Marathon Weekend Dining Adventures (updated 4/13 - The End)
- Thread starter jessily
- Start date
wdwfanatic316
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Tangeriene (sp) Cafe sounds great! Can't wait to hear about California Grill!
MTW
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Thanks!
Disney is definitely a great place to run your first race. I'm a slow runner as well! That's another reason is a great place to run... there are many walkers and run/walkers at Disney events so as a slow runner I was in the middle of the pack. I'm thinking about using a run/walk schedule for the full marathon.
Best of luck with your training!
Enjoying your reviews!
I second that - Disney is the best for running your first race. After my second child I decided it was time to get in shape (last January) so I signed up for the full, thinking that I would have to train once I laid out $125. I had never run more than a 5K. I ran a 10 miler, 10K an 1/2 marathon in the latter part of last year and I finished pretty close to the back of the pack in all of them. I finished the Disney marathon in the first half of the pack - barely but who's counting right? BTW, I'm a DR poster too! Love that site.
Also, your picture of the moon on Sat night is great. It was amazing!
OT - I played field hockey for Drexel in the late 90's...I saw your DBF's sweatshirt in your post-race pics. Go Dragons!
momofdbsdc
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Great reviews Jessica! Congratulations on the marathon!!!!
Thanks for sharing!
Kim
momofdbsdca
Thanks for sharing!
Kim
momofdbsdca
jessily
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Congrats on finishing the marathon! Your time is very impressive to me
Are you going back next year? We loved Drexel! Are you still in the Philadelphia area?
Both were delicious, but I preferred the chicken pot pie
Thanks!
It's now one of our favorites too
Review coming up...
jessily
DIS Veteran
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- Nov 11, 2007
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- 819
Sunday 1/11 - California Grill
Sunday evening we had a 6:05 reservation for California Grill and Wishes was scheduled for 8. We planned to head to MK EMH after dinner, so we were just going to see where we ended up watching Wishes.
We checked in at the desk around 5:55 and asked if we could wait for a table by the window (we said that we didn't mind waiting for as long as necessary). They said it was noted on my reservation that we were celebrating my birthday (my bday was a few days before) and gave me a birthday button. We took the elevator up to the restaurant and settled in at the bar just as our buzzer went off. That was fast! The restaurant was still pretty empty at this point. We were led over to a table by one of the managers who said, "as you requested, a MK view." We had to laugh at that one as we were as far from the windows as you could get, but if we stood up and stood on our tippy toes, we could in fact see the top of the castle
We didn't mind as we weren't planning to hang out at the table for Wishes, but the view sure would have been nice. The view was spectacular! I could have stayed up there all night just looking over at the MK. Our table was decorated with Mickey confetti, so that explains the 5 second wait
I can't say enough good things about the service here. Our waiter was wonderful and really encouraged us to take our time (one of my biggest pet peeves is being rushed at restaurants, especially expensive ones). We order the Cheese Plate to start with and some drinks:
The cheese plate had 5 kinds of cheese and we really enjoyed it. I think I preferred the one we had at Jiko on our last trip, but there was nothing wrong with this one. Just a preference thing. We love trying the cheese plate wherever we go. Our waiter gave us time to finish the cheese plate while reading over the menus before coming to get our order (again, love the slow, but attentive, service). I ordered the Pan-roasted Grouper Fillet with olive oil crushed potatoes, cipollini onions and red wine butter sauce ($34):
and DBF ordered the Seared Scallops with fregola pasta, bacon, almonds, cauliflower puree, wild mushrooms and cider reduction ($36):
Sorry for the dark photos. Our entrees were amazing! I'm not a huge fan of scallops, but everything else on that plate was to die for. I don't usually like cauliflower or mushrooms, but I couldn't get enough of it. The red wine butter sauce with the potatoes on my dish was also great. I only wish I had a bigger appetite so I could have eaten more at this meal!
Our waiter brought the dessert menu and we just couldn't decide what to get. I was really stuffed and didn't want to over do it since we were headed to MK after the fireworks. We decided no dessert and ordered one last drink to take outside with us. A few minutes later he showed up with a piece of chocolate cake saying "I can't let you celebrate your birthday without cake. It's not as good as our other desserts, but it's still really good." He also brought out a card:
The cake was delicious (it had a raspberry sauce on it
), but we were still stuffed and could only manage a few bites. This was a surprise that made our night really special.
