Keep Calm and Go to Disney! 10/21 - 11/4/14 COMPLETE

[goofy4prez]

Day 5 - Saturday, October 25




Soon my name was called and I was seated at the exact same table as the last time I was there. I then thought I might have the same server, but to my surprise it was a different familiar face who greeted me at my table. He was familiar not because he had waited on me before but because he had made many appearances in the GFC breakfast reviews of my DIS friend Brenda (emmysmommy). Here is a photo of Brenda and Robert from Brenda's May 2014 review...

I believe that Robert has a bit of a crush on Brenda because as soon as I mentioned that I was a friend of hers, he became extra friendly and stepped up his service. In my excitement to tell Brenda that I had the good fortune of being served by her friend Robert that morning I (without thinking) sent her a text message...at 6:30 a.m. her time!! Oops, very sorry about that Brenda.

​

It's funny you say that because I had a similar incident as well. I remember Brenda telling her story about how her and the manager at Chefs de France did not hit it off very well only to once again bump into him as the manager now at Monsieur Paul. They made amends and all is well. When I ran into the manager myself I told him I knew Brenda from these forums and he talked with us for several minutes and brought us a couple of dessert wines after our dinner. We don't drink, but it was a nice gesture. I guess the moral of the story is I should just mention Brenda's name in every restaurant I visit it WDW; She has some influence. ​

 

[ursalita]

What a fun demonstration. I'm not a huge dessert fan but that tart looks AMAZING! Carla looks like a lot of fun, love her glasses. I don't watch the Chew but I remember her from Top Chef so her personality must have made an impression on me.

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Thanks for the reminder that I need to get over to GFC and try the French toast. I've got that on my agenda for next trip.

The Carla Hall demo looks like it was a blast. Can't wait to hear about the Party for the Senses!

 

[kastoney]

What a fun demonstration and great looking desert (my peanut allergy aside). We were seated at dinner next to Carla a couple of months ago and struck up a friendly food conversation with her. It's nice when people,you see in tv are just as genuine in person. What luck on the book signing.

Now bring on party of the senses....

 

[LuvEeyore]

Got behind when I went to the World at the beginning of the Month. Catching up now. Sorry you didn't enjoy California Grill. That became my new favorite. Just want you to know everything you said about Waynama Safari was trye. Loved it!!

 

[dvc4life]

What a fun experience. And aren't Disney people just the nicest??? That was so nice of them to hold your place so you could get an autograph ticket and a book.

Your face in your picture says it all.

 

[vettegirl]

That sounds like an amazing experience and I would've done it in a heartbeat too! So glad you're enjoying our trip on Instagram! While daddy is at work we've been out having fun

 

[Scoobymoons]

Wow! You've had some amazing experiences! Thanks for sharing them in such detail Looking forward to more.

 

[Linda67]

Barb I've been playing catch up on your wondeful reviews
The Monsieur Paul lunch looked delicious and you certainly can't go wrong with that much champagne!
Shame CG wasn't a hit. I just don't find too many of their entrees appealing but loved my dinner of sushi and salad last time we visited. The new kale salad doesn't look a patch on the older version
That's a great photo of you and Carla Hall

 

[jabead]

I loved Carla on Top Chef! She is one of my favorites. That dessert looked delicious!

Going back...the GFC french toast looks tasty too! I need to book a breakfast there some of these days.

Jill in CO

Jill, you definitely need to have breakfast at the GFC!

It's funny you say that because I had a similar incident as well. I remember Brenda telling her story about how her and the manager at Chefs de France did not hit it off very well only to once again bump into him as the manager now at Monsieur Paul. They made amends and all is well. When I ran into the manager myself I told him I knew Brenda from these forums and he talked with us for several minutes and brought us a couple of dessert wines after our dinner. We don't drink, but it was a nice gesture. I guess the moral of the story is I should just mention Brenda's name in every restaurant I visit it WDW; She has some influence. ​

I definitely remember Brenda's run-in with the CDF Manager. I had lunch with her and Emily there in December 2013 and he made sure we were well taken care of. Between her "influence" at several restaurants and that of Paula (smile4stamps) and Hunter's at Citricos and California Grill, I became very spoiled on that trip and on my next trip when I again had many meals with them. So this was my first trip in a while where I was again a nobody.

