By the time Id freshened up back at Pop, I was cutting it pretty close for my dinner ADR at the Dolphin. Fortunately theres never any traffic at WDW, so I was able to burn rubber over there.
I found a Rental Car Twin so you could see what driving over there looked like...
Unfortunately, the Dolphins self-parking situation is second only to the Grand Floridians in its level of inconvenience. The lot is so far away that if you drive in the main hotel entrance you have to drive back out again and go down the street to get to the self-park lot. Then all the best spaces are taken by the valets, and all the second- and third-best spaces are taken by other people, so you have to park your pretentious, delusional rental car practically at the Yacht Club and speed-walk across the entire lot, through a break in the bushes, and up a hill in high-heeled wedges to get to the lobby.
I think I liked the lobby better when it looked more like a circus tent. Now, as several of my blog readers pointed out, the ceiling just looks like saggy bosoms!
Judging by the blurriness of this shot, that mustve been one heck of an escalator ride!
At last... Todd Englshs bluezoo!
Todd English is too cool for capital letters ... Except in his name...
Boy did I wish I had Jensey with me, cuz the decor is awesome!
You can see some good pix here:
http://www.swandolphin.com/restaurants/bluezoo/#top
...and a 360-degree tour here:
Restaurant
http://www.iceportal.com/brochures/...&mtype=0&index=12&transfer=1&type=vr&size=big
Lounge
http://www.iceportal.com/brochures/...&mtype=0&index=13&transfer=1&type=vr&size=big
I got a comfy table for two at a banquette under a window, so I had a great view of the whole restaurant and some natural light until the sun set.
View from my seat
The restaurant has windows on three sides, but one side is taken up by a long private room that can be divided into three sections. I sneaked into one to get some shots for the Disney brides who might want to have their receptions there.
Trust me, its not really this dark and blurry in there...
When I sat down they brought me a Festival o Bread basket containing a chewy multi-grain peppered with sunflower seeds, a crispy thin lavosh, and a light, fluffy onion bread, according to the AllEars.net review. Thats how memorable it was. Actually, my gripe was with the fennel-seed butter why ruin perfectly good butter with fennel seed? The only thing butter should ever get jiggy with is garlic... and maybe honey... OK, lemons good too...
I give you... The Carpet!
At first bluezoos menu was a bit overwhelming because I wanted to eat EVERYTHING! Eventually I settled for just eating
most everything. My eyes nearly fell out of my head when I saw you could get jumbo scallops
on top of beef short ribs for an appetizer, which is to me the savory equivalent of cake with an entire ice cream sundae on top.
Teppan Seared Jumbo Sea Scallops - braised beef short rib, silky cauliflower puree
I have to give this dish my highest rating of A-Friggin-Mazing!
Next stop, main course. If DH had been there, I wouldve ordered us the Two-pound Maine "Cantonese" Lobster fried and tossed in sticky soy glaze, because I think it was meant for two people (the price tag certainly was!). Instead, I went for the Simply Fish, which the menu describes like this:
Our daily selection of finest fresh fish selected from coastal waters around the world, simply grilled on our teppanyaki grill, served with your selection of sauce below $32.00
Selection of Sauces
Red curry coconut
Cucumber vinaigrette
Warm crabmeat, dijon mustard, chives
Add lobster $5
Add caviar beurre blance $8
Thats right you can get your fish with a warm crabmeat sauce and then add lobsterand caviar! They all duke it out for your attention right there on the plate!! And if you still arent impressed, a giant truffle rides over on the back of some Kobe beef!!!
I picked a whitefishI think it was skateand the warm crabmeat, dijon mustard and chive sauce. I had been waffling between the scallop appetizer and the Low Country Jumbo Shrimp appetizer, only cuz the shrimp came with white cheddar hominy, so I asked if I could have a side of the hominy with my fish. The waiter happily obliged, his eyes ringing up dollar signs like an old fashioned cash register...
Simply Fish with Warm Crabmeat, Dijon Mustard, and Chives
Side of White Cheddar Hominy
I think my main course was probably excellent it was certainly cooked right, and you cant go wrong with that sauce, but this was the meal where I finally realized Im just not that into whitefish. It always gives me a sorta queasy feeling in my tummy. I really wish Id chosen salmon for my Simply Fish. Still, I ate more of the skate than I should and sopped up the sauce with leftover bread. The grits were just meh. I thought theyd be cheesy like Le Cellier Cheddar Cheese Soup, but they were kinda bland.
