We recieved our welcome bread while our server was gone.
It was taken away after Jon had eaten a few pieces, because our server noticed that it had been placed on the table without checking with her first. We explained that it was fine for Jon, but I don't think we ever got more bread - and that was a good thing!
Our server brought out the chef after a few minutes. He was a very tall and very large man. Now, I feel absolutely horrible for what I'm about to say.. But I can't remember our chef's name. I
want to say it was Chef Stacey, because I remember thinking the chef was going to be a woman when our server said his name. But I honestly can't remember if that was it or not.
But, the review must go on.
The chef seemed very rushed and tired (understandable - it was getting close to closing time). But our server seemed to be on good terms with him, as she joked that we were hoping for Chef TJ. She told us she would do this, because it would make him want to show off.
I was glad for this, because I think it worked! He explained that they had a tofu dish that they made for their vegan diners, and that we could have that. I had heard about this dish beforehand, so I figured it would be fine. He also mentioned that the side dishes (noodles and vegetables) were both vegan, as is.
Once both the chef and our server left, we yet again had food placed on our table without anyone checking on the ingredients. This time, it was the Mixed Greens with Key Lime Vinegarette:
I put some on my plate and proceeded to eat some, before the chef came out with another salad and told me to stop eating. He told me the dressing had honey in it, and put the new salad on the table. I believe the new salad had another fruit vinegarette, but I can't recall what it was (that's what I get for waiting so long to finish these reviews!)
New salad:
I wish the first salad didn't have honey, because I liked that dressing much more. I've been meaning to try to recreate it with agave nectar from recipes I've seen online. I'll have to do that soon
But, anyway.. Before our side dishes arrived, the lady with the ukulele that was walking around asked everyone that was celebrating true love to get up and come dance. I really wanted one of those leis, so I made Jon go up there with me.
We only had to dance for about a minute or two (thank goodness!) and she gave us both leis and then we went back to our seats. Soon after we returned, our side dishes arrived:
Peanut Noodles
Stir-fried vegetables (mostly broccoli)
I loved both of these dishes. As I've said before, noodles are one of my favorite things to eat and there's nothing better than perfectly cooked broccoli
Right after the side dishes arrived, the chef brought out the standard tofu dish that's given to vegetarians:
I was really happy when we got it, as it looked awesome. But once I tasted it, is was
way too sweet for my tastes. I attempted to eat more, since I thought that would be all I was going to get. But I just couldn't eat much more of it and proceeded to eat more of the noodles and broccoli.
Ten minutes later, the chef came back out with another dish:
Sweet and Sour Tofu over white rice. After he placed it on our table, he said there was more comng! I was shocked! Our server's trick to get the chef to try to show off had worked, and I was beaming. I couldn't wait to see all the food we were going to get.
I tried our new entree, and I was in love. This was probably some of the best tofu I've ever had. The sauce was phenomenal, and the breading was super crisp and crunchy. I tried to hold back from this one, as I wanted to save room for whatever was next.
Within three minutes, another dish arrived:
Coconut-crusted tofu with peanut sauce. This dish could have been amazing, had the tofu been marinated beforehand. I understand this wasn't possible, as the chef had been given very short notice. But the coconut breading was great, and I appreciated the effort.
Six minutes later, this dish arrived:
The chef explained how they served a steak with a teriyaki-pinapple glaze at the Kona Cafe, so he made us Pan-Fried Tofu with a Teriyaki-Pinapple glaze with roasted potatoes and stir-fried broccolini.
Again, the tofu would have been amazing with a bit of time to marinate, but it was still really awesome! The potatoes and broccolini were great, as was the sauce. I was very impressed with all our chef tried to get done in such a short amount of time with very little notice.
Soon, our table looked like this:
All this food, for only two people! Me and Jon nearly destroyed our stomachs trying to cram all this in. We were so appreciative of everything both our server and the chef had done for us.
At 10:00, Wishes started. There were quite a few heads between us and the window, so our view wasn't the best. But it was still a great thing to experience just once.
I can imagine it would have been much better at a table by the window.
After the fireworks, our server came back and asked if we would like to take the rest of our food with us. It didn't occur to me that we could do this, but we said of course! She brought back a bunch of plastic containers and me and Jon loaded up all our favorites from the meal until we ended up with this:
The chef came by one last time to see how we liked everything, and we thanked him as much as we possibly could. I don't believe he offered us dessert, but I also don't think we could have fit anything else inside of our bodies at that point. I had never been more full in my entire life. Our server gave us a bag for out leftovers and we left the restaurant (afer paying and leaving a huge tip, of course!)
On our way out, I took a few more pictures of the nearly empty restaurant:
We decided to take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom, as it was open until midnight. We really just wanted it to be our last park, and we both wanted to ride Pirates and the Haunted Mansion one last time. We just walked around, taking in all the beauty of the park, riding our two favorite rides, and just enjoying our last few minutes in the happiest place on Earth.
When we got back to the Poly, we got in our car and headed back to Pop. When we got back to our room, there was a signed photo of Mickey and Minnie laying on our bed! What a great way to end a perfect day, and a perfect vacation
Coming Up: DTD Rainforest Cafe (ugh) and store-bought snacks around World Showcase