Monday, October 22nd - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to California Grill ...
After lunching at the ESPN Club we went back to the Beach Club Villas and spent more time at the pool. It was so hot that I actually went into the pool to cool off, which is amazing because the water is usually very cold at the "quiet" pool and as a rule I refuse to get into it, aside from dipping my footsies. After some napping and late afternoon clean up, we were ready for another tasty dinner at the California Grill where we hoped to dine once again in the Wine Room.
Sometimes we clean up real nice and casual...
Anyone else here stunned that I didn't wear a dress?
Alhocol laert! Uh, I mean Alcohol Alert!!
Tonight's rather unintentionally strong pre-dinner beverage is an ice wine martini. Forgive me for quoting Rachel Ray, but YUM-O!! We make ours with one shot each of ice wine and Cirroc vodka - the resulting drink is smooth and slightly sweet; the ice wine takes the edge off the vodka and the vodka neutralizes some of the cloying sweetness of the ice wine. An excellent drink and one that I highly recommend to anyone who likes ice wine or martinis or btoh... I mean both!
End Alhocol laert ... oh, bilge; you know what I mean!
We decided to stroll through Epcot and take the monorail to the Contemporary - anything to get those extra steps and miles in so that we could keep any potential vacation weight gain to a minimum. But as we were moseying along, Jason confessed that he didn't feel up to a full dinner at CA Grill; he didn't feel sick, exactly, but he didn't want to sit through a lengthy meal and risk a reversal of fortune while we were at the restuarant.
I admit to being a little disappointed, but I'm glad he said something because I wouldn't have wanted him to be miserable on my account. And considering how many times I've had that kind of problem, how could I not understand how he felt? So, I pulled out the handly dandy cell phone and called Disney Dining to cancel our ADR. And then we decided to snack around the world a bit, since we really hadn't done justice to the the F&W booths yet.
This is as ready as I'll ever be for my close up, Mr. DeMille...
First stop after being mobbed by the PhotoPass paparazzi: France!!!
It's pronounced FFFFFFF-raaaaaaan-ssssssss
Beverages: Hobnob Chardonnay; Chateau Haut-Mondain Bordeaux Rouge; Sparkling Pomegranate Kir; Bernard Sparr Extrem Riesling; and St. Germain Red Cocktail.
Food: Escargot Persillade en Brioche; Quiche au Fromage de Chevre; and Coupe de Sorbets Champagne, Framboise, and Chocolat Blanc.
Tonight we decided to order the lot ... sort of. Jay hadn't tried anything from the Frenchies so we chose all three food options and washed them down with some Hobnob Chardonnay. Why did we pick the Hobnob? I like the word hobnob ... that's the scientific manner I employ when choosing alcohol to sample during F&W!
How do you say P-I-G in French?
So, here's the scoop: the goat cheese tart was better this time than it was when I tried it the night before - fewer dried out tomato corpses mean more cheesy goodness for me; the escargot just isn't something I can get my brain or tastebuds around, but I thought the portion size was very generous (and I love the hidden Mickey); and the sorbet was a definite disappointment.
Allow me to explain further ... I did take a small bite of the escargot because Jay raved about how good it was. The brioche was soft and fresh and I think what I tasted of the escargot was a buttery flavor more than anything. But I made the mistake of taking the lid off of the brioche and that was it - no more for me. I just can't bring myself to eat something that leaves a trail of slime in its wake. As far as I'm concerned it's a bug and I try not to eat those whenever possible.
He told me not to look, but did I listen?
As for the layered sorbet, the white chocolate layer on top was extremely gritty which surprised us both. If anyone should know how to properly melt and prepare their chocolate it's the French. It really detracted from the overall effect of the dessert and we didn't even finish it all - I felt kind of bad for the other two layers because they were actually pretty tasty, but the grit just wouldn't go away. And to be honest, the darn thing melted quicker than we could eat it. I do give them high marks for physical attractiveness and for trying something new, however; it was a very pretty desert and it was good to see something besides creme brulee on the menu board (not to impugn creme brulee in any way).
Booze Buzz! I repeat ... Booze Buzz!!
Oh I am going to feel this in the morning, but tonight's second beverage course, served with grilled hamburgers and hotdogs (a nod to Spring that seems to have finally arrived) was Kirin Itchy-Bunny Beer. Mmmmmm, good pseudo-Japanese beer with a pale color and a hoppy tasty with some slightly bitter pings. It paired well with the burger, the dog, and the doritos. We know how to live it up here in the sticks!
End boozer buzz!!
From France we made our way to Oklahoma - Three Sisters Cafe. Can I interrupt myself here to ask: When did Oklahoma secede from the Union and become a nation-state? I thought that Abraham Lincoln had pretty much settled the non-constitutionality of secession with the successful conclusion of the War Between the States back in the nineteenth century, so if I missed something could someone here please bring me up to date?
Before I topple off of my outraged historical soapbox, lemme show you a picture of the Three Sisters Cafe...
I don't think anyone here looks related...
Beverages: Iced Tea.
That's it?
Sheesh, you folks need to buy some culture.
Food: Three Sisters Soup; Seared Buffalo with Scalloped Wild Onions.
Well, when in Oklahoma ...
We'll take the lot ... again!
