Sorry for the delay in posting updates....I have actually started a post on two separate occasions, only to have DS start having a meltdown both times and I had to stop.
Day 4 was another park hopping day. We had 8:40 ADRs for Kona Cafe. Why, you may ask yourself, would we go out of our way to have breakfast away from our hotel or a park on a day when we were already going to be jumping around? Two words: Tonga Toast. After much perusal of the food porn on this forum, I had decided that I had to try it. We arrived a few minutes before our ADRs, and I checked in at the stand. It must be pointed out at this point that English was not the hostess' first language, and she seemed to be struggling understanding my name and finding me in the computer. After a few minutes, I was on the verge of pulling out my daily schedule and giving her my confirmation number (I know, how big of a geek, am I?), when she finally located me, and after asking if they had an infant seat for DS, and being assured that they did, I joined DH by the railing overlooking the atrium. After about 10 minutes of trying to keep DD from throwing things over said railing ("But Mommy, he's doing it....why can't I?" she would cry as various young hooligans let fly with projectiles), I suddenly realized that all of the people who checked in after me were now seated, and yet our name had not been called yet. As if a fairy had read my thoughts, the hostess immediately called out our last name....only it was for a party of three, not a party of four like we were. As I have a not uncommon last name, I chalked it up to coincidence, and resumed my battle with DD. A few minutes later, our last name was called again....and yet again, it was for a party of 3. Thinking that perhaps the baby was not being counted as a person (easy enough mistake....he is pretty small), I went to the hostess stand to ask if she meant our party. Indeed we were not that party....it turns out she had pulled up someone's dinner reservation for that night, and not my breakfast ressie. I was assured that we would be seated shortly, and I reminded them that I needed an infant seat. Upon being led to our table, we find a high chair. Apparently, the hostess' command of English did not extend to the differences between the high chair and the infant seat any more than they did between my first name and some guy named David's first name. They did find us a table that could fit our stroller though, so about 20 minutes after we arrived, we were finally seated. At this point, DH, who didn't really understand the need to travel from pillar to post just for breakfast, pounces upon the waiter, and demands the only thing that he requires out of breakfast, which is coffee, or as I like to call it, his version of crack. DH was actually excited to be ordering coffee here, as I had enticed him into agreeing to going to Kona for breakfast with the words "French press" and "real coffee, not Nescafe swill". So you can imagine his disapointment when the waiter tells him that they are having a problem with the water lines which means they can't fill the press pots. He also mentions that the bathroom around the corner, which DD was in need of at this point, may not be working either for the same reason. I took DD to the bathroom anyhow, and it was working, so upon returning to the table, I tell DH to give it another shot at the press pot, which he does, and imagine our surprise when this time, the waiter says no problem. I should point out that our waiter did not seem terribly bright....when DH asked him if the Eggs Benedict were a pretty large portion, he described them as being the size of an english muffin and then topped with ham and eggs. Thanks....we really might have had trouble figuring that out ourselves. Anyhow, our food finally arrived....although I did not get my strawberry compote with the Tonga Toast, but at this point, who cares....and I must say the Tonga Toast was everything it is described as. Crunchy on the outside, and pillowy soft on the inside and filled with banana goodness...if you haven't tried it, you really should. DH did get the Eggs Benedict and it was quite good as well....very nice balance on the Hollandaise sauce, and DD got the Mickey pancake, which she devoured as she does anything that is covered in maple syrup. I will give Kona another try since the food really was good, but I think we will try dinner next time, and I think we will stay at the Poly as well since it was really a beautiful resort.
One funny side note about our trip to Kona.....I needed to take DS to the bathroom to change him after breakfast, and as I was pulling out his wipes and diapers, DH says, "Hey, I know that guy....I went to high school with him". Now this is something that I hear on a daily basis with DH whenever we step outside the house....he is forever saying that this guy looks familiar, and he knows that girl, and I generally just nod and smile, because after 11 years together I am tired of hearing it. And while most of the time he really does know the person, in my head I'm thinking, yeah, whatever, when he announced it this time. So I come out of the bathroom, and my jaw drops, because he's talking to the guy, and it turns out he really did go to high school with him! What are the odds of that?!?