Once the bill was settled we headed out to the balcony to watch Wishes. It was filling up fast, but we managed to get a spot near the railing. Now whenever people have talked about this in trip reports before, I always imagined it to be a really small balcony
It was huge! A looooong walkway. There was also a second one, but that was further from MK and not many people were over there.
I still can't get over the view. It was beautiful! Like I said earlier, I could have stayed up there all night. I've seen Wishes more times than I can count, and this experience is definitely up there on the list.
We will definitely be back to California Grill on future trips. We're torn whether we like this or Jiko better. I guess we'll just have to keep experimenting
I think next time we will consider getting there when the restaurant opens and trying to get a seat in the lounge/bar area or getting sushi from the counter instead of going for a whole meal at a table. I've read reports of people saying California Grill is loud and chaotic with kids everywhere. We didn't find this to be the case. There were a few well behaved kids around, and the restaurant was bustling, but generally pretty quiet. It was a great experience and we can't wait to return!
Up Next: Lunch at the Biergarten
Sunday evening we had a 6:05 reservation for California Grill and Wishes was scheduled for 8. We planned to head to MK EMH after dinner, so we were just going to see where we ended up watching Wishes.
We checked in at the desk around 5:55 and asked if we could wait for a table by the window (we said that we didn't mind waiting for as long as necessary). They said it was noted on my reservation that we were celebrating my birthday (my bday was a few days before) and gave me a birthday button. We took the elevator up to the restaurant and settled in at the bar just as our buzzer went off. That was fast! The restaurant was still pretty empty at this point. We were led over to a table by one of the managers who said, "as you requested, a MK view." We had to laugh at that one as we were as far from the windows as you could get, but if we stood up and stood on our tippy toes, we could in fact see the top of the castle
We didn't mind as we weren't planning to hang out at the table for Wishes, but the view sure would have been nice. The view was spectacular! I could have stayed up there all night just looking over at the MK. Our table was decorated with Mickey confetti, so that explains the 5 second wait I can't say enough good things about the service here. Our waiter was wonderful and really encouraged us to take our time (one of my biggest pet peeves is being rushed at restaurants, especially expensive ones). We order the Cheese Plate to start with and some drinks:
The cheese plate had 5 kinds of cheese and we really enjoyed it. I think I preferred the one we had at Jiko on our last trip, but there was nothing wrong with this one. Just a preference thing. We love trying the cheese plate wherever we go. Our waiter gave us time to finish the cheese plate while reading over the menus before coming to get our order (again, love the slow, but attentive, service). I ordered the Pan-roasted Grouper Fillet with olive oil crushed potatoes, cipollini onions and red wine butter sauce ($34):
and DBF ordered the Seared Scallops with fregola pasta, bacon, almonds, cauliflower puree, wild mushrooms and cider reduction ($36):
Sorry for the dark photos. Our entrees were amazing! I'm not a huge fan of scallops, but everything else on that plate was to die for. I don't usually like cauliflower or mushrooms, but I couldn't get enough of it. The red wine butter sauce with the potatoes on my dish was also great. I only wish I had a bigger appetite so I could have eaten more at this meal!
Our waiter brought the dessert menu and we just couldn't decide what to get. I was really stuffed and didn't want to over do it since we were headed to MK after the fireworks. We decided no dessert and ordered one last drink to take outside with us. A few minutes later he showed up with a piece of chocolate cake saying "I can't let you celebrate your birthday without cake. It's not as good as our other desserts, but it's still really good." He also brought out a card:
The cake was delicious (it had a raspberry sauce on it
), but we were still stuffed and could only manage a few bites. This was a surprise that made our night really special.Once the bill was settled we headed out to the balcony to watch Wishes. It was filling up fast, but we managed to get a spot near the railing. Now whenever people have talked about this in trip reports before, I always imagined it to be a really small balcony
It was huge! A looooong walkway. There was also a second one, but that was further from MK and not many people were over there. I still can't get over the view. It was beautiful! Like I said earlier, I could have stayed up there all night. I've seen Wishes more times than I can count, and this experience is definitely up there on the list.
