We have received a few more updates from Ellen (podsnel) from her August trip to Disneyland.
The first one is from the Grand Californian's...
Whitewater Snacks
Ellen said, "Well, here I am again- between 2 TRs and learning to become a TA not to mention being a mom of 3, I have fallen behind as usual- so sorry Barb! Here are my pics from GCV poolside nachos from Whitewater Snacks which we shared- we got steak and chicken, they were very good."
"Then dinner for Pods and me was at the Disneyland Hotel's...
Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar
"We got apps for dinner and drinks. We were still pretty full from those nachos, to be honest! We shared the Pu Pu Platter...
"Tamarind-glazed Island Pork 'Wings', Sweet and Spicy Asian Wings, Panko-crusted Chinese Long Beans, Green Papaya Slaw, and Sriracha Aioli. $15.99"
"It was pretty good."
"The atmosphere is the BEST here - so unique, there is always some special effect going on because of some drink that was ordered. Pods and I tried several drinks - we did NOT want the souvenir glass, so our drinks were a little more reasonable priced, but make no mistake- these were, hands down, the absolute WORST tropical cocktails either of us have ever tried. They all tasted like paint thinner!! BLECH!!!"
"I had the Shrunken Zombie Head - Every time business shrinks for our favorite head salesman he celebrates with one of these supernatural potions."
"This had Reserve and Aged Rums, Tropical Juices, Falernum, and Cinnamon."
"Pods tried the Shipwreck on the Rocks - Have too many of these and you'll be setting a course for Davy Jones' Locker!"
"This was Bourbon with Freshly Muddled Lemon and Mint with Organic Agave Nectar."
Here is Pods taking his first sip of his Shipwreck drink...
And here is Pods after taking his first sip of his Shipwreck drink...
"Many others ordered the drinks that cause the volcano to erupt and the ship to sink. I would absolutely go back, but I would just get a Longboard next time and let someone else pay for the "show". Really a fun, unique bar, though."
"On our way back to GCV, we decided to stop at...
Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen
...and had a seat at their bar."
"I tried a Hurricane, their signature drink...
"It was a little sweet for me, but the music was fantastic, and the bartenders???
They were EXCELLENT!!!"
7 Aug./Sept. Game Points Earned + 3 Bonus Points for pics of Pods and misc. other pics
Next Ellen said, "On Sunday morning, I met Drea in California Adventure right after it opened so we could get our ride on - all of our boys stayed behind. And....all of our boys did not come into the parks that day. We thought they were NUTS!!! But we had a GREAT day, starting with a quick breakfast at...
La Brea Bakery
"I had the bacon and egg panini and I think Drea did, too."
"It was good but to be honest, I wished I had gone back to Flo's for one last chicken tamale - it was sooooo yum!"
"Next meal is Club 33. I am running out right now but will do it tonight at the latest - and then I am almost done!"
3 Aug/Sept Game Points Earned + 1 Bonus Point for menu
Ok, time for Part I of Ellen's (podsnel) report from her lunch at Disneyland's ...
Club 33
Ellen said, "We had a gorgeous lunch at Club 33. We were invited by a friend of a friend, lucky, lucky us!!"
"We started with champagne all around...
"For lunch we enjoyed the extensive buffet while waiting for our main course from the kitchen, and then some."
"First, some buffet pics...
Potato Leek Soup
much to choose from, I tried as much as was humanly possible. I did not try the pasta, but it did look amazing!"
"Here is my plate from the buffet...
"Next the bread, butter and my amazing soup."
"The chef prepared a special course for us with lobster, summer truffles and raspberries (I think that friend of a friend had called in and said treat these ladies well!)."
"I had Chateaubriand for my main course, it was incredibly tender and flavorful."
"Others had the salmon, which they said was divine."
"We also had truffle mac and cheese- YUMMMMM!!!!!"
"The chef came out to chat and we got into a discussion about molecular gastronomy. So the chef asked what kind of ice cream we liked. Everyone was quiet, so I said coffee. Next thing we knew, the entourage appeared with a bowl with the raw ingredients to make ice cream and some liquid nitrogen."
"Voila! Creamy and delicious, served on top of a flourless chocolate ganache plate of delicious!"
"Also for dessert - espresso martini, chocolate martini, and coffee."
