We Smelled It ... It Had To Be Eaten! Christmas Eve Food Porn posts #1170 & #1171!!

[TDC Nala]

Do you have more photos of your husband's knees?

There are a lot of knee shots in this report so far.

 

[oybolshoi]

Do you have more photos of your husband's knees?

There are a lot of knee shots in this report so far.

I like his legs ...

 

[kabuki]

Sorry to hear about your cold Brenda! We had one too .. maybe it wasn't a cold but the three types of OSTRICH we had to choose from at PFTS?! Some kind of 24 hour bird flu?!

 

[BriarRosie]

Do you have more photos of your husband's knees?

There are a lot of knee shots in this report so far.

It wouldn't be a Brenda report without Jay's knees exposed. I remember seeing his knees in almost every F&W grazing shot she took last year. Mostly because she'd balance the plate there.

Sorry to hear about your cold Brenda! We had one too .. maybe it wasn't a cold but the three types of OSTRICH we had to choose from at PFTS?! Some kind of 24 hour bird flu?!

Geez, we only had ONE ostrich dish at my PFTS. But we had two types of jambalaya, go figure.

 

[kabuki]

It wouldn't be a Brenda report without Jay's knees exposed. I remember seeing his knees in almost every F&W grazing shot she took last year. Mostly because she'd balance the plate there.



Geez, we only had ONE ostrich dish at my PFTS. But we had two types of jambalaya, go figure.

Did your Jumbalaya have ostrich in it? I didn't know that ostrich was such a usable food source!?

 

[BriarRosie]

Did your Jumbalaya have ostrich in it? I didn't know that ostrich was such a usable food source!?

No ostriches were harmed in the making of the Duelling Jambalayas. One was seafood and the other was pork. The ostrich sacrificed itself for a different tasty dish altogether.

 

[whogirl'smom]

That apple would be really good for breakfast right about now! Sorry to hear you have a cold. I'm surprised we don't; we actually drank out of some of the water fountains in the parks!

 

[DisneyLaura]

That apple looked very yummy. I think I got a cavity just looking at the picture and all it's glory.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Yup, I think I would have dislodged a few crowns trying to eat that apple, but it would have been worth it. Can't wait to hear about Raglan Road-we have never done that one before.

 

[oybolshoi]

Hey there everyone! I wanted to give you a link to a recipe I posted on BriarRosie's food thread (go read her thread when you have time ... it's funny and snarky and well worth the time!).

The recipe is for Guinness Ice Cream ... yum!

Mmmmm, beery goodness!

Thanks and I hope you enjoy!

 

[BriarRosie]

That recipe looked incredible. Almost makes me want to buy an ice cream maker.

 

[Tink rules]

I like his legs ...

One Legged Bendy...

Two Legged Jay....

 

[whogirl'smom]

Someone please make that ice cream and bring me some. I do not do well with trying to mix eggs into any hot concoction. Tried to make sticky toffee pudding and ended up with sticky scrambled eggs for the topping instead of custard. Ick.

 

[Tink rules]

Temper it a bit... Add a little of the hot mixture into the colder one to even out the temperature... then add the rest slowly... no scrambled eggs... unless you want to put Guinness on your eggs....

 

[oybolshoi]

Wednesday, October 8th - Let us Celebrate the Start of Vacation with the Consumption of Wieners and Whiskey and Fish and Mash and Beer and Dessert and Scotch and ... You get the Idea, Right?

As is the case with many WDW restaurants, the DIS-opinions about Raglan Road are mixed at best, but our opinion has always been two thumbs up. This was our third visit to Raglan Road and we enjoyed it just as much this time around as we did on our first visit two years ago. We always book a late ADR for dinner so that we can enjoy the band while we stuff our faces. An 8:30 reservation shouldn't be difficult to make when you're staying at a resort directly across the lake from the restaurant ... unless it rains or something.

**Cue sudden rainstorm**

The clouds had been piling up all afternoon but by the time the sun went down we thought we were out of danger. Ha ha ha! That's how the October weather works in Stinktown, but this is Florida you nit and for all intents and purposes it's still summer and it will rain on your parade whenever it chooses.

Let that be a lesson to you the next time you're taking a pre-dinner self-portait in your snug, dry vacation home.

Take the picture already; I need a drink!

From our Grandstand room we had about a five-to-seven minute walk to the boat dock where we decided to wait for a water-taxi to take us over to Downtown Disney. The rain started as soon as our little boat pulled away from the dock and it pretty much continued with varying intensity until we made it to the restaurant 15 minutes past our scheduled ADR time. The skies really opened up just after we walked off the boat and we took shelter under the awnings near the Pooh store until we felt like we could brave the weather again without showing up at Raglan Road totally soaked to the skin. It's like this: Jay and I are those people who don't buy ponchos and we always fail to bring an umbrella on vacation ... that's just inviting bad weather and since when do we need to worry about rain at WDW in October, anyway?

Since this trip, that's when, because it rained every evening for the first six nights of our vacation. We had to check the calendar more than once to convince ourselves that it wasn't really June.

