September 13th - Last Night Dinner and Wishes
I got to the Contemporary in time to cruise the gift shops on the Concourse one last time. I have a tradition of finding some cool item here that I havent seen anywhere else (last time it was the Snow White 70th Anniversary pin) and tonight was no exception. They had a Piece of History pin featuring Figment and Dreamfinder from the version of the Imagination ride that was a beautiful thing before the insane refurbishment.
I scooped up the pin and then headed to the second floor check in station for the California Grill. The CM asked if I wanted to sit at the counter but since I use meal time to catch up on notes for the TR I waited for a table to have elbow room for writing in my journal.
The escort took us up in the elevator. I shared the ride with a couple accompanied by their young daughter. In one of those cringing moments of witnessing rough parenting that come with every trip, the mothers reply to a question from the little girl was a brusque and angry Shut up!
Ouch ouch ouch. I wanted to take the daughter to dinner with me and buy her lots of lovely food and sugar while saying kind and supportive things to her.
I had a short wait in the lounge and then was escorted to what I think of as my usual table, over on the Epcot side. I have had this table for the vast majority of my meals here. The table had celebratory Mickey confetti of uncertain origin. I had no button proclaiming a birthday or holiday and nothing had been reported at the reservation. When I checked in they asked if I was celebrating anything, and I had slightly sadly said it was my last night, so perhaps it was cheer up confetti.
I was determined to try at least one new thing tonight, and I was already dreaming of the pork tenderloin and goat cheese polenta, so knew I had to act in the appetizer category. I was also feeling the effects of many days of Disney eating, so wanted something a little bit light. I settled on the heirloom tomato salad with red onions and ricotta.
It was delicate and lovely, featuring different colors and styles of tomatoes with a festive confetti like sprinkling of parsley. This wasnt the most killer tomato salad Ive ever had, but was very enjoyable in a late summer juicy tomato kind of way.
The pork tenderloin with goat cheese polenta delivered as always. The meat was a perfect combination of grilled exterior and juicy interior, with bursts of fine pork flavor in each bite. The polenta was corn meal elevated to near dessert status in its creamy deliciousness.
Between dinner and dessert was Wishes. The sweet affirming certainty of Jiminys promises and encouragement set against the voices of the dreamers always brings a tear, especially on this last night. At least my wish to come back soon is already true, so I wasn't as sad as I have been on trips where the next visit was a year away.
I was apparently overcome with emotion and forgot to take a picture of my dessert, which was Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Apricot Ice Cream. The cake was a classic warm lava style cake, a round chocolate cake exterior dusted with powdered sugar hiding a molten chocolate interior. Across the plate from the cake was a scoop of apricot ice cream perched on a crushed chocolate cookie base. There were zig zag apricot drizzles decorating the plate. It didnt do anything to get itself in the dessert record book but was entirely enjoyable in the way that chocolate cake and ice cream is guaranteed to be.
I headed home on the monorail, debating whether I should bust through most of my packing tonight so as to make rope rope at HS or AK tomorrow, or relax tonight and have a leisurely morning at the hotel before departing. I hated to commit to packing as it was so closely related to leaving but decided it would be better to have the most options in the morning which meant getting the packing out of the way tonight.
It took a few hours to get everything organized and stowed away. I had stocked up on Goofy treats so put those into little plastic containers to go in my carry on with the coffee mugs. My duffel bag absorbed the t-shirts and sweatshirt I had purchased and I put odd shaped items into the costume box to be shipped home from the front desk tomorrow. I set out the computer, phone, iPod and a camera battery to charge overnight.
I finally reluctantly turned out the lights after sitting on the balcony for a few minutes, enjoying the last night of my own private Polynesia.
On the Dream Fastpasses!
How I long for thee...one more year and you will be mine
