We Smelled It...It Had to be Eaten, Part II ... Ding, Dong, Done!!!

[TinkerBelle_325]

Wednesday, October 15th - Beer? No Thanks, This Time We're Having Tea!

In progress ... computer is stupid and obviously so am I ...

Oh the joys of technology

 

[Tink rules]

Wednesday, October 15th - Beer? No Thanks, This Time We're Having Tea!

In progress ... computer is stupid and obviously so am I ...

Is your 'puter poopy too???

May I suggest slapping it a few times??? I did that last week and it worked wonders...

 

[oybolshoi]

Oh the joys of technology

Is your 'puter poopy too???

May I suggest slapping it a few times??? I did that last week and it worked wonders...

It only took me something like five hours to get it right ... genius burns, huh?

 

[BriarRosie]

Wednesday, October 15th - Beer? No Thanks, This Time We're Having Tea!

However, on this occasion we both ordered the Buckingham Palace: traditional tea sandwedges, a scone, a jam tart, and a selection of freshly basked pastries or strawberries and cream along with a choice of tea all for the pre-economic recession price of $19.50 per person. The mired-in-the-midst-of-an-economic-depression price actually hasn't changed, but my sources tell me that Disney is now substituting stewed tobacco for tea, churned up bits of golf course clippings for watercress sandwedges, and berries formed from straw. Those intrepid diners who dare to complain have coolly been informed that all changes were in response to guest feedback.

Oh that's too funny. Sounds like the Grand Tea without the booze. But those substitutions....snarky much?

We arrived at the Gardenview Lounge about half-an-hour before our ADR, but we were seated almost immediately. The tea room was busy on the afternoon that we were there and our waitress was a little ... distracted, to put it kindly. She was actually one of the worst servers we've ever had at the gardenview and I will never forgive her for not giving me the one thing that I always always always add to my tea, even after I requested it twice.

Unforgivable considering you can't have more than about 30 people in there. And most of their stuff is pre-packaged combinations that probably should be second nature. I could phone it in better than she probably could.

Our tea was delivered to our table in relatively short order; I chose my absolute favorite herbal tea of all time - chamomile. The Grand Floridian's tea menu actually calls it Chamomile Flowers - a tranquil and calming herbal infusion of sweet and fragrant golden chamomile blossoms combined for a mild and sweet taste; it has a soft and musty aroma combined with a smooth, apple-like finish.

A French press ... again

Something's missing ...

Sigh.

I know I ranted about this last year in my afternoon tea review but I feel compelled to do so once more. I do not want my tea served in a French press!! It does nothing to prevent tea leaf floaties from still finding their way into my teacup and it completely ruins the aesthetic of the tea table. And look at the press itself ... even after all these months I still can't decide if it's actually clean because the chrome and glass are so spotted. Honestly, haven't the folks at the Grand Floridian heard of all the products out there that eliminate hard water spots? Or here's an idea ... how about washing those French presses by hand and making sure they're properly dried???

And finally ... where's the fun of having tea without a tea pot? I have five nieces under the age of twelve and as their eccentric but generous Auntie Crohn I've purchased a few tea sets over years and I'm here to tell you that none of them come with a French press in lieu of a porcelain tea pot.

I know, it stinks they don't use the teapots on anything but black teas. I wonder if you could have requested a teapot if you would have gotten your tea in it?

That is all.

Yeah right, I doubt THAT.

Oh, wait.

No it isn't.

Knew it!

I asked our server-lady for some milk for my tea. I always add milk and sugar to my tea ... that's just how I like it. And do you know what she said to me?

"We've been told not to give milk to guests ... it will curdle when they add it to their hot tea."

You have got to be KIDDING me.

After a moment of stunned silence, I replied, "I'm willing to take the chance on chunky tea. May I please have a small pitcher of milk?"

"No."

And she walked away.

Oh, I would have asked to speak to a manager, in my best Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove kind of a way. When she made the lame curdle comment, I would have said, "What? They aren't worried about cream in coffee. Why would this be any different? Please get me some milk." She might have still refused, but I would probably have said something to a manager on the way out.

I suppose I could have complained after I asked her for milk a second time and was refused again, but what difference would it have made? Has anyone without children ever thrown a temper tantrum in the Gardenview Lounge over the staff's refusal to provide liquid bovine by-product? I think the most amazing part of this whole incident was that later in the afternoon while we were enjoying our dessert I actually saw this same woman bring a pitcher of milk to another table.

