Mom & Son-One More Time w/Dad! 11 days of DxDDP-10/21, Grand Finale, FF Chef's Table!

So many updates! Everything at Les Chefs looks super delicious right now, and the fireworks cruise sounds awesome. :goodvibes
 
Wow, I had a lot to catch up on - I am soooooo behind with everyone's reviews :coffee:

We love Tokyo Dining and you have just made me want to go back - especially for the sake-rita ::yes::

Thanks so much for the Illuminations Cruise review as this is something I am looking to book for our next trip - it looks wonderful :goodvibes

I've yet to try Chefs so that's on the list for next time :thumbsup2
 
Another great set of reviews, Vicki! I really enjoyed hearing about your Illuminations cruise, so wanted to be sure and thank you for including that in your report. Also, I'm very much looking forward to the grand finale... your Flying Fish - Chef's Table review. And the best part is that I won't be too sad when your report ends because I know there will be another report coming very soon. :cool1:

Thanks, Barb! I am so excited about our November trip! I am usually so sad this time of year going thru serious Disney withdrawals!

Wow! You really turned up the pace with the reviews today - you are putting me to shame!!! :rotfl2:

I was so glad to see your Chefs de France review for dinner because I have always hesitated to book anything but lunch since I prefer that menu... but you review proved that I have nothing to fear and can expand my horizons a bit.

What a great view with your Illuminations cruise... after experiencing the show that way I would have a hard time going back to standing 4 deep in a crowd to see the show!

I'm looking forward to your FF Chef's table review! :goodvibes

We didn't have the best dinner at Chefs in the past so I was a bit hesitant but I am glad we went. Our meal was pretty good!

Yeah, I am going to have a very hard time watching Illuminations from anywhere other than that boat! It was so nice!

oh nooo!!! When did this happen? This is my favorite thing. First Citrico's takes the gateau of crab off the menu. Now this!!!

I saw a recent menu and they were replaced by mussels. I am sooo bummed.

I am finally caught , Vicki! Amazing reviews and thank you for the info on the Illuminations cruise. I can't wait for your Flying Fish Chef's table!

The strawberry shortcake from Les Chefs has definitely caught my eye!

Thank you! I will get that last review written up some time this week!

So many updates! Everything at Les Chefs looks super delicious right now, and the fireworks cruise sounds awesome. :goodvibes

The cruise was really amazing. I wouldn't rank Chefs anywhere near the signatures but it was a nice meal.

Wow, I had a lot to catch up on - I am soooooo behind with everyone's reviews :coffee:

We love Tokyo Dining and you have just made me want to go back - especially for the sake-rita ::yes::

Thanks so much for the Illuminations Cruise review as this is something I am looking to book for our next trip - it looks wonderful :goodvibes

I've yet to try Chefs so that's on the list for next time :thumbsup2

Yes, the sake-rita was really tasty! Definitely book the Cruise! It was such a special experience!
 
I've only recently discovered trip and dining reports (likely to be my new addiction!), and I have really enjoyed reading yours. I'm planning our family's first WDW trip for January. Our DS is 6 now, so this trip is pretty much guaranteed to be magical for him. But reading this, I'm hoping in about 10 years we are able to have as great an experience with him as a teenager at WDW as you guys had with your DS. I'm looking forward to finding out how the experience changes as my guy grows in the years to come.
 


An indulgent pic ... possibly my favorite pic of this trip ... DS being Goofy

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To my family that asks ... Why always Disney? This is why! He can be a kid in Disney![/QUOTE]

Having two sons 22 and 20 I love this picture! I miss my sons being kids this would have made my day!
 
I've only recently discovered trip and dining reports (likely to be my new addiction!), and I have really enjoyed reading yours. I'm planning our family's first WDW trip for January. Our DS is 6 now, so this trip is pretty much guaranteed to be magical for him. But reading this, I'm hoping in about 10 years we are able to have as great an experience with him as a teenager at WDW as you guys had with your DS. I'm looking forward to finding out how the experience changes as my guy grows in the years to come.

Having two sons 22 and 20 I love this picture! I miss my sons being kids this would have made my day!

Wow, both of these posts made me a bit weepy this morning! Thank you both so much.

My son was pretty much hooked at the age of 8 and thankfully still is. He was on the phone frantically hitting re-dial right along with me last night for the AP FLE preview. And certainly not because he cares about the new FL in the least, but he knows it means a lot to me to see it. (Yes, after two hours we finally got our spot!). I am blessed to have Andrew for a son.
 
Ok, time to finally finish this review! I don’t think I have ever taken this long.

