No Longer coming to you Live from Disney World! Take 3 DDW'S TAMBU LOUNGE 8/6

[marshallsmommy]

Sue I just watched the parade today... it brought back great memories of a couple weeks ago!

I'm so glad that you were able to join us for one of our special dining events!

Thanks! It was great to meet all of you!
The whole time I watched the Parade I had to laugh at all the performers in their winter best, it was 86 degrees that day those poor people had to be cooking inside! We went to Epcot that day and were REALLY warm!

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Any guesses as to where we had lunch?

Barb,

So excited to see that you ladies have started your dining review. I can't think of anyone who deserved that CL upgrade more than you.

I will guess that you guys lunched at Chefs de France since you're already at the Pattisserie.

 

[JennyWren]

My guess....Via Napoli

 

[stitchaholic]

So we may try something a little different this year and head to Cali !!! the one thing I will truly miss is WDW dining ....however i am calling on all the DL experts I know hang around here to give me some great tips and maybe let me know if I can find a comparable breakfast buffet to Boma or Cape May somewhere in DLR

 

[JulieODC]

I'm so glad you've started your report!!!

Awesome about the upgrade Barb! That happened to us last year at WL --- it was such a fun surprise (to be honest, I doubt I'd pay for it myself --- but the convenience - esp at breakfast and for a glass of wine/beer at night -- was hard to beat!)

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[emmysmommy]

So we may try something a little different this year and head to Cali !!! the one thing I will truly miss is WDW dining ....however i am calling on all the DL experts I know hang around here to give me some great tips and maybe let me know if I can find a comparable breakfast buffet to Boma or Cape May somewhere in DLR

Hi there! There are a couple character buffets at the Disney hotels that you may want to consider. Storytellers has Chip/Dale and Brother Bear characters at the Grand Californian. Goofy's Kitchen at DL Hotel has character dining as well. At the Paradise Pier hotel there is a buffet with Mickey and Friends but I've not been to that so I can't share an opinion. I can't think of anything that rivals Boma! (One of my favorites so that is tough to beat.)

Here's a link for all the dining options at the DL Resort area.

 

[stitchaholic]

Thanks Brenda !

 

[jabead]

Hello! Sorry I've been absent for awhile. For those of you that have been following this thread since last Christmas, you know that every year I host a "Christmas Around the World" party modeled somewhat after the Epcot Food & Wine festival. This year's party, held on Friday night, was a scaled down version (with just wines, cheeses & other snacks, and hot appetizers) since most of the party attendees (including me and my family) were leaving on Sunday morning for Cabo San Lucas. Our niece/cousin is getting married here on Friday but other than a few pre-wedding parties/events, we have nothing to do but relax and enjoy our beautiful surroundings...




An Ocean View from our Villa



And play games like "How many people can you fit into our hot tub?"







Wait, we can fit more people than that...





...and still have room for a floating case of beer in the middle.



But what happens in Mexico, should probably stay in Mexico.



Plus you are here to see food photos so here are some pics from my 4th Annual Christmas Around the World Party for your viewing enjoyment.









































Ok, now I'll get back to our Disney World dining report. First day lunch review coming soon (maybe yet tonight)...and no one has yet correctly guessed the location. ​

 

[jabead]

The location of my first meal of the trip was at Epcot's...







Menu photos (courtesy of Brenda from her Aug. trip):

For this lunch, I met up with Rachel (rachel09985) and Beth (Couchy). We were seated at a table next to the water, with a great view of the pyramid and volcano...

I of course had to start with an...

Avocado Margarita
El Mayor premium silver Tequila, melon liqueur, fresh avocado, agave nectar and fresh lime juice, served frozen with a hibiscus Himalayan salt rim


Though not listed on their menu, I had learned from Brenda that you could still request for one to be brought over from La Cava de Tequila. (Thanks for that great tip, Brenda! )



And we were given chips and salsa...

