What did WE celebrate? .. 30 days of Disney fun and food! Update 04/02

[Schoolbread]

I clicked on the 1st too! We're so naughty!

I had the hamburger at LeChefs last summer. The flavors were just "off" for me. I thought it tasted too sweet--not savory enough for me. Oh well. It's still a nice spot for lunch and our Mitchell loves to practice his 3 years of French with the waiters. They're so patient with him!

Sorry about the crepe, but I'm glad to know it. That was the next up in my "try" list for LeChefs. I'll skip it!

 

[OurDogCisco]

Wow... what a treat! 30 days of Disney dining. I don't know how I missed this review earlier. I'm gonna roll to bed now because I'm so stuffed from reading about your food. Great reviews. Thanks for taking the time to share.

 

[dizneeat]

Today's the day!!!!!!
The Advent's Calendar will work from today on.
No more - wait a day.
BUT, please remember - 1 day per day!!!! ​

I do believe this because a few weeks ago we were in there and nothing "did it" for us either!

Tell Tom thanks alot for the calendar..I love it when you guys do this!

It's funny, because in that little boulangerie in Magny le Hongre (the one near DLRP) I have a hard time deciding, although the eclair mostly wins! I could not believe there was nothing catching my eye in WDW!!!!

I showed your post to Tom and he wants me to tell you that you are very welcome to the calendar and I sent you a PM with another little surprise, yesterday!

Okay...I clicked the calendar too!

I can't wait...very excited...I will be checking it everyday until we leave for our trip!! What's it gonna be tomorrow....meal? dessert? drink?

You are not alone! Tom's used to friends trying to be impatient when it concerns his calendar!
Hope you like what's hidden today!

It may be what we ordered there, but Chefs was probably the worst meal of our trip. Glad that it wasn't so horrible for you.

I was always a bit frightened trying it because we know how wonderful real French food can be. But after reading a few very positive reviews I thought that we should try it too! Even though we liked the starter we won't be back any time soon!
80 more days, Tina! Tomorrow we are going to hit the 70's!!!!!!!

Thanks, I was eager to open the calendar...guess I have to wait tomorrow.

I know it's tempting! And I was a good girl and only announced it 2 days early!
Go ahead - it's open today and I hope you like what's hidden!

 

[dizneeat]

I clicked on the 1st too! We're so naughty!

I had the hamburger at LeChefs last summer. The flavors were just "off" for me. I thought it tasted too sweet--not savory enough for me. Oh well. It's still a nice spot for lunch and our Mitchell loves to practice his 3 years of French with the waiters. They're so patient with him!

Sorry about the crepe, but I'm glad to know it. That was the next up in my "try" list for LeChefs. I'll skip it!

Tina! You were a naughty girl too?????????

I remember Tom commenting on the burger as we had ordered it medium and it came out well done. We never complained about it as it was really noisy in the restaurant and we were not all that hungry in the end.
You need to go to DLRP, so Mitchell can REALLY try his French! That would be the perfect reward for a good student!

Oh, and BTW, skip the crepe, it's nothing to write home about!

Wow... what a treat! 30 days of Disney dining. I don't know how I missed this review earlier. I'm gonna roll to bed now because I'm so stuffed from reading about your food. Great reviews. Thanks for taking the time to share.

Welcome! You have found the thread now, and that's all that counts! We love our long leisurely vacations, no need to hurry and we don't mind a rainy day, that way!
Lots more to come ........ hopefully soon!

 

[Linda67]

Love the calendar - thanks Karin and Tom

 

[emmabelle]

thanks for taking the time to write all of these reviews! Can't wait to go to the World in January!

 

[dizneeat]

Love the calendar - thanks Karin and Tom

Glad you like it, Linda! There are lots more yummy things to come!

thanks for taking the time to write all of these reviews! Can't wait to go to the World in January!

Hi! It's nice having you here and I am glad you enjoy the reviews. Only about a third of them done - so lots to come! Stay tuned!

 

[dizneeat]

Still Day 12, August 25

Treats from the Riverside Mill

On the way back to the resort we made a stop at the Riverside Mill to use the rest of our snack credits and pick up a few treats.

We had 6 snack credits left.