We will definitely be back to California Grill on future trips. We're torn whether we like this or Jiko better. I guess we'll just have to keep experimenting
I think next time we will consider getting there when the restaurant opens and trying to get a seat in the lounge/bar area or getting sushi from the counter instead of going for a whole meal at a table. I've read reports of people saying California Grill is loud and chaotic with kids everywhere. We didn't find this to be the case. There were a few well behaved kids around, and the restaurant was bustling, but generally pretty quiet. It was a great experience and we can't wait to return!Up Next: Lunch at the Biergarten
cmfranklyn
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Thanks for sharing! This is making me hungry!
MickeyNicki
It is pretty darn sad when a valet picks you out a
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Cali Grill looks and sounds great! Cannot wait to try it in Oct
jessily
DIS Veteran
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- 819
Wow, I fell off the bandwagon on this dining report. Sorry about that! Lets see if I can finish this up.
Monday 1/12 - Biergarten
We considered going to MK Monday morning for breakfast, but after EMH there on Sunday we were exhausted and decided to sleep in (or rather, slept right through our alarm
)
At noon we were meeting up with a group from the Disney Running community for lunch at Biergarten. We had dinner there on our last trip and were lucky to be seated with a great family who we had a blast with. We were excited to go back (and excited that lunch was cheaper than dinner!).
We strolled from the BC through the International Gateway and started making our way toward Germany. We stopped in the UK for a beer at Rose and Crown. The place was empty (at 11:30 in the morning
).
Upon arrival in Germany we were faced with a sea of orange
They got us all in and seated very quickly. Considering the number of us that showed up at one time they really did a great job getting our drinks out quickly. Then a few dozen hungry runners hit the buffet at once.
I didn't take any food pictures here, but we really enjoyed everything. As far as buffets go, we love Biergarten. Even more than the food, I really enjoy the atmosphere. It has the same kind of outdoors at night theme that the Mexico pavilion does. Here are some pictures:
The band came out to play and everyone had a ball. Biergarten is a great time!
Up Next: Snacking around the world
Monday 1/12 - Biergarten
We considered going to MK Monday morning for breakfast, but after EMH there on Sunday we were exhausted and decided to sleep in (or rather, slept right through our alarm
)At noon we were meeting up with a group from the Disney Running community for lunch at Biergarten. We had dinner there on our last trip and were lucky to be seated with a great family who we had a blast with. We were excited to go back (and excited that lunch was cheaper than dinner!).
We strolled from the BC through the International Gateway and started making our way toward Germany. We stopped in the UK for a beer at Rose and Crown. The place was empty (at 11:30 in the morning
).
Upon arrival in Germany we were faced with a sea of orange
They got us all in and seated very quickly. Considering the number of us that showed up at one time they really did a great job getting our drinks out quickly. Then a few dozen hungry runners hit the buffet at once.
I didn't take any food pictures here, but we really enjoyed everything. As far as buffets go, we love Biergarten. Even more than the food, I really enjoy the atmosphere. It has the same kind of outdoors at night theme that the Mexico pavilion does. Here are some pictures:
The band came out to play and everyone had a ball. Biergarten is a great time!
Up Next: Snacking around the world
wilma-bride
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Glad you cam back to finish your reviews - Biergarten always sounds as though it's a lot of fun.
jessily
DIS Veteran
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Thanks for reading!
jessily
DIS Veteran
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- Nov 11, 2007
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- 819
Monday 1/12 - Snacking around the World
After a buffet lunch at Biergarten we spent the rest of the day wandering Epcot. One of our favorite things to do is spend the day at Epcot and snack around the World Showcase as we go. This edition of the dining review covers about 8 hours, so we weren't eating and drinking quite as much as it might seem
First up were margaritas from the Margarita Stand in Mexico. Always a favorite. We usually both go with lime, but this time I got the fiesta margarita which is 4 flavors (lime, strawberry, mango and kiwi). It looked delicious... it tasted awful
Something was off with it and looking back I should have asked for a replacement, but I didn't, and DBF and I shared his lime margarita which was delicious
After visiting Norway and riding Maelstrom, we stopped in Germany for a beer on our way to see Miyuki. She's amazing!
