Pie That Brownie, Fruitcake! Updated Post #1832 - The End

[cdrn1]

That's the spirit!

And I wouldn't want to change anyone's mind ... I just like to throw crap out there for people to chew on so it can help them make up their own minds.

Awww....I'll still eat em too. After all, they aren't really bugs...are they? They aren't really...aren't they like, a mollusk? Like a clam or something?
Yep, seafood. Right?
I will definitely think of this review the next time (or ten) that I eat them.

 

[oybolshoi]

Awww....I'll still eat em too. After all, they aren't really bugs...are they? They aren't really...aren't they like, a mollusk? Like a clam or something?
Yep, seafood. Right?
I will definitely think of this review the next time (or ten) that I eat them.

I think you're right ... they're actually mollusks but I liked the way bowl of bugs sounded in the review, especially at a fancy-schmancy Frenchified restaurant.

As long as I didn't ruin it for you then I'm happy.

 

[FirstMagic]

Brenda - sorry if this post is related to something so 10-pages-ago in your review, time constraints have reduced me to more or a lurker than a poster lately.

but... when I saw your breakfast pictures at Kouzzina, and that lovely sweet potato hash Jay was served, I got this brilliant (hopefully) idea to have breakfast there on our Studio's day (because although we never starve or have had something truly awful, I find the food offerings at DHS non-compelling). I made our ressie as late as possible so to make it more brunch-ish, but I plan to go for that hash and accompaniments, and I think my DH will be safe with the waffle. I hope.

I know you said its a 50/50 chance to get a good meal there, from our dinner experience at Kouzzina in October I'd say the odds are more like 60/30, since my guy's dinners were good and I had the stinker. How come when I'm the one who does all the restaurant and food research, I usually end up with the loser plate? Not fair!!!!

It will be a short trip and more holiday decorations and stuff focused than eating based - we leave for WDW tomorrow morning.

So thanks for the pictures of the breakfast at Kouzzina, hopefully they still have the good hash cook working there!

 

[oybolshoi]

No apologies needed ... it's a big thread 'cause I like to talk.

I really hope you have a great trip and that you both have a wonderful meal at Kouzzina. I'll be pulling for 100% good this time around!!

Thanks for taking the time to read - be sure to come back and let us know how your trip and meal go.

Brenda - sorry if this post is related to something so 10-pages-ago in your review, time constraints have reduced me to more or a lurker than a poster lately.

but... when I saw your breakfast pictures at Kouzzina, and that lovely sweet potato hash Jay was served, I got this brilliant (hopefully) idea to have breakfast there on our Studio's day (because although we never starve or have had something truly awful, I find the food offerings at DHS non-compelling). I made our ressie as late as possible so to make it more brunch-ish, but I plan to go for that hash and accompaniments, and I think my DH will be safe with the waffle. I hope.

I know you said its a 50/50 chance to get a good meal there, from our dinner experience at Kouzzina in October I'd say the odds are more like 60/30, since my guy's dinners were good and I had the stinker. How come when I'm the one who does all the restaurant and food research, I usually end up with the loser plate? Not fair!!!!

It will be a short trip and more holiday decorations and stuff focused than eating based - we leave for WDW tomorrow morning.

So thanks for the pictures of the breakfast at Kouzzina, hopefully they still have the good hash cook working there!

 

[ehagerty]

I just caught up with your reports - the "Blue Zoo" post caught my eye and I managed to read all the reports from your handy Table of Posts.

Totally agree with your Blue Zoo assessment.

Had a great time.
Wouldn't go back for the food.​

But, since my selection was a function of the calendar (the only day I could choose a signature dining experience) and not purely desire to go Blue Zoo, it "was what is was," food-wise. (Still can't get over the salt.)

Excerpt from The French Laundry Cookbook (p 180)​

"The ability to salt food properly is the single most important skill in cooking. When new cooks start at the restaurant, this is one of the first things I try to convey. Salt is the primary seasoning ingredient we use. It heightens the flavor of everything across the board, no matter what you're doing - even some sweets. Without it, the flavor of meats and vegetables and fruits is a little flat, dead, fade, as they say in France - insipid. Salt opens up flavors, makes them sparkle.

But if you taste salt in a dish, it's too salty.​

"

REALLY looking forward to Oct 18th reviews....

 

[oybolshoi]

Ellen! Thanks for taking the time to stop in and visit us here!!

I can't tell you what a pleasure it was to meet you at Bluezoo; I hope future visits to WDW find us at another and much better signature dinner or other F&W event.

Thanks for the great quote from French Laundry - that's the best thing I've seen so far to describe that pasta.

