Diary of a Picky Kid (& his Foodie Mom) DxDDP in December! Update 4/9 'Ohana Dinner!

Check out @yulilin3 's thread about the fireworks and she discusses how to get good viewing without a dessert party. You can, you just need to stake it out. So instead of doing the dessert party, stake your claim and then send someone in your party to get treats and have your own dessert party. This was my plan B if we couldn't get the actual dessert party. Her threads are SUPER useful with lots of information, pictures and she will answer the same question over and over and over again with seemingly infinite patience.

Also some people do cancel at the last minute too.

I've been meaning to look up some threads about this, so I'll definitely check it out! We're not a Frozen family, so we never saw those fireworks (I would have, but my nephew would have had an epic meltdown), and I would never have been able to live with myself if I had seen the SW fireworks without DH. He hasn't been able to come along the last several trips, and he's the SW nut in the family.
 
aw he wouldn't take one for the team? lol. 20% off with AP, not sure if yours counts? I would go with you in a heartbeat. If he likes tusker house, the chicken curry there was completely delicious as well. I seriously have low expectations for Indian food outside of an indian restaurant that either I have been brought to by an indian friend or one where I walk in and is at least 75% indian patrons, lol. The butter chicken was not as whitewashed as I expected it to be, I have had far less successful similar dishes appealing to "middle america" tastes at otherwise pretty decent indian restaurants. I was impressed and would go back in a heartbeat. my child would be happy with just the bread.

Totally agree on Indian food here. Especially living in the midwest for 10 years--it was so bland! I think Tusker House is the safer bet for the family, though. It's tough with picky eaters. Ours does count for the 20% off and we've already been using it for a lot of the QS restaurants, which has really helped with the price! It's good for a few character meals too--I haven't done Garden Grill since maybe 2002 and it's 20% off so we're going in March.
 
Evening 1: Sanaa
I would DEFINITELY go back to Sanaa, in fact it is on my short list now. It was fun sharing the bread service with the kid but I feel like I did not do the condiments and various combos justice so I want another crack at that.... and I probably enjoyed the non naan breads more than the naan, they were so delicious and flavorful. This Indian food snob gives it an enthusiastic 2 thumbs up and the kiddo does too for the bread service and dessert... he was not so keen on the chicken.

My total with 20% AP discount (food only) and 20%+ tip was $90.50, but I'd say about $25 of that was the two cocktails I had ($10.75 each + tax and tip) so quite a reasonable 3-course meal if you subtract out the booze (hic!).
Enjoying your reviews. We did SKIPPER not too long after it opened, and though we had different dishes than you, I'd say our experience was about the same. Solid, not spectacular food, and a unique place to dine which is always good. Your comment on the bread there is spot-on--as I recall it's some sort of coriander and/or fennel and/or something else combo (I'm too lazy to look up my notes) to go with the infused honey. Though a tad dry, as you say, it was unique and tasty. Our drinks were subpar, but the food was decent. One of the sauces was too salty, but all else was palatable.

As for SANAA, it's one of our favorite places. We often go just for the bread service at lunch. We'll do the full service, add a salad or bowl of soup, toss in a couple of glasses of wine (they have a very solid wine list), and call it a meal. Especially for Disney standards, this turns out to be a real value. We generally tend to like spicier meals, so the sauces to the right side of the platter are our favorites, but like you, we also mix a couple together for variety's sake. While I enjoy desserts, also like you, I tend to be picky about them. I've had enough dry cakes, indistinct pies, tasteless mousses, and indiscriminately heavy chocolate dishes to last a lifetime. Thus, we've not tried to the desserts at Sanaa. (I do recommend the homemade donuts at Artist Point, however.)

Thanks for the reviews!
 
Looks like a great meal at SciFi. Agree that is not a $30+ steak, but glad to hear it was at least well executed. Plus steak and onion rings sounds like a great meal to me. I'll definitely have to try those wings. I love a good wing and if those pass a New Yorkers test they have to be good. Glad you all could share too. Casey and I always share and it works out great. Speaking of Casey, thankfully she hasn't gotten me kicked off of here yet but I'm sure its only a matter of time till my mouth does though :-)
 


I've been meaning to look up some threads about this, so I'll definitely check it out! We're not a Frozen family, so we never saw those fireworks (I would have, but my nephew would have had an epic meltdown), and I would never have been able to live with myself if I had seen the SW fireworks without DH. He hasn't been able to come along the last several trips, and he's the SW nut in the family.
We are not a frozen family either, lol. Kiddo took one for the team and rode FEA with me, but he was in such a good mood after his foodgasm at Biergarten that he he told me it "wasn't so bad" and he'd "even do it again" lol. We didn't get to see star wars either because it was before they started showing both at HS but it's something ot look forward to for next time I guess. I enjoyed JBJB and Star Wars is supposedly even better so it's all good.

Totally agree on Indian food here. Especially living in the midwest for 10 years--it was so bland! I think Tusker House is the safer bet for the family, though. It's tough with picky eaters. Ours does count for the 20% off and we've already been using it for a lot of the QS restaurants, which has really helped with the price! It's good for a few character meals too--I haven't done Garden Grill since maybe 2002 and it's 20% off so we're going in March.