Sometime around nightfall we found ourselves back in Mexico and ran into the Disney Running gang who had been enjoying quite a few beverages in World Showcase all afternoon. We grabbed an order of nachos from Cantina de San Angel ($7.95) and 2 more lime margaritas and joined them. These nachos are nothing special, but boy do they taste good when you're tired and hungry. They're purely junk food (think nacho cheese, sour cream and refried beans) but we always seem to end up sharing a plate (or rather styrofoam container) at least once per trip.
After watching a few movies in World Showcase we ended up at the Boulangerie Patisserie in France. On past trips I had seen a cheese plate here that looked good. This night it looked very very bad so we ended up getting some sort of pizza looking thing to share. This was a huge disappointment and we wouldn't get it again
Last but not least we settled into our usual spot for Illuminations right next to Crepes des Chefs de France. We ordered 2 chocolate crepes ($3.76 each) and 2 Grey Goose Citron Slushes
A perfect way to end a wonderful day in Epcot.
Up Next: my first (and last
) French Toast Loaf
After a buffet lunch at Biergarten we spent the rest of the day wandering Epcot. One of our favorite things to do is spend the day at Epcot and snack around the World Showcase as we go. This edition of the dining review covers about 8 hours, so we weren't eating and drinking quite as much as it might seem
First up were margaritas from the Margarita Stand in Mexico. Always a favorite. We usually both go with lime, but this time I got the fiesta margarita which is 4 flavors (lime, strawberry, mango and kiwi). It looked delicious... it tasted awful
Something was off with it and looking back I should have asked for a replacement, but I didn't, and DBF and I shared his lime margarita which was delicious
After visiting Norway and riding Maelstrom, we stopped in Germany for a beer on our way to see Miyuki. She's amazing!
Sometime around nightfall we found ourselves back in Mexico and ran into the Disney Running gang who had been enjoying quite a few beverages in World Showcase all afternoon. We grabbed an order of nachos from Cantina de San Angel ($7.95) and 2 more lime margaritas and joined them. These nachos are nothing special, but boy do they taste good when you're tired and hungry. They're purely junk food (think nacho cheese, sour cream and refried beans) but we always seem to end up sharing a plate (or rather styrofoam container) at least once per trip.
After watching a few movies in World Showcase we ended up at the Boulangerie Patisserie in France. On past trips I had seen a cheese plate here that looked good. This night it looked very very bad so we ended up getting some sort of pizza looking thing to share. This was a huge disappointment and we wouldn't get it again
Last but not least we settled into our usual spot for Illuminations right next to Crepes des Chefs de France. We ordered 2 chocolate crepes ($3.76 each) and 2 Grey Goose Citron Slushes
A perfect way to end a wonderful day in Epcot.
Up Next: my first (and last
) French Toast Loaftweetylori
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Great report...I love to get my thrills vicariously, and yours is a great way to do it...thanks!
wdwfanatic316
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Welcome back!
Thanks for the great pics of Biergarten. It makes me want to ty it just for the atmosphere!
Thanks for the great pics of Biergarten. It makes me want to ty it just for the atmosphere!
maslex
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Thursday January 8th - Safari Pretzel Cart
I may as well get my Spicy Cheese Pretzel fixation out in the open right now. I'm addictedIt's a soft pretzel filled with melted jalapeno cheese. On our last trip we only visited Epcot and MK. I only knew of 2 places that sold Spicy Cheese Pretzels (The Launching Pad at MK and Min and Bill's Dockside Diner at DHS). Imagine my horror when I found out they no longer sell them at MK
My flight landed at 9:05 am on Thursday, and by 12:30 I was in AK enjoying the much awaited Spicy Cheese Pretzel. I was so excited I took a bite before I remembered to pull out the camera:
If you haven't tried one of these beauties yet, I highly recommend it! and I'm not as crazy as I sound (well, not quite as crazy anyway)
This sounds like something right up my alley!!!! Do you know if this in on the dining plan as a snack? If so,
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