It may take me a while to get to and then finish the V&A review but it's going to be very enjoyable. And silly.

Thanks for reading!

I just caught up with your reports - the "Blue Zoo" post caught my eye and I managed to read all the reports from your handy Table of Posts.

Totally agree with your Blue Zoo assessment.

Had a great time.
Wouldn't go back for the food.​

But, since my selection was a function of the calendar (the only day I could choose a signature dining experience) and not purely desire to go Blue Zoo, it "was what is was," food-wise. (Still can't get over the salt.)

Excerpt from The French Laundry Cookbook (p 180)​

"The ability to salt food properly is the single most important skill in cooking. When new cooks start at the restaurant, this is one of the first things I try to convey. Salt is the primary seasoning ingredient we use. It heightens the flavor of everything across the board, no matter what you're doing - even some sweets. Without it, the flavor of meats and vegetables and fruits is a little flat, dead, fade, as they say in France - insipid. Salt opens up flavors, makes them sparkle.

But if you taste salt in a dish, it's too salty.​

"

REALLY looking forward to Oct 18th reviews....

 

[TDC Nala]

Here is what the French Laundry meant to say:

"Don't dump big freakin piles of salt all over your noodles and then serve them to a bunch of overdressed theme park guests who paid $185 for the privilege."

 

[oybolshoi]

Here is what the French Laundry meant to say:

"Don't dump big freakin piles of salt all over your noodles and then serve them to a bunch of overdressed theme park guests who paid $185 for the privilege."

It's true!

Do you want to know how many people I work with wanted to know how it was possible for someone like Todd English to ruin pasta?

All of them.

 

[kabuki]

It's true!

Do you want to know how many people I work with wanted to know how it was possible for someone like Todd English to ruin pasta?

All of them.

Maybe it wasn't salt .. it was fake tanner???!!!
One spray for me .. one for the pasta!

 

[oybolshoi]

Saturday, October 17th - Bendy's 40th Birthday Starts with Room Service and a Mimosa ... I'll Drink To That!!

Who doesn't want to wake up on his or her birthday and throw back the curtains to find a glorious, porcelain blue sky washed clean of threatening clouds? And when that beautiful sky happens to stretch over the Walt Disney World Resort and it's your 40th birthday and you have a champagne seminar, Italian Food & Wine pairing, Flying Fish dinner, and custom birthday cake to look forward to, and you're just a big, goofy kid at heart ... well, could the day start any better?

Actually, it could have ... just a little.

Some of us woke up in better shape than others on the morning of the 17th; I didn't drink nearly as much wine the night before at Bluezoo as I could have because I'd spent the better part of the day feeling not-so-great. Jay, on the other hand, drank all of his wine and a goodly portion of mine at the dinner and as a result did not feel very good at all when he rolled out of bed.

I made some coffee for us from our private stash and tried to quiet my gut worm with caffeine for a while. Honestly, as wonky as my appetite had been the day before, it came roaring back with a "FEED ME" today and I couldn't seem to get enough food ... or booze ... no matter where we were. Bless his darling heart if Jay didn't finally tell me to order something for breakfast because he knew I wanted room service and he could hear my gut worm bellowing from across the room.

You may think I'm exaggerating, but when the gut worm gets warmed up it sounds like a baby pterodactyl is going to burst from my stomach at any moment. It must be acknowledged and then placated with offerings of food and booze until it's replete ... to the point of satiety.

Anyway, you only have to tell Bendy to hit the room service button once! I ordered myself a Mickey waffle with a side of bacon and a mimosa, and the continental breakfast with orange juice and hot tea for Jason. We've ordered the continental breakfast before and can actually eat off of that basket of goodies for at least two days; I had a sneaking suspicion that Jay wasn't going to eat much this morning anyway, poor guy.

It only took about thirty minutes for our breakfast to arrive. I love how the private dining CMs set up the dining room table and make it all cozy and inviting!

It's the Birthday Buffet!

Mickey's head on a plate ... how Biblical!

Is this really how they breakfast on the Continent?

Mimosa ... and more orange juice for future boozing!

Overall the food was pretty good. The bacon was actually crisp ... and I think it was real as opposed to the microwave gunk some restaurants have taken to serving. I was disappointed in the waffle - it tasted like they'd used pancake batter to make it and it was thick and heavy, not at all light like a waffle should be. Maybe I've been spoiled by the waffles we make at home, but friendies, if past Mickey waffles had been this heavy and cake-like I never would have been a fan of them in the first place. Needless to say, I didn't finish my waffle. I did, however, finish Jay's croissant because he just couldn't bring himself to eat much. In addition to the very tasty, light, flaky croissant, we also had a mammoth blueberry muffin and two danish - one cherry and one apple. I would have preferred a cheese danish to the apple, but we shared it later in the week and it was actually better than I expected.