What a fun demonstration. I'm not a huge dessert fan but that tart looks AMAZING! Carla looks like a lot of fun, love her glasses. I don't watch the Chew but I remember her from Top Chef so her personality must have made an impression on me.

Yes, Carla definitely exceeded my expectations during her demo.

Thanks for the reminder that I need to get over to GFC and try the French toast. I've got that on my agenda for next trip.

The Carla Hall demo looks like it was a blast. Can't wait to hear about the Party for the Senses!

Oh Rachel, you've never had the GFC french toast? Glad to hear it's on the list for next time.

What a fun demonstration and great looking desert (my peanut allergy aside). We were seated at dinner next to Carla a couple of months ago and struck up a friendly food conversation with her. It's nice when people,you see in tv are just as genuine in person. What luck on the book signing.

Now bring on party of the senses....

Now you have me wondering what they did/would do if an attendee had a peanut allergy. I'm assuming they had an alternative dessert available??

Got behind when I went to the World at the beginning of the Month. Catching up now. Sorry you didn't enjoy California Grill. That became my new favorite. Just want you to know everything you said about Waynama Safari was trye. Loved it!!

So glad to hear that you enjoyed the Wanyama Safari. Thanks so much for coming back here to let me know.

What a fun experience. And aren't Disney people just the nicest??? That was so nice of them to hold your place so you could get an autograph ticket and a book.

Your face in your picture says it all.

Before my trip I was a little nervous about this solo trip. While my previous two trips were solo too, I spent a majority of my time with DIS friends. But much to my relief, everyone that I sat with/stood in line with at the many special events that I attended were very nice.

That sounds like an amazing experience and I would've done it in a heartbeat too! So glad you're enjoying our trip on Instagram! While daddy is at work we've been out having fun

I love seeing your Instagram photos of Alexander. He is the cutest! It seems like forever since my kids were that age.

Wow! You've had some amazing experiences! Thanks for sharing them in such detail Looking forward to more.

Thanks so much for reading!

Barb I've been playing catch up on your wondeful reviews
The Monsieur Paul lunch looked delicious and you certainly can't go wrong with that much champagne!
Shame CG wasn't a hit. I just don't find too many of their entrees appealing but loved my dinner of sushi and salad last time we visited. The new kale salad doesn't look a patch on the older version
That's a great photo of you and Carla Hall

Thanks Linda! It was so fun to meet Carla in person.

 

[jabead]

Hello again everyone!

Sorry for the long delay with posting my next review. We just completed the end of year reporting at our office so I should now have more free time to spend on the DIS boards. My last two posts were from my wonderful breakfast at the Grand Floridian Cafe and the Carla Hall Culinary Demonstration which I attended just a few hours later. Most would assume that that would complete my dining for the day until the Party for the Senses that evening. Well, not so my DIS friends. But let me explain myself. During my April/May 2014 trip to the World I had lunch at Le Cellier...and it was delicious.




Le Cellier Filet Mignon - AAA Canadian Beef Tenderloin, English Pea Risotto, Confit Mushrooms, and White Truffle-Butter Sauce



Therefore, I made an ADR to have lunch here on this day long before they came out with Food & Wine Special Events schedule. Once I had decided to add both the Culinary Demo and the PFTS to my dining schedule for this day I tried to change my Le Cellier ADR to a different day but nothing was available at a time/day that would work for me. So I stuck to my original plan and kept my lunch ADR at Le Cellier.