I have a few more updates from Ellen (podsnel) from her August trip to Disneyland to post, the first of which is actually from Ellen's son, Tyler.
While Ellen dined at Club 33, her sons, Tyler & Tim, had lunch at the Grand Californian Hotel's...
Storyteller's Cafe
Ellen said, "God bless my Tyler, he knew I wanted food pics so he took some with his phone and sent them to me from Storytellers when they had lunch that day!"
Next, Ellen said, "Even though I had been eating for 3 hours {at Club 33}, my family had not, so for dinner, the boys wanted to check out Downtown Disney's...
That just leaves Ellen's final two updates from her last day at Disneyland.
The first one is from her breakfast at the Grand Californian Hotel's...
Storyteller's Cafe
She said, "To say that Storyteller's is an absolutely breathtakingly beautiful restaurant is an understatement. I was very glad we chose to have a meal here before we left on our last day - even if it was for a breakfast my kids couldn't seem to wake up for!"
"I made the mistake of choosing the buffet, because I wanted to have Mickey Waffles on my last day. "
Farmer's Market Buffet
Enjoy a Delicious Selection of Fresh Harvested Seasonal Fruits, Home-style Breakfast Specialties,
A Baker's Bonanza fresh from the Oven, and Tossed Omelets made to Order
Adult $28.99, Child $13.99
"That is the Allears version of the menu, but it's not completely accurate if you have a look at the menu I sent a pic of."
"Here is what is on the buffet...
...and what is NOT on the buffet is Mickey Waffles."
"Now, I found out when a server finally came over (as we were ready to pay) that the Mickey Waffles are brought to the table individually - I guess, if the server is in the mood to bring them. Our server was not. I think we were supposed to have other things, too, but they never came either. Like coffee refills."
"Here is my plate from the buffet...
"Pods had the Classic Denver Omelet...
Three Eggs with Bell Peppers, Onions, Ham, Chives and Monterey Jack served with Country Potatoes, Juice and Toast. $18.99
"He loved his breakfast. My breakfast was super ordinary, and AGAIN, I wished I had ordered the tamale again at Flo's!! But I was not in the park today, so that was out of the question."
"This is also a character breakfast, and here is the one we got to see!!"
"This restaurant is so beautiful that even as crummy as this experience was, I would return - but I would make sure my server CLEARLY understood that I WANT MICKEY WAFFLES TODAY before she/he left the table. I did say when I ordered that I was having the buffet because I HAD to have Mickey Waffles before we left DL- but that was not enough. Maybe I should have clarified that I was referring to THIS particular meal that I wanted the waffles, I don't know. UGH. Or I would get the Huevos rancheros, because the food that came out of the kitchen looked really good. It also did not require waiting in a long and slow moving line for an omelet with an omelet maker who went on frequent breaks - or maybe we just happened to be there on his one hour lunch break! I don't know! I'll just be better prepared the next time I go, that's for sure."
3 August Game Points Earned + 10 Bonus Points for menu, character pic, buffet pics, and misc. pics
One last update was received from our Disneyland reporter, Ellen (podsnel).
Ellen's last meal of her trip was from Downtown Disney's...
Ellen said, "Our last meal did NOT disappoint! Timmy and I left Pods and Tyler lounging by the pool while we walked over to EoS in DTD - and for the record, can I just say how much I LOVED DLR???? How you could go anywhere at anytime without a bus or a car??? It was the BEST!!! So many great places, and the ability to decide on a whim, for the most part, what you felt like eating or doing. Just so laid back, and so intimate and so flexible - I absolutely LOVED visiting here."
"I was thrilled because I would finally get to try the Holiday Turkey - turkey, stuffing, gravy & cranberry."
"Pods had the Pastrami Reuben- Pastrami, swiss sauerkraut and 1000 island dressing."
"Ty had Cannonballs- Meatballs, mozzarella, parmesan and marinara sauce."
"We also had the other special sandwich, which was an Avocado BLT- avocado, bacon, lettuce, tomato & seasoned mayo."
"The coleslaw was delicious for a side."
"We did bring this back to the pool, and we all shared bite of everything. It was all so delicious and a great way to end our 1st trip to DLR. I truly can't wait to go back there, there are still SOOO many places I want to try that I just couldn't fit in in 5 days!!"
Then last, Ellen sent a bonus photo of what I think are the beautiful doors at the Grand Californian Hotel...