Ok, If I saw her give milk to another table, the Iron Fist/Velvet Glove would be working overtime. I'd have gotten a manager to the table so fast, her head would spin. The manager would not only hear the excuse she gave and outright refusal to handle a simple request, but the hypocrisy of serving said milk to another guest. Not only would I suggest that the server might need a refresher course in Disney Traditions, I don't think you'd have been paying that $19.50 after I was done.

At any rate, I would have left her a penny tip for doing that.

And now, back to the review ...

Jason also has a favorite tea: Jamaican Spice, which the tea menu describes as a zesty herbal infusion with red liquor and a bouquet of flavors, tartness of hibiscus and sweetness of cinnamon for a sweet, tangy, and spicy finish.

De ja vu ...

Only a manly-man drinks girly tea!

The first course, if you will, was a plate of tasty little tea sandwedges which included things like chickie salad, eggie salad, and watercress along with a greasy little onion tart.

Something else appears to be missing ...

After my tea pot rant I'm probably going to sound like a crank but I don't really care. In years past there was a sixth item on the plate: pate'. It was cold and disgusting to be sure, but I always traded mine to Jay for his egg salad and we were both school-yard happy. Since WDW has belatedly jumped on the "let's ban certain foods because it's trendy to so do" bandwagon, pate' has been eliminated from this course in the afternoon tea service. Isn't it interesting to note how the prices haven't been reduced and yet nothing has replaced the pate'?

Maybe it fell victim to the foie gras ban? Was the paté related to the foie gras in any way? Perhaps second cousins?

Our second course in the tea service was the scone and jam tart with yummy Devonshire crème. The scone was warm and soft - the creme melted into it just like butter and it was ever-so-delectable with the preserves smeared over the top. My only real issue with this course was with the miserly portion of Devonshire crème ... there wasn't nearly enough in that little dish to smear on both the scone and the tart and who wants to ration a product with a 60% fat content while on vacation?

Any chance for seconds?

You can ask for more Devonshire cream. I've done it because I would bathe in it, it's so good. If the Clueless Wonder of a server refused, that would have been actionable, IMHO.

When it came time for dessert Jay and I chose both options; one of us selected strawberries and cream and the other chose a few pastries and all was right with the world. Up first: one bowl of strawberries and cream to be followed closely by one plate of tea pastries which included a chocolate éclair and a lychee nut mousse in a chocolate shell.

I really do wish we were eating this right now.

One out of two ain't bad I suppose

All we can say about the strawberries and cream can be summed up as follows: Can't talk, eating.

The berries were amazingly fresh and sweet with just a hint of tartness. As for the whipped cream ... it was the real deal, my friends; there was none of that "whipped topping" stuff that Grimace thinks is made from cream. She didn't believe Jay or me when we told her many years ago that there wasn't a trace of milk or cream in Cool Whip; when I rather sarcastically pointed out that the label actually reads "Non-Dairy Whipped Topping" she called me an over-achieving food snob.

Who wants strawberries when there's chocolate to be had? Unless it's a chocolate covered strawberry, that is.

Our other two choices were good and bad. The chocolate eclair was terrific, coated with rich, dark chocolate and filled with light custard. The lychee-nut mousse thing ... well, that was just not very good. I'm not even sure how to describe the taste. I took one bite, made a face, and went back to the strawberries and cream. Even Jay didn't think that it tasted very good although he manfully did his best to eat as much of it as possible. Our final verdict : some things are better left uneaten.

Bleh, I would have asked for two eclairs, and make it snappy.

You'd think we'd be finished by now, wouldn't you? But no ... I still had to go and order myself a wee little birthday cake early in October before we left Stinktown. Is it so wrong to want something special for my two-days-before-my-birthday afternoon tea party?

The cake, vanilla with vanilla mousse filling and vanilla buttercream frosting, was as good as the last time we were lucky enough to have it. But the presentation left a little to be desired because there was no birthday message on the plate, no birthday candle to make a wish on, and no lovely pink rose as a parting gift. I must have really offended someone with that request for milk.

Cindy's Castle Cake

And here's the white chocolate castle once we were finished inhaling the cake:

Eat this too? Don't mind if we do!

