Why don't we do a little day drinking? - F&W 2015 - Update 12/11 Bonus EPCOT Night!

[Mom2m&k]

Love that I found your latest trip report! I have enjoyed them in the past and can't wait to read more!

 

[huggybuff]

I'm glad you had a good meal at Tony's! I love the 'Surprise' title, lol.

And very cool getting to meet Morimoto. The Thai Iced Tea looks yummy, as does your duck dish. The lady at the table next to you was a real winner. Ugh.

 

[mlegerto]

Great review on Morimoto. Nice that you could appreciate that this was a new opening restaurant and there would be some kinks to work out - unlike your table neighbor there, she was something else!

Great trip report so far. Can't wait to hear more!

 

[Li Li]

Oh my god, insanely jealous over here that you got to meet Iron Chef Morimoto!! How cool!

Glad that Tony's was good, the wildly differing reviews have always scared me off. Although, we are usually just QS people for Magic Kingdom.

 

[awalker1015]

You totally had me at day drinking and running. . Enjoying your report. We are headed to WDW sans kids I April for the Star Wars half. F&W half is on my bucket list.

And I totally agree with your suggestions about mixing it up when training for a run. I alternate spinning and rowing when training for a race and it really does help.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

This just annoys me. Why can't parents have fun too! Our family would have thought these were hilarious and tried them. Oh well...killjoys!

Loving your report so far! Morimoto looks delish!

Morimoto was delish! Only 3 weeks until Wine & Dine! Aren't you excited?

I got all caught up on your report before I left but didn't have a chance to comment. We're in port waiting to start the second cruise and I'm trying to catch up on a few reports. Don't remember what I wanted to say before so I'll just jump back in here.

I didn't realize that Morimoto would actually be at his restaurant! How cool! I might add that to our December trip if I can get in. At first the menu sounded a little normal Chinese, but it sounds like you got some great dishes.

The cannelloni also looks delish! Thass one of my favorite dishes. Not many Italian places out here serve it.

I totally do the same thing with reading and saying I'll get back later and then forget what my comment was going to be.

I'm not sure Morimoto is going to be there full time. I imagine he is there since it just opened and he wants to make sure everyone is properly trained with how he wants it to be done. I wouldn't be shocked if he pops in a fair amount though to ensure it meets his standards (I have friends that were there the night he was at the one in Hawaii) I am really glad that he did more than just lend his name to the place, unlike the other Iron Chef restaurant that seemed to be plagued with little true oversight from its namesake.

Where I live in, we have entirely too many Italian places to pick from - so of course I usually just go with Carrabba's rather than try to weed through the various levels of places we have. I hadn't had that dish before (I'm not a sausage fan or a red sauce fan) so I'm glad I went outside the box.

Love that I found your latest trip report! I have enjoyed them in the past and can't wait to read more!

Welcome! Glad you found me

I'm glad you had a good meal at Tony's! I love the 'Surprise' title, lol.

And very cool getting to meet Morimoto. The Thai Iced Tea looks yummy, as does your duck dish. The lady at the table next to you was a real winner. Ugh.

It was! All of us were nervous about it as we just remember having read so much bad about it. We didn't have one complaint even with my ordering of something way different than my normal choices.

It was awesome getting to meet him! Totally wasn't expecting it. I'm glad we got to go this trip!

Great review on Morimoto. Nice that you could appreciate that this was a new opening restaurant and there would be some kinks to work out - outline your table neighbor there, she was something else!

Great trip report so far. Can't wait to hear more!

I've been to enough new restaurants to know that the first couple of weeks are rough that no matter how much training they will get will not prepare them for what actually will occur, especially at Disney where you have such a wide variety of guests and high volumes. People have to find what works for them. You could really tell our server was trying his best but he still had some learning to do.

Oh my god, insanely jealous over here that you got to meet Iron Chef Morimoto!! How cool!

Glad that Tony's was good, the wildly differing reviews have always scared me off. Although, we are usually just QS people for Magic Kingdom.

I'm super excited I got to meet him too as I totally wasn't expecting that!

