Oh Sweet Mother of Bread Pudding...What have I got myself into? 9/26 Update!

[tlenzendorf]

Dan ordered a special drink at the bar:

Is that a pina colava?? I cannot WAIT to get my hands on one of those babies! I'm glad to see that Dan, Brent and I can bond over our love of frozen, fruity drinks!

 

[want2bamommy]

My friend Vicki passed away on Good Friday. I am so glad she knew she was loved and thank each of you for the kind words and thoughts. She wore a baseball cap at her benefit that said, "Heaven Can Wait," and it did for a little while.

I know that this was many months ago but I just came across your review tonight and have been reading it for well over an hour. I'm so sorry for the loss of your dear friend. Obviously I do not know you but I was still in tears reading this.

I'm thoroughly enjoying your reviews and definitely think you should write a book! You are a wonderful writer. I had Raglan Road on my "maybe" list for our upcoming trip and now it's a must do! Thanks! I look forward to reading the rest of this thread tonight

 

[Dizneydawn]

Ahemmm...It is 10:01 p.m. and I am delivering the update I promised.

Yeah me!!!!

So the breakfast that made Dan sound like Sally from When Harry met Sally.

The breakfast that made Dawn sound like Whoopi just saw a ghost playing on a pottery wheel.

The breakfast banned in 37 states for illegal use of moaning in public.

The breakfast that made you slap your Grandma and call your Grandpa a horse thief.

The breakfast that made your Grandma slap your Grandpa and get him to be a guest on Maury Povich.

Yeah...that Breakfast.

Well it is good.

Real Good.

So good that it made me....gasp...sigh...chort and snort...willing to give up any other Breakfast at WDW I have had yet if I needed to pick only one.

Yes my friends, my enemies and my stalkers of the night...

WPE morning entrees are that good and I would never have thought of them without the help of a German brother and sister duo here!!! Served from 9-11 a.m. and worth the trip!

Smoked Bacon Pizza - scrambled eggs, tomatoes, mozzarella and cheddar cheese and Ranch Dressing $9

This is MONSTEROUS!!!!! Baylor plus Dan and I could not finish it all and that is just one pizza!!! I am usually not a person who would say a FF style breakfast is enjoyable and this was so not FF!!!

Delicate crust buttered enough to taste like the good bits of crumb that falls of your morning toast.

Eggs soft and melt in your mouth smooth and not at all rubberized or that faux egg crud that is supposed to be good for you but tastes like a chicken that has been on WW. I like my eggs to taste like the chicken was fed properly, not running on a treadmill!

Tomatoes that are not overcooked and stewed. These tasted like you should have them for breakfast instead of mush on a lasagna. They tasted like they were fresh from the garden. You literally could bite the sunshine they grew in.

The bacon was crisp and full bodied. It was smokey tasting, not sweet make me gag maple flavored and the texture made me happy to savor each bite. Your tongue did not protest because it provided depth to the experience with the crust as a counterpart.

The cheese was not overpowering but the simplicity and genius of Ranch drizzle was the Monet Lisa of the entire artistic, culinary gem.

We ate in silence and moans and then there was just more silence.

Bliss in every bite.

Baylor also ordered: Crispy Cornflake French Toast - served with seasonal fruit $9

Again, nothing that came from the forests of Papa New Guinea and only a select few could ever say they tried but unless you want to impress your friends by the rare foods you eat, who gives a monkeys butt?

Concoction of the God's I tell ya. So crisp and not soggy and made with English muffin bread so nothing that will mush in the middle. Baylor wolfed these down like they held the winning numbers to the lotto and asked if we could make them at home like this. The corn flakes stuck to the bread and did not create a huge mess like I feared and for those who love contrasts in their food it was a huge victory. Plus the cornflakes did not allow the syrup to soak into the bread so you did not have a sloppy sugar filled coma after eating. It tastes very much like they used a good vanilla in the egg batter and that is only a win!

I will give this a :

There was no room for improvement beyond having more room in the belly to eat!!! I cannot wait to eat here again in OCTOBER!!!!

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Let me understand this right. Are you saying you liked this?

Well, luckily I work only 15 minutes away, so I will be sure to test this out ASAP!!!!

 

[Linda67]

Roll on October
WPE French Toast here I come

 

[Disneymom77]

Holy moly!! I think I may have to fit this breakfast in on our trip in November!!! Thanks for enlightening me once again

 

[MEK]

I can't see your pictures but those pictures are making me so flippin' hungry its NOT EVEN FUNNY!!!!!!!

I am so going there for breakfast now! YUM!