All things considered this was a pretty good start to the day as far as I was concerned. I got my room service and my waffle, even if it was sub-par, and I was able to start celebrating my birthday with a really good, strong, mimosa. YUM!

Coming soon ... the drinking continues with a Moet and Chandon champagne seminar, much festival food and booze snacking, a food and wine pairing at Tutto Italia, a birthday surprise, dinner at Flying Fish, and a birthday DIS-meet at the Beach Club that lasted into the wee hours.

Thanks for reading ... there's lots of great food and booze to come!

 

[Belle_373]

What a great way to start your birthday! I can't wait to hear how the rest of the day went.

 

[Tink rules]

Here is what the French Laundry meant to say:

"Don't dump big freakin piles of salt all over your noodles and then serve them to a bunch of overdressed theme park guests who paid $185 for the privilege."

Ok.. .now that I heard the review of BZ... maybe I'm glad I didn't make it down this year...

I wonder if you could have sent it all back to the kitchen and asked them to redo it? Have Todd cook this time...

 

[Linda67]

Now that's what I call having a great start to a Birthday
Looking forward to hearing about the rest of the day (and the Champagne )

 

[oybolshoi]

Maybe it wasn't salt .. it was fake tanner???!!!
One spray for me .. one for the pasta!

I never even thought of that, but you are right ... the color of that paste does bear a striking resemblance to the Meat Puppet.

What a great way to start your birthday! I can't wait to hear how the rest of the day went.

Hi there - thanks for stopping by to take a read! It was a lovely start to the day and the remainder of the day just got better and better and better.

Ok.. .now that I heard the review of BZ... maybe I'm glad I didn't make it down this year...

I wonder if you could have sent it all back to the kitchen and asked them to redo it? Have Todd cook this time...

Hey there stranger! Remember though, that this was the signature dinner as opposed to the regular menu. I still think Todd might have been the problem - the two dinners we've had there on "normal" evenings were terrific and I'm pretty sure he wasn't in the kitchen when those were prepared.

Now that's what I call having a great start to a Birthday Looking forward to hearing about the rest of the day (and the Champagne )

Hi Linda! Thanks for reading. It was a great start and I had about as good a birthday as I could have hoped for ... the only thing that could have made it better would have been a mega-millions winning lottery ticket.

And our champagne seminar was really good - I liked it a lot, especially because Jay let me have most of his champagne!!

 

[cntkg1]

Now you just knew this update would bring me out of lurkdom B. Loved your breakfast selection....nice and simple, just like me. (Well, maybe I'm not so nice at times but I sure am simple).

I saved tons of Disney Visa points for after the cruise just so I could buy my Mickey Waffle Maker once and for all. All the whining and crying and flailing I did at home for this would finally come to an end, right? WRONG!!!! Seems like the Marketplace doesn't sell them anymore!!!! You should've seen the look on my face when the CM told me that the only place to get them now is on ebay. So, I spent the next hour spending $200.00 of credits on junk that I didn't even want.

BTW...I couldn't win an item on ebay if I were the only one bidding on it.

 

[Tink rules]

Oh and Bendy... don't expect much from the Mickey Waffles on the 2nd week of the TA... I hear last time they ran out of mix and had to use cake mix...

But by then you'll be living off of rations of rum and making sure that you steal enough citrus so you don't get scurvy...

(watch Muppet Treasure Island before you cruise... it'll put you in the mood...)

 

[MomsOf2boys]

Hi I'm way back there on page 5 or so... It's nice to have so much to read... I could cheat and just read the main posts but what fun is that without all the banter from all your followers?

 

[TDC Nala]

just coming in to say HOLY MOLEY, Paradiso 37 closes at 11? When does Raglan Road close? There's more nightlife on the freakin Disney cruise now for pete's sake. Not that I go to DTD anymore.

 

[Briarmom]

Great job Bendy.

just coming in to say HOLY MOLEY, Paradiso 37 closes at 11? When does Raglan Road close? There's more nightlife on the freakin Disney cruise now for pete's sake. Not that I go to DTD anymore.

I don't know why Disney hates us. I imagine my Jellyrolls is packed now since that is the only place to go after 11.

 

[kabuki]

Great job Bendy.



I don't know why Disney hates us. I imagine my Jellyrolls is packed now since that is the only place to go after 11.

Yes, and it's all full of smoke! It's like an old Vegas casino!!!!!!