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

[praisehisname]

Merry Christmas, Brenda!

 

[oybolshoi]

Happy Christmas from Bendy & Jay!!!

 

[ChelleinNC]

I'm sorry I fell so far behind It's been so busy with the holidays & life.....a little easier to keep up on the friendie thread, but I let all of my trippie threads slide for the last few weeks.

All caught up and random thoughts/comments:

Love Love Love the tiara!

Have not been to Tutto for all the same reasons however that food & wine pairing could easily change my mind!

The flowers were beautiful and the margarita glass/vase was priceless

I have enjoyed my morning of catch up and now look forward to the next installment

 

[Timon]

Hey Bendy

I finally got caught up!

So are such a fabulous writer, so very entertaining and you always make me laugh!!

I ran into you a few times during your trip and I can vouch for you....you definitely don't stink!

 

[cntkg1]

So are such a fabulous writer, so very entertaining and you always make me laugh!!

I ran into you a few times during your trip and I can vouch for you....you definitely don't stink!

DITTO on both!

 

[oybolshoi]

I'm sorry I fell so far behind It's been so busy with the holidays & life.....a little easier to keep up on the friendie thread, but I let all of my trippie threads slide for the last few weeks.

All caught up and random thoughts/comments:

Love Love Love the tiara!

Have not been to Tutto for all the same reasons however that food & wine pairing could easily change my mind!

The flowers were beautiful and the margarita glass/vase was priceless

I have enjoyed my morning of catch up and now look forward to the next installment

Nothing to be sorry for, my friend. It will all be waiting here for you when you have time. And we all know that as slow as I am (although I do think I'm updating pretty quickly for me) you will not miss much at all!

Thanks for reading - I hope you enjoy the wackiness that is yet to come!

Hey Bendy

I finally got caught up!

So are such a fabulous writer, so very entertaining and you always make me laugh!!

I ran into you a few times during your trip and I can vouch for you....you definitely don't stink!

Cass! Hiya friendie!! It's so good to see you here and thank you so much for the wonderful compliments ... the one about my writing as well as the one about my not smelling bad!

DITTO on both!

Nancy, you're the best!

 

[PNO4TE]

On the first day at Epcot
Somebody poured for me

I want to know how you knew what I was going to drink last week!

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Happy Christmas from Bendy & Jay!!!

Great photo! Happy holidays to you both!

 

[Jennifer48]

UGH!! How did I miss this report?!

I've read it all and you still aren't done?! I'm here now and so you can finish...you have my permission

Merry Christmas B and Happy New Year!

 

[oybolshoi]

Great photo! Happy holidays to you both!

Thanks very much! I hope you and yours had a lovely holiday.

UGH!! How did I miss this report?!

I've read it all and you still aren't done?! I'm here now and so you can finish...you have my permission

Merry Christmas B and Happy New Year!

Hey stranger! How the heck have you been? You're a married woman now, right? Is there a trippie somewhere for us to read?

And me ... finish by December? You kill me! I will try to update this weekend ... I know I said I was going to do that last weekend but that Christmas thing got in the way.

Thanks for stopping in to take a read - glad to know you're still hanging on the DIS!

 

[Jennifer48]

Hey stranger! How the heck have you been? You're a married woman now, right? Is there a trippie somewhere for us to read?

And me ... finish by December? You kill me! I will try to update this weekend ... I know I said I was going to do that last weekend but that Christmas thing got in the way.

Thanks for stopping in to take a read - glad to know you're still hanging on the DIS!

I'm well thanks! I am a married woman now and I had a whole TR thing planned but I just never got around to it with the wedding, buying a house and the holidays and all. Maybe I'll try though!

 

[oybolshoi]

Saturday, October 17th - They Soar Through the Air With the Greatest of Ease ... Those Tasty Young Fish on the Flying Trapeze!

