(Insert Witty Dining Review Title Here) June 17-24 (updated 8/5)

[jecskc]

I'm subbing! We are trying WCC for the first time in September. My DD16 is looking forward to it the most!

We are also from SC. What part are you in? We are in Florence. It's nice to see "neighbors" on here!

Neighbor !! We live in Lexington. We loved WCC and will definitely be going back. Make sure you are hungry when you go. I know you will have a great time. And take some time to look around Wilderness Lodge. That resort is amazing !!

 

[DisneyDoc5]

HI! Just followed you over from the TR. I'm always ready to look at a little more detail with regards to the food! If you start a Pre-trip report for your first DVC stay, maybe you could PM me?

I just ate WAY too much Puppy Chow (choc-peanut butter cereal recipe), so thankfully I'm not getting too hungry looking at your food! Have a good week!
Erin

 

[jecskc]

HI! Just followed you over from the TR. I'm always ready to look at a little more detail with regards to the food! If you start a Pre-trip report for your first DVC stay, maybe you could PM me?

I just ate WAY too much Puppy Chow (choc-peanut butter cereal recipe), so thankfully I'm not getting too hungry looking at your food! Have a good week!
Erin

Hey Erin !!! Thanks for coming on over !! I will let you know if start a PTR for sure. Puppy chow ?? I would like to see the recipe for that !!

 

[DisneyDoc5]

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/puppy-chow/detail.aspx, here is another... http://www.momswhothink.com/easy-recipes/puppy-chow-recipe.html

I just googled it, there are tons of versions on the web. I like to use Crispex cereal versus rice Chex. It sounds weird, but it is SOOOOOO good! It makes a big batch and is great to bringing to picnics, parties, sleepovers, classroom parties, the office, etc. Let me know if you make it and like it!

 

[sjs314]

Joining in...........loving your reviews so far. We stayed OKW in 2009 and ate at Olivias for Breakfast and Lunch and found their food very good. Loved OKW.

Staying at WL in October and I have 3 meals planned for WCC. I remember it being quite loud from when we ate there years ago but the food was good and from looking at your pics in the review I think we will be glad I made ADRs there.
DH loves the skillet meals and has his eye on that chocolate cake too.

We ate at Sunshine Seasons our last trip too not my choice I almost agree with your DD and if I could have would have gone someplace else, nothing appealed to me that day.

Can not wait to read more.

 

[jecskc]

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/puppy-chow/detail.aspx, here is another... http://www.momswhothink.com/easy-recipes/puppy-chow-recipe.html

I just googled it, there are tons of versions on the web. I like to use Crispex cereal versus rice Chex. It sounds weird, but it is SOOOOOO good! It makes a big batch and is great to bringing to picnics, parties, sleepovers, classroom parties, the office, etc. Let me know if you make it and like it!

Oooo. That sounds yummy. I'll let you know if I try it. I'm trying to lose some weight, so that kind of stuff is off limits for right now though.

Joining in...........loving your reviews so far. We stayed OKW in 2009 and ate at Olivias for Breakfast and Lunch and found their food very good. Loved OKW.

Staying at WL in October and I have 3 meals planned for WCC. I remember it being quite loud from when we ate there years ago but the food was good and from looking at your pics in the review I think we will be glad I made ADRs there.
DH loves the skillet meals and has his eye on that chocolate cake too.

We ate at Sunshine Seasons our last trip too not my choice I almost agree with your DD and if I could have would have gone someplace else, nothing appealed to me that day.

Can not wait to read more.

Thanks for stopping by !! Yes, we loved Olivia's. The food was good, the service was good and it never took too long. And we loved OKW, too. Would definitely go back.

Have you ever stayed at WL ??? It is amazing !! Are you staying in a room or DVC at the villas? We loved Whispering Canyon. The kids still ask me when we are going back.

Sunshine seasons. I have read some good reviews and heard some good things, but we will only go there if we have to. I want to try some CS places in the World Showcase instead, I think.

 

[sjs314]

Oooo. That sounds yummy. I'll let you know if I try it. I'm trying to lose some weight, so that kind of stuff is off limits for right now though.



Thanks for stopping by !! Yes, we loved Olivia's. The food was good, the service was good and it never took too long. And we loved OKW, too. Would definitely go back.

Have you ever stayed at WL ??? It is amazing !! Are you staying in a room or DVC at the villas? We loved Whispering Canyon. The kids still ask me when we are going back.

Sunshine seasons. I have read some good reviews and heard some good things, but we will only go there if we have to. I want to try some CS places in the World Showcase instead, I think.

Yes this will be our 3rd time staying at WL in the lodge. We were actually booked at BC but WL is DH favorite resort so we changed

 

[jecskc]

I am so excited to share this portion of the review with you. So I hope that you have turned off your phone and taken care of any urgent bathroom business, because I guarantee that you will not want to miss this one.