3 August Game Points Earned + 4 Bonus Points for sign, menu, pic of Tim, and bonus pic
And since we have received Ellen's final update, it's now time to say...
Thanks so much for being a Live Reporter... Great Job!!!
podsnel's Total Aug./Sept. Game Points Earned = 141
And that concludes the August/September Game. Top 5 Winners will be announced as soon as I have time to go through all of their updates and choose my favorite photos...which could take awhile because they have so many great photos.
And I apologize for not announcing our August/September Game Winners and wrapping this thread up. I was starting the process of choosing our Top 5 Winners' photos (and there are soooo many great photos to choose from) for the announcement when the new live thread exploded with updates. But hopefully I'll get back here some time to complete this thread. In the meantime, enjoy the many, many great updates on the new thread...I know I am.
While working on getting the Table of Contents updated for the Live Thread - Take 3, I realized that I never completed the Live Thread - Take 2 by announcing the...
August/September Game Winners
First I must thank all 46 of our volunteer reporters who contributed to the live thread during the months of August and September. Combined you scored a total of more than 5350 points...an average of more than 115 points each!!! Our top 6 winners alone scored more than 1/3 of these, with a combined total of 1828 points...that's an average of more than 300 points each!
So without further ado, let's get started with our...
#5 scanne
Anne & her DD
Anne's DH & kids with LeFou's Brews
Anne and her family were at Disney World from 8/13 - 8/20 and she scored 249 points with the many updates that she sent to us during their trip.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from her updates:
'Ohana
Gluten free brownie sundae
Cheese Plate
"The orange is Irish cheddar, white one is Vermont cheddar, sage cheese has the green tint, then a goat cheese and a Boursin. Fruit and crackers. The cheddars were both excellent and we drizzled them with honey."
"Golden cranberry scone with raspberry jam, Devonshire cream, and house made lemon curd and a jam tart. The lemon curd was dreamy! And the cream and raspberry preserves on the scone was delicious!"
"My aunt chose two pastries for dessert: creme horn with mixed berry mousse and swan with mojito mousse."
"My mom, my daughter and I chose the strawberries with cream."
"We come to tea every year and it never disappoints. I did ask about the lack of a la carte items and was told that they did away with them to streamline the experience. The only a la carte add on is the fruit and cheese plate, which is $16.00. Everything else is now one of the experiences - Princess Kate, The Grand Tea, The Buckingham, and Mrs. Potts. We will be back! Love it here!"
A photo of the whole group...
Next is Anne's (scanne) snack update from Downtown Disney.
She said, "We got a Razzy Jazzy at Forty Thirst Street..."
"Yummy!"
"Then we got the munchies a few hours later and got popcorn and a pink lemonade slushy from..."
"My DD and DS."
Main Street Bakery
"A double chocolate chip frappe..."
"And my DH had his first ever Starbucks - a Valencia orange cooler."!"
Next we have Anne's (scanne) update from her "Lunch with an Imagineer" today at the...
"Our personalized menu..."
"For our main courses, I chose the filet and DH had the cioponno."
Charred-glazed Filet of Beef with a Red Wine Reduction, topped with a Cabernet and Roasted Shallot Butter, over White Truffle Oil Wild Forest Mushroom Mashed Potato, and Sautéed Haricot Verts
"My dish was flavorful and the filet was overcooked slightly (I ordered it medium well and it came out well done) but it was still tender. The potatoes were good and green beans crispy."
Seafood Cioppino - Sautéed White Shrimp, Prince Edward Island Mussels, and a Pan-seared Fennel-dusted Black Grouper over Orzo Pasta with a Cioppino Broth
"The meal lasted 3 hours so be prepared to take a very leisurely pace. Our imaginer was excellent. Knowledgeable, friendly, down to earth. My DH asked the most questions, as he would love to work in animation and has had that dream for as long as I've known him. My Disney dream job is directing shows and parades. So we talked about ways to get into the company as well. Someday we will move down here and make magic for others!"
"And a picture with our imagineer..."
La Hacienda de San Angel
"I chose the shrimp tacos..."
Tacos de Camarones - Fried shrimp, chipotle-lime aioli, cabbage, lime and salsa verde, all served over flour tortillas
"Excellent. Tons of flavor, a little spicy and well balanced."
"DH had the chicken..."