Wehat, er,
what do I remember about this? Hmmmmm, I didn't like the soup - it had too much stuff in it and honestly, it was too hot to be eating soup. Jay really enjoyed it, but he likes food with lots of stuff in it. I looked up the recipe and the ingredients include things like hominy (not to be confused with harmony, or happiness and harmony, thank you Mrs. Salt ...
), beans, corn, squash, 'taters, and onions. This probably would have tasted great on a cold winter night, but not in Florida when the temperature was pushing 95 degrees in the shade.
The seared buffalo was a first for me and was actually pretty tasty, although at times it was a bit stringy. I assume that's the nature of buffalo, but what do I know? The fact that it was served with an onion bath turned me off, so Jay was able to enjoy most of this one all by himself as well. I do think that the serving portion was generous - they certainly didn't skimp on our $4.50 sample!
From the great country of Oklahoma we found ourselves in Australia, where I was determined to give the folks from Down Under one last chance to impress me after they failed so miserably last year.
Dazzle me, Kangaroo Land ... I dare ya!
Beverages: Rosemount Traminer Riesling; Benjamin Tawny Port; Foster's Lager; Wolf Blass President's Select Shiraz; and Penfold's Koonunga Hill Shiraz-Cabernet.
Food: Shrimp on the Barbie; Grilled Lamp Chop with Carmelized Onions; Macadamia Nut and Chocolate Bar.
I just have to share this ... I don't type well when I'm sober, but when I'm buzzing like I am right now I really make some funny typos and I just typed Macadamia Butt ... I would have left it that way but when it's paired with the words chocolate bar it sounds really nasty ...
I don't know, maybe you have to have Inflammatory Bowel Disease to find that even remotely funny ...
Ahem.
So what did we order? Barbie Doll Shrimp and some riesling!
The shrimp look OK, but what's all that other stuff?
Well, unless the Aussies change their playbook I think we're skipping them this year. The shrimp were really not that good - tastless and kind of chewy. And I don't care for a melody of vegetables at the best of times, but I really don't like it when they're unidentifiable and greasy.
The wine was good, not too sweet which I always worry about with a riesling. And although we didn't have it here, I would like to give a thumbs up to the Benjamin Tawny Port - it's quite tasty and affordable. Even Griamce likes this one!
At this point Jay informed me that he had reached tilt. This news saddened me because I was just starting to rev up my tastebuds. We wandered a bit more, taking in the sights, and then I stopped in Germany for a giant pretzel. This is a standard offering in Germantown, and not part of the F&W Festival booth that Germany had established.
Mmmm...fresh, hot, doughy goodness served on a Jason-table...
I offered to share but Jay said he'd reached his limit. That's saying something after only visiting three booths. And so, rather than make him suffer I voiced the opinion that we should call it an early night since we had a Segway tour scheduled at Epcot the next morning. We went ahead and walked the World Showcase circuit and look what we found over by the Odyssey: A survey marker!!
Pretty cool, huh?
I've heard about these markers being laid down in each of the parks prior to groundbreaking and construction - I've never actively looked for one before but for some reason I was staring down at the ground while we were walking and there it was. I'm sure it looked funny to people walking by when I started taking pictures of the ground, but what's even funnier is that some of those people stopped to see what I was looking at and then started taking their own pictures!
Well, once we made it back to the refreshingly cool villa that we called home during this trip I immediately picked up the room service menu and started weighing my options. The Beach and Yacht Club room service menu has been pared down since 2006 and even more so since 2004, but when one is desperate one doesn't quibble.
I bravely pushed the covered serving plate icon on my telephone and ordered a tuna salad sandwich, some fresh fruit, and some cookies. I must confess to more disappointment ... in years past they've always had an option on the menu called Cookies & Milk. For Jay and me it was something of a vacation tradition and when it was delivered it came with four big, fresh, honking cookies and a glass carafe of ice cold milk tucked into an ice bucket.
Now it's just a little plate of cookies and if you want milk they said they'd include a pint. Where's the fun and romance in that? I can run downstairs to the Beach Club Reeking Place and buy a pint of milk. Better yet, I can drink the milk in the refrigerator that we bought at the grocery store last week.
Bah! Why take all the good stuff off the room service menu? Isn't this still a deluxe resort after all?
You're still eating?
What can I say? The fruit was tasty and fresh, and very refreshing after being outside in the heat and humidity. The cookies were pretty good, too, even if there were only two of them - they were soft and gooey. The tuna salad didn't pass muster - it was too sweet, as if someone poured a jar of sweet gerkins into the mix and then added some Chicken of the Sea as an afterthought. As an aside ... why is Starkist Tuna called Chicken of the Sea? That's always bothered me ... I've never heard of deep sea fishermen hauling chicken back to the mainland and the last time I checked tuna weren't being cornfed in coops on Farmer Jones' argicultural collective. What gives?
Before I end my spiel this evening, allow me to give you one last beverage update...
We're now drinking Johnny Walker Gold Label - an 18-year blended whisky that smells and tastes a bit like smoke unless you enjoy it with some chocolate as we are. We're eating Lindt milk chocolate truffles and drinking whisky to round out an evening of alcoholic excess that we really just consider a trial run for Vegas!
Thanks for reading - the next update will have some pictures from our Segway tour, lots more Food and Wine sampling, and dinner at Narcooseeeeeeee's!!!
Macadamia Butt, what's wrong with that?
That top looks really good on you too! And yes, I was shocked that there was no dress 
me! Especially since you were headed to CG
and that you weren't able to make it to the Cali Grill