Magic Kingdom is such a wild horse for us on what we picked to eat - I do love Liberty Tree Tavern Lunch. Pecos Bills was also a standby choice we often went with as well as I loved that Taco Salad but I also have liked leaving MK and just eating at GFC or The Wave as well. Too many choices for so little time!

You totally had me at day drinking and running. . Enjoying your report. We are headed to WDW sans kids I April for the Star Wars half. F&W half is on my bucket list.

And I totally agree with your suggestions about mixing it up when training for a run. I alternate spinning and rowing when training for a race and it really does help.

Day Drinking and Running are what keep me going through the worst of work weeks! My husband & I will be doing the Dark Side Challenge in April! We're staying at VGF for that one. Hope your training goes well! I'm not sure if we are doing Wine & Dine again next year - we'll determine after this year's trip. The thing that is sucky about it is that it starts at our normal bed time! I hated that about Tower of Terror.

If we had a good place for rowing, I would totally do that too! Our gym has one machine that is badly placed that I just hate to use. I do love the bike but yoga has become a nice ritual for me mentally now especially as I know all the different teachers well enough to know who meets my mental needs. I've also gotten spoiled by regular massages with a great therapist who knows me well. You gotta balance it out! That is the one thing about Galloway's training plans that I hate is that he says its totally unneeded to cross train. I really disagree with that especially if you are prone to injuries.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Payback Is Fun

Again, I woke up before my husband and spent the early morning hour out on the balcony until my husband woke up and we got ready to head to Hollywood Studios.

As we had FP+ set already for Toy Story Mania, once through the gates, we headed straight to Rockin Roller Coaster and quickly got through the ride! We always have a blast and it was nice being able to sit together rather than doing the single rider line we tend to do when the lines get too horrible.

Walking towards Pixar Place, we looked at the new signage at the old Animation attraction area & I really liked the quote that they had posted on this construction wall. I should also note that the other construction quotes I love and actually part of my work computer's screen saver are "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." and "Everyone Needs Deadlines" I feel they work so well in most business environments!

This is one of the many reasons why I love Disney and have it be my happy spot!

It was time for some healthy competition between my husband and I for Toy Story Mania. We go back and forth on who wins. During the ride this time, I figured out how to trigger both of the secret screens for the Dino part of the ride & I would later prove my theory right when we would go back on the ride later in the week.

He won

Afterwards, we saw that they had kept Watto's Grotto open from Star Wars Weekends so we peeked inside and see if there was anything we wanted to buy. We restrained ourselves at this time though.

We had some time before our next FP+ so we headed to MuppetVision 3D and decided to sit front row & center and totally had a different experience than being in the very back like we usually are. This was great to see it without the distractions of those around us!

I had scheduled the next FP+ only for my own amusement. I knew my husband wouldn't be happy as he never watched the movie. As he had teased me about winning, I thought this was a great payback to also tease him among our group of friends back home.

My husband had never seen Frozen and really knew nothing of the story and only knew Let It Go thanks to its super popularity around the world for the last 2 years. The best part was at the end when he said, "HANS IS BAD BUT SHE LOVED HIM." It made me laugh so much!

It was then time for our next FP+ with Star Tours.

After we got attacked by Stormtroopers, visited Hoth and were horrified by Jar-Jar, it was time for lunch before we would head back to the hotel for the afternoon.



​

 

[ksromack]

Oh, we loved Morimoto's too! Steve had a good drink (albeit expensive, but strong), we shared chicken potstickers (yum), and I had boring lo mein and hubby had shrimp stir fry. We knew Chef was upstairs bit didnt meet him as we were in a time crunch (like your table neighbor, lol).....

Trick for TSMM to trigger bonus screen? We did get the bonus screen but I didnt know a trick

And we (I) loved the sing a long at DHS! Hubby didnt hate it either!

