I Got Work to Pay for My DISNEY FEASTS w/PICS! COMPLETED 11/14 - Whispering Canyon

[NorweJenNY]

Your boys are adorable. Thanks for taking the time to share!! Can't wait to read more.

Don't worry... I'm uploading pictures to photobucket as I type!

Great reviews so far - I wish I could get my work to pay for my Disney vacation, although I suppose they do in a round about way since they pay my wages which, in turn, pays for my Disney vacation

May you find a work-related conference, or reason for a work-related "research trip," to give you a turn to have work pay for a Disney trip!

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Your boys are cute...thanks for sharing. Can't wait to read more yummy review.

 

[NorweJenNY]

Les Chefs de France - Dinner

Monday, July 13, 2009

Les Chefs was a FABULOUS meal for our family. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

I do have to warn you though, if you're anything like me, these pictures just might make you drool... get some napkins handy...

But of course, I'm going to make you wait for it, because I almost forgot about one extra food stop!

Before I get to Chefs de France, I'm taking a short detour to the Earl of Sandwich. I could literally walk there from my Regal Sun conference in a matter of 5 minutes, and when I went during a break around 10:45 this particular morning, I was practically the only one there.

They do serve breakfast at that time, but they also allow you to order anything else on the menu.

I had to try the All American!

This is just half, so you can see the inside of the sandwich better.

It reminded me of sandwiches my mom used to make me with turkey, mayo, and cranberry sauce.

However, at Earl of Sandwich, instead of mayo, they used ranch dressing... and they add a few more things... The whole list includes turkey, cranberry sauce, cheese, ranch dressing, lettuce, and tomato. I asked for no tomato... (I don't like tomatoes unless they're in the form of a smooth sauce or ketchup.)

Let me tell you... this sandwich is GOOD! They serve it warm on a slightly toasted bread... but not too toasted, as it's still quite soft. The ingredients just add a bit of sweetness and a hint of tanginess that just compliment each other so well!

I even got another one of these sandwiches later in the week. I did pay OOP for these, as they were just $5.95, I didn't want/need dessert or drinks at these times... I figured I'd use up CS credits better at other times. But on another note, these are just perfect for anyone not on the DDP. Earl of Sandwich has a whole list of sandwiches, as well as salads, all for decent prices, and breakfast items are even cheaper.

Ok, now I'm already drooling, and I haven't even gotten to Chefs de France yet!

Here goes... are you ready?

We started out with drinks and bread. Plus the kids got appetizers, which were cheese puff pastries (that also come with a small salad on the side - but how many kids like those? )

The kids kinda liked/tolerated the pastries, but they preferred the bread that was brought out for all of us.

Little Guy loved his bread! I love his expression in this picture!

Then came the main entrees...

Big Guy got pasta & chicken strips. It was a good-sized portion of pasta, which was great, as that is the part of the meal that he loved most and actually completely consumed!

Little Guy had chicken strips, but doesn't like pasta. Our waitress told us he could have French fries instead, which I knew he'd like, and he did... but nothing out of the ordinary, so I didn't take a picture of it.

Hubby and I got the same thing... because I told him what he was having!

I browsed the menus in advance and knew this would be exactly what we'd each want. It was a good thing too, as hubby was overwhelmed by the menu and all the French terms! You had to read all the descriptions if you had no background in French to read the bold titles.

Filet de boeuf grille, sauce au poivre noir Gratin Dauphinois et haricots verts (Grilled tenderloin of beef with a black pepper sauce original potato gratin of Savoy and green beans)

Delicious! The beef was tender, and although we're not (or didn't think we were) pepper people, we loved the sauce! Good green beans... and decent potatoes, though hubby enjoyed them more than I did. The beef, however, was the gem in here! We both would order the exact same thing again.

Now for the fun part...

Dessert!

Who wouldn't enjoy French desserts?

The boys both got chocolate ice cream... maybe not just good in France, but they enjoyed it anyway.

Hubby got another winner for dessert (which I tasted and loved as well)...

Profiteroles au chocolat (Puff choux with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce)

We would both order this in the future! Fabulous!

I, however, was in the mood for something more fruity...

Crepe a la pomme et cannelle, glace vanille, caramel jus de pommes (Crepes filled with cinnamon, apple, vanilla ice cream and apple caramel sauce)



This is the best apple-y dessert I've ever eaten! The crepe was very soft and warm, with warm, apple filling. The caramel sauce was nothing like the sticky stuff you usually get when you think of caramel... no! This was smoother, and creamier... and it did have a perfect flavor to compliment the apple-filled crepe. Of course, there's nothing like ice cream to slowly melt with your warm apple-cinnamon crepe!