We'd been dreaming of a return visit to Flying Fish since we first dined there in May 2007; the great viral reversal of fortune in October 2007 prevented us from having dinner at the Fish during our annual F&W Festival visit and in October 2008 we went with Bluezoo in order to try something new and scary. So by the time the ADR clock ticked down for this trip all Jay or I could think about was how to fit Flying Fish into the dining plans. It was surprisingly easy once we decided to host a DISmeet on the night of my birthday - we needed a restaurant that was going to allow us to get to and from the Beach Club easily while still providing food and booze befitting a 40th birthday celebration.

Hello Flying Fish ... dazzle us once again with your tasty bounty!!

The restaurant seemed exceptionally busy on this evening and we had to wait a good twenty-to-thirty minutes to be seated. Granted we were a little late for our ADR because Jay was helping me with by birthday suit ... ... but still, the number of people trying to get a table was just something we weren't prepared for. One gentleman was told, since he didn't have an ADR, that he was looking at a 90-minute wait to be seated. That's dining insanity the likes of which we've never seen at WDW in October.

Normally the wait would have been a minor annoyance, but we were actually on a pretty tight schedule because my birthday cake was supposed to be delivered by Private Dining at 9:30PM over at the Beach Club Solarium and we had upwards of 30 friends coming to help us devour it. We needed to eat dinner, rush back to the villa, change clothes, grab everything we needed for the gathering, and haul our logy butts down to the Solarium to set up all within a two-and-a-half hour window. Tight for sure, but it could be done as long as everything moved smoothly.

D'OH!

Not tonight.

If there was a single good thing about having to wait longer than I'd planned for our table it was that Shovan, TigerKat, their respective hubbies, BigMama, and FormrCastMbr were also waiting to be seated for their ADR. Jay and I have had the pleasure of meeting Shovan and her husband before, but had never met the others in the "real world." They were all such a nice group of DISers and even invited us to join them for dinner, which on a different night we definitely would have agreed to, but the clock was ticking and I felt like it would have been more rude for us to rush away from the shared dinner table than it was to decline their initial offer. But thanks to all of you for your kindness and we'd love to take you up on a rain check if the opportunity ever presents itself again and you're not all frightened by the thought of sharing a meal with the two of us!

As to the restaurant decor, it's very light and whimsical - sort of a boadwalk theme for fish. I especially like the ferris wheel along the back wall and the parachute riding fishes that hang from the ceiling. The vibe is fun and playful and friendly and we we enjoy it tremendously.

See the ferris wheel back there?

Flying fishies!!!

Our server's name was Jay and he was actually very attentive but the service all night was very slow - there must have been a help shortage on the floor or in the kitchen because the pace was off that night. But we cannot complain about the quality of the food or service, both of which were exceptional.

After placing our order, Jay returned with the Chef's Amuse for the evening. We didn't even realize that Flying Fish was providing guests with happy mouth offerings - how exciting! I think this was a beet arancini or something along those lines. It was definitely filled with beet - I know this because the word beet was drummed into our heads when it was first presented. As for its official name, I'm not sure if we should refer to this as a beetball or a beet clot. I will say that this was surprisingly tasty for deep fried, violently magenta-colored beetmash.

Deep fried vegetables aren't as objectionable as I'd first thought.

Beet clot!!!

There are so many wonderful options to choose from at Flying Fish and Jay and I are such incredible pigs that we decided to order two appetizers. Jay chose the calamari platter that included squid two ways. The platter also came with julienned vegetables and an Asian dipping sauce. I do not like squid ... never have ... it's the texture and chewiness that does me in, but Jay loves calamari and rarely has a chance to enjoy fresh, really well prepared tentacles. He liked this appetizer and said it was very tatsy - for any squid lovers out there he said this is a sure bet the next time you have dinner at the Fish!

Squid Platter with Extra Tentacles

In keeping with the birthday drinking theme I ordered Flying Fish's Sparkling Wine Flight while Jay opted for a single glass of Benvolio Pinot Grigio. For a mere twenty dollars I received three glasses of bubbly to enjoy throughout the course of our meal:

Paul Cheneau Cava, Lady blanc de blanc
Moet & Chandon, Imperial extra dry, Epernay
Graham Beck, Bliss Demi-sec, South Africa, NV

Champagne Flight

Flying Fish offers a number of different wine flights and they're pretty affordably priced and generously poured. I can't wait to go back again and try some of their other flights ... perhaps one with an appetizer, another with the entree, and a third with dessert!