Since I was still feeling pretty full from the pre-lunch snack, I got only an appetizer as my entrée...




Tostados de Tinga
Pulled chicken seasoned with roasted tomato and chipotle, served on tostadas with black refried beans, green tomatillo sauce, queso fresco, and sour cream


I absolutely love these and get them every time I dine at San Angel Inn. Once again they did not disappoint and were the perfect amount of food after having the quiche earlier.


Both Rachel and Beth had actual entrées, but I'll let them tell you about those.​

 

[Couchy]

The location of my first meal of the trip was at Epcot's...







Menu photos (courtesy of Brenda from her Aug. trip):

For this lunch, I met up with Rachel (rachel09985) and Beth (Couchy). We were seated at a table next to the water, with a great view of the pyramid and volcano...

I of course had to start with an...

Avocado Margarita
El Mayor premium silver Tequila, melon liqueur, fresh avocado, agave nectar and fresh lime juice, served frozen with a hibiscus Himalayan salt rim[/B]


Though not listed on their menu, I had learned from Brenda that you could still request for one to be brought over from La Cava de Tequila. (Thanks for that great tip, Brenda! )



And we were given chips and salsa...

Since I was still feeling pretty full from the pre-lunch snack, I got only an appetizer as my entrée...




Tostados de Tinga
Pulled chicken seasoned with roasted tomato and chipotle, served on tostadas with black refried beans, green tomatillo sauce, queso fresco, and sour cream


I absolutely love these and get them every time I dine at San Angel Inn. Once again they did not disappoint and were the perfect amount of food after having the quiche earlier.


Both Rachel and Beth had actual entrées, but I'll let them tell you about those.​

My pics did not come out at all from this meal... so I am not posting pics.
This was a new place for me and I really enjoyed it. I had the Chicken Las Rajas. I t was very good. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the queso sauce ewas too die for. It was so great meeting Barb and Rachel for the first time and I am very glad that I was able to join the them for lunch

 

[emmysmommy]

Barb - fabulous job with your Christmas Around the World dining extravaganza. I'm impressed by all the options and the amount of work that must have been. Looks like wines to match each country as well. Very nice.

I hope you enjoy your Cabo time with your family.

I loved those tostadas in August! Glad to know the avocado margarita tip was remembered!

 

[JulieODC]

Your Christmas party food looks devine!! YUM!

Glad you enjoyed SAI -- we had a nice meal there in November (and I did appetizers and a margarita too!). I recently tried a homemade version of Chicken Las Rajas, and it was a delicious -- so I can imagine that SAI's version is even better!

 

[emmebear]

wow barb! that is fabulous!!!!

just wanted to wish our disfriends a very happy new year from emme & i.

 

[jabead]

Guess who is ringing in the New Year at Disney World? If you have been following along with Brenda's (emmysmommy) dining report from her August trip, you will know the answer to this question is...




Mr. DonaldDoleWhip


When I read on Brenda's thread that he was there, I sent him a text to see if he might be willing to do a live update as a preview to the dining report he plans to do. He graciously complied with my request by sending this...



"Hi everyone and Happy New Year! We're currently in WDW, and I've decided to write a brief dining review when I get a chance. Until then, here are some teaser pics."


"So far, I've sampled a few seasonal holiday treats...








"Admired the Christmas decorations...





"And battled the crowds on New Year's Eve."






"I've also tried two of the new food trucks, since they're parked at DHS right now."




"The food hasn't all been great, but there have been some pleasant surprises. Can't wait to share the details with you!"​

 

[emmysmommy]

Glad to know that my Mr. DDW suspicions were correct!! That's awesome! Other than the big crowds. And food trucks - brilliant!!! Have fun!

Hi Patty! What an adorable New Year greeting with you and Emme!

 

[Linda67]

Happy New Year Everyone !!

Barb, your Christmas dining extravaganza looks truly delicious, you must have put so much work into it, very impresive indeed!