IMO you can't go wrong with TH. If my kid could have put an IV into the sausage gravy, he would have. Plenty for basic tastes as well as people who like something more exotic. It was probably my favorite breakfast but I am not sure if it counts because the reason for that was the chicken curry and that's not really breakfast food. Kiddo and I were debating which should be our favorite. I will save that for the wrap up :)

Enjoying your reviews. We did SKIPPER not too long after it opened, and though we had different dishes than you, I'd say our experience was about the same. Solid, not spectacular food, and a unique place to dine which is always good. Your comment on the bread there is spot-on--as I recall it's some sort of coriander and/or fennel and/or something else combo (I'm too lazy to look up my notes) to go with the infused honey. Though a tad dry, as you say, it was unique and tasty. Our drinks were subpar, but the food was decent. One of the sauces was too salty, but all else was palatable.

As for SANAA, it's one of our favorite places. We often go just for the bread service at lunch. We'll do the full service, add a salad or bowl of soup, toss in a couple of glasses of wine (they have a very solid wine list), and call it a meal. Especially for Disney standards, this turns out to be a real value. We generally tend to like spicier meals, so the sauces to the right side of the platter are our favorites, but like you, we also mix a couple together for variety's sake. While I enjoy desserts, also like you, I tend to be picky about them. I've had enough dry cakes, indistinct pies, tasteless mousses, and indiscriminately heavy chocolate dishes to last a lifetime. Thus, we've not tried to the desserts at Sanaa. (I do recommend the homemade donuts at Artist Point, however.)

Thanks for the reviews!

I see a lot of people who don't like the bread. I am not generally a fan of fennel (although I have discovered really that the things I'm "not a fan of" I'm just "not a fan of in excessive quantities") and I would say I more tasted the coriander than the fennel. I think mostly as americans we are used to fresh bread being soft and the dryer texture of the bread at SC can be offputting if you're not expecting it. The texture is dry but the flavor is not with the honey, if that makes sense. It's not like you are chewing on stale bread or anything... but honestly I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be like that. I LOVED the Punch Line Punch (wish I had some now) but I LOVE mango and will choose that flavor any chance I get... fresh mango, mango salsa, mango sorbet, mango ice cream, mango lassis and you could definitely detect the mango so I was a happy girl. My new appetizer was quite yummy and upon reflection some of my hesitation to try other ones is that the pairing was kind of weird, I think if I just had a double of the one I had it would still be less than a typical entree, enough food for a main meal and it was very tasty (except for me wanting the avocado cream to be just plain avocado... but I am an avocado purist as well). I would say it is both solid and interesting and not the same basic americanized flavors and that's what puts it a head above a lot of other places in the MK. I mean sometimes I am just in the mood for a sandwich but most of the time I will pick a place like SC over a place like the plaza and I'm glad to have the option now (especially with the palatable kid menu).

Looks like a great meal at SciFi. Agree that is not a $30+ steak, but glad to hear it was at least well executed. Plus steak and onion rings sounds like a great meal to me. I'll definitely have to try those wings. I love a good wing and if those pass a New Yorkers test they have to be good. Glad you all could share too. Casey and I always share and it works out great. Speaking of Casey, thankfully she hasn't gotten me kicked off of here yet but I'm sure its only a matter of time till my mouth does though :-)

they were really good. of course we were starving too so that might have helped, and if they don't get the cooking right forget it... but they were really nicely cooked and it always surprises me when i get a good wing outside of known places. We might end up getting wings tonight, lol, or chinese! Well my mouth can run a bit out of control too. Maybe I will see you in the tardy corner sometime ;) If I wasn't doing ddp I might just get the app sampler and a shake for lunch. Sharing is hard with the kiddo because he is picky but at a place like sci fi it was easy. My ideal, if I can swing it, is to share an app and share an entree... but then I have to compromise :P and I don't like to! As evidenced by my Y&Y review!
 
I see a lot of people who don't like the bread. I am not generally a fan of fennel (although I have discovered really that the things I'm "not a fan of" I'm just "not a fan of in excessive quantities") and I would say I more tasted the coriander than the fennel. I think mostly as americans we are used to fresh bread being soft and the dryer texture of the bread at SC can be offputting if you're not expecting it. The texture is dry but the flavor is not with the honey, if that makes sense. It's not like you are chewing on stale bread or anything... but honestly I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be like that. I LOVED the Punch Line Punch (wish I had some now) but I LOVE mango and will choose that flavor any chance I get... fresh mango, mango salsa, mango sorbet, mango ice cream, mango lassis and you could definitely detect the mango so I was a happy girl. My new appetizer was quite yummy and upon reflection some of my hesitation to try other ones is that the pairing was kind of weird, I think if I just had a double of the one I had it would still be less than a typical entree, enough food for a main meal and it was very tasty (except for me wanting the avocado cream to be just plain avocado... but I am an avocado purist as well). I would say it is both solid and interesting and not the same basic americanized flavors and that's what puts it a head above a lot of other places in the MK. I mean sometimes I am just in the mood for a sandwich but most of the time I will pick a place like SC over a place like the plaza and I'm glad to have the option now (especially with the palatable kid menu).
I agree! The bread is dry but not stale--I'm a big fan of savory breads, crispy crust breads, and not as much of pillowy, buttery versions. I can't remember what drinks we had at SC (well, I only had water as it was hot), but our tablemates' were both too sugary. I, too, am a big mango fan, but I like it with a touch of tart. I'm very happy that places keep popping up with out-of-the-ordinary menus--better to try something unique than not at all. While it and other places (Sanaa, for example) do americanize the flavors a bit (that was my biggest critique of SC), at least they're beyond the norm. Funny to hear you say that about avocados as I'm the same way. A perfectly ripe avocado all by itself is one of my favorite things, followed quickly by expertly prepared guacamole. The nutty flavor and creamy, unctuous texture is heavenly. Now, getting the perfectly ripe avocado is another story altogether. ;)
 