For my appetizer selection I had to order the cheese plate; oh glorious artisan cheese what makes my gut worm sing!

I wish I knew how to quit you …

Two years ago I thought Flying Fish had one of the best cheese plates on property and I still think that today. They offer five artisan cheeses with accompaniments like honey, preserves, raisins on the vine, and a generous plate of crostini.

So what did they set before me on this evening? From left to right in the picture above:

Saint Andre – A high cow’s milk-fat “triple crème” cheese from France, it has a soft buttery texture and tastes like a high octane brie. Did you know they add extra heavy cream to the cheese during production? Ahhh, the French … no one quite knows how to seduce the tastebuds like they do!

Tete de Moine – A firm, full-fat cow’s milk cheese from Switzerland, it has a nutty flavor and pairs really well with dried fruit. Personally I just love the presentation – they slice it with a cutting tool called a girolle and it makes these thin, totally cool florets! Almost too pretty to eat … almost!

Manchego – A semi-firm sheep’s milk cheese from Spain with a mild, slightly nutty flavor, and maybe even a hint of brine, or salt. This is one of our favorite cheeses and we can actually buy it in Stinktown! I thought it was funny to learn that this cheese is produced in La Mancha ... Don Quixote, anyone?

Humboldt Fog – Cypress Grove’s signature goat cheese … this stuff is da bomb! It’s a young cheese with a creamy texture and a slightly tangy taste. Each wheel and subsequent slice features a ribbon of edible vegetable ash running through the center as well as a coating of ash under its exterior. The first time this made an appearance on one of my cheese plates I almost didn’t eat it because I thought it was a blue cheese and I just can’t get my tastebuds around those stinky toe tasting kinds of cheese; thank goodness the waiter at Jiko explained that this was a goat cheese, which I adore! Jay and I have been hooked on this stuff ever since.

Point Reyes Blue – A cow’s milk cheese made from a closed herd of Holstein cows – it’s handmade from hormone-free raw milk. It’s a creamy blue cheese with a lot of salt and mold … I want to try to like blue cheese … I really do, but I just don’t enjoy the pungency of it, so I let Jay enjoy this one pretty much to his heart’s content.

While we were waiting a very long time for our entrees to show up our server offered to take a picture of us. The Homer buttons show up well, don't they?

Here we are mid-meal; still standing ... er, sitting ... after all that booze!

And then a palate cleanser was delivered to the table! It was really refreshing and light but damned if I can remember now what it actually was. Pineapple, maybe? Or apple? Bah! My memory machine has apparently broken down ... it must need more booze!

Sorbet

When it came time for the entree selection I struggled - I really wanted the scallops but I was worried that it might be too rich for the goblin to handle after everything else I’d eaten throughout the day. And I’d just had scallops a couple of nights earlier at Bistro Paris and didn’t want to fall into a seafood rut. So after much thought I ended up with the “Laughing Bird” Shrimp and Orecchiette Pasta which included summer squash, tiny tomatoes, arugula, shellfish butter, and lemon mosto-basil oil.

It’s laughing at me!

This was delightful! Chock full of little shrimpies with crisp veggies and lots of tender pasta, it was cooked perfectly and had been tossed very lightly with the butter and oil. I think it could have been very easy to ruin this dish with too much oil or butter, but the kitchen did a great job of keeping it light which I really appreciated because I do not like over-sauced or oily pasta dishes.

Jay also decided to try something different this evening and he selected the Chef’s Special Thunder “SURF AND SURF!!!” This translated to Grilled Florida Swordfish and Laughing Bird Shrimp with mustard greens, confit fennel, artichokes, tomatoes, sea urchin, black garlic, caper, and olive meuniere.

Surf times two!

He loved this and thought the flavors all worked really well together. Jay loves him some swordfish and said this didn't disappoint at all - it was surftacular!!