As an aside, patrons and CMs alike at Pooh's stall were no doubt very pleased by our departure since all we did was make childish poop jokes while waiting for the rain to ease up. The best perhaps was wondering aloud if we could purchase a Pooh Pooh Platter.

The good news is that we finally made it to Raglan Road, a little damp and very hungry. We only had to wait about five minutes to be seated but this was the first of many instances where I had to exercise the "we're not sitting there" option. They tried to seat us in the back bar, behind a pillar that totally blocked a view of the stage and which had a row of high, round bar tables in front of it. I stopped the "seater" and said we either wanted the main dining room or a high table - her choice, but we weren't taking that crappy table in the back.

She looked a little dumbfounded that we would refuse the table but wandered off to make sure we could sit somewhere else and then came back and seated us at the high table which we'd asked about and which provided a terrific view of Raglan Road's main dining room along with an unobstructed view of the stage where the band would shortly begin their set.

Right away I ordered my favorite Raglan Road drink: Jay'Gail Sangria or as they used to call it way back in 2006 ... Celtic Sangria.

Tart, fruity goodness from your friends in Ireland

Looks a little weak, doesn't it? This wasn't nearly as good as it has been in years past ... still tasty but definitely lacking that "punch" that I'd grown accustomed to. Sometimes the bartender just isn't up to snuff when it comes to mixology. For the curious among you, the drink is described as follows on Raglan Road's specialty drink menu: a refreshing blend of Strongbow Cider, Peach Schnapps, fruit liquors, and squeezes. I'm still waiting to find out what the heck a "squeeze" is when it comes to this drink.

Jay was smarter than me - he usually is - and he stuck with beer, ordering a Boddingtons, one of our all-time favorite beers ever since we tried it at Rose and Crown back in 2003.

Mmmmmm, beer!

Since we've dined here before, choosing our food for the evening was pretty easy, but along with our appetizer and entree selections we stunned our waitress by ordering a beer sampler. Hey chickie, we've got a $50 gift certificate to burn through, the night is young, and vacation is just starting - we're here for the long haul!

Mmmm, beer times four!

From near to far in the above picture: Strongbow Cider, Smithwicks, Tucher Hefe Weisen, and Guinness.

This was our own creation. Raglan Road now offers a third option for beer flights which is the "create-yer-own-beery-goodness" sampler or The Cream of the Crop. They also still offer two pre-selected beer flights if you don't want to have to make your own decision ... all for the bargain price of nine dollars.

The only member of our sampler that we'd never tried previously was the Strongbow and we liked it quite a bit ... it's a little sweet but refreshing and light, something that I could definitely see us drinking during the hot, sultry Stinktown summer months.

And then our appetizer showed up, something we've ordered before but which we think pairs ever-so-well with lots of beer.

The Dalkey Duo

We love these little snausages, which are dipped in batter and then deep fried. Ahhh, artery clogging goodness with a side dish of spicy mustard. They can be a little on the greasy side, but that's why we wash them down with beer. We took a picture of a sliced open dalkey dog to give everyone a better idea of what they're made of ... smallish sausages and lots of batter - double yum!

Dissected dalkey

About this time the band began playing and they were just as good as we remembered. They had some new songs mixed into their set as well as some old favorites which we were able to sing along to. For my dinner I always order the fish and chips ... it's something that I can't really get here at home unless I eat at Long John Silvers and I'm not even sure that qualifies as real fish.

Maybe this should be called Chips and Fish?

There's no way I could eat two pieces of fish, but it does seem as though this entree is all about french fries and someone in the kitchen added the fish at the last minute, almost as an afterthought. Despite the small portion size it was a very tasty piece of cod ... flaky on the inside, lightly battered on the outside, and with just the right amount of saltiness. All of this was enhanced by my horrifying cheap yellow mustard dipping habit!

Jay ordered the restaurant's version of bangers and mash: Bang Bang's Bangers.

Looks like sausage and 'taters to me!

Here is the official description for this dish: homemade gourmet Irish sausages served over onion and mashed potatoes, then topped with a red wine onion reduction. Jason said that the mashed 'taters were smooth and creamy and in spite of the menu's claim, there was Guinness beef stew spooned over his snausage. He really liked the entire dish, saying that it was quite tasty.

At this point we were out of all beverages and growing thirsty. We always drink a lot of water with our meals, especially if alcohol is involved, and our waitress was a little remiss in refilling our glasses. Once we flagged her down and reminded her she was better about keeping the water spicket open. Her service overall was pretty good although I have to admit that I found it a bit odd to be called sweetie by someone who was obviously younger than me.

When she reappeared with the water pitcher we took the opportunity to ask for the dessert menu and the whiskey / scotch menu. Along with beer flights Raglan Road also offers both Irish Whiskey and Single Malt Scotch flights. Jay and I chose a Single Malt Scotch flight that had two scotches we'd never tried before. When the waitress came back about five mintues later with our flight she started naming the booze and then I stopped her, saying that I didn't think that it was correct ... that we'd ordered a different sampler. She went back to the bar to check and then came back with a sheepish smile on her face. She'd put the order in correctly but the bartender read it wrong and rather than pouring us the Single Malt Flight that we wanted, he'd poured an Irish Whiskey Flight.