Oh boy... I really could use another one of these desserts right now!

Oh, and of course, one more picture... last, but certainly not least, is our friend we finally met!

The next morning, we were headed to Animal Kingdom, and I had a full day off from my conference! Woohoo!

We started with breakfast before park opening at Tusker House...

Stay tuned to check this one out!

 

[mlittig]

I'm in I am enjoying your pictures, reviews and of course, your adorable boys Thanks for sharing and I am looking forward to more

 

[Alice28]

What great reviews! Thanks for sharing- those apple crepes look so YUMMY!

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Thanks for a wonderful update. We love Chefs de France...this place is a must for my husband on our next trip.

 

[kimgof]

Wow! Great reviews! Looking forward to more.

 

[scoot241]

I loooooovvve Earl of Sandwich!

The only other Earl of Sandwich location on Earth is 20 miles from my house in Sugar Land, TX. When I get out there, that's where I usually end up eating.

Chefs de France looks yummy too. I considered it for my EPCOT meal, but went with Teppan Edo instead. I think Remy leaving right before we got there made my interest fall a bit and I picked Teppan Edo.

 

[NorweJenNY]

I'm in I am enjoying your pictures, reviews and of course, your adorable boys Thanks for sharing and I am looking forward to more

Glad you're enjoying this!

What great reviews! Thanks for sharing- those apple crepes look so YUMMY!

OOH YEAH!!!

Thanks for a wonderful update. We love Chefs de France...this place is a must for my husband on our next trip.

I already made our ADRs for free dining this fall - before our trip, and Chefs is not on that list! We'd love to add it if we could, but maybe we'll just have to schedule another trip to get back!

Wow! Great reviews! Looking forward to more.

Thanks!

I loooooovvve Earl of Sandwich!

The only other Earl of Sandwich location on Earth is 20 miles from my house in Sugar Land, TX. When I get out there, that's where I usually end up eating.

Chefs de France looks yummy too. I considered it for my EPCOT meal, but went with Teppan Edo instead. I think Remy leaving right before we got there made my interest fall a bit and I picked Teppan Edo.

Teppan Edo was actually on our list until I saw that Remy was at Chefs, so just before our 90-day window, I switched plans. Now we haven't tried Teppan Edo yet, but we do know we're glad we tried Chefs! So many good options - it's hard to choose!

And I had no idea there was another Earl of Sandwich! I wonder if they'll ever make another one... Charlotte, NC would be a great place to have one!

 

[Dizzymrslizzy]

Okay that one made me drool. So what could we swap out for this one??? Tutto maybe???

 

[BreTyPres87]

You took some great pics now i'm hungry!
I know what you mean about lefties misusing the fork, I had to train myself to eat righty to avoid messy situations especially at a tight family table!
can't wait to read more

 

[mickaholic4077]

I am soooooooo hungry now!! I can't wait to see your report on Tusker House!!!

 

[NorweJenNY]

Okay that one made me drool. So what could we swap out for this one??? Tutto maybe???

My dear sil,

So you want us to squeeze in Akershus... and Chefs de France...? How could we possibly swap out Tutto?



How about booking WL for a long weekend just before Christmas, and you & I will make a special trip on the deluxe plan...

You took some great pics now i'm hungry!
I know what you mean about lefties misusing the fork, I had to train myself to eat righty to avoid messy situations especially at a tight family table!
can't wait to read more

He's a lefty, AND he's 4... two things working against him... We prefer to give him finger food, and he prefers to eat finger food! Yeah, I know we have to let him practice using utensils too, which we do, but I prefer to do that with less messy foods...

I am soooooooo hungry now!! I can't wait to see your report on Tusker House!!!

'Twill be quite pleasant, I promise!

 

[Tink_Or_Belle]

oops

 

[NorweJenNY]

Tusker House breakfast

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

We had an 8:00 ADR for Tusker House, before the Animal Kingdom opened... we got a little late, but after waiting in a short line, we had the infamous family portrait taken,

and were inside.

Side note... my own camera, and a little Photoshopping, and I liked our picture perfectly fine. $30+ for a portrait package is outrageous!

Here's some pictures of the hot buffet...

And then there was an island in the middle with basically pure carbs. This is Big Guy looking over the croissants and turnovers... Mommy thought he already had enough sugar on his plate.

Little Guy was happy with his carbs and fruit...

Big Guy had a little more variety. He liked mixing cereals and dumping milk on the mix. I coerced him into getting some eggs. (I'm a big proponent of protein in the morning.) I think I also forced a few bites of eggs down Little Guy's throat. Of course, you have to add ketchup... and bribe him with a donut...