Our first night Andrew and I went to a Flying Fish Chef’s Table dinner. I was a bit nervous booking this as we are not big seafood eaters. I thought that we would be served whatever the planned meal of the night was and we would have to deal with it. Well, I actually got a call a few days before the meal asking if we had any allergies or just food dislikes. I told the girl that called that we did not eat shrimp or crab. She then asked about raw fish and since it was before we realized we like sushi, I told her no. I was very pleasantly surprised that the meal is at least somewhat tailored to your likes/dislikes.
We got to FF right as they were opening and had to wait a few minutes to be seated. Once we were, we realized that we were the only ones at the Chef’s Table …which is really the counter in front of the kitchen area. How cool!

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Our place settings …

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Part of the problem with waiting this long to finish up this review is that neither of us can remember the name of our waitress. I feel bad because she was very good. Very attentive, exceptional service. The Chef also came out and introduced himself. That we remember, Trevor. Very young but very personable. Explained the dishes very well and included stories of his growing up and how his likes and dislikes have changed.
We each received a separate menu, mine with the wine pairings and Andrew with special non-alcoholic drink pairings. He was afraid of getting things like Shirley Temples but was very wrong … he ended up really enjoying his drinks.

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At first glance, I was thrilled with the menu. We liked just about everything. The meat course was veal which we do not usually eat but I figured we would give it a go. Well, Andrew was upset on principal at the thought of eating the veal. Trevor went over the menu with us and asked if everything looked good. I mentioned the veal and he said no problem at all, they would keep the same setup and just swap for steak. Yay!

On to the food … our first course was the Amuse Bouches: Duck sausage-laced Arancini di Carnacoli, White truffle infused Aioli, tiny greens and aged balsamico drizzle. Mine with Prosecco Jeto Brut; Andrew’s with an apple cider sparkler.

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OMG was this good. Andrew has declared it the best bite of food he has ever put in his mouth. The outside was slightly crispy, the inside soft and so flavorful. And the truffle aioli! If I could have gotten a whole container of it I would have eaten it with a spoon.

Next up was the bread with salted butter …

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This was really a nice bread. Crusty on the outside, soft in the middle. We didn’t want to fill up on it and yet couldn’t stop picking at it.

Our first course: Pan-roasted Maine Diver Scallop, pineapple tomatillos and Heirloom radishes with a shellfish roe butter emulsion. Mine with Damilano and Andrew’s with Yuzu pomogranite lemonade.

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I was so happy to see a scallop on our menu. It is the one seafood that Andrew and I really enjoy. And this one was cooked perfectly. I really enjoyed the tomatillos and radishes, Andrew not so much. I had never had cooked radishes before. Cooking them takes away their spiciness, the flavor became very subtle. And the wine! It was beyond perfect with this dish. Very crisp. I keep meaning to look for it is our local wine shop as it was a really good white wine.

Second course: Oak-grilled local Cape Canaveral Cobia, summer squash, baby eggplant, roasted fennel, vine ripe peppers and yellow tomato coulis. Mine with Crios Malbec, Andrew’s with a (virgin) Blood Orange margarita

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This was probably my favorite course. I had never had (or even heard of) cobia before and what a wonderful fish. Nice and light but with a great flavor. And the tomato coulis was so good I wanted to lick the plate. I am not usually a fan of Malbec wine and would not have thought to pair it with a mild white fish but of course it went perfectly. You learn something new everyday!

The intermezzo was a pineapple sorbet with a shot of coconut rum … of course, Andrew’s was without the rum.

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I definitely did not need a shot of coconut rum after a glass of champagne and two glasses of wine! I poured a bit and the flavor was amazing. This would be something I want to have at home on a summer evening.

Main Course: Porcini=dusted Marcho Farm’s Steak (was supposed to be veal tenderloin), purple potatoes, chiogga beets, chanterelle and lobster mushrooms with a cassis, port wine and veal reduction sauce. Mine with Cyan Tinta de Toro; Andrew’s with black currant soda

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This was a big, bold red that I did not enjoy on it’s own. But again, with the steak it was good. This was my least favorite of the wines, but still good with the meal. The steak was perfect. Tender, flavorful, melt in your mouth good. And I love chiogga beets so I was really happy to see them on the menu. Andrew, again, not so much which was good for me because I got to eat his!