Pollo al Pastor - Achiote marinated chicken served with roasted vegetables, beans and pineapple relish
"He said it was great! Flavorful and he loved the sauce which was slightly sweet with some heat to it."
"My aunt had the tilapia..."
Pescado a la Talla - Grilled tilapia served with esquites (roasted corn), nopales (cactus leaves) and mango chutney
"Flavorful and perfectly prepared."
"My parents shared the La Hacienda platter..."
La Hacienda - Mixed grill offering New York strip, chicken al pastor, chorizo and vegetables, served with beans and fresh salsas
"Tons of food on here! They cleaned it up though and said it was delicious!"
Maiky and Iván were at Disney World from 9/3 - 9/13 and he scored 266 points with the many updates that he sent to us during their trip.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from his updates:
"We spent the day at Animal Kingdom and tasted two snacks new to us; the Jalapeño Cheese Pretzel from Harambe Fruit Market and the Frozen Chai Tea from Royal Anandapur Tea Company."
A pic of Iván, about to enjoy his first jalapeño pretzel...
Then Maiky and Iván had lunch at Animal Kingdom's...
"We started with some drinks which I don't remember their names and with the food we ordered two Daiquiris (Piña Colada and Mango). All the drinks were supposed to have alcohol in them but they tasted like fruit juice."
Pina Colada Daiquiri
Mango Daiquiri
"For my appetizer I ordered the Pork Pot Stickers...
... and Iván ordered the Pork Egg Rolls."
"Both were great and served very hot."
"For our entrées we chose the Sweet and Sour Chicken and the Baby Back Ribs, both with fried rice. Again, the food was very good (especially the fried rice)."
L'Artisan des Glaces
"I really hated the flavor combination I chose; caramel fleur de sel, profiterole and a shot of Grand Manier."
"Iván loved the Piña Colada flavor combining the Coconut White Chocolate ice cream and the pineapple sorbet with a shot of rum."
He said, "Later we went to Mexico and enjoyed two Margaritas from..."
"I chose the Jalapeño Margarita....
... and Iván chose the Blood Orange Margarita."
"These were really strong, refreshing and delicious."
"Our drinking partners...
One more Epcot update was received from Maiky this morning, this one from Iván's birthday lunch yesterday at the UK's...
"We began with the Imperial Sampler..."
"For our appetizers I chose the Scotch Egg (Golden-fried Hard-boiled Egg wrapped in Sausage Meat with Mustard Sauce)."
"And Iván chose the Trio of United Kingdom Cheese."
"For our entrées I ordered the Bangers and Mash (traditional English sausages, with braised cabbage and bacon, mashed potatoes and shallot gravy)."
"And Iván ordered the Grilled New York Strip Steak (with seasonable vegetables, fried onion rings, green beans, mushrooms and red wine sauce)."
"For dessert I chose Mandy's Mess (pound cake with fresh berries and Ribena syrup)."
"And Iván chose the Jaffa Tarts (Orange cream-filled cakes with chocolate ganache, raspberry sauce and fresh oranges)."
"We were chosen to help "open" the restaurant and were treated as the Celebrities of the Day."
"For dessert I enjoyed one of my favorites things in WDW, the Grapefruit Cake...
... and Iván chose the Warm Seasonal Fruit Cobbler and they brought a treat and card for Iván's birthday celebration."
"Everything about this meal was perfection. We really enjoy the food here and the service was excellent. As celebrities of the day they gave us a Fastpass to be used in the attraction of our choice."
"We headed to the Polynesian Resort to have lunch at...
KONA CAFE
...this was our first time here for lunch."
"For our appetizers I ordered the Pot Stickers (wok-seared pork and vegetable dumplings with creamy ginger-soy sauce)."
"And Iván chose the Lump Crab Cakes.
Lump Crab Cakes with jalapeno-lime cream
"For our entrées I chose the Barbecue Pork Taco (pulled pork slow-cooked in House-made Barbecue Sauce with tomato salsa and Jalapeno-lime sour cream)."
"And Iván chose the Grilled Teriyaki Steak with Grilled Pineapple Salsa."
Maiky's dinner on Sunday night was at the Grand Floridian's...
CITRICOS
"We both chose the Madeira-braised Short Ribs, every bite was delicious!!"
Madeira-braised Short Ribs with Hominy-Cheddar Potato Puree and Wild Mushroom Ragout
"For dessert Iván ordered the Lemon-scented Cheesecake...