Upon entering World Showcase and turning right to make my way towards Canada, I was met by a massive crowd of people, most of which seemed to be walking in the opposite direction. Now I know what a salmon feels like swimming upstream against the current. Though I had heard stories of the masses which descend upon World Showcase on the weekends during the F & W festival, this was the first time which I had experienced it for myself.


Anyway, I arrived a few minutes late for my ADR but still had to wait a bit before being seated at a small two-top table. I looked over the menu and took these slightly blurry photos...











For some reason I had the urge to order salmon. However, I was planning to have dinner at Artist Point the next day so I decided to go with something else. While I waited for my entree, I had to have the pretzel bread stick from my bread basket.






While it was good, it did make me miss the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup even more.



Photo from my family's lunch in March 2013


I love this soup, especially when accompanied by the pretzel bread sticks for dunking. But sadly I knew that I couldn't eat both the soup and an entree so no soup for me this time.




Soon my chosen entree was delivered...


Le Cellier Filet Mignon - AAA Canadian Beef Tenderloin, Wild Mushroom Risotto, Heirloom Toy Box Tomatoes, and Truffle-Butter Sauce



And a close-up shot...




This looked really good, but sadly it wasn't nearly as good as last time. The quality of meat was not great. I've actually had better filets at Outback Steakhouse for less than half the price. The Wild Mushroom Risotto was good, but I preferred the English Pea Risotto that accompanied the filet last time. I know, I know. You many Le Cellier mushroom risotto fans are probably looking at the screen right now in utter disbelief.


Anyway, I either didn't even look at the dessert menu or I did look and forgot to take a photo. I'm guessing that I didn't even tempt myself by looking because at this point I was more than full and had less than 5 hours before I would be eating again...and in a BIG WAY!


​

Next up: My First-ever Party for the Senses

 

[Scoobymoons]

Ok, drooling on the computer is not good for it Can't wait to read about the party - sounds amazing!

 

[RunnerMommyof4]

Question because I'm new can you get the cheddar cheese soup from a walk up location by chance? I know that's not a restaurant my family would want to eat at but I love cheddar cheese soup!

 

[vettegirl]

Oh I know what you are talking about food and wine on the weekends is intense with crowds!! It's butt check to cheek haha! That's a shame your filet wasn't as good as before. We haven't been since it became a signature as we love the Yachtsman so much.

 

[cynditech]

Hey Barb, I'm just seeing your report here for the first time - and loving it. I was trying to figure out where I saw your username before - on Instagram!!! Mine is cynditech1 I'm having a great time looking through all of your pictures and descriptions! Thanks for sharing!

I was so jealous - going aways back - at how soon you got to see Jack & Sally at MNSSHP. We were there around the same time last year - and our wait was closer to 2 hours (even though we lined up well before the party)!

And I had to LOL about the crowds at F&W - we thought it was absolutely crazy last year - I'd never seen crowds like that before (that was our 3rd F&W). Of course, that doesn't stop me from wanting to do it again!

 

[auntfrannie]

It's always so sad to have a disappointing meal when previous experiences were better. Thanks for the Carly Hall review...I was flipping through the channels one day and saw her on The Chew and was wondering who she was!

 

[goofy4prez]

Sorry to hear your recent trip to LeCellier was rather unspectacular. I have to admit though I was not surprised. I highly doubt I will ever set foot in LC again. I jumped off the LC bandwagon well before it ever became a signature restaurant.

 

[ursalita]

Oh, no. You've had better steaks at the Outback. That is not good.

I hope your day improved, food-wise.

 

[kastoney]

You are right that steak looks absolutely amazing, too bad it didnt taste that way. Maybe the Australian steaks headed for outback got lost in Canada? Did it have any truffle taste?

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

I'm sad you couldn't give Le Cellier a better report Barb. I haven't been there in a long time since before it became a Signature restaurant. At least the pretzel bread was still awesome.

We are staying at the Poly next trip so there is no excuse to not head over to GFC for the French toast just gotta pry Chase out of bed.