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

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I remember seeing the banana bread french toast in one of Brenda's reports a while ago, and it still looks amazing. Factoring in the great company and the beautiful ambiance of WL during Christmastime, it sounds like you had a perfect experience.

Whispering Canyon is actually a place I've never tried before. I really want to try it (just to see what it's like) - maybe one day.

 

[wilma-bride]

Oh my goodness me, I love French toast and I adore banana bread - that breakfast sounds like the perfect combination. One of the best breakfasts I have ever had in Orlando was the apple cinnamon French toast at Cracker Barrel - this looks like it could top that. Now I am trying to figure out if I can fit in a breakfast at Whispering Canyon Café with Sian in March.

 

[rachel09985]

Beautiful pictures of the wilderness lodge barb! Your iphone does do it justice!

 

[jabead]

Whispering Canyon is actually a place I've never tried before. I really want to try it (just to see what it's like) - maybe one day.

Whispering Canyon had fallen off my radar until recently. Now I've had two great meals (lunch and breakfast) there in the last year. So I say, go for it!

Oh my goodness me, I love French toast and I adore banana bread - that breakfast sounds like the perfect combination. One of the best breakfasts I have ever had in Orlando was the apple cinnamon French toast at Cracker Barrel - this looks like it could top that. Now I am trying to figure out if I can fit in a breakfast at Whispering Canyon Café with Sian in March.

Hi Joh! I too am a French toast lover, and ordered it three times during this trip. Another one that I had later in the trip might be of interest to you as well...the French Toast Baklava at Kouzzina. Hopefully I'll get to that review before your trip in March. But actually, I think I saved the best one for last...though it was a simpler version of French toast, it was quite "Grand".

Also, I heard through the grapevine that you will be returning to Disney World in October, so I might just get to meet you person.

 

[wilma-bride]

Hi Joh! I too am a French toast lover, and ordered it three times during this trip.

Another one that I had later in the trip might be of interest to you as well...the French Toast Baklava at Kouzzina.

Now you've got my attention

Hopefully I'll get to that review before your trip in March. But actually, I think I saved the best one for last...though it was a simpler version of French toast, it was quite "Grand".

Hmmm, what could that one be

Also, I heard through the grapevine that you will be returning to Disney World in October, so I might just get to meet you person.

That would be awesome Barb. Me, you and Linda - Grey Goose Citron Slushies in Epcot

 

[emmysmommy]

Brenda's Whispering Canyon Café Breakfast Contribution - Friday Dec. 6, 2013

As Barb noted, Wilderness Lodge was so beautifully decorated with the huge Christmas tree smack dab in the middle of the lobby with smaller trees and various "wilderness-y" decorations throughout. They really did a great job with the theming for the holidays.

Em and I met up with Barb and Linda and proceeded to check in giving them my name for the reservation. The poor hostess couldn't find the reservation. Doh! Barb stepped in and provide her name for the reservation and what do you know - there it was! I asked if we could be seated in Jeffro's (Jeff) section, which was no problem. (We ask for Jeff at WCC since he is not only lower key and subdued in the antics department but he is such a nice friendly guy.

As Barb's photo indicates the restaurant was very busy that morning. It took some time to get Jeff over to our table for drink orders and such but once he did we were attended to in short order.​

Group photo:

Onto the food. My dilemma with WCC breakfast is do I order the waffle or the French toast. I adore both.

I went with something from the griddle and chose the Belgian Waffle, substituting a scrambled egg for the breakfast meat. Em mirrored my selection and ordered the waffle as well.​

Belgian Waffle with maple butter and candied pecan topping and choice of bacon or sausage ($10.99)

I realize that Belgian waffles can be boring and uninspired considering they are essentially flour, eggs, milk and Belgians (j/k) but when you fashion these in the shape of a Mickey head - Awesomeness! They transform from ordinary to extraordinary. But what really makes these special is the maple butter and candied pecans. Perfect!​

Jeff, Emily and Brenda

Group photo with the Christmas Tree

This was an excellent first breakfast with these ladies! I was glad that we chose WCC to officially start our vacation dining! ​

​

 

[vettegirl]

WCC looks so nice for breakfast, and I love the pictures of the Christmas decor and tree, just stunning!!