Hope you are having a wonderful time with your family in Cabo

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Hi Barb! Thanks for posting my live update, and I hope you're still having a great time in Cabo. Looks like so much fun (and the holiday party also looks incredible)!

I actually just started (and completed) my dining report. It's a lot shorter than usual, but it still has plenty of pictures, so hopefully it's enjoyable. I think this is my first time posting a full dining report while still in Orlando.

Looks like San Angel Inn was a very nice lunch, and I can't wait to hear more about the big holiday trip.

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi everyone.... Please don't think that we are not abandoning this before we begin. Travel, weather, the holidays, work schedules and other unexpected events are only slightly stalling our plans.

Not to worry though, I'll share our first night meet up and cocktails in the next post.

Rachel may pop in and give her thoughts on the San Angel Inn lunch she had with Barb and Beth. Also Paula and her husband had lunch at Epcot that she may be sharing as well. If we go slightly out of order this first day it is because we had separate dining plans and haven't quite lined up our reviews in order.

 

[emmysmommy]

Thursday December 5, 2013 - Bluezoo Cocktail Meet Up

Before I share about our cocktail meet up…. Some brief introduction and information regarding our travel dates and where we stayed. By “our” and “we” I’m referring to my DD Emily (17) who ditched school for the week to travel for this meet up. (In reality, she missed a few of our meet ups and dining plans because she was in the room studying and submitting assignments. Her teachers had given permission for her to obtain the assignments online and turn them in while she was on vacation. Yeah, not the best way to spend your vacation but it was a good compromise since she is in her Senior year but didn’t want to miss this trip since she knows a few of the ladies from past trips.)

We were booked 8 nights at BW Villas – from 12/5 to 12/13 and then 2 nights at BLT. Thanks to Barb for sharing that a AAA rate had been released for our travel dates earlier in the year. With a 20% discount on our 1 bedroom booking it saved over $980! A HUGE thank you to Barb! AP rates were released later; however, we stuck with our BWV booking after almost following Barb over to YC for a couple nights.

Em and I arrived late in the afternoon on 12/5 and rushed to drop our bags and freshen up before heading over for our meet up. I took a few minutes to take some photos of the room so here’s a few:

With that, on to the meet up! We planned to meet at Bluezoo at the Dolphin hotel at 7pm.

We were glad to see Paula and Linda with their husbands, Hunter and Philip respectively, already at the bar. Barb, Beth and Rachel arrived shortly after us. It was my first time meeting those three ladies so I was very excited to not only meet Barb, the Disboard Dining legend , but Rachel for whom I’ve followed her TRs and DRs and now Beth! One note about the guys… they were awesome during the trip and made for some hilarious moments. You’ll see…

I don’t recall what everyone drank so they will have to chime in. My cocktail of choice was a Bloody Mary (thanks Paula!).

Who claims this one?

I suspect this was Hunter or Paula's

Paula at one point shared some smoked cherries with everyone or maybe I was just the “victim” of these horrid things. I didn’t like the smoky after taste. But after a sip or two of my Bloody Mary I believe the taste was sufficiently banished from my buds. Paula will have to share what these were for.. a drink perhaps? Not sure since I was too busy chatting.

Photos of the meet up:

Emily and Rachel

Linda, Philip, Barb

Beth, Paula, and Hunter - and now I think I know whose martini that was!

Rachel, Beth, me (Brenda), and Paula

Emily and me

Someone tall must have had my camera (Hunter) and no I'm not about to karate chop anyone

Group photo 1

Group photo 2 with a little bit of a list to right

It was lovely to meet these ladies and I knew within minutes of our introductions that our next week or so together was going to be something special.
​

 

[JulieODC]

Wow, $980 saved!! That's great!

We popped our heads into BlueZoo on our last trip, and were very tempted to grab a drink at the bar --- it's on our list for the next trip.