share a warp core breach!

And we're definitely going to Red Square - that's dinner on our first night in town. I'm dying to check out their vodka bar (what a surprise, right?).

Thanks so much for the Vegas suggestions and for reading more of our food porn. We have no WDW trips planned until Ocotber 2009 - I'll be looking forward to following your adventures this year.

Oooh, I'm so jealous you got to see that smokin' hottie, Todd English in person! That man could cook for me, anytime! (Wipe up the drool, Lori...)

I've been keeping tabs on the restaurants listed, because I'm almost positive I'll be going back to Vegas in September.

Eep, Michelle! I didn't mean to hijack Benda's , I mean Mayor McCheese's, I mean Brenda's thread.

Feel free to hijack anytime ... you guys know I don't mind. Next time though, could you compare me to something / someone a little more flattering than Mayor McCheese?

More likely than not, I wll try starting a Vegas TR on the CB and see what happens ... I'm really looking forward to this trip and hope to have some great experiences to share with everyone.

You must, must, must try Bouchon (Thomas Keller's place) at the Venetian!!! They specialize in bistro food, and they have a simple roast chicken which is one of the best things I've ever had anywhere, anytime. I haven't had a mouthful of anything there that isn't transcendently good. Excellent breakfast, too.
If you are thinking of doing shows, Le Reve at the Wynn is spectacular. They also have a cool patio area at the Wynn outside at the Parasol Cafe where every half hour at night there are light, water, music and delightful effects shows. They have drinks and smoothies.
Lunch at the top of the Stratosphere is a great deal, excellent food and lunch covers the trip to the top of the tower. You get a terrific overview as you rotate around above Las Vegas.
Have big fun!

Thanks for reading Circusgirl and your recommendations have been duly noted - the Stratosphere was something Jay and I discussed...maybe lunch will be a better option there. I'll take another look.

Being married to an English ex-pat and having eaten my way from tea house to tea house around England, I'm right there with you. A scone as a vehicle for jam and clotted cream should not contain dried fruit.

Our next trip will be with my Dear Sister (Steamboat Girlie) and her family. Girlie and I wanted to plan something for just the two of us (since this will be the first time we'll be at Disney together since 1988) and the Grand Floridian Tea was at the top of the list. But now I'm thinking we may need to seek an alternative.

You know that you can order ala carte from the GF tea menu, right? You could skip the rogue scones altogether and just order the sandwiches and some other items ... and that way you could still have a mini-cake and a chocolate slipper. Just sayin ...

Finally got caught up to the afternoon tea (my boss stayed home to avoid the snow today) and I'm kinda bummed to hear about the new "french press" protocol. What's the point of going to a full English afternoon tea at a pricey Victorian style hotel if you don't get the china teapot and cozy?

Anyways, Brenda, I have to ask, have you ever read The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar? I got it for Christmas and spent the whole time I was reading it thinking of you and your wonderful trip reports.

Thanks so much for stopping by ZephyrHawk - good to see you agian! You make a great point about the French press / teapot ... the press just doesn't "do it" at a Victorian styled hotel. I can't picture Edith Wharton pouring tea from a Frech press, can you?

I haven't read the book you mentioned but I'll be sure to look it up and see what it's all about. And thanks for the compliment ... you made me smile.

Why were there no strawberries and cream though, thats one of my favorite parts!
P.s. I love reading your reports!

Welcome to the fun and thanks for reading!

I don't know where the strawberries and cream were - maybe it just wasn't an option that day. I would have chosen it instead of the pastries just because I knew what was coming with those extra desserts.

 

[WDW Fan]

The GF Afternoon Tea is one of my favorite things to do at WDW I always feel like I'm transported to a time when things were so laid back and refined! It's such a different experience than the usual park-hopping most people do during the day. Thanks for sharing the pics