 

[deenbrad]

Oh man! There must be some way I can work WPE in for December!

I am so sorry for what your daughter went through. Being a mom I'm totally with you. The guy would be unrecognizable to his mama when I was done with him!

 

[want2bamommy]

Yeah...that Breakfast.

Well it is good.

Real Good.

So good that it made me....gasp...sigh...chort and snort...willing to give up any other Breakfast at WDW I have had yet if I needed to pick only one.

Yes my friends, my enemies and my stalkers of the night...

WPE morning entrees are that good and I would never have thought of them without the help of a German brother and sister duo here!!! Served from 9-11 a.m. and worth the trip!

Smoked Bacon Pizza - scrambled eggs, tomatoes, mozzarella and cheddar cheese and Ranch Dressing $9

OMG that looks and sounds AMAZING!!!! I will definitely be trying this. Thanks so much. The only problem is that I want it NOW!!

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

Hi Dawn,

I'm so glad that you are back to writting on the boards again and that you haven't let that one terrible experience take you away from something that you love. I hope that the Disney cast members hold to their promisses and that you get resolution. I also hope that Carsyn gets a chance to make happy memories on her next trip to the world.

Now about the food reviews. Let me just say that I'm not a breakfast food lover (really don't like eggs at all) but reading your description of the breakfast pizza almost made me want to try it out. I read DH your description and we'll be adding it to our next itinerary. Heck, I'll bet it becomes a best seller from your description alone.

Awaiting your next entry...

 

[dizneeat]

Hi Dawn,

I just HAD TO come over here and read your WPE review! I am SOOOOOOOOO glad you liked it!

Guess what ......... I had that breakfast pizza several times during our last trip and I would have gladly eaten it for lunch would it have been available!

Now I need to go back and check out the rest of your reviews - see ya again later!

 

[Cruella 66]

WPE morning entrees are that good and I would never have thought of them without the help of a German brother and sister duo here!!! Served from 9-11 a.m. and worth the trip!

Smoked Bacon Pizza - scrambled eggs, tomatoes, mozzarella and cheddar cheese and Ranch Dressing $9

Where's WPE???? AND that not only SOUNDS fabulous but looks wonderful! Hmmm...anyone have the recipe?????

 

[want2bamommy]

Wolfgang Puck Express is in Downtown Disney- both the West Side and Marketplace have locations. I checked on allears to be sure and the pizza is currently listed on both menus.

 

[Dizneydawn]

I hate when work interferes with time here!!!

Update on Carsyn:

After my conversation with DVC, Dan's cell got a call on last Thursday from the CM from Epcot we had been working with in guest relations, explaining the box was sent back to them for some reason, she would have it resent and was out of town for a family issue and would call later.

Dan did not get the call because he was in the mountains of Utah and as acknowledged by the CM, she was calling from a number that he would not recognize since she was out of the office.

That was followed up with an e-mail last Friday from her to my e-mail and saying she would be in touch but wanted to go over the final offerings before she put it in place. She also wanted me to make sure to let her know when the box arrived.

I responded on Monday via e-mail and yesterday via phone message and again, no response but she may well be out of town depending on the emergency so I will wait until next week to push the issue.

One of my questions was that they had said we would have VIP seating to all the parades, fireworks etc. for when we were there in Dec., for all the theme parks and I would like to know how exactly we "redeem" that benefit. I sent her the days we would be at which park so she could arrange what needs to be arranged. I just don't want to have promises made by them, or us to the kids and then have no idea how to deliver that since as of now, communication has been not exactly instant.

The box did come for Carsyn on Wednesday of this week. Shipping label of content by Disney said it was mailed last week and she also never verified our address which makes me wonder if that piece of her explanation, may not have been up front. If I shipped a box and it came back, I would ask the recipient to confirm their address before I sent it back out the same way twice. It also does not take over a month for something to be shipped and returned.

Not saying anything for a fact besides...if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck ya might have a mallard up your keester so don't sell me you are a homing pigeon.

The box contained a new t-shirt Carsyn can wear as a night shirt, signed with NICE birthday wishes, from countries. They also included two picture frames so I will forward them down to her and put pics of her/us in them from our years at Disney.

Now onto the food report update!!!!

BTW - I just booked and finalized all of our resies for Oct and Dec...I will list them here if anyone cares to see them!

 

[tlenzendorf]

The box contained a new t-shirt Carsyn can wear as a night shirt, signed with NICE birthday wishes, from countries. They also included two picture frames so I will forward them down to her and put pics of her/us in them from our years at Disney.

Now onto the food report update!!!!