3 of those were spent on bottles of water.

One of them was spend on some grapes. While some of these grapes are really good, cold and juicy, I am VERY picky when it comes to grapes and I had to sort out about half of them because they felt too soft or started to get bad at the stems.

And we got two Magic Cookie Bars. Now, what can be said about them! They are YUMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!
There's a biscuit base, topped with nuts, coconut, chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.
They are quite filling, so one of them lasts quite a while, but we wanted to take those on our cruise the very next day!

Price breakdown:
DDP - 24 credits to start with
Riverside Mill .... $ 18,50 (6 snack credits)
TS credits left - 4
CS credits left - 2
Snack credits left 0

Overall money spent on DDP: $ 1110,40

Next up - Dinner at the California Grill

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Love the calendar - thanks Karin and Tom

Agreed! THANK YOU for doing that! What a treat each day!

And how the heck have I missed those Magic Cookie bars! They are on my treat list for next year!

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Please tell Tom Thank you, my 5yr son LOVED IT. He can't wait to do tomorrows but he is sad that I'm not taking my computer to Disney. So when we get back I have to catch up...

 

[DaveInTN]

Still Day 12, August 25

Treats from the Riverside Mill

[/COLOR]

Well there you go again....my mouth is watering!!

 

[cbg1027]

Sorry Les Chefs wasn't too good. I lived in France for a while, so I did NOT like my meal at Les Chefs.....to even call it French to me was an insult. I mean, yes the real thing is always better, but 'French food' at Disney this far has been a major disappoint to me. I'm trying Bistro de Paris in about 2 weeks so I hope that will change things.

 

[mossyflossy]

Interesting to read about Tutto's...they do ship you in and out fast, for sure...and shame about Chefs, we've always liked our lunch there, but I need to take a few steps back to admire the two beauties in the container...OMG, the magic cookie bars...came very close to booking a sneaky trip in Feb half term (19th in the UK) yesterday but decided against, had i seen those pics yeaterday, I might not have resisted!

 

[dizneeat]

You can now open 3 doors of the Advent's Calendar! Don't forget it!!! ​

Agreed! THANK YOU for doing that! What a treat each day!

And how the heck have I missed those Magic Cookie bars! They are on my treat list for next year!

You are so welcome! Tom loves doing them! And he is soooooooo good at it!

You missed the Magic Cookie bars? You need to try them next time you go to Disney - they are wonderful!

Please tell Tom Thank you, my 5yr son LOVED IT. He can't wait to do tomorrows but he is sad that I'm not taking my computer to Disney. So when we get back I have to catch up...

You are very welcome to the calendar! Tom was happy to read that so many of you actually go and open it!
That's fun that you let your son open the calendar! And he will have a lot of doors to open once you get back!

Well there you go again....my mouth is watering!!

- now that makes me happy again - sold more Disney food!

Sorry Les Chefs wasn't too good. I lived in France for a while, so I did NOT like my meal at Les Chefs.....to even call it French to me was an insult. I mean, yes the real thing is always better, but 'French food' at Disney this far has been a major disappoint to me. I'm trying Bistro de Paris in about 2 weeks so I hope that will change things.

Knowing real "French Food" I was always worried about going there. The Tarte was pretty good, but the rest of the food, was so NOT French at all! I am really looking forward to what you have to say about Bistro - maybe they can pull it off!

Interesting to read about Tutto's...they do ship you in and out fast, for sure...and shame about Chefs, we've always liked our lunch there, but I need to take a few steps back to admire the two beauties in the container...OMG, the magic cookie bars...came very close to booking a sneaky trip in Feb half term (19th in the UK) yesterday but decided against, had i seen those pics yeaterday, I might not have resisted!

That's the only complaint I have with Tutto. It's like as speed-eating contest!
Oh my gosh - if you had booked that trip in February we would have been at WDW at the same time again. Half term is Feb 19th here too!
We are leaving in exactly 11 weeks and a day!

 

[dizneeat]

Still Day 12, August 25

Dinner at the California Grill

After we had spent the afternoon packing and enjoying the rest of our time at Old Key West, we drove to the Contemporary Resort for our dinner at the California Grill.