I like your review of the JBJB dessert party :) I'll save comments until I get to my review of ours in my dining report which, since we did it on our 2nd to last night, will probably be March lol, but I do agree that the view from the reserved area was very good and I liked the show so much more than I thought I would based on the first reviews that showed up here. I also think as far as the dessert party part, they tinkered with the few things that people complained a bit about from the first parties like Santa Goofy rushing through, because he took his time with each table at our party. The lighting for pictures sucked though :rolleyes:
Glad you had such a good meal at Sci Fi! We've eaten there twice, DH isn't a big fan so we haven't been back in awhile but I always enjoyed the corny movie clips and the food wasn't out of this world but was definitely good.
 


I am enjoying your report! I remember all of your planning you put into this trip over the last year and I am excited to read along and see how it went! Your DS is too cute with that milkshake! Yummm

And can I say that yogurt parfait looked awful...eek!
 
So excited to see your review!! I loved watching you plan your foodcation with your son. Im loving it so far- Im a little disappointed that the SC menu changed, esp. the Mac n Cheese. When we were there last time- it was a Panera like mac n cheese, and my DS loved it. In your pics it looked yellow-so sad, we were going to add it to our next trip. Keep the reviews coming!!!
 
This is an awesome review. I am all about food especially at Disney even though Disney is more than just restaurants
 
I agree! The bread is dry but not stale--I'm a big fan of savory breads, crispy crust breads, and not as much of pillowy, buttery versions. I can't remember what drinks we had at SC (well, I only had water as it was hot), but our tablemates' were both too sugary. I, too, am a big mango fan, but I like it with a touch of tart. I'm very happy that places keep popping up with out-of-the-ordinary menus--better to try something unique than not at all. While it and other places (Sanaa, for example) do americanize the flavors a bit (that was my biggest critique of SC), at least they're beyond the norm. Funny to hear you say that about avocados as I'm the same way. A perfectly ripe avocado all by itself is one of my favorite things, followed quickly by expertly prepared guacamole. The nutty flavor and creamy, unctuous texture is heavenly. Now, getting the perfectly ripe avocado is another story altogether. ;)

Narcoossees had pillowy bread and I was not a fan either... it had a crispy crust but the light texture inside was very bleh to me. My child will not touch grocery store bread in any form... I seriously made the mistake of raising him on fresh from the black dog bakery sourdough bread and he will only eat bread with a chewy crust and somewhat firm texture inside... anything else is "too soft".

My boyfriend makes the best guacamole and we do carnitas every so often at home... the slow cooked pork on warmed corn tortillas topped with fresh ingredients - sliced tomatoes, sliced perfectly ripe avocados, sliced vidalia onions, fresh sprigs of cilantro and fresh lime squeezed on it. SO GOOD. Avocados figure heavily in our lives lol. I always prefer it at home because restaurants seem to add too much citrus to keep it green, really it needs to be made and consumed kind of fresh (bf has perfected sealing it in plastic wrap to seal out the air for a few hours too lol). I too get bored of "plain american" food and would prefer an americanized versoin of something ethnic to just flat out plain american flavors. I understand Disney has to appeal to the masses but at the end of the day if it is tasty, I'm good. I would go back to SC before almost any other place in the MK and I hope to try something a bit more exotic next time. The whole fish looked good but it would be problematic with the kiddo and his sensory issues.

I like your review of the JBJB dessert party :) I'll save comments until I get to my review of ours in my dining report which, since we did it on our 2nd to last night, will probably be March lol, but I do agree that the view from the reserved area was very good and I liked the show so much more than I thought I would based on the first reviews that showed up here. I also think as far as the dessert party part, they tinkered with the few things that people complained a bit about from the first parties like Santa Goofy rushing through, because he took his time with each table at our party. The lighting for pictures sucked though :rolleyes:
Glad you had such a good meal at Sci Fi! We've eaten there twice, DH isn't a big fan so we haven't been back in awhile but I always enjoyed the corny movie clips and the food wasn't out of this world but was definitely good.

I enjoyed the JBJB party but I really did not even really experience it. If I hadn't had it set in my head that it was about the viewing I might be mad at myself for showing up not hungry and socializing and "wasting my money" but I think the view was worth it by itself. I'd like to do a party that is not shoehorned into the DxDDP and show up actually hungry and try it that way, haha. I think because it is just me and the kiddo it is easier to justify a $100-150 expense without feeling like we have to squeeze every penny of value out of it whereas for families of 4-6 who are spending serious scratch on it, hundreds of dollars... might have different calculations of "value." I can't wait to hear what you thought of the actual food lol.