BTW - I just booked and finalized all of our resies for Oct and Dec...I will list them here if anyone cares to see them!

I'm glad you finally got SOMETHING!!

Ummm and YES I want to see your ADRs so I know where you are going to be and we can make the plans for hanging out

 

[Mndisneygirl]

What a crazy turn of events with everyone being out of their normal spot for calls/emails! Glad you got the box and hope the rest of their promises are followed through.

YES I want to hear about your ADRs!!!! It will be at least a year before I'm back in WDW and need to live vicariously through you!!

 

[NancyLuvsMickey]

Yep, sure looks and sounds like a duck to me too...

Someone seriously dropped the ball on their end... But at least they're finally following thru on their promises...

I'll take all the Disney info you're willing to share... We won't be going to Disney again until next year in October and I need my daily Disney fixes!!!

 

[Dizneydawn]

Our next review was back at WPE for lunch. (This may be out of order but I need to get some pics off of Dan's phone!)

WPE is our go to good food and great value meal for lunch or dinner. Sitting outside if possible makes you feel like you are eating at a cafe in Europe and the fact the wait staff refills your drinks, makes sure your meal is going well and brings you out your food, gives it a table service meal experience for a counter service credit.

To be honest, it also tends to be a better food experience than some TS places we have eaten at. Desserts are great, meal sizes are big enough to split and the food actually has flavor you can decipher vs. cookie cutter assembly line fare.

Which brings me to a tangent I would like to share. I am going to try, really try, to boycott all chain restaurants/FF places. We have lost a piece of America IMO, with the countless locations found in each city, that resemble the next. What makes a Subway unique in Seattle vs. one in Dallas?

My new company has me interacting with clients in the restaurant industry on a daily basis and when the amount of chains, outnumber Mom and Pop cafe's in any given town across this great country, it is something that alarms and appalls me. If we (and by this I mean me included) don't start supporting the local businesses, our grandkids will assume all food comes from a total of 20 chains. The problem with chains of mass quantity, there is nothing personal about it.

I can get a burger at over 6 different chains in my hometown. I also can get burgers here at a handful of independent locations and every single time I eat at one of those, I enjoy the experience. I enjoy the interaction with the wait staff, I enjoy the variety of cheeses and depth of cooking I can order my burger done at. It is unique to me and every single time I pull through a drive through at a FF chain, it may taste ok, but 5 minutes later I feel grease overloaded and would never sit and tell a friend the experience I had. Yet here, we relive our dining because of the experience.

In the good and the bad, it was not exactly like any other and those of us who love dining at WDW, appreciate all the nuances that make it each location unique and dining not like what we get at home.

Yet we can get it at home. Maybe not the beer cheese soup at Le Cellier, or the banana bread pudding at Ohana, but we absolutely can have the excitement and delight of service and unique offerings if we take the time to look.

So why is it as a whole, most of us don't spend 5 minutes at home looking for new places to try, new meals to encounter and yet for the week we spend at WDW, we pour over menu's, peruse other's experiences and reviews?

It just hit me yesterday how idiotic I felt when I do choose the mundane because it is easy or convenient when the meals, food and people who have made meals memorable are always at locations not duplicated 1000 times across the U.S. I am not talking about a place that may have 5-10 locations, I am speaking of those that multiply like the Duggers.

So my challenge for myself and any of you who wish, is to find those gems in your community, yor neighborhood and patronage them when the mood strikes to eat out. We have used restraunt.com lately and 99% of the time, we are really impressed with the offerings and eat at places we would never have tried without being prompted and the fact we have a discount is even better.

Sorry for the blabbering about this but looking at lists of businesses all day and the sheer number of chains is daunting. Coupled with the numbers of independent locations that are no longer operational, made me really look at my choices, what I value in a meal and why if what I want is flavor, unique memories and a meal that is memorable in WDW, why do I settle out of sheer laziness, what I know, what is routine and what is easy.

Ok...now back to WPE....

The ever popular Spaghetti & Meatballs - tomato-basil-garlic sauce and fresh herbs $16

I know this is not something the stars aligned for and heavens parted in honor of but it is filling, flavorful and an easy split. The meatballs are compact and ground fine. The sauce is a bit thin with actual tomato pieces and fresh basil which is just fine with me. It does not take like you licked the inside of a tin can that has sat on a shelf in Toledo for 2 years before getting to your plate. Noodles are al' dente and very twirlable. Not a mush mess that ends up more like glue in the gut than any sort of carb goodness.

Did I mention they offer to put FRESH parmesan / regianno on your plate. Not the sawdust green shaker version???!!! Cheese with actual flavor is my weakness!