We arrived a little early, signed in and were taken upstairs to the restaurant. Since we knew they were running late (AGAIN) we walked out on the observation deck and took a few photos.

While we were still out there our beeper went off and we were seated in the bar area at a four top. Our server was talking our ears off and he was still hard to understand.

We both ordered Diet Cokes as we were really thirsty.

I had a Strawberry Daiquiri, which is so good at the California Grill. Tastes like liquid strawberries!

Tom ordered a Whisky Sour, which he enjoyed so much!

Right after our drinks were servered we got a basket of the California Grill's sourdough bread. It was warm and crusty on the outside, soft on the inside. Very nice. Especially when spread with a little butter.

After having a look at the menu we decided to share a starter. This time we wanted to try their sushi.

We ordered the Tempura Bonsai Roll, Tuna, Avocado, Chive, Jicama, Sweet Onion Sauce, Wasabi Cream. I am not a huge fan of Sushi, but this was really good! Crispy Tempura shell, and a well balanced "filling". The sauces really enhanced the flavour!

I couldn't help myself and had my all time favourite, the Grilled Pork Tenderloin - with Goat Cheese Polenta, Button Mushrooms, Zinfandel Glaze, and Sage. I had this on my first visit to the California Grill and have loved it ever since. Actually I could eat it right now!

Tom ordered the Serrano Ham-wrapped Grouper, Seafood Sausage, Marble Potatoes, Corn, Edamame and Tomato Beurre Blance.
He was a bit worried that the taste of the Serrano Ham would be to overpowering for the Grouper, but it wasn't. The saltiness of the ham added to the flavour of the fish and the crispy outside really made the fish stand out!. I was surprised by the seafood sausage, as it didn't appeal to me at first, but once I had tried it, I really liked it. There could have been a sprinkling more salt, but I think that comes with personal taste.

Once we had finished our main courses, we told our server that we would like to walk outside to the observation deck to watch the fireworks. He told us that he would hold our desserts until we would come back.

 

[dizneeat]

California Grill Part 2

Tom had an espresso (double?), which must have been waiting too, looking at the "crema" of the coffee.

Tom ordered the Bananas and Caramel - Crispy baked phyllo squares layered w/banana, caramel, mascarpone mousse, and caramelized banana. His verdict was that even though the taste was nice, but far too rich and he was not able to finish it.

Yes, I am boring, because this is what I ordered ......... deja vue!!

Valrhona Chocolate Cake - Warm chocolate cake w/molten center, cherry ice cream, sweet whipped cream and cherry compote. I can't help it, but the cake with its molten center is just to die for. The cherries added to it and I loved it and did my best to finish it!

Once we had finished our meal we picked up our car and drove back to Old Key West.
One more night until we were to embark on our cruise adventure!

Price breakdown:
DDP - 24 credits to start with
California Grill .... $ 106,90 (4 TS credits)
TS credits left - 0
CS credits left - 2
Snack credits left 0

Overall money spent on DDP: $ 1217,30

Next up - Breakfast at Wolfgang Puck's Express

 

[Tarheel Tink]

I'm really enjoying (as always) your photos and reviews! Please tell Tom that my husband and I are enjoying the calendar (and yes, greedy us tried to get in early too. Add us to the naughty list!).

 

[dizneeat]

I'm really enjoying (as always) your photos and reviews! Please tell Tom that my husband and I are enjoying the calendar (and yes, greedy us tried to get in early too. Add us to the naughty list!).

Glad you enjoy the photos and reviews! There is lots more to come, I am working on an update to my trip report at the moment.
Having 4 active threads at the same time can take up quite a bit of time! But I love doing it anyway.

Another one caught trying to sneak into the calendar early! But it's nice or naughty season, isn't it!

 

[TigerKat]

Please tell Tom his NOLA buddies love the calendar too!!!

I'm the same when it comes to CG's Valrhona cake, I can't order anything else!

 

[tinacaplan]

Oh, to be at the California Grill right now. We really loved it here! Glad to hear that you had such a nice meal there, too. Back when I was thinking we weren't we going to to the dining plan on our upcoming trip, this was the one place I really would have gladly paid for OOP.

Luckily, we're going back soon!