Sci Fi is in the "tasty and basic" category. I really do believe especially for places like that, going at opening is the key to fresh food and good service... stuff like that where it is so basic it really relies on preparation (if the steak was overcooked or a burger is etc) tends to deteriorate when busy. If it did not have the off the hook theming it would not even register on my radar though.

I am enjoying your report! I remember all of your planning you put into this trip over the last year and I am excited to read along and see how it went! Your DS is too cute with that milkshake! Yummm

And can I say that yogurt parfait looked awful...eek!

I had a complete dining plan before we even had the room booked, lol and when I ended up having to swap my BWV and Poly stays I had to redo it. That is some serious excessive planning! I am glad that we got to do so many old favorites and try a few new ones too though. I think the milkshake is something he was most looking forward to... we do eat ice cream at home but a milkshake is not something we often indulge in... 2000 calories in a glass is way too much of an indulgence even for me! So for him it is a super duper treat.

The yogurt parfait looked much better than it tasted. that is saying a lot! You can't see that the granola is wet and mushy.

So excited to see your review!! I loved watching you plan your foodcation with your son. Im loving it so far- Im a little disappointed that the SC menu changed, esp. the Mac n Cheese. When we were there last time- it was a Panera like mac n cheese, and my DS loved it. In your pics it looked yellow-so sad, we were going to add it to our next trip. Keep the reviews coming!!!

I am pretty sure it is the same mac and cheese they serve at LTT now... his only complaint was that it was cold. It did NOT look like the typical stouffers mac and cheese though with the macaroni swimming in cheese sauce... the sauce was thicker and clung to the pasta. I didn't try it but his biggest complaint was the temperature. So I'm not sure if the yellow is necessarily bad... I did find that the mac and cheese was a bit different everywhere he had it rather than last time where it was the standard stouffers stuff. Is stouffers gone? it might be worth a try even though it is yellow instead of white.

This is an awesome review. I am all about food especially at Disney even though Disney is more than just restaurants

Thanks! We really enjoyed all of the restaurants we got to do - both old favorites and new ones (except Narcoossees). I love that about disney, there are so many different types and different themes etc, all in one place and all accessible to families (except V&A of course). I do not get to take my child out for grownup meals very often at home... usually the more family focused places have more boring even adult menus. There are places with great adult menus and kid menus that he enjoys but they are SO pricey around here.... nice restaurants are a rare treat for me.
 
Found it!
Sad to hear about the menu change at Sanaa as I've already been having a hard time trying to decide between the butter chicken, durban shrimp and beef short ribs. Can't wait for the bread service though!
 
Found it!
Sad to hear about the menu change at Sanaa as I've already been having a hard time trying to decide between the butter chicken, durban shrimp and beef short ribs. Can't wait for the bread service though!
I know people are upset about this but the paneer tikka was amazing and rich and did not feel like a "side dish" - it felt like a second main. But I love paneer and it was already on the short list.
 
Took a bit of a "holiday break" from some of my favorite threads but I'm back and caught up!

Anyway since @kastoney doesn't get kicked out for sharing pics of her totally adorable little one I'm going to assume it is ok to do so once in a while. I promise I'll get back to the food!

PhotoPass_Visiting_STUDIO_7884406290_zps8j58ksm9.jpeg


HE DID AWESOME.
LOVE family pics! And I love that look of determination!

eating with one hand and clutching his shake with to his heart with the other with that cute but dumb smile he has on his face in the picture staring at the screen
But if one can't clutch his shake to his heart at Disney World, where can a gentleman truly enjoy the magic that is a chocolate shake at lunch?! This sounds perfect.

so I didn't feel out of place not wearing my uggs and yoga pants while sipping it.
:rotfl2:

And of course now that I am back on my "healthy diet" after the holidays I would kill for some onion rings... Another great review!!
 
Dude...where have I been?!?! Okay, so I agreed with your assessment of Sci-Fi. It's always a must do for us, and we typically get burgers, but this time DH got the steak and we both really really enjoyed it. Of course, I wouldn't have paid $32 for it, but because we were on DDP we both ate out of the norm.
 
got behind on everything while I was on my Disney trip, but now I'm back and catching up on everything i was reading!

I had so many comments, and now that I'm typing, all I can think of is, "Now I want SciFi".

I need a milkshake. Like, immediately.


To back up a bit though, before I left, you'd reviewed Skippers and Sanaa, both of which I was planning to try for the first time in December.
I had the Cachapas and falafel at Skippers and LOVED the cachapas!

And at Sanaa, DH and I devoured the bread service in probably record time. DH had the butter chicken and loved it, and my oldest kid had the paneer tikka as his side...it did not go over well, but that's ok, we were just happy he branched out and tried a new thing.


Anyway...I'm enjoying your report. It's always interesting to me to read about how people allocate their dining credits when using the dining plan. I'm a nerd for things like that!
 
Hi I'm following along. I also had a December trip 12/10-12/18. Sadly SciFi did not have the pumpkin milkshake when I went. I think the seasonal one was peppermint and I'm pretty sure my husband had it and liked it. I'm not a mint person. I'm a pumpkin person and so sad that i missed out on that. We're going back this November so hopefully they have it again so I can try it.

