Wow! Sorry for the delay on the next post! Everything seems to have come at us at once but now that DD3s (now 4) birthday party is over things should slow down into a nice summer routine. So where was I?
We have now gotten into the habit of taking our time getting going in the morning and it really seems to work for us. I would have liked to make it to rope drop at least once but in the end with the kids we let them sleep until they were ready to wake up. Today we were heading to Downtown Disney anyway so there was no rush. As always we split a couple of adult breakfast platters before heading out.
We walked around the Marketplace for a while and spent a whole lot of time at
Lego Land (did you know you could get pink lego?). Then we hit the giant
Disney Store and picked up some souvenirs. At this point DH slips off to find himself a 2008 baseball for his collection and God knows what else. I on the other hand and left with two girls and no means to pay for the things I picked up. Having found all I wanted to find and now tired of chasing said little girls around the store and convincing them to put things back on the shelves I start the search for DH. Now for those of you who havent been here before, this store is akin to a maze filled with different categories of Disney paraphernalia. There are rooms going off of other rooms merging into yet more rooms. I searched for 45 minutes before finding DH and I have to tell you by then I was so NOT amused. I grabbed my card and paid for what I had and we left to go for lunch with very few words between us.
On the way we stopped at Goofys Candy Factory and loaded up on some chocolate and treats. Nothing brightens my moods like chocolate and DH knows this as he often uses a box of chocolaty delights to get himself out of the dog house. By the time we walked into the Rainforest Café I was in a much better mood.
We had thought this would be a lot of fun for the girls which is about the only reason we would consider paying OOP for this! Well we were so far off it wasnt even funny. We were seated right next to a bunch of animatronic gorillas and right away they started hoo hoo hooing away. Well both of my girls slapped their hand over their ears and looked like they were going to cry. We reassured them that it was all pretend and for a little bit they enjoyed looking around at all of the different animals. We were able to at least place our order. Then the storm started and that was pretty much it for them. They hardly ate anything the whole meal because they kept their hand over their ears in anticipation of the stormy mayhem to come. And we certainly didnt come here for the great food!
In any case DH ordered the Rainforest Burger - 1/2 pound burger, charbroiled and served on a toasted bun with tomato, lettuce, and onion, served with potato chips or fries and with added cheddar cheese. The burger was a decent burger but nothing to write home about. He chose it because he couldnt see spending that much money on anything else!
I ordered a Paradise House Salad - Mixed greens and Roma tomatoes, jicama, carrots, and cucumbers with your choice of dressing to start since I felt like something green and so did DD5. It was nice a crisp salad and honestly it was nice to have something fresh and green for once. I think all the heavy breakfasts are getting to me.
As an entrée I ordered the Blue Mountain Chicken Sandwich - Tender grilled chicken breast, Cajun seasoned and topped with bacon, Swiss cheese, roasted red peppers and leaf lettuce, served on a toasted bun with spicy Safari sauce and coleslaw. This was actually pretty good! The sauce and the cheese made for a great taste combination and the chips were like Miss Vickies so I enjoyed them although I didnt come close to finishing them. We just didnt have the heart to make the girls stay any longer than necessary.
DD3 ordered the Mini Hot Dogs - 3 mini hot dogs served with kettle chips, buttered kernel corn or applesauce. She chose the corn. This was nothing really special but I guess it was sort of neat for her to have mini hot dogs.
DD5 asked for the Poppin' Shrimp - Breaded popcorn shrimp served with cut carrots. She tends to not like breading very much so what she did eat she peeled the breading off. But honestly most of her time was spent with her hands over her ears so it wasnt the most productive meal.
I dont think we will be returning her any time real soon. Our waiter was very nice however refilling our drinks long before we were finished the first one and even taking a picture of the family. As you can see it isnt the best picture but it does tell the story!
Finishing off our meal in record time we left the restaurant and headed back to POR via the boat ride which DD3 really enjoys. DH then took the girls swimming while I rested up and then got ready for date night. I had called Kids Nite Out to reserve a babysitter thinking this would be more successful than our experience with Fairy godmothers on our last trip. They asked me if I had any preferences and I actually requested a college aged female. In order to deal with my DD5s anxiety I asked to know her name and what type of activity she would be bringing. So when we checked in, I was told her name was Joyce and they didnt know what she would be bringing. We booked her for two nights thinking we would be able to spend some time together. Well when it was time for Joyce to arrive my DD5 was sitting on the window sill watching for her. All of a sudden DD5 says Oh oh and starts to shrink away from the window. I answer the door and this woman had to be at least 65. She asks a bunch of questions about the girls and their preferences and then makes me sign something stating that they werent responsible if my children destroy the furniture in the room. I tried to explain to her that DD5 was a little nervous about us leaving her and at this point DD5 was desperately trying not to cry. I asked her what she planned to do with the girls that night and I found out all she brought with her were a few sheets and some crayons, the same type of stuff they have been doing at every restaurant since we got here not to mention on the plane.