The dessert course: Mascarpone-stuffed sinful chocolate torta, aged cognac-scented bing cherry compote. Mine with Framboise; Andrew’s with a Chocolate Elvis

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Oddly enough, this was our least favorite course. I don’t really like framboise but did have a sip with the cake to verify that I still don’t like it. The chocolate Elvis was amazing … chocolate, banana and peanut butter. Really, really good and a dessert in itself. The chocolate cake was good but very rich. Neither of us cared for the cherries. But at this point we were both stuffed and I admit, I was definitely buzzed. The dinner took about an hour and a half. That was a lot of alcohol for me in a short amount of time! I am very glad we were taking a cab.

So there it is … my favorite meal of all time not only in Walt Disney World, but probably ever. I loved feeling special. I loved the flavor combinations and trying new things. I really cannot wait until we can do it again. I am really hoping next August with Andrew and on future trips with Jay. It was very pricey but worth every penny and more.
 


Thank you all for reading & commenting. I really love reliving our trips thru these reviews. Usually I am in a huge Disney funk this time of year thinking that our next trip is almost a year away. I am so excited that Andrew and I will be back in less than three weeks. I know it is going to be crazy crowded at food & wine and that we could end up bugging out after only a few tastes but that will be Ok. We are going to MVMCP for the first time and I was able to get the AP Fantasyland Preview passes. We will see the Osborne Lights and Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade (which we missed on our Christmas trip in '09). And, of course, we will eat. I have already changed our reservations from what I have probably posted here and in the Live thread. I am not going to post our plans and just let you all be surprised! I really cannot wait. What a special treat. How ironic that it is only possible because I was fired from my job! :laughing:
 
Thanks for sharing your Flying Fish Chef's Table review....I've had my eye on it but haven't seen many reviews. It sounds great.

Enjoy your next trip!

Jill in CO
 
Fantastic Flying Fish Finale, Vicki! How did you like all those F's? :lmao: But actually your Dining Report definitely deserves an A+ for a job well done! :thumbsup2

Can't wait for your November trip to start! :banana: And very fun that you are keeping your dining plans a surprise this time. ;)
 
The Flying Fish Chef's Table looks awesome! And it's so exciting that your next trip is so soon - things definitely seem to have worked out for the best! :goodvibes
 
Thanks for sharing your Flying Fish Chef's Table review....I've had my eye on it but haven't seen many reviews. It sounds great.

Enjoy your next trip!

Jill in CO

Yes, it was wonderful ... do it if you can!

Fantastic Flying Fish Finale, Vicki! How did you like all those F's? :lmao: But actually your Dining Report definitely deserves an A+ for a job well done! :thumbsup2

Can't wait for your November trip to start! :banana: And very fun that you are keeping your dining plans a surprise this time. ;)

Love the F's! :lmao: Thank you for the A+ grade! As DS said, I will probably change my mind right up to the day we leave so it may be a surprise to me too! :laughing:

The Flying Fish Chef's Table looks awesome! And it's so exciting that your next trip is so soon - things definitely seem to have worked out for the best! :goodvibes

Yes, things definitely have. And yes, our dinner was fantastic. Reliving it today made me realize how much I want to do it again. Looking forward to your next trip as well ... whenever that may be!
 
I loved your review of the Flying Fish Chef's Table Wine Dinner. I rarely read reviews of it on the boards. We booked this dinner last fall for the first time and loved every bite. It was such a highlight, that we will be going again in just two weeks time!

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your reviews with us. I have been definitely enjoying reading them.
 
I loved your review of the Flying Fish Chef's Table Wine Dinner. I rarely read reviews of it on the boards. We booked this dinner last fall for the first time and loved every bite. It was such a highlight, that we will be going again in just two weeks time!

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your reviews with us. I have been definitely enjoying reading them.

Oh, I am so jealous that you are having the Chefs Table in a couple of weeks! ENJOY!
 
Great finish to your reviews! I love the chefs table review. That is something I would definitely enjoy! Will they let you split the wine pairing or is automatically part of the dinner? I am not sure I would remember dessert if I drank that much! Lol
 
Great finish to your reviews! I love the chefs table review. That is something I would definitely enjoy! Will they let you split the wine pairing or is automatically part of the dinner? I am not sure I would remember dessert if I drank that much! Lol

There is a set price so the wine is automatically included. Even though DS is only 16, I had to pay full price for him. At first I thought they should have just let me have his wine since I technically paid for it but you are right ... I had more than enough!
 
Thank you so much for the excellent reviews, Vicki. I really loved your finale chef's table review. I can't wait for your November trip!
 
Vicki what an awesome dinner and such special memories that you shared it with Andrew!! How exciting that you will be back in such a short time - I definitely look forward to hearing all about your dining adventures (including any F&W) and the party!!

Just shows that things work out for a reason!

We may see you again next August too! :)
 

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