 

[emmysmommy]

I remember seeing the banana bread french toast in one of Brenda's reports a while ago, and it still looks amazing. Factoring in the great company and the beautiful ambiance of WL during Christmastime, it sounds like you had a perfect experience.

Whispering Canyon is actually a place I've never tried before. I really want to try it (just to see what it's like) - maybe one day.

You are very observant Mr. DDW! You should try WCC breakfast some time.

That would be awesome Barb. Me, you and Linda - Grey Goose Citron Slushies in Epcot

Oh and me too! I think I'm going to have to have a 3rd trip this year and include October. Joh, you know Michael is anxious to see you guys again. Considering we invited ourselves to Hawaii in 2015 maybe we should focus on WDW October 2014.

 

[wilma-bride]

Who doesn't love a Mickey waffle - and a big one at that (although, you know me, I like things plain - I would have skipped the maple butter and pecans).

I just love that picture of you all with the tree. I would love to see WL at Christmas.

Oh and me too! I think I'm going to have to have a 3rd trip this year and include October. Joh, you know Michael is anxious to see you guys again. Considering we invited ourselves to Hawaii in 2015 maybe we should focus on WDW October 2014.

Make that slushies for 4 I really hope we get to see you and Michael in October.

Oh, and we would still love for you to come to Hawaii with us too, obviously

 

[rachel09985]

I figure I should get my Crystal Palace breakfast in while there is a break.

We had an early park ADR for 8:30. We were slightly late but not too bad. When we got in the musical performers for the parade taping were performing on the stage.

I really love breakfast buffets because I like to have coffee and OJ, so it is nice not to have pay for both beverages.

The characters started to come around before we were able to get our food.







My first plate consisted of fruit, their smoked salmon, and a mickey waffle. The mickey waffle was pretty dry which I think is common here. The best waffles I have had were at Chef Mickey's! I love their fruit and smoked salmon.



Corey's carb overload



Then Pooh came!





My second plate consisted of pooh's puffed french toast, egg bake, cheesy potatoes, and a biscuit with gravy. Everything on this plate was pretty good! The potatoes are my favorite but I wish they were shredded! The puffed french toast was good but not as good as the first time. Biscuit and gravy that I normally don't have was good but not outstanding.



Then Eeyore came along who is soo cute with his pink bow on his tail!



I really love this breakfast but not because of the food. It is a great way to kick off your disney trip with some cute characters and a pre park opening to walk down main street. Unfortunately, we didn't have an empty main street because of the parade taping, but that is okay. It isn't too expensive- I think it is like $26.99- I mean YES that is expensive in the real world but in disney terms it isn't horrible compared to Chef Mickey's and other character meals.

Great start to our day!

Adding in some non food pictures:

First we had some Magic Kingdom fun and watched The Wanted and we saw them come out of Big Thunder Mountain. We also watched Lara Spencer doing some of the commentary.





At Animal Kingdom we did the Rafiki's Planet Watch for the first time. We saw this pretty parrot and we saw these huge lizards get fed! The guy was in the tank and was feeding them fish with this long pole.







We also had a really good safari! We saw the hippos out of the water AND the lion walking around! That never happens!

 

[vettegirl]

Nice CP review

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Linda67]

Hey everyone sorry for the delay in getting my review posted, I've been hit by a pretty nasty bug and today is the first day I have managed to feel vaguely normal

Anyway, enough of my health issues and on to the food!