The gingerbread drinks at the party look yummy. I'm also a big Angry Orchard fan. You can't go wrong with a hard cider!

We enjoyed Tusker House and might go again. I was loving all the choices. We had a late ADR so my 2nd round had a lot of lunch choices which made me happy. I love trying new things and since I live with picky eaters I don't get to try them all the time. I thought the chicken curry was delicious. It was the first time I've had Indian food so I'm glad to hear that it was pretty decent. Mmmm I kind of want some now.

We didn't get to snack as much as I had planned. We seemed to have a problem with the timing kind of like you. When we were really hungry it was too late for a snack because you don't want to ruin your next meal. I'll have to plan my snack time better next trip.

Can't wait for the next review.
 
Took a bit of a "holiday break" from some of my favorite threads but I'm back and caught up!


LOVE family pics! And I love that look of determination!


But if one can't clutch his shake to his heart at Disney World, where can a gentleman truly enjoy the magic that is a chocolate shake at lunch?! This sounds perfect.

:rotfl2:

And of course now that I am back on my "healthy diet" after the holidays I would kill for some onion rings... Another great review!!

I took a holiday break too, and work has been crazy and I've just been too dang tired at night to do more than read a few threads if that. But now I am feeling it and like I need to get back to reviewing before I forget everything, lol.

Haha he does love his ice cream. It was such a nice meal... I know Sci Fi gets mixed reviews but both of our meals there have been really nice. I think the atmosphere for him is pretty calming and if he is calm I am calm. And ice cream shakes. calm and ice cream, always on the menu!

I made some turkey tacos tonight. Pretty healthy since I make it from scratch (not the packet stuff) and use fresh toppings, right? This is one of the things that semi recently my child decided he wanted to try and I made it and he loved it and it is on the rotation. For a kid who would not touch a hot dog if there was even a sign of a grill mark on it, this is going a long way. I even kind of burned his shells tonight and told him to suck up and eat them anyway, lol.


Dude...where have I been?!?! Okay, so I agreed with your assessment of Sci-Fi. It's always a must do for us, and we typically get burgers, but this time DH got the steak and we both really really enjoyed it. Of course, I wouldn't have paid $32 for it, but because we were on DDP we both ate out of the norm.

I paid oop there last time and I believe the kid got a shake, I got an adult shake (which didn't taste adult so I decided to skip the booze the next time), the kid got mac and cheese and I got one of the sandwiches (I think the salmon because I love salmon but it was different than it is now). It was still a reasonable bill and a good meal.

I don't know where you've been but I don't know where I've been either, lol. Stick around, CA Grill is coming up!

Hi I'm following along. I also had a December trip 12/10-12/18. Sadly SciFi did not have the pumpkin milkshake when I went. I think the seasonal one was peppermint and I'm pretty sure my husband had it and liked it. I'm not a mint person. I'm a pumpkin person and so sad that i missed out on that. We're going back this November so hopefully they have it again so I can try it.

The gingerbread drinks at the party look yummy. I'm also a big Angry Orchard fan. You can't go wrong with a hard cider!

We enjoyed Tusker House and might go again. I was loving all the choices. We had a late ADR so my 2nd round had a lot of lunch choices which made me happy. I love trying new things and since I live with picky eaters I don't get to try them all the time. I thought the chicken curry was delicious. It was the first time I've had Indian food so I'm glad to hear that it was pretty decent. Mmmm I kind of want some now.

We didn't get to snack as much as I had planned. We seemed to have a problem with the timing kind of like you. When we were really hungry it was too late for a snack because you don't want to ruin your next meal. I'll have to plan my snack time better next trip.

Can't wait for the next review.

I would have gotten chocolate. in fact I was kind of sorry I didn't, not because the pumpkin was bad but because I am a chocolate fiend, especially chocolate ice cream. The pumpkin was quite good though.

I love hard cider. My friend tells me that I "Drink like a teenager." I don't much like beer except for loving the grapefruit beer and I kind of like a belgian white if it's got lots of fresh orange squeezed into it (I always ask for extra orange slices). BF will often say "try this" just because he likes the "beer face" I make. Sorry all of you craft beer fans, I just like my gogo juice a little sweeter.

There are recipes out there for the Tusker House chicken curry... I might try to make it. I tend to really love the tomato based curries in general but yes I thought it was really good. Not sure how authentic to anything it is but I loved the flavor combos and the chicken was melt in your mouth tender.

Yeah we barely got to snack and also it was so *(&#$ HOT I did not really feel like eating while we were walking around. Honestly when we passed mexico at margarita time, even the thought of an avocado margarita sounded too heavy. I don't like being buzzed when I am hot, like i'm already feeling kind of hazy and i don't want to add to that. We ended up getting fruit slushies or something at Joffreys instead because it's what I was really craving. Definitely upper 80's and high humidity will not help the appetite and I can see why when people go when it's even warmer they say they can't do big meals. I think a combo of the big meals and the heat just made snacking really unappealing.

Okay people, buckle up because we are going to the Top of the World (aka the biggest mistake of my life... second to the white pizza incident.... how is that for a teaser?!)
But first I have to cuddle with the kid while he does his reading and put his little butt to bed.
 