By this point in the meal it was already 9PM - I very much wanted to order dessert and more booze but there just wasn't time. We'd explained to Jay that we had to be at a party later that evening and were skipping dessert because of it, but darned if the man didn't bring us a free sweet offering anyway.

Birthday dessert

It was a seriously big, honking dish of creme brulee with fresh fruit and a chocolate banner. Do you know how ungracious I felt stuffing big spoonfulls into my mouth while trying to discretely change into running shoes at the table? Jay and I ate about half of it and then literally bolted from the restaurant and sprinted back over to the Beach Club. This was a very uncomfortable and seemingly never-ending jog back to the room ... the weather had grown noticeably colder and windier so my teeth were chattering and we were full of food that our tummies wanted to digest in peace. Regardless of our best efforts we were late to our own party - luckily BriarRosie and TDCNala were already there and had given the Private Dining staff some direction in our absence. Thank goodness someone showed up on time!

All in all we thought Flying Fish was quite good but as I stated earlier, there was definitley a course timing / staffing issue. It shouldn't have taken us nearly as long to dine there as it did. The food and service were wonderful, however, so please don't take this as a bad review. We have every intention of going back to Flying Fish on our next visit for a relaxed, leisurely dinner with lots of booze.

Our overall rating for the evening is Batmanuel:

Great food and service but circumstances on both sides prevented this from being an oustanding experience. Still, a very good meal and a damn fine cheese plate!!

Birthday Drink Tally at 9:30PM:

1 Mimosa
6 small glasses of Moet & Chandon Champagne
3 glasses of champagne ala' Flying Fish
1 shared small cup Spanish red wine
1 shared Happy Lye-chee
3 full glasses of Italian wine
1 glass of Rosa Regale
A whole lotta water!

 

[PNO4TE]

A yummy update, Brenda! We really enjoyed our FF meal in October too. We also had service-timing issues, so maybe it is something that they need to work on. I must say we did not receive an amuse bouche or a palate cleanser! Maybe because we were the very last ones to be seated in the restaurant that night!

I love Jay's plate! Was it really tiered in an odd kind of way? And I also agree about the wine flights. I had the Pinot Noir one the night we dined. It was also delicious and reasonably priced. I think having more than one flight per meal sounds like a grand plan.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Wow!!!

You've just made my day because I just added a Flying Fish ADR to my March Birthday trip and now I'm salivating over your review!

The cheese plate looks amazing! I actually have Saint Andre in my fridge this very moment because I had read great things about it. I think it is time to crack out our New Years Day Cheese Tray

And I had no idea there was a Sparkling Wine Flight, I've added that to my must try list

Isn't that White Chocolate Creme Brulee fantastic?? To me, it is the perfect custard texture, not too....jiggly? lol

Can't wait to read more! Oh and Happy New Year!

 

[dizneeat]

Happy New Year, Brenda!

What a great update!
Now I am even more excited to try FF in February! Tom would have loved the Surf and Surf, .
Can't wait to see photos of your birthday cake! Birthdays at Disney are just the best!

 

[jess20k]

Love your reviews! We will be dining at Flying Fish in March, I can't wait. Your review sounded wonderful. I was thinking of ordering the potato wrapped red snapper. It sounds delicious, plus I have read many good reviews on it. Have you or Jay ever ordered it?

 

[FirstMagic]

Thank you for the Flying Fish review! Your "Laughing Bird" looks wonderful, but Jay's "Surf and Surf" looks over-the-top wonderful!

We were discussing which restaurants to dine at for our next Disney trip at lunch today (months off, but with the 180-day reservation window, it is not too early to start thinking about it!), Flying Fish was up there on our list to do again, but seeing those photos might have pushed it to the must-do status.

Can't wait to see the b-day cake pix too!

 

[TigerKat]

Great update! Johnny & I both had the Surf and Surf and LOVED it! You guys really got the royal treatment that night!!!! Hopefully we will get the opportunity to dine together.