Because tonight we had ADR’s at California Grill !!!

(sorry, some the photos are blurry)

We checked in and headed up to the elevator to California Grill. We got a table right by the window and the view was amazing. We had some confetti on our table because we were celebrating our Anniversary which was on the

13th Anniversary (our 13th year) and Father’s Day, of course.

View from our table

Our waiter’s name was Gary and he was fantastic !! Loved him. He was from Hawaii and he told us stories about his parents and how they could see the attack on Pearl Harbor from their house. We had a couple of interesting historical discussions. He was the best !!

He brought us water and the kids each a soda. And some bread.

OK this bread ??? It tasted good, but the crust was waaayyy too hard to chew. I mean you had to really gnaw at it to get a bite and it seemed a little undignified for such a nice restaurant. He also brought the kids out a small bowl of goldfish crackers.

They were a big hit with the kids.

DH ordered The Sterling Three Palms Napa

Red wine gives me headaches, so I ordered the Conundrum

For starters, he brought DD a nice bowl of fruit which you can see here along with the Mickey confetti that DD was decorating everyone’s glass with.

The fruit was very fresh and tasty. It didn’t last long.

More views from our table

For our appetizer, DH and I decided to split the Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Pesto, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Basil. They split it up for us into two plates.

This was seriously Yummo !!! I could have eaten this whole thing by myself. So good !! I mean, a couple of these and a salad would make the most excellent meal.

DD ordered Mac and Cheese

She didn’t like this at all. She said it was too salty. I tasted some of it myself and she was right. Waaayyy too salty to enjoy. We didn’t discover this until late in the meal and Gary offered to get her something else, but she said no . And really with the fruit, bread, goldfish and her dessert. She had enough to eat.

I thought it was strange that such a well to do restaurant would over salt their macaroni. I had heard it was really good and the bite I had was good … until that too much salt taste hit you. DD stayed away from the macaroni at all of the restaurants for the rest of the trip.

DH, DS and I ordered the Oak-fired Filet of Beef, Mascarpone Potatoes, Roasted Delta Asparagus, Spring Onion Oil, and Teriyaki Barbecue it also had some mashed potatoes with it.

This was excellent !! The meat was cooked perfectly and it was so tender. The crunchy onion things on top of the meat were good. Especially when you paired it with a bite of steak and the asparagus was cooked and seasoned perfectly. A little crisp and not too mushy. The potatoes were warm and creamy. We all really enjoyed this dish.

For dessert the kids got the sushi platter

All of it was candy. Even the ginger was taffy and the wasabi was a marshmallow. We made this sushi at home with rice crispy treats, fruit roll-ups and gummy worms. It is a fun little dessert and it tastes good too.

They really liked this.

This is a really fun dessert and we have made it at home and it turned out great. It was a fun little cooking project with the kids. You just mix a batch of Rice Crispy treats. Spread out a fruit roll-up. Mash down the rice crispy mixture and put some gummy worms inside. Roll it up and cut into discs and it makes a candy sushi. It is kinda messy to make, but really fun. You need to put it in the fridge for a couple of hours before you cut it, though. Try it at home with your kids. They will love it !!

DH got the Profiteroles that Gary recommended.

He loved them.

I got the Valrhona Chocolate Cake

See ?? We both got some chocolate banners with Happy Anniversary on them, too.

Oh. Em. Gee. This was soooo good !!! Seriously, this was out of this world yummy. One my favorite desserts from the week.

DH tried to catch some photos of the sunset.

It was about 9:30 PM or so when we got done so we just went out on the deck outside to wait for Wishes to start. The Electrical Water Parade came by while we were waiting and that was fun to watch. And finally, the fireworks.

It was nice not to have to fight the crowds after the fireworks for once. We just got back in the car and went back to our resort.

 

[bigal'sdaughter]

Gorgeous review and pictures of CG!
The ravioli, the steak, the view...Happy Anniversary!
I am also a fan of the conundrum... I order it all the time out and about! Your kids are so adorable! My DD is only 4 now - so she's pretty happy with the kids food but I agree it is so limited at times. For example - there's only a kids burger at Pecos Bills' not a Cosmic rays or Village Haus (I think). It seems like we always get to a counter service and there's plenty for DD to pick from - but she wants a typical kid item that's not there...
Seems like much more choices at TS.
Stay cool up there ... I am also a neighbor but I am down by the coast... but for an old job I used to go to both Florence and Lexington all the time! Keep those A/C's going... but it does seem a little better today- right?

 

[jecskc]

Gorgeous review and pictures of CG!
The ravioli, the steak, the view...Happy Anniversary!
I am also a fan of the conundrum... I order it all the time out and about! Your kids are so adorable! My DD is only 4 now - so she's pretty happy with the kids food but I agree it is so limited at times. For example - there's only a kids burger at Pecos Bills' not a Cosmic rays or Village Haus (I think). It seems like we always get to a counter service and there's plenty for DD to pick from - but she wants a typical kid item that's not there...
Seems like much more choices at TS.
Stay cool up there ... I am also a neighbor but I am down by the coast... but for an old job I used to go to both Florence and Lexington all the time! Keep those A/C's going... but it does seem a little better today- right?