 

[mlegerto]

haha...glad your hubby was a good spot when it came to the Frozen sing-along.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Oh, we loved Morimoto's too! Steve had a good drink (albeit expensive, but strong), we shared chicken potstickers (yum), and I had boring lo mein and hubby had shrimp stir fry. We knew Chef was upstairs bit didnt meet him as we were in a time crunch (like your table neighbor, lol).....

Trick for TSMM to trigger bonus screen? We did get the bonus screen but I didnt know a trick

And we (I) loved the sing a long at DHS! Hubby didnt hate it either!

Glad you loved Morimoto's too! Nothing wrong with going with something boring if you know its a dish you like! There are certain places at Disney that I think I always end up with the exact same meal each time, much like the next section of the trip report coming up! Being in a time crunch is totally ok too but the scenes she was making were like um, you are just making your time go long because you are acting like this was a Nobu and not a restaurant in the middle of Disney World.

For the Dinosaur section - you have to clear the top balloons on the volcano twice to make it erupt. After that an asteroid will show up on the sides and you have to pop it to make it crash into the Earth.

I thought the sing-a-long was super cute! Not something I would do every time but I'm glad we did it (and with FP+!)

haha...glad your hubby was a good spot when it came to the Frozen sing-along.

He lets me do silly things at Disney that would never fly at home. He also knows I probably won't make him do it again for a decent amount of time Having the FP+ definitely helped since we didn't have to deal with the horrible line outside the theatre.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Our Favorite Lunch Spot

As we finished Star Tours, we headed over to the Hollywood Brown Derby as it is our favorite location for lunch at Hollywood Studios. We love the options they have for the lunch menu rather than the heavy items they have on their all day dining. We checked in and waited a few moments until we were sat at a two topper on the upper section of the restaurant.

We'll see him on November 6th!

We love their butter there and over indulged in some rolls.

Mmmm, butter!

I also had the Margarita Flight as my drink instead of getting just a single beverage. My favorite was the Pomegranate so I saved that for last! The original was a great normal margarita and the Mango was a little on the sweet side for me.

Margarita Flight - Original, Mango, Pomegranate

Since they started their lunch menu options a couple years ago, we tend to always get the same thing now. My husband and I both had this option. We completely love it! The noodles are well done and the sauce has an awesome flavor to it. We also love breaking up the brittle to enjoy multiple bites of it throughout the dish. We both got the chicken just to make sure we were getting enough protein in our diets for the day. This dish is always a winner!

The Original Fettucini Alfredo w/ Chicken, Prosciutto Brittle, Parmigiano-Reggiano

The past few trips at Brown Derby, we've skipped dessert. I was really wanting it today so we split one trio of desserts. We went with the options that sounded best to us. The winner was all of them! Each of them was great in their own way and tasted exactly as one would expect it to with the descriptions!

Mini Dessert Trio - Amaretto Flan w/ Almond Cookie, Chocolate Sphere w/ Hazelnut Praline Chocolate & Orange-White Chocolate Mousse & Banana Toffee Cake on Cocoa Crunch & Strawberry-Banana Pearls

Overall, this was a super successful meal!

After lunch, we walked back to the buses to have a nice relaxing afternoon at the resort.​

 

[mlegerto]

Since they started their lunch menu options a couple years ago, we tend to always get the same thing now. My husband and I both had this option. We completely love it! The noodles are well done and the sauce has an awesome flavor to it. We also love breaking up the brittle to enjoy multiple bites of it throughout the dish. We both got the chicken just to make sure we were getting enough protein in our diets for the day. This dish is always a winner!

The Original Fettucini Alfredo w/ Chicken, Prosciutto Brittle, Parmigiano-Reggiano

mmmmmm this looks SO yummy. We've actually never eaten at Hollywood Brown Derby - we tend to stick to quick service meals at Hollywood Studios. We may have to book this in for our next trip!

 

[Vernie822]

Ah, your HBD meal sounds divine. We are eating there for the first time in a few weeks! Although I am thinking of switching to lunch instead of dinner. Currently we have Boma the morning of our HS day and the next day we are heading to Epcot then back to HS for Osborne Lights & dinner at Hollywood Brown Derby. Though my fiance is a huge burger (and fettucine alfredo) fan, so I think he might appreciate having those options!