I can only echo the comments made by Brenda and Barb and say that meeting up with everyone for breakfast at WCC was a great way to start the day

I didn't have far to travel for this breakfast as we were staying at the villas at the Lodge

No matter how many times I walked past that Christmas tree in the lobby, it still took my breath away - thanks for posting the pictures Barb

DH took the opportunity to spend some extra time in bed (a rare event when vacationing with me ) so I headed to breakfast on my own to meet with Brenda, Em and Barb

I really love how the restaurant is open to the lobby, especially as my seat had the perfect view of the wonderful Christmas tree, I do think it creates a really great atmosphere in WCC

So my choice for breakfast today



Steel-cut Oatmeal - with fresh fruit, whole-wheat bagel and nutella $10.49

You may notice that I requested some cream cheese and I wasn't really feeling like nutella for breakfast that morning

The oatmeal was hot and tasty, with just a little brown sugar and cranberries on top

The fruit was super fresh and I really enjoyed the wholemeal bagel. Some would say that this isn't the most exciting breakfast in the world but for me it really hit the spot

This was my first time at WCC for breakfast (we've done lunch before) but I would certainly come back

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Great reviews ladies!!! I have to say Linda that I don't usually think about ordering oatmeal when I am out for breakfast but that looks really good!

Glad you are feeling a bit better! I have been fighting something since I got back!

 

[jabead]

Linda was not feeling well all weekend, so thank you Rachel for filling in the gap and posting your great CP breakfast review and bonus pics from AK. One of these days I need to bite the bullet and invest in a DSLR camera. Of course I probably wouldn't have a clue as to how to use it, so my photos would still not look as good as yours.

And a special thank you to Linda for adding your WCC review. Probably the last thing you wanted to think about was food, so I'm sure that writing and posting a dining review was quite a feat. Anyway, I hope you feel better very soon.

 

[smile4stamps]

Hello everyone!

Hunter and I had a LAZY second day in WDW. In retrospect we should have gone to Epcot to check out more of the holidays special items but instead we took our time waking up in the morning and then took the boat from POR to DTD to find some lunch!

There were two places I was thinking of going to… Raglan Road.. an old favorite and Paradiso 37, a place we’ve never been. In order to get to the West Side we took a boat from POR to the Marketplace and then another boat to the other side. Walking might have been quicker from the Marketplace but the boat is more relaxing!

While on the boat I used the Opentable App to make a reservation at Raglan Road.. Yeah. I played it safe and went with the old favorite.

A blurry off-color picture of the menu…

Guiness Reduction

Soda Bread

The Go (at) Fig (ure) - Irish goats cheese terrine made with sauteed garlic, shallots, shiitake mushrooms in a herb breadcrumb crust served with a fig jam, roasted beets & toasted walnuts with mixed greens

I LOVED this salad! They used to have one on the menu called the Goat’s Town. This is pretty similar but the Goat’s Town had a berry compote vs this one had a fig jam and the roasted beets. I did order the beets on the side as I knew hunter would be having a bite and he despises beets! I on the other hand love them!

Hunter started with the Soup of the Day.. Unfortunately no matter how many times they repeated what it was called I cannot remember! Hunter thinks it was Kale and Potato…

Regardless of what kind it was It was Delicious!!

Then it was on to lunch where I ordered the Our Pie to Try

Having just finished a salad I did not touch these greens but the Pie in the Sky was definitely big enough with HUGE pieces of chicken inside to fill me up. The pie itself was mashed potatoes with chicken and veggies in a cream sauce covered with the flaky pastry! It was VERY good! And VERY Hot! Make sure you peel back the top and let it cool before taking a bite!

A peek of the inside…

Hunter had the Fish & Chips - Our famous beer battered fish & chips served with our fresh tartar sauce.

He thought the fish was wonderful. The only thing he was disappointed in was only getting one piece of fish for the price. It was enough to fill him up combined with some of Pie and our apps though.

We still LOVE Raglan Road. I think the prices are a bit high but its Disney so there you go! I have Raglan Road on the radar for my next trip… In about 100 days!! Only thing is I REALLY want to go at dinner for the entertainment!

 

[jabead]

Great review of Raglan Road Paula! It makes me sad that I didn't get there during our December trip. I thought I might make it to Raglan Road on my last day (which we spent at DTD) but due to issues with the Disney buses, it didn't happen. Oh well, maybe next time.