****Which brings me to a mini tirade.

Stop buying Cheese Food/Cheese Spread.

You know...that cheese in individual wrappers that actually are made up of everything but cheese! I was shocked when Dan and I got together and he had never read the actual name on the front of a cheese wrapper. Licking the dust in the air has more flavor and nutrition than that crap.

Ok...now what else did we order???

Pennette Bolognese - meat sauce, peas and parmesan $15

I liked this a ton and again, plenty to share. This sauce is thicker, and instead of two big meatballs, has thicker chunks of ground meat with a bit more pork thrown in if my taste buds are accurate. It also has penne noodles which are heavier than the spaghetti and topped with basil and again, real cheese!

Dan had the Pepperoni & Mushroom - Marinara sauce, Parmesan, fresh thyme and oregano $11.95 ( I am not sure why there is no mushrooms on the pic! It is possible he got them on the side because I hate them and he is the best husband/boyfriend ever! )

I have not had the pleasure of encountering a Via Nappoli pizza yet to compare but will say that wood fired pizza's are by far my favorite compared to thick crusted/stuffed crusted pizza from a chain location or even deep dish from Chicago. Part has to due with the heartburn/indigestion I get from a heavy dough but the major reason is I want to taste the toppings not be lost in the crust.

I love deciphering the nuances of the sauce, whether it is more of a paste or a diced tomato. I want to know if the meat on top is slow cooked or nuked in a microwave and does the pepperoni taste like it came from Italy or from Des Moines? These pizza's have enough cheese, enough toppings to fill your belly without stuffing you to the point of a Thanksgiving feast.

For dessert, Dan had a sundae with broken cookie chunks. Technically listed as: Frozen Yogurt with one Topping $4

Yogurt here is code for something tasting very much like ice milk BTW. Ice milk to me tastes like frozen skim milk which is basically 3/4 water 1/4 milk and who wants watered down milk with cookies? He seemed to like it just fine though.

Then again he also was happy eating faux cheese so what the heck does he know?!!!

I had the Creme Brulee $5.

I believe whole heartedly that this is better than any TS at WDW. The top is toasted to a carmalized perfection. The fresh strawberry makes a few bites taste like you were eating a summer sin.

Baylor also had a sundae and seemed to like the cookie bits better than the "yogurt."

Overall this meal gets an:

Good and borderline great but the lack of decent multiple options beside creme brulee for dessert, is a slight negative and I wish their meatballs were a bit more home made feeling with a nonperfect texture and form.

 

[Normangirls]

A few comments, whether you asked for them or not:

So why is it as a whole, most of us don't spend 5 minutes at home looking for new places to try, new meals to encounter and yet for the week we spend at WDW, we pour over menu's, peruse other's experiences and reviews?

You preach it, sister. My secretary just drug me to a new place here in our small town for lunch, a small boutique/florist/tea room. I didn't want to go, I was in a hurry. But it was fabulous! What a refreshing change from a quick drive-through burger. I actually enjoyed my lunch, and can't wait to go again. The nice thing was to see how busy they were -- must be a lot of people out there looking for just such an alternative to McD's.

It does not take like you licked the inside of a tin can that has sat on a shelf in Toledo for 2 years before getting to your plate.

Why do people use Toledo when trying to illustrate something that is stale, boring or mundane? Oh, yeah, because that's what Toledo is. I know. I live there.

Stop buying Cheese Food/Cheese Spread.

"American Cheese" =

Pennette Bolognese - meat sauce, peas and parmesan $15

I liked this a ton and again, plenty to share. This sauce is thicker, and instead of two big meatballs, has thicker chunks of ground meat with a bit more pork thrown in if my taste buds are accurate. It also has penne noodles which are heavier than the spaghetti and topped with basil and again, real cheese!

O.K., you're the foodie, and I'm the one who ate SpaghettiO's for dinner last night, so tell me -- doesn't Bolognese fare usually have some sausage in the sauce?

I want to know if the meat on top is slow cooked or nuked in a microwave and does the pepperoni taste like it came from Italy or from Des Moines?

You can pick on Des Moines all you want -- never been there.

Thank you for the wonderful update! Now I'm really hungry for dinner.

I hope you're other "thing" is resolving itself properly. If not, when we're down there next month we can go all Des Moines on their tushies.

 

[dizneeat]

Couldn't agree with you more on WPE!

Pizzas are perfect, pasta is well cooked and sauce wonderful and what else is there to say about the Creme Brulee? Like you, I think it IS the best on property! Yummy!!!!

Thanks for the review!