Saturday, May 26th - Duck a la' Bagel and Cheese Glorious Cheese!
We did a few things differently on this trip that we've never done before. For starters, we brought our own coffee, measuring out enough Cafe du Monde Chicory Coffee for the four days that we would be breakfasting in the room. We loves us the Cafe du Monde cafe au lait...so flavorful...so comforting...so not Nescafe.
We also opted for a grocery store stop with the towncar company we typically use to get us from MCO to WDW and back again. We didn't need a lot from the store, but considering the limited food options at SSR we thought at least having some breakfast items in the room would be a good idea. So we made a stop at a local Publix on Friday morning and let me tell you... Stereotype Central and highly entertaining. I could write a trip report just about the grocery store, but I won't.
We picked up some bottled water, Pelligrino, Cranberry juice, milk, mini-bagels, pre-packaged cantaloupe and honeydew melon, and a group of green bananas that refused to ripen no matter what we did with them during the week.
Put 'em in a paper bag for a day: still green.
Leave 'em on the sink while we're showering in the hope that the steam and warmth will do something: still green...and definitely damp.
Set 'em outside on the patio for a bit while we nap: still green; and now they're an exotic pleasure destination for adventurous love bugs.
Chuck 'em in the trash and vow never to buy bananas in Florida again: still eff-ing green.
I'm not kidding...by Thursday these stupid bananas were still as hard and green as they were when we bought them a week earlier; I don't get it. What gives with the Incredible Hulk Bananas in Florida???
Sorry...got a little distracted there with the produce. It really has nothing to do with this day's reviews...other than the fact that if I'd been eating a banana as planned our peaceful breakfast might not have degenerated into a quacktacular food riot.
We were minding our own business...nibbling a few bagles, enjoying the quiet, watching the fountain spray water into the breeze...when suddenly we heard a rustling in the bushes.
Is it a mouse? A snake? A baby alligator?
Imagine our relief when we discover that it's one of the resort ducks stopping by to wish us a good morning. Or so we thought...
Hand over the bagel and no one gets hurt...
We know you're in there!
Give up now - you're surrounded.
I shouldn't mock the ducks - they were actually very well behaved and very friendly. You guys know how aggressive the ducks over at Casey's can be? These ducks were the total opposite. We really did feel like they were part of the local welcome wagon even though we know they were just looking for some freebies.
So after our very light breakfast we headed over to Epcot where we just decided to wing it ...
... for lunch. We ended up at Chefs de France about 15 minutes before they opened for business and inquired as to whether or not we could get a table without an ADR. Was it the anniversary button, the Grimace-Free vibe, or my own charming personality that landed us a table for two right next to the window within five minutes of the restaurant opening?
We'll never know, but we appreciated our good fortune nonetheless.
So...here's some food...finally!
Chefs de France
We love eating here for lunch - the dining room is so light and cheerful, and the food and service have always been good. I really think that lunch is a better deal at this restaurant - if you compare the lunch and dinner menus I don't think you'll see much difference in the selection between the two meals but you'll notice that the prices go up for most items at dinner. Just throwing that out there for your consideration.
The dining room before it started to fill up:
Handsome hubby waiting for some fromage...that's pronouned
"Chuh-eeeeeee-zzzzzzz" in American.
Mmmmmm, the appetizer...Assiette de fromages de France - Imported Cheese Plate:
Booyah!!! As far as I'm concerned it's a windfall of the cheesiest kind - there's nothing funky on that plate. No stinky-feet smell wafting up from the table, no weird, waxy green or striped offerings, and no blue cheese!!
**For those of you keeping score: just say no to nuts, ketchup, onions, tartar sauce, and blue cheese. More to come in later reviews!**
So what do we have to choose from? Starting on the left was a cheese that was similar to a mild English cheddar...firm and very smooth. Next to that was a Swiss cheese unlike any I've ever tasted...rich and slighty nutty, this cheese didn't leave an aftertaste like so many Swiss cheeses that I've had here in Stinktown. That little round guy was a goat cheese - yummmm, so creamy and mild, not nearly the bite I've come to expect from goat cheese. And on the far right, camembert...super creamy, but I like mine without the rind, thank you very much.
For lunch I ordered Quiche Lorraine (ham and cheese quiche) - that's pronounced
"keeeeeey-shhhhhhhh" in American.
I love a good quiche, and Chefs has always served up a good one when I've ordered it. This was melt-in-my-mouth good - the custard was just perfect, and I even ate the crust, which I almost never do because it's usually too dry.
The recommended wine was a cabernet but I opted for a white the name of which I didn't write down. It was similiar to a pinot grigio, one of my all time favorite white wines; maybe a pinot blanc now that I think about it. Regardless, it paired very well with the cheeses and the quiche.
Jason ordered Crepe Basquaise - a large crepe filled with smoked chicken strips, peppers and onions, grilled and served with a mixed salad.
That's pronounced
"Crrrrrrr-ape" in American.
What can I tell you about this? It's not my kind of selection...too much stuff in it...onions, peppers, smoked meat, and sauce. But this is the kind of food that Jay loves...the more stuff the better! He thought it was great - very flavorful and well prepared, with a nice balance of seasoning. He did order the recommended wine which was a white; I believe a white burgundy which is another favorite of ours.
We didn't order dessert - we usually don't at lunch, even on vacation - but even without dessert this was another very pleasant meal for us at Chefs with great food and very nice service. We remain satisfied with this establishment which we have now eaten lunch at several times over the last five years.
As we wandered through the World Showcase on our lazy way back to the front of the park, we spotted this:
Joy of Tea Stand
I was very excited to come across this addition to the China pavillion. Jay and I are both tea drinkers and in October we tried a Green Tea Plum Wine Cooler at the Food and Wine Festival - it ended up being one of our favorite drinks of the entire Festival. Among the many choices this stand offers is a Green Tea Plum Wine Slush...how different can it be?
Green Tea Plum Wine Slush and middle-aged lush
Well, it can be very different indeed. First of all I was a little surprised by the color...if it's made with green tea and plum wine why is it orange? Secondly I was surprised by how sweet it was. I like a sugar rush as much as the next woman but this was uncalled for - I think my fillings lodged an official protest.
Ultimately Jay and I were both disappointed - too sweet and too odd tasting was our final verdict. We're going to stick with the wine cooler going forward and leave the squishees to our friends in France.
One last thing before I leave you for a while. Remember the surprises I alluded to in an earlier post? We went back to the villa to nap for a bit and we found this waiting for us:
We couldn't get just one picture that included the entire surprise, so we did it this way instead. There were three helium-filled balloons: one that says Happy Anniversary, one that has Cinderella's coach on it, and one that has Cinderella and Charming. The balloons were anchored with a foil wrapped weight, which we originally thought was a chocolate kiss (like we didn't have enough chocolate in the room already!). And then there is the Year of a Million Dreams card with the anniversary wish and the picture that was autographed by the Boss and First Lady!!
We were so excited and touched! It was completely unexpected and I don't know if the front desk staff did it or if someone from the WDW florist sent it, but we loved this little bit of special magic that someone somewhere at WDW created for us. I get all goose-bumpy and sappy every time I look at it.
Thanks for reading - look for Jiko tomorrow night!
I need more pics of food!!! 
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