Hubby loves sausages and ate a bunch before I took this picture, but trust me, he ate quite the pile of 'em. He basically likes his traditional breakfast, eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and a hint of Southerness: grits. Big breakfast, plus juice & coffee helped him not feel so much like the character on his shirt despite the early morning...

I enjoyed grabbing a plate of mostly protein...

...eggs, bacon, sausage, and some frittata (which they had two varieties of). I grabbed something that looked like cheese grits, but had actual pieces of corn in it. I thought it might have been a more traditional African dish possible, and took it as a tribute to where we were eating. I did the same with my choice of jamba juice... gotta get it while you're in TH, right? Though I only drank half the glass. I can see that some would enjoy it, but I just have this "thing" against passion fruit, which was mixed in this concoction. I suppose being a low carber outside of Disney also kept me from wanting to much sugary juice. As for the donut and turnover... well, I was helping Big Guy get his food, and the temptation was just too much! The low carber came out a bit though, and I split the donut with Little Guy.

Ultimately, good food, though hard to go wrong with traditional eggs and sausage, right? The bacon was better than CS bacon we'd tried. That grits-like cheesy stuff with the corn was fairly tasty - next time I'm there, I'll likely get it again. Krispy Kreme donuts... always enjoyable, even if I am/was (pre-low carb) more of a Dunkin Donuts kinda girl. Apple turnover... store-bought in appearance, but surprisingly more pleasant to the tastebuds than expected.

Getting another birthday surprise made Big Guy's morning:

And don't you love this expression?

I know hubby got seconds, though I didn't. What's with me and buffets? No second plate again? My stomach really couldn't take much.

But how could I walk away without dessert, even if it was breakfast time?

Simply divine! Despite the carb-overload, this bread pudding with vanilla sauce was wonderful! I'm coming back to this one on my next trip - for sure!

Character interaction at Tusker House was fun too! Didn't even take too long to see everybody. We were there less than an hour.

Here's a peak at one of those characters...

I love Little Guy's expression in this one!

You'll see more about the characters when I complete that section of my Trip Report (link in signature).

More good eats to come in AK. Stay tuned!

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Thanks for the update and can't wait to read more. Your boys seem to love Tusker House breakfast. That's my son and husband favorite breakfast character buffet. My husband loves that juice (he had 5 glasses of it)...he loves carbs. Enjoying your review.

 

[NorweJenNY]

Thanks for the update and can't wait to read more. Your boys seem to love Tusker House breakfast. That's my son and husband favorite breakfast character buffet. My husband loves that juice (he had 5 glasses of it)...he loves carbs. Enjoying your review.

Glad to hear your enjoying this...

The kids finally started asking me later in the week if we were doing any more "character meals." I think that's one thing they really like about TH.

Big Guy has been really getting excited about "puffets" recently... (we're working on him pronouncing that correctly... sometimes it comes out right the first time, sometimes he has to correct himself). He's just getting to this stage where he really appreciates making a lot of his own decisions. My little Big Guy is growing up!

 

[amamax2]

We had an 8:00 ADR for Tusker House, before the Animal Kingdom opened... we got a little late, but after waiting in a short line, we had the infamous family portrait taken,

Side note... my own camera, and a little Photoshopping, and I liked our picture perfectly fine. $30+ for a portrait package is outrageous!

Loving your report - your kids are adorable and your pictures are fabulous!!

Were you able to ask them to take a picture with your own camera besides the one they take for the package? I didn't know that was "allowed" lol, but it would be awesome! I'm already paying for the Photopass CD, not really interested in a package too.

 

[NorweJenNY]

Loving your report - your kids are adorable and your pictures are fabulous!!

Were you able to ask them to take a picture with your own camera besides the one they take for the package? I didn't know that was "allowed" lol, but it would be awesome! I'm already paying for the Photopass CD, not really interested in a package too.

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying this.

I actually had my camera hanging around my neck when we arrived, and it was a CM who asked if I wanted her to take a pic with my camera... since she was asking, sure! Why not! I certainly didn't expect it!

I wonder if it was just inexperience on the CM's part or if they're trained to not take photos so well (in hopes of us buying the package instead/as well). The original of this shot I posted was a just-off-center landscape orientation. I thought this was a more obvious portrait orientation type of shot, so I cropped it that way. (The ones in our package would have been portrait!)

I also blurred the background just a bit and darkened the corners to draw more attention to our family.

Most of my photos have been edited just a bit... in fact, that's why I haven't gotten further in my report! I'm too much of a perfectionist! If I think I can make it look better even the slightest bit, I have to edit it!

 

[danalee]

cant believe I missed your report! But I am all caught and now, its great and those kiddios are adorable!