We hopped on the monorail to head to MK (another reason why I think we will stay at the Poly next time....that monorail is so darn convenient), and spent the morning there doing some more rides. We then hopped back on the monorail and headed to Epcot. It was early afternoon at this point, and we were a little hungry and the kids were napping, so we headed for World Showcase. We decided that we would split a CS meal at the Cantina de San Angel, because they have a nice shaded outdoor eating area, so I hop in line and get us a combo meal. Since this is the Mexico pavilion, the CM's are of course all from Mexico, and therefore English is not their first language, either (are you sensing a theme here, people). After telling him that I wanted to use a DP credit, he presents me with my receipt and asks me to sign it. I get back to the table before it ocurs to me that I don't normally have to sign for the CS credits, and looking at my slip I realize that he has charged my room for the meal. DH goes back up to get it cleared up and to get DD a kids meal as she is now awake, while I dig in. For counter service Mexican, the food here is pretty decent. The combo platter, whic consisted of the strangest looking quesadilla I have ever seen, a burrito and an enchilada, with rice and beans, was plenty large enough for us to split, and was nice and hot and well seasoned, and DD's more normal looking quesadilla was quite good too and came with tortilla chips and cheese dip.
On our way through WS, we came upon the Joy of Tea stand in China. I was in need of some liquid refreshment, as it was very hot, and we ordered a Strawberry Oolong Slush, thinking we could use a snack credit for it. Turns out we couldn't, but it was refreshing nonetheless. The tea taste really comes through, which I was not expecting. It was very, very sweet though, and got sweeter the more we drank it, so if you don't like sweet drinks, I would not recommend trying it.
Dinner this night was at the Rose & Crown. I had reservations about booking this place, as the last few times I ate here (admittedly a long time ago) I didn't really like it, and I had read a lot of negative reviews on this board. But none of that could outweigh the main reason why I chose the R&C: alcohol. One look at the beverage menu, and my mind was made up. They have all of my favorites here... Cider, Black & Tans, Half & Halfs. I promise that I am not an alcoholic...actually I'm a lightweight when it comes to drinking, but I do really love English beverages, and I was willing to risk a crappy meal to get a properly poured pint. It turns out I needn't have worried....the food was excellent and DH and I rated this as one of our favorite meals of the trip. I started with the Potato and Leek soup, which was far superior to the more salty version I had at Biergarten. It was nice and thick and creamy, and I wanted to lick the bowl, but I restrained myself. DH got the cheese plate, which he pronounced excellent. While I enjoy cheese, two of the cheese on the plate were not to my tastes (the mushroom brie and the Stilton), so I did not partake of it, but he really enjoyed it. DH got the Steak and Fish for dinner, which he devoured. I didn't try his steak, but his fish and his mashed potatoes were great, and I got the lamb with Guiness BBQ sauce and gratineed pototoes. I am normally not a huge lamb fan, but after trying DH's at CRT, I decided to give it a try (it was the Guiness BBQ sauce that really enticed me), and this was yummy. The lamb was nice and tender, and the BBQ sauce was delicious. Another thing that I liked about dinner here was that the portions were not huge...so having an app, entree and dessert was for once, not too hard to finish. DD got the kids pizza....what can I say, it was the usual WDW kids pizza....nothing special. Dessert was truly outstanding. I got the Bailey's trifle and DH got the Sticky Toffee Pudding (for those of you not familiar with English desserts, this is not a pudding at all...it's actually a steamed cake). Both were absolutely delicious, and would warrant a trip back just for them. Add to that the plethora of cider and beer that we enjoyed, and it was just a great meal. We will definitely go back...in fact DH wants to replace Biergarten with R&C as his pick for dinner at Epcot.
Stay tuned....two more days to go, and I promise I will post them quicker this time.
Thank you hmgray95 for the info. You are the first to actually respond to my thread.