I love Conundrum. Our waiter told us a story about it. He said the vinters were trying out a new blend of grapes when they are making it and couldn't come up with a name for it. Someone remarked what a conundrum it was and voila ... they had their name for the wine. I thought that was interesting.

MY DD is so picky, that I never know if she's going to be happy with her food. I hope that, in time, she will branch out and try new things broaden her palette to something besides chicken fingers and macaroni.

It really isn't better today. 99 with a heat index of 105. There are some pop-up thunderstorms in the area that might cool things down. And we really need the rain. But I need my tennis match to be played tonight as well It can rain after tennis. Or right before, so it will be cooler when we play.

We went to Myrtle Beach the weekend of July 15th and the weather was AMAZING that weekend. Best beach weather EVER !! Low 80's with a strong breeze. We loved it !! I'm kinda over MB though. Since we have DVC now, we will probably go to Hilton Head and stay at the DVC resort there.

 

[sjs314]

Love the views from the table you had. The meal looked great. It is too bad your DD did not have any luck with the mac&cheese at CG either. You made me wish we could fit in CG maybe next trip

 

[jecskc]

Love the views from the table you had. The meal looked great. It is too bad your DD did not have any luck with the mac&cheese at CG either. You made me wish we could fit in CG maybe next trip

I really think that Mac & Cheese would have been awesome if there weren't too much salt. I even think our waiter added credits back onto our bill, because we had some left over at the end of the trip. Either that, or I am bad at math. Which is entirely possible. Yes, our view was AMAZING. I wish we could do it every trip as well. It was a special dinner for us.

 

[02AggieGirl]

Great pics at the CG! And what a gorgeous view you had!!! Glad you had an good experience (minus the macaroni!)

 

[jecskc]

Great pics at the CG! And what a gorgeous view you had!!! Glad you had an good experience (minus the macaroni!)

Thanks !!! The view was amazing. I was so caught up in my own meal to notice that DD wasn't eating. When I finally did, it was too late to get something else. Our waiter felt really bad, but it was OK. Like I said, she had fruit and goldfish and bread and the cute little sushi dessert. So it was fine.

 

[JessicaFaye508]

I just found your report tonight and read the whole thing... I AM HUNGRY Yumm all of your restaurant choices so far were fantastic. I am going to California Grill for Christmas Dinner so I hope we enjoy it as much as you all did! And that Whispering Canyon dinner looks delicious!! I have that booked as well.. and I almost cancelled it because we've been there so many times... but after seeing those pictures, I'm definitely keeping it because I want that skillet!! And the s'mores cheesecake. I have a feeling my family is gonna flip over that. mmmm i can't wait for more updates!!

 

[jecskc]

I just found your report tonight and read the whole thing... I AM HUNGRY Yumm all of your restaurant choices so far were fantastic. I am going to California Grill for Christmas Dinner so I hope we enjoy it as much as you all did! And that Whispering Canyon dinner looks delicious!! I have that booked as well.. and I almost cancelled it because we've been there so many times... but after seeing those pictures, I'm definitely keeping it because I want that skillet!! And the s'mores cheesecake. I have a feeling my family is gonna flip over that. mmmm i can't wait for more updates!!

And thanks for reading !! I have enjoyed your TR's as well. I just know you will love California Grill. And we just loved Whispering Canyon. This was the first time that had the DDP and we LOVED it !!

We are going two more times this year and we have the DDP on one of those trips, so that should be big fun. We are staying off-site in September. Because its free. And you just can't beat free.

 

[bigal'sdaughter]

Thanks! I hope you got your game in... finally getting some rain here...
Can't wait to read more... I have also just started your TR- awesome! I am so impressed!!!

 

[jecskc]

Thanks! I hope you got your game in... finally getting some rain here...
Can't wait to read more... I have also just started your TR- awesome! I am so impressed!!!

We did JUST get our match in (and we WON) and it is much cooler and rainy today. But supposed to be back up in the 100's by this weekend . It pains me to say it, but I hate this part of summer. The heat is so unrelenting. The next six weeks will be interminable

Thanks for the TR kudos. I learned from the best on the DIS !! Feel free to comment over there. I am not above a shameless bump of my TR

 

[hogwartsdropout]

Great reviews!! WCC is my favourite! We're trying Tusker breakfast on our next trip so looking forward to reading about it.

 

[jecskc]

Great reviews!! WCC is my favourite! We're trying Tusker breakfast on our next trip so looking forward to reading about it.

Thanks !! Loved WCC. I want some right now !! Posting Tusker House breakfast in 3....2.....1........