Day 3 Dinner: California Grill
(or, the biggest mistake of my life)

So after doing everything we wanted to do in Hollywood Studios, we headed back to the room to freshen up for dinner. The kid took a shower, I took a shower and while I got dressed he did a little more lightsaber battling with... someone in his head.

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I brought basically one nice outfit for each of us because he only has one collared shirt and it's Disney... but tonight seemed like the right time to break it out since we were all freshly showered and stuff. Our plans for the evening were Epcot after dinner... I LOVE the approach from the monorail around future world and wanted to do that at least once this trip... but since we were staying at BWV for the Epcot portion of our trip I figured I wouldn't have a chance to. But then a friend sent me a code for a free uber and a plan was born - we could uber over to the CR and then monorail over to Epcot after and then walk home after fireworks.

So off we went on our uber to the CR. We got there maybe 10 minutes before our 5pm ADR and I requested a window table. This method of table request has not failed me yet: book first seating, get there a bit early, make request for highly coveted table. We went up and sat in the bar while waiting to be seated but I was hoping my method wouldn't fail me tonight.

We sat in the bar and the bar waiter came over with the drink menu. Last time at CA Grill I had the Santa Monica Cider and really liked it a lot. So this is really the most bizarre part of the evening. I tell the waiter that I had that last time and really liked it and asked what he'd recommend. He recommended I get the same thing. I said "well I'd like to try something different." "but if you liked it, why don't you get the same thing?" "because I'd like to try something different. How about the Cucumber Fizz?" "well. if you really like cucumber you might like that. but why don't you get the Santa Monica Cider?" "Because I want to try something different! I'll have the Cucumber Fizz." I don't know that he rolled his eyes when he turned his back but it would not surprise me if he did. So anyway, I got the:

Cucumber Fizz
Chopin Vodka, Limoncello, and Cucumber Water with a splash of Sprite

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this drink was exactly what I was in the mood for. I love cucumbers. It did taste like cucumber. and lemon. and summer in a glass with the sun shining through it. It was just what I wanted and I'm still not sure why the bar waiter fought me on it. I paid for it right away like they do there and we were seated shortly after.... but not before taking a clean and showered selfie in the CA Grill bar area:

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I just noticed my shirt was all full of cat fur. Oh well.

So we were shown to our table and we did, indeed, have a window table. It was one of those tables that were half booth/half table. I was going to sit on the bench to let the kid have the better view but he really wanted the bench so this was my view:

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yeah, it was nice. So then our waitress comes up and introduces herself. Jenny O, I remember it because I glanced at her ID badge (not nametag but the thing they stick in the POS) and it said Jenny O and I was wondering why the O was attached to Jenny and why she introduced herself that way. Anyway she was right away so warm and so welcoming without being overly familiar in a creepy way. She gave us the menus and asked about beverages. The kid had apple juice and I was happy with my cucumber fizz. I was not interested in bottled water or fizzy water so she brought a bottle of "triple filtered" tap water. So maybe I am making too much of the water thing, I don't know, but this water was absolutely delicious. It was chilled to the perfect temperature so that it didn't have to mix with presumably less filtered ice. It was so clean and so refreshing and the kid thought I had absolutely lost my mind when I commented on it. "Can I taste it mom?" "sure" *shrug* "tastes like water."

We were also pretty hungry and she brought the bread at the same time as the water. The bread at California Grill is excellent and it might be the only one that has two kinds - sourdough rolls (I think? now not so sure) and a lavender foccacia. I did not think the kid would like the foccacia because to me it does have that floral note but I guess the kid has never met a crusty bread slathered in butter that he didn't like. I raised him on local artisan sourdough and basically he will not eat supermarket bread. Or anything made with supermarket bread (like cheap kids grilled cheese made with american cheese singles... for his birthday party at a local mini golf place he made the woman's jaw drop when he asked if she had any smoked gouda for his grilled cheese, lol. He is picky but I am too and his pickiness sometimes reflects mine). Anyway I digress. The bread was good and I had to enforce strict limits on it. The kid did not even bat an eye when I told him the black stuff was "fancy salt." Bring it on! I had to stop him at one of each kind of bread, he loved both. I had a roll which was delicious as well but which I knew I'd regret at the end of the meal. AND I DID. But let's not skip ahead.

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You can't go out with picky kid all unprepared so I had two plans - one if they let him order off the adult menu and one if they let him order off the kid menu. After learning that we were on the DxDDP, Jenny O let us know that kiddo could order off the adult menu. So, we placed our orders.

The kid had the

Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli
Tomato-Fennel Broth, crispy Mushrooms, Tiny Basil, Benziger Estate Olive Oil

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now before you get all icked out, the kid's ravioli had none of that stuff in the description. He does not like sauce, he would not eat crispy mushrooms or tomato broth or any of that other nonsense. He eats a lot of tortellini at home though and he won't eat it with any kind of sauce but does love it with butter. One day I gave it to him plain because I wanted to see if he would eat it without the butter and he did. So that was the end of gratuitous butter on tortellini in our household. So I ordered this big fancy ravioli plain for him.