 

[oybolshoi]

A yummy update, Brenda! We really enjoyed our FF meal in October too. We also had service-timing issues, so maybe it is something that they need to work on. I must say we did not receive an amuse bouche or a palate cleanser! Maybe because we were the very last ones to be seated in the restaurant that night!

I love Jay's plate! Was it really tiered in an odd kind of way? And I also agree about the wine flights. I had the Pinot Noir one the night we dined. It was also delicious and reasonably priced. I think having more than one flight per meal sounds like a grand plan.

Hi Elin! Happy New Year and thanks for reading! Huh ... interesting to hear that there were some similar issues when you guys were at FF - I do hope they get it resolved because it was extremely noticeable and kind of annoying.

You didn't receive a happy mouth or a palete cleanser? I wonder if I was unintentionally working the cleaves again or if it was because of my birthday?

Yes, Jay's plate was actually tiered - weird, isn't it? And I am determined to try three different flights ... I just noticed today that they list a specific flight at the bottom of the cheese menu. I missed that one in October but I will make up for that the next time!

Wow!!!

You've just made my day because I just added a Flying Fish ADR to my March Birthday trip and now I'm salivating over your review!

The cheese plate looks amazing! I actually have Saint Andre in my fridge this very moment because I had read great things about it. I think it is time to crack out our New Years Day Cheese Tray

And I had no idea there was a Sparkling Wine Flight, I've added that to my must try list

Isn't that White Chocolate Creme Brulee fantastic?? To me, it is the perfect custard texture, not too....jiggly? lol

Can't wait to read more! Oh and Happy New Year!

Hey there stranger! Happy New Year to you! I'm so glad you enjoyed the review - Flying Fish has always been a great dinner for us and I hope you have the same when you're there in March.

I can't believe you've waited this long to break into the cheese. What are you waiting for??? And yes - they have a ton of wine flights on the menu. If you look at their wine menu on the WDW website you can take a look at them in advance. They're a great deal.

Happy New Year, Brenda!

What a great update!
Now I am even more excited to try FF in February! Tom would have loved the Surf and Surf, .
Can't wait to see photos of your birthday cake! Birthdays at Disney are just the best!

Hi Karin! Happy New Year! Thanks for reading - can't wait to hear what you think of FF after you try it in February. It really is a wonderful restaurant - I hope you and Tom enjoy it!

I can't wait to share pics from our birthday get-together - it was so much fun and the cake was awesome!!

Love your reviews! We will be dining at Flying Fish in March, I can't wait. Your review sounded wonderful. I was thinking of ordering the potato wrapped red snapper. It sounds delicious, plus I have read many good reviews on it. Have you or Jay ever ordered it?

Hi Jess! Happy New Year! Jason ordered the snapper the last time we were there in 2007 and it was incredible. I was tempted to order it this time but it's a really big portion and it's pretty rich, so I passed. Hope you guys have a great dinner there in March - thanks for reading!!

Thank you for the Flying Fish review! Your "Laughing Bird" looks wonderful, but Jay's "Surf and Surf" looks over-the-top wonderful!

We were discussing which restaurants to dine at for our next Disney trip at lunch today (months off, but with the 180-day reservation window, it is not too early to start thinking about it!), Flying Fish was up there on our list to do again, but seeing those photos might have pushed it to the must-do status.

Can't wait to see the b-day cake pix too!

Hi there and Happy New Year! Thanks for taking the time to read - glad you enjoyed the FF update. We really did have a great meal - there was nothing wrong with the food at all. I can tell you FF is on our short list of do-over restaurants ... we want to go back and enjoy it properly the next time.

Birthday pics may pop up later this weekend - just depends on how much spare time I have.

 

[oybolshoi]

Hiya Kat! Thanks for reading. I'm curious ... did you guys get the happy mouth and the sorbet since you were there at the same time we were? I hope so ... otherwise I'm going to feel kind of bad and I'm going to wonder what we did to earn such a lovely gift.

Maybe we could all rent out the Ditch one day and eat and drink together there?

Great update! Johnny & I both had the Surf and Surf and LOVED it! You guys really got the royal treatment that night!!!! Hopefully we will get the opportunity to dine together.