I for one will be trying the Cobb salad for sure.. and possibly that fettucine alfredo because it sounds delicious!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

mmmmmm this looks SO yummy. We've actually never eaten at Hollywood Brown Derby - we tend to stick to quick service meals at Hollywood Studios. We may have to book this in for our next trip!

It is so yummy! We've done quick service a few times at Hollywood Studios and its great when you are in a time crunch. We did end up doing Counter Service there later in the week. You should totally give it a shot for a relaxing lunch!

Ah, your HBD meal sounds divine. We are eating there for the first time in a few weeks! Although I am thinking of switching to lunch instead of dinner. Currently we have Boma the morning of our HS day and the next day we are heading to Epcot then back to HS for Osborne Lights & dinner at Hollywood Brown Derby. Though my fiance is a huge burger (and fettucine alfredo) fan, so I think he might appreciate having those options!

I for one will be trying the Cobb salad for sure.. and possibly that fettucine alfredo because it sounds delicious!

Enjoy it for your first time! Dinner is nice too but the burger/fettuccini won't be there. There all day menu feels more like a dinner menu to me so that is a good choice unless you really want the lighter options. Boma is a great breakfast although we're more likely to skip breakfast or eat really lightly and have a early lunch most days. I like the Cobb Salad without the blue cheese and eggs when I've had it so that is also a good choice! You won't go wrong either way.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Catching Up​

When we returned to Animal Kingdom Lodge after our morning at Hollywood Studios, we relaxed around the room for a little bit. I had gotten a text message from a sorority sister of mine that was another advisor on the Executive Council with me back in Georgia before I moved to Florida in late 2012. She was with her husband and two girls by the book at Animal Kingdom Lodge as they were in the midst of there 4 night vacation for Food & Wine Festival plus Magic Kingdom. I got my swimsuit on and headed down to the main pool where we caught up for a while about life and the chapter we both supported at Mercer. It was great seeing her as she is one of the few parts I miss from Georgia!

I also laid out by the pool to catch up on some magazines from home. Her husband is also an engineer in Aerospace supporting one the products I'm really active in so we had shop talk for a bit. He teased me about my combination of magazines as I had a professional work one along with a wine one. He then teased me more when I left to head to the gym as I had just finished Wine Spectator at that time.

I'm the nerd that reads ASQ (American Society of Quality Professionals) by the Pool

And Follows It Up With Wine Spectator

I fully admit I didn't really feel like going to the gym this day, but I did it! I was feeling slightly dehydrated so I just walked for the 30 minutes of time required by my Rebel Challenge Training Plan as that's better than nothing!

At Least I Walked

Once done with my walk, it was time to get cleaned up and head over to Grand Floridian for (hopefully) a repeat of one of our favorite dinners from last May.​

​

 

[mlegerto]

Good for you going to the gym even when you weren't in the mood. Any movement is better than no movement!

 

[franandaj]

Sounds like a good day so far! So funny you made your hubby suffer through Frozen Sing Along! The Brown Derby lunch sounds really good. Even if you did just walk, I'm sure that's better than what I would have done on a trip. I brought my workout shorts and shoes on the cruise, and they stayed in the drawer where I unpacked them until I packed up to leave the ship!

I booked Morimoto Asia today for one of our "free" nights on the December trip. Thinking about doing the Boathouse on our other free night. Normally I spend one night in the room where I cook dinner, but I'm considering bailing on that one.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Good for you going to the gym even when you weren't in the mood. Any movement is better than no movement!

Agreed! Keeping the movement up definitely helped make sure that I didn't gain as much weight as I could have especially with all the training we are in the middle of.

Sounds like a good day so far! So funny you made your hubby suffer through Frozen Sing Along! The Brown Derby lunch sounds really good. Even if you did just walk, I'm sure that's better than what I would have done on a trip. I brought my workout shorts and shoes on the cruise, and they stayed in the drawer where I unpacked them until I packed up to leave the ship!