He actually ate half of this before declaring that the inside was a little too spicy. I don't think it was, I think at about halfway he noticed there were herbs in there and decided he wasn't having it. There was still SO MUCH food to come that I decided to just let it go and let him save room for the main course, but I am proud of him for eating half of a tremendous goat cheese ravioli. He did not object to the goat cheese at all.

I got the same thing I got last time because it was so good last time:

Spicy Kazan Roll
Crab, Shrimp, Scallops, Tuna, Fireball Sauce

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This should not surprise anyone as it hits all of my high points... seafood, spicy and creamy. Yum, YUM, YUM-O. Did not disappoint. I eat a lot of supermarket sushi at home because there is actually a sushi chef there and he makes some nice rolls. But once they sit in a plastic pack in the fridge for a while the rice gets cold and starts to dry out. The rice was perfect, the fish was perfect, the spicy sauce was perfect, the little baby bay scallops were perfect. This is perfection on a plate, at least for me. The one thing I wished I had remembered to do was ask for them to sub more cucumber for the ginger because I hate that pickled ginger stuff and I love cucumber (sticking out tongue at stupid bar waiter). 10/10, I am not sure I'll ever order another app here just because this one is so good. I crave it between trips (for years usually). I could probably find something awesome here but mama don't pay no $26 for a roll in here at home in real life, that's disney life.

For our entrees, I asked Jenny O if the kid could get the filet done medium and plain... no sauce, no weird stuff, no nothing. She asked if salt and pepper was ok and I said sure... kid loves salt and I use pepper in my cooking and he never complains. I also asked if it would be possible if he could get a side of mac and cheese off the kid's menu. I was actually prepared to pay the $9 OOP for this if they wouldn't do it just because... well I knew he'd love it and I wanted it to be an amazing experience for him too. But Jenny O says "absolutely no problem." So here is the kid's dinner:


Oak Fired Filet of Beef with House-made Macaroni & Cheese

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Upon this showing up at our table, I did what I always do and started cutting up the steak for the kid (he is not super coordinated due to fine motor stuff). About 30 seconds later Jenny O shows up to see how our food is. She said "oh I was coming to slice up his meat so you can relax and eat your dinner!" I had already started cutting it up so I politely declined. Then she noticed the butter on top and said "oh my gosh, they put butter on it. Do you want me to have them make it over?" I assured her that the kid was more than ok with it and everything looked great and thank you. I'm still blown away that she was going to come back to the table and slice up my child's steak for me so I could get started enjoying my meal. I thought it was really sweet but it was a level of service that I am not accustomed to as it seems like something I should be doing. Also note that she knew what the order was and came to check that it was correct and offered to replace it when it seemed not correct. But being that my child would dive into a tub of butter and eat his way out if I let him, it was actually better that way. "MOM! I NEVER KNEW YOU COULD PUT BUTTER ON STEAK!!!!!"

So this is where the biggest mistake of my life was made. I swear, I saw the kid's eyes roll into the back of his head a few times eating this steak. Last time at Disney he lived mostly on mac and cheese. This time the mac and cheese sat largely untouched while he devoured his steak, making happy noises under his breath the whole time. So basically, I have allowed my child to fall in love with the $49 filet mignon. Now i'm on the hook for this thing for the rest of my life every time we go to Disney, though I'm sure he will ask at other places too. oh well :) Here he is enjoying his steak and leaving the mac and cheese for later, fork a blur:

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after declaring it "amazeballs" and the best thing he ever ate, he devoured 3/4 of that HUGE portion of mac and cheese and declared it the best of the trip as well. "Mom. I think this might be homemade!" I think you are right!

I ordered the filet too, but the way it was intended to come:


Oak-fired Filet of Beef
Duck Fat Marble Potatoes, Gruyére-Harp Lager Mornay, Roasted Tomato Peperonata, Whole-roasted Garlic, Cabernet Wine Sauce

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maybe it's me, but I actually don't think this is all that super appealing looking. it looks kind of like a big mush on the plate and whatever is between the garlic and the filet looks like it is growing mold. I remember thinking that the presentation was a little weird, so it's not just the photograph. But for however kind of weird it looks, it was delicious. Make no mistake, duck fat potatoes are no joke... they are super rich and the tiniest baby potatoes I've ever seen. I had no earthly clue what a Peperonata was but I googled it when I got home and it's basically an acidic and sweet preparation of peppers, tomatoes, garlic and has vinegar in it. This dish was so rich, it needed that peperonata to cut through it a little. The garlic was roasted to perfection and I squeezed out cloves and ate a bit with each bite of my steak, which was seasoned perfectly and cooked a perfect medium rare and melted in my mouth the way good steaks do. This was all so rich taken together that I couldn't finish it and I actually left about 1/4 on my plate. It was very good and I thought a very big portion. I've seen reviews of CA Grill from when they had the tomato risotto that said their filet portions were tiny. This was a big steak and a lot of potatoes and other stuff. I'm drooling right now thinking about it to be honest.