May I suggest though that you go to Sunday brunch on your next trip? (They still have that, don't they?) That way you can see the entertainment but not have to give up a precious dinner spot in your dining itinerary.

 

[wilma-bride]

Great updates ladies

Rachel, the puffed French toast at Crystal Palace used to be my favourite but last time it was really greasy (so much that you could taste it)

Linda, your breakfast looked surprisingly delicious considering it was the (compared to he rest) healthy option

Paula, I love Raglan Road but DH isn't that fussed so we haven't been in a while. I am planning to go in October and take his parents there, though, as I think they will like it. I always have the fish and chips and have to agree with Hunter, it's quite a small portion for the price.

Looking forward to more of your delights

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

May I suggest though that you go to Sunday brunch on your next trip? (They still have that, don't they?) That way you can see the entertainment but not have to give up a precious dinner spot in your dining itinerary.

Yep, they still have the brunch at Raglan. I spent an unusually high amount of time at DTD during the second half of our trip, and they still had the menus outside with their Sunday brunch specials mentioned.

I'm loving all the updates - Rachel's pics from the 'parade' taping and from AK, Paula's Raglan review (the pie sounds great!), and Brenda and Linda's conclusion of the WCC breakfast.

Linda's dish at WCC especially surprised me! While "oatmeal" doesn't sound like the most exciting choice, that plate is somewhat deceiving since it also includes a whole wheat bagel, nutella (which I wouldn't have been able to resist), and a decent mix of fruit (pineapple and lots of berries!). WCC is quickly becoming a priority for my next trip (along with Spice Road Table and maybe even Citricos).

 

[emmysmommy]

Friday Dec. 6, 2013: Chefs de France Lunch​

Lunch today was at one of my favorite Epcot restaurants, Chefs de France. This particular lunch was booked for Barb, Em, and myself with the Candelight Processional (CP) Package. We booked a 2pm lunch for the 5pm CP showing.

I was amused with the high tech ADR check-in process…. A red crayon and hand written lists of names. Very impressive! Not a tablet or PC present! They must work hard to avoid technology.

When we were seated I said hello to Philippe, the Manager with whom I had made nice from our August dinner at Monsieur Paul. (There is a back story there if anyone wants to read see here.) We were welcomed with a warm greeting after which he said something in French to the hostess which resulted in 3 cocktails being delivered to our table. For the life of me I can never remember the name of it….I know that it had champagne in it. Seeing as how Em is under 21, her cocktail was set aside.

Brenda and Philippe

The CP package includes an appetizer, entrée, dessert and a non-alcoholic beverage.

Menu Photos:

We were started with two warm baguettes with the little foil pats of butter. The bread is always served fresh and hot so it’s a great start to the meal.

For our appetizers; Em chose the salade de chevre chaud while I had the bacon and onion flatbread. Our entrée choices were the open face chicken sandwich for Em and the beef short-ribs for me.

Starting with Em’s choice; the salad was a nice mix of fresh spring greens with a round of breaded and baked goat cheese. The grapes were a nice sweet touch to the salad. It was dressed with a champagne vinaigrette that was perfect according to Em.

Salade de Chevre Chaud: Baked goat cheese with walnuts, fresh grapes, tomatoes, endive and mixed salad ($11.99)

I have ordered the same appetizer as an entrée many times so seeing as how it is such a delicious favorite I didn’t deviate this visit. The flatbread is baked in the brick oven and has a wonderful crème fraiche base topped with the sweet tender onion and bacon. Although I only ate half, it was only because there was an entrée being delivered shortly. Thus far the appetizers were clearly a great way to start our meal.

A la flamme Alsacienne: flatbread with crème fraiche, onion, and bacon ($12.99)

Trying something new this trip, Em’s entrée was the open faced chicken sandwich which she said was ok, not anything amazing but it was worth trying something new. The mixed green salad that accompanied the sandwich went untouched since she’d just eaten the delicious appetizer salad.