End result?

Our waitress told us to enjoy an Irish Whiskey sampler on the house!

A few minutes later she came back with the Scotch sampler we'd ordered and said she hoped we'd be able to walk out under our own power once we were finished. She obviously didn't know with whom she was speaking, did she?

Here are pictures of our final boozes of the day:

Irish Whiskey Flight:
Connemara
Clontarf
Tyrconnell

Single Malt Scotch Flight:
Craggamore
Talisker
Oban 14-year

There was a noticeable difference between the two flights. The Irish whiskeys were much harsher; when Ralph Wiggum says "it tastes like burning" I think he is referring to Irish whiskey. The Scotch flight was much more to our preference and all three samples were smooth and clean tasting with no mouth-burn. Our favorite was the Oban 14-year, which we ended up ordering later in the trip one night with dessert.

And speaking of dessert, we were total pigs and ordered two because I wanted to try something new. Jay opted for the traditional Raglan Road dessert, Ger's Bread & Butter Pudding which is served with Butterscotch and Creme Anglaise Sauces.

Stuff yer face with that!

Still as good as we remember it ... this was warm and sweet and chock full o' raisins. And the mix of both sauces poured over it ... this sort of devilish combination should be outlawed. I'm not typically a big fan of bread pudding but this is one of the best desserts I've ever eaten. If you dine at Raglan Road save room for the bread pudding - it's that good!

The new dessert that we decided to try was called Triple Your Pleasure. It was three different chocolate desserts: White Chocolate Mousse, Dark Chocolate Mousse, and a little Chocolate Shake.

Needs more chocolate!

I thought this was really good, especially with the scotch! I've said it before and I'll say it again ... scotch and chocolate are a win-win combination. As for the actual desserts ... the white chocolate mousse had a great flavor and was very light, but the texture was a little gritty and that made it hard to enjoy. The dark chocolate mousse was very good although more thick than a mousse should be in my opinion. My favorite was the shake, which was cold and thick and full of milk chocolate-y goodness.

So, all in all we had a fine, boozie dinner at Raglan Road to start off our vacation. The food was really tasty and the live music was terrific. Overall the service was good, if a little spotty at times. We really enjoy Raglan Road and will continue to patronize their establishment whenever we can. As a note to those of you who are interested in dining while the band plays, they perform Monday-Saturday at 9PM and again at 10:30PM. For us, the band is a huge part of the attraction - they play great Irish folk music and create a really fun and sometimes slightly rowdy atmosphere.

Give Raglan Road a try if you have the chance - good food, good music, and good times!

 

[Donald is #1]

Its great to read a review from another Raglan Road fan! I have eaten there twice and of course listened to the band. I had a great time both visits and had to be rolled out of there from all the food that I ate!

 

[MickeyNicki]

Aw Bendy, you are killing me, I wish I didnt let Todd convince me to give up RR! Everything looks so good! Oh well next time!

 

[SmallWorld71]

Great update! I was showing DH your pics, this place is definitely right up his alley. He loves to try new beer. We live a stone's throw (literally) away from the ocean so we get very good fish around here, but the menu totally suits our family.

 

[TigerKat]

Oh girl, I'm SO GLAD we're going to RR!! I just showed DH the beer flight, the whiskey flight and the scotch flight and he is very excited!

The Pooh Pooh platter killed me.......

 

[oybolshoi]

Its great to read a review from another Raglan Road fan! I have eaten there twice and of course listened to the band. I had a great time both visits and had to be rolled out of there from all the food that I ate!

Glad you enjoyed it! We always have a great time at Raglan Road. We walked back to our room very slowly that night to aid with digestion since we shoveled down so much food.

Aw Bendy, you are killing me, I wish I didnt let Todd convince me to give up RR! Everything looks so good! Oh well next time!

You really do need to get over there - later in the evening so that you can enjoy the music. I'm not sure if I can still recommend that Sangria though ... I'm hoping that the bartender was just having an off night because it was really weak.

Great update! I was showing DH your pics, this place is definitely right up his alley. He loves to try new beer. We live a stone's throw (literally) away from the ocean so we get very good fish around here, but the menu totally suits our family.

Thanks for reading! They have a great selection of beers at Raglan Road, all of it on tap. And we've always had good food there, too. Jay has tried their lamb and I think he tried the ham shank or something along those lines ... it's all been really good.

Oh girl, I'm SO GLAD we're going to RR!! I just showed DH the beer flight, the whiskey flight and the scotch flight and he is very excited!

The Pooh Pooh platter killed me.......

Hi Kathy! Hope you guys enjoy RR as much as we did - I'll be waiting to hear all about it once you get home. And how can you go wrong with a place that has beer, whiskey, and scotch flights?

Glad you liked the pooh pooh comment ... it was our favorite!