So of course next comes dessert, because we are doing the DxDDP. Kid and I discussed it and I told him if he wanted to order off the kid menu he could. But then he said "mom, what's cream broo-lee??" I said "creme brulee. it's like the most decadent rich creamy vanilla pudding you ever had with a sugar crust on top." "wow, that sounds like it could be good. Especially with s'mores." SOLD. The kid had:

S'mores Creme Brulee
Marshmallow Custard, Milk Chocolate Ganache, Caramelized Turbinado Sugar

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I'm not really a dessert person, I admit, but I freaking love creme brulee. This. was. amazeballs. My only regret truly is that I was too stuffed to enjoy it. I mean to help my son enjoy it. Because I like, wouldn't be eating my son's dessert out from under him... what kind of mother would do that?!? um.... yeah. He loved it too but was too stuffed to make more than a dent in it.

I ordered the


Warm Homemade Fritters
Apple-stuffed, Cinnamon-dusted Fritters complemented with a Trio of Dipping Sauces

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This is kind of a departure for me. I am generally the one that orders the chocolate dessert. always. But I was stuffed and after my kungaloosh disappointment I decided I wanted something that somehow felt lighter. An apple fritter is light, right?

Well actually they were. I am not a donut person at all... except for cider donuts fresh out of the fryer dusted in cinnamon sugar in fall at the apple orchard, and that is exactly what these reminded me of. The dipping sauces were... I wish I had taken notes because they weren't on the menu I photographed, but it was a vanilla (maybe creme anglaise), cranberry and a caramel. They were all phenomenally good, even not really being a dessert person and even being stuffed to the gills and even wishing they had a thing where you could come back for fireworks AND dessert (yes I realize what a logistical nightmare that would be)... They were so simple but so perfectly prepared and the sauces were all so perfect too. So really the kid got to keep his creme brulee and I just had a taste because I was happy with my fritters (and I gave him one or two also because the kid loves cider donuts as much as I do).

Also I had been saving my non-alcoholic beverage credit to go with dessert. All of the sigs have these pricey press pot coffees it seems and I thought that an $8 cup of coffee would be a lovely way to bang out my DxDDP credits... but honestly it just felt too heavy after the rich meal, so I ordered a herbal tea, which before the last few years I NEVER liked. I hate tea... a bad experience with my dad and unsweetened iced sun tea makes me want to gag whenever I taste real tea. But I do like herbal tea and they had one on the menu that sounded appealing:

Harmony Tea
Organic peppermint leaves, organic chamomile flowers, orange blossoms, and allspice. A fresh and minty herbal blended for complexity, balanced with the fragrant notes of allspice.

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this was... lovely. The best cup of tea I have ever had in my life. I'm not sure if it was the food buzz or the lovely Jenny O or my kid declaring it the best meal he's ever had, but it was just the right perfect lightness and sweetened with a little honey... a little bit of delicate mint flavor and the all spice was definitely there... and an absolutely perfect end to the meal (and Jenny O assured me it would aid in digestion). And $7.49 for it so I still got my DxDDP value out of it. It was served pre-brewed to perfection for me (it is a loose leaf tea) strained and in a little stainless tea pot and there were a good 2.5 cups in there... and I drank all of it.

So overall except for the kind of creepy bar waiter, this meal was a home run. It was perfect in every way, except for my entree maybe not being the most beautiful presentation ever.

This meal would have been $187.64 but we paid 4 DxDDP. I need to be more organized in reporting about the money aspect, sorry. I left the lovely Ms. Jenny O a $40 tip on this meal because she was that good. I paid the check and before we left she came by to thank me, which was again sweet of her. This meal was truly the highlight of the trip, although we had many more good meals after this one... we were truly at the top of the world for this one.

Our time in Epcot was also truly magical... I got my nighttime monorail ride around future world, we did spaceship earth and Soarin' with a FP+, both of our two favorite rides and then walked over to the international gateway bridge to watch illuminations only to see that the island down below was not closed off for a special event, so we went down to my favorite illuminations viewing spot and sat and relaxed and waited about an hour for the show (we were both exhausted) and leaned against the fence and cuddled and hunted pokemon until our favorite nighttime show started. I will leave you with one picture of Illuminations: Reflections of Earth to end off our super magical night. We even caught the boat with no wait back to the boardwalk. The night was just perfection... I am totally filled with warm fuzzies just thinking about it right now.

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He recommended I get the same thing. I said "well I'd like to try something different." "but if you liked it, why don't you get the same thing?" "because I'd like to try something different. How about the Cucumber Fizz?" "well. if you really like cucumber you might like that. but why don't you get the Santa Monica Cider?" "Because I want to try something different! I'll have the Cucumber Fizz." I don't know that he rolled his eyes when he turned his back but it would not surprise me if he did.
The only thing I can think of is that perhaps one is much easier for the bartender to make than the other?

I crave it between trips (for years usually).
On the brunch "serve yourself appetizers" (buffet) they have deviled eggs drizzled with spicy Kazan sauce. I'm just saying you could maybe get your money's worth...

MOM! I NEVER KNEW YOU COULD PUT BUTTER ON STEAK!!!!!"
What kind of parent are you to deprive your son of such knowledge?! Hahaha. I sneak butter onto our steaks at home sometimes. Unless R asks. In which case I have never done that.

after declaring it "amazeballs" and the best thing he ever ate
Well I have to agree!

I'm drooling right now thinking about it to be honest
you and me both!

So glad you two had such a great night. What a lovely experience!!!
 

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