Tartine au Poulet et legumes Provencaux: Open face sandwich topped with chicken, roasted eggplant, zucchini, provolone cheese and sundried tomatoes ($15.99)

I also tried something new this trip. The beef short ribs have shown up many times in dining reviews so I was intent on trying them since I’m a big beef rib fan. What I adored about this dish was the fall-apart tender short ribs. They were quite tasty. The Cabernet sauce with the mushrooms was a bit on the salty side but at least it was flavorful. Overall I liked the dish, I didn’t love it…. There are many other short rib dishes at WDW that I prefer. However, I was glad that I tried this.

Plat de cotes de boeuf au Cabernet avec pates: Beef short-ribs braised in Cabernet with pasta ($28.99)

Dessert Menu:

I rarely skip dessert at Chefs de France. Two words why… Crème. Brulee. I love crème brulee and this vanilla version has always been a favorite.

Crème Brulee ($8.99)

Em also has a favorite dessert at Chefs. The sorbet is a light, refreshing option that she adores. The flavors were pineapple, passion fruit, and coconut. This is served with fresh berries and a madeleine.

Sorbet with Madeleine ($8.99)
Pineapple side

Coconut side

Barb, Em, and Brenda

This was a great meal to share with Barb at one of our favorite Epcot restaurants.

Parting photo with Philippe

Now for Barb to share about her Chefs de France meal.

​

 

[jabead]

One of the highlights of my last December trip to WDW (in 2000) was attending the Candlelight Processional, a holiday event which is held each night (3 showings) at the American Gardens Theater in Epcot's American Pavilion. So from the very beginning of our planning for this trip, seeing at least one CP show was on my must-do list...I actually ended up seeing it twice. Once they finally released the schedule of the celebrity narrators, there was one well-known TV and film personality who caught my eye...Whoopi Goldberg.

I put a shout out to see if anyone in our group would be interested in doing the CP lunch package with me on Dec. 6 and attending the 5:00 show, as it was the only time available to do so with our already nearly full dining schedule. Happily for me, Brenda & Em answered my call. So next it was time to choose a restaurant. We had first settled on Le Cellier but then discovered that the CP package is not offered there (correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that Le Cellier, Monsieur Paul, and Akershus are the only Epcot restaurants who do not offer it). I then suggested a couple of other restaurants (including Chefs de France) and let Brenda & Em choose. I was pleased when they chose Chefs, as I had not dined there since 2010 and wanted to try it again. Because Chefs de France is my DBIL's favorite Epcot restaurant (he lives in Florida and often spends time with our family when we visit WDW), my family has dined there several times. I had tried many of their signature dishes but had not really found any favorites. Although none of them were bad, none stood out for me as being great either. So my overall opinion of Chefs of France coming into this meal was pretty neutral...like Switzerland (the French part of Switzerland). But apparently others in my family thought differently. After our last visit there in 2010, I discovered that some family members strongly disliked Chefs de France...most notably my DD (Emily), who despised the roasted chicken entrée that she ordered. With so many other restaurant choices at Epcot, we have never returned. But with doing the live thread, Chefs de France again drew my attention. Their food always looked delicious in the photos and the reviews were for the most part positive. So on the very first day that the CP dining packages were made available for booking (which I believe was July 19th), I called Disney Dining and booked Chefs de France for their earliest available lunch time (with the package) of 2:00.



Now on to my review...

As Brenda already told you, due to her connections with the manager we were all given this complimentary cocktail.




After doing a little research, I think I may have identified this mystery drink to be a St. Germain Cocktail. The ingredients for this include St. Germain (a sweet liqueur made from elderberry flowers), sparkling wine or champagne, and soda water (club soda). This is usually served on ice with a twist of lemon. What do you think?

While it wouldn't have been my first choice of cocktails if paying, since it was free it went down just fine.



As for the food, I had pre-planned exactly what I would order for my 3-course meal that is included with CP package...the flatbread with bacon & onion, macaroni & cheese, and the profiteroles for dessert. So did I follow through with my plan? Well, not exactly...


After my heavy breakfast of Banana Bread French Toast at 8:30, I found that I was not all that hungry when we were presented with the Chefs lunch menu less than 6 hours later. Knowing that most of the flatbread would go to waste, I decided that I needed to downsize and choose something a little lighter...