I booked Morimoto Asia today for one of our "free" nights on the December trip. Thinking about doing the Boathouse on our other free night. Normally I spend one night in the room where I cook dinner, but I'm considering bailing on that one.

It was a good day! Overall, this trip was one of the best ones we've had as honestly, nothing major went wrong and nothing was horrible.

At least you had intentions of working out! Hope your cruise was everything you wanted it to be!

You should love Morimoto during one of your "free" nights! Going out for these nice dinners is vacation for us (although we do it at home too) but Boathouse would be my choice over home cooking any day especially as its our new favorite! All the options coming to Disney Springs makes me so happy. I'm actually considering staying at Saratoga Springs for next fall so we can be so close to all our new favorites. I'll finalize that once we get through Wine & Dine though in a couple weeks.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

A Grand Meal

My husband and I drove over to the Grand Floridian for our next meal of our trip. We valeted (thanks Tables in Wonderland) and wondered back to Narcoossee's. We arrived right on time for our reservation which is unusual for us as we are usually early for everything! We were quickly seated at a four top towards the back of the restaurant.

Narcoossee's Entrance Display

When we were seated, we realized our server had a lot of tables that were being overly needy. We aren't needy so when she stopped by, we were ready to place our wine order along with our appetizers and entrees.

I selected Cakebread as its already a great choice for a chardonnay!

Bottle of Cakebread Chardonnay

My husband doesn't vary much with what he gets for an appetizer here. He loves this salad and finished it off!

Aunt Debby's Lovely Romaine Salad - Crisp Leaves of Young Romaine, Marinated Half-Dried Tomatoes, Shaved Pecorino Romano, Garlicky Focaccia Croutons and Creamy Caesar Dressing

I switched it up from last time and had the Shrimp & Grits as last time I had the Chilled Shrimp Cocktail. This was super tasty and the portion was huge with the amounts of grits and shrimp in it for an appetizer. It had just enough of a kick to it as well.

Barbecue-Grilled Shrimp & Grits - Wild Florida Shrimp w/ Budgie's Barbecue Sauce, Low Country Grits, Cherrywood-smoked Bacon and Pickled Green Tomato Chow-Chow

I went with Halibut as I was craving some nice fish after the options we had been having the past few days. This did not disappoint one bit! It was super flakey with great flavor throughout.

Line Caught Alaskan Halibut - Baby Potatoes, Summer Vegetables, Brentwood Corn Puree, Warm Tomato-Pickled Mustard Seed Vinaigrette and Sea Beans

My husband decided against entrees and getting two side dishes as his meal. He loved the King Crab as it was just enough to fill him up especially when combined with such a large portion of some super fully located mashed potatoes. The few bites I had of the potatoes were lovely as there was enough bacon and cheese in there to make anyone happy!

Narcoossee's Signature Mashed Potatoes - Boniato-Idaho Mashed Potatoes, Applewood-Smoked Bacon, Tillamook Cheddar, and Scallions

Bering Sea Split King Crab Legs - 1/2 Pounds Served Steam w/ Drawn Butter

My husband went with a traditional dessert. He had the mocha-bar and was in chocolate heaven. It wasn't super heavy despite all the chocolate in it.

Narcoossee's Candy Bar - Dark Chocolate-Mocha Bar w/ House-made Guanaja Chocolate Gelato

I went with a liquid dessert and my martini was exactly want I wanted to end the night on!

Chocolate Martini - Godiva Chocolate Liqueur, Stoli Vanil Vodka, White Creme de Caceo and Frangelico

Overall, the meal was a success. Our server was just attentive enough to make sure our plates were cleared and our wine glasses were kept full until we finished off the bottle. After our wonderful meal, we headed back to the hotel where we watched our CBS Monday Night Shows before bed!​

 

[franandaj]

That looks like a great meal! You must have eaten rather early to see the CBS Monday night shows and now I'm curious as to which ones you watch! We only watch on the DVR, and we're watching some right now, but we're weeks behind, and we actually like it that way because we can see the next one when there is cliffhanger!