In between courses I was happily blogging and texting and photo-snapping away at my half-occupied table for two. When a couple near me got up to leave, the woman came over and told me how much she loves eating alone and how happy she was to see someone else enjoy it too. I highly recommend it you really get a chance to savor your food and the entire experience of dining out.
For dessert I chose the Warm Chocolate Cake with Liquid Ganache Center, Maracaibo Chocolate Cream Pudding, and Peanut Ice Cream after I determined that Maracaibo was the second-largest city in Venezuela and not a fancy name for coffee/booze/fruit flavor.
As so often happens with desserts a la mode, the ice cream-to-cake ratio was sadly lopsided, and I only managed to get about three bites with equal amounts of both (very important!). When my server checked in on me I joked about it to him, and he offered to bring more peanut ice cream. Whohoo!
Even the sidecar of ice cream was artfully presented
I know Im always snobbishly comparing every restaurant to my beloved L.A. restaurants, but I have to say bluezoo ranks right up there in quality and execution. The only hitch was trying to get the bill in time to crash Christins weddingit seemed to take forever, and I can only assume they were drawing straws to see who had to actually hand it to me cuz the total was so high. I have never paid so much for a solo meal in my life: with tip (and no booze) it was $83! I know its my fault for ordering so much food, but I have to say Ive never paid $13 for dessert at any of my precious L.A. restaurants...
After I paid the bill, I booked it to Italy Isola, where Christins cocktail hour was being held. I hadnt wanted to carry a change of shoes, so I was wearing my cute
Crocs Sassari wedges. These are pretty comfortable until you speed-walk nearly a mile in them, at which point your feet burst into a ball of flame.
Cute... until you hit the 1/2-mile mark...
Finally I staggered up to the rope surrounding all of Italy Isola and phoned Jensey, who turned out to be standing three feet away. We were separated by The Rope, so she pointed me to the Event Guide at the entrance. I rolled up my (virtual) sleeves and prepared for a fight (in this case, I was a little bit closer to actual crashing of the wedding because although I knew Christin from a Disney wedding message board, I didnt even know her last name, so it was gonna be a trick to appear like I belonged there).
Jensey assured the Event Guide Shes a friend of the brides just as I blurted Im the photographers assistant! The guide raised an eyebrow, looked at both of us and perhaps thought to herself They dont pay me enough to figure this stuff out... as she motioned me inside the rope. Whohoo!
Christin and Ryan had an evening ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, and IllumiNations was their cocktail hour before their reception in the American Adventure Rotunda.
The cocktail hour took up all the patios of the Italy Isola, and it was really exciting to be at such a huge party.
This is what a huge party looks like in the dark, on an iPhone...
I felt a little uncomfortable at first cuz I didnt know anyone there (or could that finally be remorse over my wedding-crashing ways?), but I figured the crowd was large enough that everybody on the brides side would just think I was with the grooms side and vice versa.
Christin and Ryan were making the rounds, and when they came by Jensey introduced me. I thanked them profusely for letting a random Internet stalker attend their cocktail hour, and Christin was so sweet and graciousshe really made me feel welcome.
Of course this didnt stop me from later snapping a picture of her with my iPhone like a random Internet stalker!
Nathan & Jensey & Amelia kindly said I could hang out with them, but I didnt wanna stumble into any shots, seeing as how Id already ruined one wedding that weekend! So I investigated the food (Note to Disneys Fairy Tale Weddings: I was too full from dinner to actually eat any of the foodno need to send me a bill.)
Too funny! Great update! Can't wait for more! (although I am glad you're so detailed and have many photo's as (unless there's another surprise we don't know about and you've inherited more vacation time) it'll be oh so sad when it's over 
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I am so excited that it was Dr. Pepper you got up your nose - that's my dad's all-time favorite drink.. He calls it "The Burgundy Bullet".... 
Bless your little pea-pickin' heart (as Grandma used to say - geez, that woman is hijiacking my trip report!).
Ooh! Ooh! When is your wedding? (watch out.... 
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Thanks for hanging in there!