I have no idea how I managed to leave the room and in retrospect I wish I hadnt. DD5 had pulled it together and was putting on a brave face so DH and I left for our date. I feel like crying thinking about it. Nothing bad actually happened and the girls were safe and enjoyed their evening to some extent but suffice it to say the second date night was promptly canceled. DD5 was not willing to give it a second chance.
DH and I took the bus to Downtown Disneys West Side and did a little shopping at Virgin and then had some friendly head to heads at Disney Quest before heading over to Raglan Road for our much anticipated date night dinner. We had taken an 8:00 adr so that we wouldnt be out too late but we could enjoy the entertainment. Great news! We were seated at a table for 2 not too far from the dancers stage. For anyone wondering about whether kids are welcome, there was actually an adorable little baby maybe 6 months old sitting up on the bar while mom enjoyed a pint! I snapped a picture but then thought this mommy might not want her babys face up on the internet so I will leave it down. I havent decided yet whether or not I will afford the same luxury to the guy wearing a lude T-shirt at magic Kingdom. But that is for a later date!
Being date night I promptly ordered a drink. Bring on the Celtic sangria! I love sangria but I dont know what was going on at the bar tonight. This drink was pretty weak and watery. And Brenda if I know you, a weak and watery drink would not make your top ten list! I was thirsty though and finished it off before our meals came. I ordered a black velvet (half Guinness and half hard cider). Now this was more like it! Yummy beer goodness lightened and sweetened with the cider. See how they actually seperate in the glass? And then they come together with each sip!
To start off with DH and I ordered the Dalkey Duo - Dalkey battered cocktail sausages, with a Dalkey mustard dipping sauce. We had shared this last time and loved it so much we couldnt wait to order it again. There are tons of other things I would like to try too, but unfortunately they dont make servings for one so that we could order different things and share. Maybe next time. These were just as good as we remembered them and ended up asking for extra mustard dipping sauce. They are filling little things though so pace yourselves. The sausages arent anything like a plain hotdog. They are a great flavored little sausage and the batter on it is hot and crisp. The mustard dipping sauce is the perfect compliment and the presentation is so different with the forks all standing up on the board. Two thumbs up again on this one.
We were also served the soda bread with dipping sauce. This isn't my cup of tea and with a rapidly filling up belly I was saving room.
For round 2 DH ordered the Serious Sirloin Steak - 10oz sirloin topped with Irish whiskey glaze, and drizzled with fresh basil oil. Served with mashed potatoes and topped with crispy fried onion strings. He had ordered this last time too and at the time he felt it tasted a little livery, but he wasnt feeling well at the time and besides, what were the chances of that happening twice? He was going to have steak on date night! Well his memory was bang on because the steak once again had the liver taste and he didnt really enjoy the steak. I have warned him to order something a little more Irish when in Irishtown, but did he listen to me?
Sorry for the blurry picture.
I ordered the Fish & Chips - Beer-battered fish and chips served with fresh tartar sauce. I figured back to basics! I enjoyed this but I once again wish I had ordered something else for an entrée. I seemed to have all the wrong picks this year! I just lacked some flavor to the batter. I dont know if it was the oil or a lack of salt. With the malt vinegar though I did enjoy it. It just didnt stand out for me. I am wondering it the fish and chips at the little stand in the World Showcase might be better. I have yet to try it.
At this point I was seriously getting full but as you now know, I am all about the dessert and this time I wasnt about to make the same mistake and miss out on Gers bread and Butter Pudding! It really is as fabulous as they say it is. The butterscotch sauce is to die for and mix both sauces into the pudding and a little slice of heaven is what you find. I never did finish it. I wonder what they would say if I tried to order dessert first next time.
DH decided on the Dunbrody Kiss. He thought it was pretty good. I will inform you that as much as I like chocolate and I am a normal healthy woman who needs a shot of chocolate regularly, my DH is a chocoholic and can at times behave like a woman with a raving case of PMS. He appreciates a good chocolate dessert and he finished this all off without even sharing!
Now for the atmosphere. We love the atmosphere in this restaurant. There is plenty of seating to make it a big restaurant but it has that classy pub feel to it. In the true Irish way it is warm and inclusive. The bar is a beautiful thing! The music was great but I dont understand their idea of dancing. The dancer was great, dont get me wrong. But she came out of a 2 minute dance and then climbed off the stage and went back to her dressing room somewhere not to be seen again while we were there. That must be some strong union! How tired could she be? We did love the dancing though.
Done and fully satisfied we waddled our way to the bus stop anxious to get back to our room and check on the angels. They were fast asleep and soon so were we.
We really enjoyed this restaurant once again, but we would both change our choice of entrée. We may give it a pass next time but rest assured we will be back!
Up Tomorrow: The Rookie Chef and a Walk to the Neighbors Kitchen
We really enjoyed it on our last trip & unlike you we sat next to a local couple & their daughter who were very friendly. We had met them while waiting for our table & had an instant rapport & were really glad we got to enjoy our meal together. You never know what to expect when theres communal seating..sometimes you get a dud & sometimes you luck out like we did.