And thus we finished our tea with about four hours remaining until we'd be eating appetizers and then more appetizers and then dinner and then more dessert ... liberally sprinkled with alcohol along the way ... at Todd English's Blue Zoo with BriarRosie and TheDISneyFamily.

Afternoon tea is a perennial favorite in both our books ... it's a lovely break from theme park madness in an elegant, quiet setting. Jay and I highly recommend paying the Gardenview Lounge a visit if you haven't already done so; even without the pate' they still plate up a great mid-afternoon meal!

Wow I can't believe you ate that and the huge dinner that night!
I still want to go to the tea since I hadn't done it in a few years, but I really hope that server will be out of the picture by then. Sheesh.

 

[LiteBrite]

Wednesday, October 15th - Beer? No Thanks, This Time We're Having Tea!


A French press ... again

Gross! That press looks just plain awful.

Something's missing ...

Sigh.

I know I ranted about this last year in my afternoon tea review but I feel compelled to do so once more. I do not want my tea served in a French press!! It does nothing to prevent tea leaf floaties from still finding their way into my teacup and it completely ruins the aesthetic of the tea table. And look at the press itself ... even after all these months I still can't decide if it's actually clean because the chrome and glass are so spotted. Honestly, haven't the folks at the Grand Floridian heard of all the products out there that eliminate hard water spots? Or here's an idea ... how about washing those French presses by hand and making sure they're properly dried???

And finally ... where's the fun of having tea without a tea pot? I have five nieces under the age of twelve and as their eccentric but generous Auntie Crohn I've purchased a few tea sets over years and I'm here to tell you that none of them come with a French press in lieu of a porcelain tea pot.

That is all.

Oh, wait.

No it isn't.

I asked our server-lady for some milk for my tea. I always add milk and sugar to my tea ... that's just how I like it. And do you know what she said to me?

"We've been told not to give milk to guests ... it will curdle when they add it to their hot tea."

After a moment of stunned silence, I replied, "I'm willing to take the chance on chunky tea. May I please have a small pitcher of milk?"

"No."

And she walked away.

I suppose I could have complained after I asked her for milk a second time and was refused again, but what difference would it have made? Has anyone without children ever thrown a temper tantrum in the Gardenview Lounge over the staff's refusal to provide liquid bovine by-product? I think the most amazing part of this whole incident was that later in the afternoon while we were enjoying our dessert I actually saw this same woman bring a pitcher of milk to another table.

I find this story to be dismaying at best and possibly even shocking! I can't even believe she did that. I like milk in my tea, too, and I will be very upset if they won't give it to me when I'm there in May. Plus, that attitude - what the heck?

I really do wish we were eating this right now.

One out of two ain't bad I suppose

All we can say about the strawberries and cream can be summed up as follows: Can't talk, eating.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

The berries were amazingly fresh and sweet with just a hint of tartness. As for the whipped cream ... it was the real deal, my friends; there was none of that "whipped topping" stuff that Grimace thinks is made from cream. She didn't believe Jay or me when we told her many years ago that there wasn't a trace of milk or cream in Cool Whip; when I rather sarcastically pointed out that the label actually reads "Non-Dairy Whipped Topping" she called me an over-achieving food snob.

Every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners I make real whipped cream for the pies, and every year my mother shows up at the door with a tub of Cool Whip in her hands. Then I have my annual exercise in diplomacy while I try to find a non-"over-achieving food snob" sounding way to offer the guests their choice of my delicious homemade real cream and my mother's straight-from-the-freezer non-dairy whipped topping.

Afternoon tea is a perennial favorite in both our books ... it's a lovely break from theme park madness in an elegant, quiet setting. Jay and I highly recommend paying the Gardenview Lounge a visit if you haven't already done so; even without the pate' they still plate up a great mid-afternoon meal!

I'm glad you can still say you feel this way after the couple of problems you had with this tea. I have always loved and adored the Gardenview, and I would hate to lose it!

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I know I ranted about this last year in my afternoon tea review but I feel compelled to do so once more. I do not want my tea served in a French press!! It does nothing to prevent tea leaf floaties from still finding their way into my teacup and it completely ruins the aesthetic of the tea table. And look at the press itself ... even after all these months I still can't decide if it's actually clean because the chrome and glass are so spotted. Honestly, haven't the folks at the Grand Floridian heard of all the products out there that eliminate hard water spots? Or here's an idea ... how about washing those French presses by hand and making sure they're properly dried???