French Onion Soup


Ok, maybe not so light when topped with all that delicious gruyere cheese...which I ate every bit of, as it is my favorite part of this soup. The broth, while not quite as flavorful and "beefy" tasting as the one at Shula's (my current favorite French Onion soup on Disney property) was good. I ate about half of it, wanting to save room for the next two courses.



I had a very difficult time deciding what to order for my entree. Here is the slightly weird and rather long thought process that went on entirely in my head... (if uninterested or short on time, feel free to skip to the next paragraph)

Remembering that I planned (hoped) to order a 3 course meal for our dinner that night, I decided that I should steer away from all of the pasta dishes. Although I love pasta, I always feel very full for a long time after eating it. So this eliminated not only the mac & cheese that I originally intended to try here, but also the vegetarian lasagna and the short rib dish. Knowing my daughter's thoughts regarding the roasted chicken entree, I immediately discarded that option. I wanted something a little more "French" than a hamburger so crossed that off the list of possibilities. Also I had satisfied my craving for quiche the day before at the bakery, so the quiche was out too. That left four options...the mahi mahi sandwich, salmon, open-faced chicken sandwich, and the Croque Monseiur. After further consideration, I decided I wasn't feeling like fish that day. So then there were two. And what was the scientific method which I used to make my final decision?

"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a tiger by the toe"


It was about this time that Em said she was going to order the chicken sandwich. So I let go of that poor tiger's toe before it hollered and "definitively" announced (or so I thought anyway ) to our server that I wanted the Croque Monsieur...merely for the sake of ordering something different than my dining companions. Well, either I butchered the pronunciation or he was reading my mind and saw "chicken" still there because that is what I got. Only it was not the chicken sandwich that was set before me by a food runner (if it had been, I would have been ok with keeping it).

Sadly no, it was the...



Demi poulet fermier roti Pommes rissolees et broccoli - Half of an all natural roasted chicken, rissole potatoes and broccoli


Btw, this photo is borrowed from the internet, as this did not stick around long enough for me to think about photographing it.

{To Brenda & Em: If I had an odd grin on my face at about this time, it was because I was thinking about what Emily's reaction would have been if she had been with us.}


Our server soon came to our table to inquire as to what I had actually ordered, since he had heard and wrote down chicken. This time I played it safe and said, "Ham and cheese sandwich."

After waiting a bit, I finally received the...



Croque monsieur et salade verte - The classic French toasted ham and cheese sandwich, served with a green salad.

Here is when I admit that I had never before tried a Croque Monsieur. In case you too are unfamiliar with this classic French sandwich, it consists of two slices of thick bread topped with bechamel sauce, thin sliced ham and gruyere cheese. It is then sprinkled with more shredded cheese on the outside...again gruyere, and I think maybe provolone and parmesan too. The sandwich is then toasted until all of that yummy cheese is melted. Sounds delicious, right? Well, I think I was expecting something along the lines of a Monte Cristo (which I love), so I would have to say that I was a little disappointed with this. I liked it but didn't love it.


And I guess this is my common theme for this meal, because again with my dessert choice...



Vanilla Creme Brulee


...I liked it but didn't love it.


You might be wondering what happened to my plan to order the profiteroles? Well, before ordering dessert I was already "comfortably" full. I knew that if I ordered the profiteroles, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from eating the entire dessert and crossing over the line into "uncomfortableness". Although I love creme brulee, I remembered that Chef's version didn't "wow" me before so I thought this was a safer choice. My memory served me well and the creme brulee was just as I'd remembered...good, not great.


So has my opinion of Chefs de France changed? Nope, still Switzerland...but maybe just a tiny bit closer to its French border.



Now for a couple of bonus photos from the Candlelight Processional with Whoopi Goldberg as the guest narrator.












Whoopi added her own unique "flavor" to the readings...think Sister Mary Clarence in Sister Act.






Next up: Our Tale of Two Dinners