I didn't realize they served the tea in a press. Can't say I ever saw that done before. I'd been mulling over taking DD there for the tea and well, she'd probably look at me like the press was some alien contraption.

And finally ... where's the fun of having tea without a tea pot? I have five nieces under the age of twelve and as their eccentric but generous Auntie Crohn I've purchased a few tea sets over years and I'm here to tell you that none of them come with a French press in lieu of a porcelain tea pot.

The least they could do was give you one of those industrial stainless steel mini teapots. Although being the GF and whooping up the victorian theme, they really should be serving tea in a porcelain pot.

I asked our server-lady for some milk for my tea. I always add milk and sugar to my tea ... that's just how I like it. And do you know what she said to me?

"We've been told not to give milk to guests ... it will curdle when they add it to their hot tea."

That's pretty lame. They should have given it to you anyway. Hasn't anyone ever told them the customer is always right?

 

[DisneyMom5]

You know, if you had asked for bright yellow MUSTARD for you tea, she should have brought it with a smile.

Absolutely unacceptable.

Lite Brite - Your mom thing makes me think of some smack-downs between my mom and I over what constitutes real chili (macaroni and corn do NOT!)

I love Cool Whip, but since there have been those commercials that go "Oil, or cream?" I have tried to use more real cream.
Though, I'm pretty sure that Reddi-Whip, although cream based, still has enough weird stuff in it not to qualify as real food.

Great review Brenda!
Your ability to consume mass quantities is second only to my seven year old,
who is a force to reckon with,
and would probably give you a run for your money.
Without the alcohol, of course! LOL

 

[whogirl'smom]

I think, given the right mood of the day, I would have had to ask that server why she gave the other customer milk and not me. Cold milk doesn't curdle in coffee, why should tea be any different! (and you remember I'm too lazy to heat the milk like you do, so I should know. ) What would she have done if you had ordered a glass of milk on the side?

You are very right about the tea pot--none of whogirl's tea sets came with a french press!

I swear if Disney keeps trimming here and there, we will be having a lot of meals at Red Lobster come December!

 

[Me&3]

I think, given the right mood of the day, I would have had to ask that server why she gave the other customer milk and not me. Cold milk doesn't curdle in coffee, why should tea be any different! (and you remember I'm too lazy to heat the milk like you do, so I should know. ) What would she have done if you had ordered a glass of milk on the side?

You are very right about the tea pot--none of whogirl's tea sets came with a french press!

I swear if Disney keeps trimming here and there, we will be having a lot of meals at Red Lobster come December!

I agree You should have told her CURDLED TEA is what you like. Now bring me my Damn milk

 

[Tink rules]

I agree You should have told her CURDLED TEA is what you like. Now bring me my Damn milk

 

[aceys_h0ney]

Great review! I have to agree with the masses the tea press looks disgusting. Really at such a fine place you would think they would take better care of them.

 

[oybolshoi]

Oh that's too funny. Sounds like the Grand Tea without the booze. But those substitutions....snarky much?

Actually the only differences, other than price, between the Grand Tea and the Buckingham Tea were the champagne and a choice of trifle or tea pastries instead of the strawberries and cream.

As for snarky ... I'm snarky every day of my life in varying degrees.

Unforgivable considering you can't have more than about 30 people in there. And most of their stuff is pre-packaged combinations that probably should be second nature. I could phone it in better than she probably could.

We usually get good service at the Gardenview ... don't know what happened on this day. Luck of the draw I suppose.

I know, it stinks they don't use the teapots on anything but black teas. I wonder if you could have requested a teapot if you would have gotten your tea in it?

I seriously considered asking for a teapot when I ordered but I didn't. My bad ... I guess I was waiting to see what we'd get this year thinking maybe that last year's teapot dome scandal was a blip and they'd go back to tradition this year.

Wrong!

You have got to be KIDDING me.

Oh, I would have asked to speak to a manager, in my best Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove kind of a way. When she made the lame curdle comment, I would have said, "What? They aren't worried about cream in coffee. Why would this be any different? Please get me some milk." She might have still refused, but I would probably have said something to a manager on the way out.

I've never heard of milk or even cream curdling when being added to a cup of tea ... it would have to be scalding hot and as long as it's been stirred it wouldn't be curdled.

On a different day I might have pushed back more, but I just didn't want to leave with a bad experience. I guess I was just being lazy ... at least it gave me another something funny to share here.

Ok, If I saw her give milk to another table, the Iron Fist/Velvet Glove would be working overtime. I'd have gotten a manager to the table so fast, her head would spin. The manager would not only hear the excuse she gave and outright refusal to handle a simple request, but the hypocrisy of serving said milk to another guest. Not only would I suggest that the server might need a refresher course in Disney Traditions, I don't think you'd have been paying that $19.50 after I was done.

At any rate, I would have left her a penny tip for doing that.

Note to self ... bring Lori to all future tea parties!

And if it had been earlier in the meal when I saw the milk being delivered to that other table I might have thrown a bit of a fit. But we were so close to being finished that I just let it all go ... until writing this review made me re-live the awful memory.

Maybe it fell victim to the foie gras ban? Was the paté related to the foie gras in any way? Perhaps second cousins?

I'm 100% sure that the pate' was gone because of the foie gras ban.

You can ask for more Devonshire cream. I've done it because I would bathe in it, it's so good. If the Clueless Wonder of a server refused, that would have been actionable, IMHO.

I don't think I've ever needed to ask for more cream because past tea times always saw a very generous portion delivered to the table. And you can imagine why I was reluctant to ask Server Wretched for more!

Who wants strawberries when there's chocolate to be had? Unless it's a chocolate covered strawberry, that is.

Bleh, I would have asked for two eclairs, and make it snappy.

I chose one pastry and Jay chose the other ... that's how we ended up with the lychee thing. Trying different stuff sometimes ends in a bleh.

The strawberries and cream were really really good ... I would order that again in a heartbeat, even before the eclair!

Wow I can't believe you ate that and the huge dinner that night! I still want to go to the tea since I hadn't done it in a few years, but I really hope that server will be out of the picture by then. Sheesh.

You and Michelle and Steve and among the rare few who've watched Jay and me pack it away.

For everyone else's benefit ... Jay and Lori and I spilt a cheesy flatbread appetizer with some drinks at Blue Zoo's bar, then we all ordered appetizers in the dining room, along with entrees, sides, dessert, and even more booze. There are many pictures to come of the devastation!

If you do tea this Fall try asking for a tea pot and see what happens.

Gross! That press looks just plain awful.

Nasty, aren't they? I guess if I ran that place the staff would hate me because I'd make sure those presses were gleaming before they were ever set down in front of a customer.

I find this story to be dismaying at best and possibly even shocking! I can't even believe she did that. I like milk in my tea, too, and I will be very upset if they won't give it to me when I'm there in May. Plus, that attitude - what the heck?

I always add milk to my tea so I have no idea what this woman was talking about ... it's never curdled. Even cream wouldn't curdle ... the tea wouldn't be hot enough.

She just didn't want to be bothered with us for some reason.

Every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners I make real whipped cream for the pies, and every year my mother shows up at the door with a tub of Cool Whip in her hands. Then I have my annual exercise in diplomacy while I try to find a non-"over-achieving food snob" sounding way to offer the guests their choice of my delicious homemade real cream and my mother's straight-from-the-freezer non-dairy whipped topping.

Do you know how much better you've made me feel?

And I'm not even diplomatic anymore. Every year Grimmie asks me if I want her to bring cool whip at the holidays and I always tell her that if she wants to eat that stuff then she should bring it but no one else is going to chose that over real whipped cream.

I'm glad you can still say you feel this way after the couple of problems you had with this tea. I have always loved and adored the Gardenview, and I would hate to lose it!

I still love the Gardenview as well. I don't know what I must have done to set this lady on edge but it was pretty clear she didn't like serving us. She seemed OK to the people at tables around us.

Now, we didn't have time to clean up like we normally do before afternoon tea but while we were very casually dressed (shorts, tank, t-shirt) we didn't have stink lines eminating from our persons and we were our usual blandly pleasant selves.

Anyway, I didn't want to let her ruin the experience for us since we probably won't do tea again this fall so I just decided to let it go. I still think it's a wonderful and unique experience and would urge everyone to try it once.

 

[cntkg1]

B, make your way to the (Real) Dairy state of Wisconsin and we will NEVER deny you milk. Heck, it makes the body good, no matter what form it's in, right?

Great update, as always.

 

[oybolshoi]

I didn't realize they served the tea in a press. Can't say I ever saw that done before. I'd been mulling over taking DD there for the tea and well, she'd probably look at me like the press was some alien contraption.

Based on our experience they started doing this at the Gardenview Lounge last year. I questioned it last year and was told that management decided that the French press limited the loose leaf floaties that people ended up with in their teacups. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me because they will still serve black teas in a regular pot but supposedly the herbals are all served in a press. We've been going there for years and never had that many floaties in our cups ... certainly nothing to warrant complaining about.

My guess is that it was a cost saving measure in some way but it totally ruins the Victorian atmosphere and overall effect.

Still, it would probably be a lot of fun for you and your daughter ... I'd say you should still give it a try!

The least they could do was give you one of those industrial stainless steel mini teapots. Although being the GF and whooping up the victorian theme, they really should be serving tea in a porcelain pot.

Exactly!

That's pretty lame. They should have given it to you anyway. Hasn't anyone ever told them the customer is always right?

It was a very weird thing, that's for sure. And it's not like a small pitcher of milk would have required a huge effort on her part.

You know, if you had asked for bright yellow MUSTARD for you tea, she should have brought it with a smile.

Absolutely unacceptable.

Maybe I'll try asking for mustard next time!

Lite Brite - Your mom thing makes me think of some smack-downs between my mom and I over what constitutes real chili (macaroni and corn do NOT!)

I love Cool Whip, but since there have been those commercials that go "Oil, or cream?" I have tried to use more real cream.
Though, I'm pretty sure that Reddi-Whip, although cream based, still has enough weird stuff in it not to qualify as real food.

Too funny.

I'm with you lady ... macaroni and corn don't belong in chili ... they don't even belong together!

Reddi-Whip I think at least has cream in it, so that's a step up from Cool Whip!

Great review Brenda!
Your ability to consume mass quantities is second only to my seven year old,
who is a force to reckon with,
and would probably give you a run for your money.
Without the alcohol, of course! LOL

Thanks very much! You know, after we get home and I start working on these reviews I am also somewhat amazed at the amount of food we can pack away.

I think, given the right mood of the day, I would have had to ask that server why she gave the other customer milk and not me. Cold milk doesn't curdle in coffee, why should tea be any different! (and you remember I'm too lazy to heat the milk like you do, so I should know. ) What would she have done if you had ordered a glass of milk on the side?

On the right day I probably would have asked the same question. I guess I was just too lazy and fat with food by the time I noticed.

You are very right about the tea pot--none of whogirl's tea sets came with a french press!

I knew it! Could you imagine trying to have a tea party with a french press? That's just wrong.

I swear if Disney keeps trimming here and there, we will be having a lot of meals at Red Lobster come December!

It will be interesting to watch how this year unfolds with WDW. Even their corporate sponsors who may not be in financial troubles will likely be cutting back. I've been wondering how that may affect this year's F&W Festival. Maybe I'm just borrowing trouble but after the cutbacks they made last year I feel certain we will see more of the same this year.

I agree You should have told her CURDLED TEA is what you like. Now bring me my Damn milk

It's true!

Great review! I have to agree with the masses the tea press looks disgusting. Really at such a fine place you would think they would take better care of them.

Thanks for reading! Those presses are gross looking aren't they? I wonder if anyone ever actually looks at them before they're presented to customers?

 

[oybolshoi]

B, make your way to the (Real) Dairy state of Wisconsin and we will NEVER deny you milk. Heck, it makes the body good, no matter what form it's in, right?

Great update, as always.

Thanks for reading, Goosie! I will stop by in July and request some fresh milk, OK?

 

[LiteBrite]

Based on our experience they started doing this at the Gardenview Lounge last year. I questioned it last year and was told that management decided that the French press limited the loose leaf floaties that people ended up with in their teacups. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me because they will still serve black teas in a regular pot but supposedly the herbals are all served in a press. We've been going there for years and never had that many floaties in our cups ... certainly nothing to warrant complaining about.

My guess is that it was a cost saving measure in some way but it totally ruins the Victorian atmosphere and overall effect.

Now see, that doesn't even make sense, because they give you a little strainer for your cup anyway.

I actually make my coffee at home in a french press, and even though it's a really good french press (stainless steel, heavy duty, much tighter seal than those glass ones), I still like to strain the coffee on its way into the cup, because a few grounds always do seem to slip past. All of that to say, I think it's silly for them to put the herbal teas in a press rather than a pot, because you're going to get some floaties no matter what you do!

About the curdling thing, to be fair, I have had cream or milk curdle in tea before, if it was a particularly acidic one (like raspberry, for instance). But even then, it didn't taste bad, not like spoiled milk. It just looked weird, sort of marbled. However, even if your tea was the curdling kind, that was your business if you wanted milk. I still can't believe she straight out told you no! Jeez!

 

[D&R love Disney]

Wednesday, October 15th - Beer? No Thanks, This Time We're Having Tea!

I really do wish we were eating this right now.

All we can say about the strawberries and cream can be summed up as follows: Can't talk, eating.

You'd think we'd be finished by now, wouldn't you? But no ... I still had to go and order myself a wee little birthday cake early in October before we left Stinktown. Is it so wrong to want something special for my two-days-before-my-birthday afternoon tea party?

Cindy's Castle Cake

Just give me those strawberries and cream and a glass or 3 of champagne and I'd be all set.

I can't get into tea, I wish I could because going for tea looks like such a fun experience except for your waitress, I cannot believe she wouldn't serve you any milk then brought some to another table


I had the castle cake for our anniversary a few years ago and it was so good and totally surprised Rick. Of course I didn't share the chocolate castle just like with our wedding cake

 

[oybolshoi]

Now see, that doesn't even make sense, because they give you a little strainer for your cup anyway.

I actually make my coffee at home in a french press, and even though it's a really good french press (stainless steel, heavy duty, much tighter seal than those glass ones), I still like to strain the coffee on its way into the cup, because a few grounds always do seem to slip past. All of that to say, I think it's silly for them to put the herbal teas in a press rather than a pot, because you're going to get some floaties no matter what you do!

Yeah, I hear you. There are tea leaf floaties regardless and that still happens with the press, so I'm not sure I understand the rationale either.

Honestly Litebrite, lately it seems like Disney won't give anyone a straight answer to a question anymore. It's discouraging ... it may explain why we drink so much while we're vacationing there.

About the curdling thing, to be fair, I have had cream or milk curdle in tea before, if it was a particularly acidic one (like raspberry, for instance). But even then, it didn't taste bad, not like spoiled milk. It just looked weird, sort of marbled. However, even if your tea was the curdling kind, that was your business if you wanted milk. I still can't believe she straight out told you no! Jeez!

Well, now that is interesting to know. I've never had that happen, but as someone else already said... maybe I like curdled tea!

Looking back on it I'm surprised I didn't act more forcefully ... I guess I really was exceptionally laid back on this trip (for me!).

Just give me those strawberries and cream and a glass or 3 of champagne and I'd be all set.

I can't get into tea, I wish I could because going for tea looks like such a fun experience except for your waitress, I cannot believe she wouldn't serve you any milk then brought some to another table

I had the castle cake for our anniversary a few years ago and it was so good and totally surprised Rick. Of course I didn't share the chocolate castle just like with our wedding cake

Deb, just so you know ... you can order ala carte at the gardenview lounge. So you could go there for tea and then just order champagne and stawberries. Make sure you have an ADR though because it's tough to get in sometimes just walking up.

The cake was wonderful ... so light and sweet and tasty! It's one of our favorite treats to order.

 

[Angelrose]

I believe I would have taken a little walk to the manager and asked again for my milk. I would have mentioned my server's rudeness in not giving me what I asked for. But then I am a mean old lady. (and proud of it)

 

[MA pigletfan]

FUN FUN.
but what is with that pressed pot o' tea!??? and the diabolical milk refusal!??? Very questionable tea practices for sure..but I do love a "proper tea" and have yet to try the one at the GF so i might try and sneak it in during out honeymoon in OCtober...perhaps the elusive pate' will reappear!
Great reviews as always Brenda..really looking forward to BlueZoo.that place looks amazing!