... and I ordered the Tiramisù."
"The food was excellent as well as the service. This restaurant is one of our favorites."
Maiky said, "Tonight was California Grill's opening night and Iván's actual birthday so we were very excited about this meal, but unfortunately the whole experience was affected by the poor service. It was awful. The server disappeared for long periods of time (10 or 15 minutes at a time) leaving our table without food or drinks. The pace of the meal was odd and we had to call the server on three occasions to ask for something (including the bill). And worst of all he didn't seem to care. I know this was their first night and they were very busy but that's not the California Grill that we used to know."
"But this thread is about the food and the food was delicious and almost perfect......almost."
A pic of the newly-remodeled dining room.
Their table, decorated with Mickey confetti for Iván's birthday.
And the Grand Reopening Night menu...
"For our entrées, Iván chose the Pork Two Ways (Grilled Tenderloin, Goat Cheese Polenta, Mushrooms, Lacquered Belly, Applesauce)."
"And I chose the Oak-fired Filet of Beef (Heirloom Tomato Risotto, Marinated Baby Vine Tomatoes, Petite Basil, Tomato Butter)."
And last, from their lunch at Epcot's...
"For our appetizers I chose the Alsace specialty flatbread (with crème fraîche, onion and bacon)."
"And Iván the Imported cheese board (with raisin and walnut bread)."
"Then Iván ordered the Vegetable lasagna (zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, onions and tomato baked into thin layers of pasta)."
"And I chose the Quiche Lorraine - Ham & cheese (The famous ham & cheese quiche served with a mixed green salad)."
"Then the chef visited our table to check if everything was to our liking."
Brenda and her DD (Em) were at Disney World from 8/16 - 8/30 and she scored 295 points with the many updates that she sent to us during their trip.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from her updates:
Brenda said, "Our first mistake of the trip was going to Tortuga Tavern for some drinks only and being told we should try the "amazing" nachos. Apparently chicken nachos are the default since she didn't ask our choice. No meat would have been ok."
"Here's a photo of the less than amazing nachos that we shared."
"The toppings bar only has salsa, diced tomato, shredded cheese, and banana peppers."
"I was smiling before I tried these..."
"In Disney's defense I am not typically a fan of cheese goo!"
"There's always a Mickey bar somewhere to make up for the blah meal!"
She and Em were at Animal Kingdom (did the Sunrise Safari this morning) and had lunch at...
Brenda said, "We dined at Yak & Yeti for a light lunch. The safari breakfast stayed with us longer than I had hoped and we were not hungry by 1:30 for our ADR."
"Nonetheless, I started with a pina colada."
"And don't think we skipped having the fried cream cheese won tons!!!"
"They never fail to please!"
Captain's Grille
"I ordered the market salad with apples, bleu cheese, and mixed greens."
Farmers' Market Salad with Walnut Granola, Granny Smith Apples, Dried Cranberries, Mascarpone-Blue Cheese Cream, and Champagne Vinaigrette
"It was fresh and delicious with a light vinaigrette dressing."
"For my entrée, I had another appetizer, the potato gnocchi with julienned pears."
House-made Potato-Cheese Gnocchi with Toasted Walnuts, Julienne Pears, and Truffle Butter
"I must not be a gnocchi person but I liked the pears."
"After dinner we were booked for the Illuminations cruise with Vicki (GoofySon'sMom) & Andrew but due to weather it was cancelled. Our plan B was to enjoy drinks in the Ale & Compass Lounge."
San Angel Inn
"We were seated at a nice waterfront table for 2."
"Em chose the steak tacos. They were served with rice and black beans. They were great!"
"I chose two apps for my meal, the shrimp cocktail..."
Coctel de Camaron - Acapulco-style shrimp cocktail, served with spicy marinated tomato sauce, fried flour chicharron, avocado and lime
"This wasn't what I expected from a Mexican restaurant. The tomato sauce was rather bland but the shrimp cocktail were plentiful and tasty. The "chips" served with the shrimp cocktail were fried flour tortilla strips with a splash of hot sauce (chicarrons)."
"The second app I ordered was the fabulous chicken tostadas..."
Tostadas de Tinga - Pulled chicken seasoned with roasted tomato and chipotle, served on tostadas with black refried beans, green tomatillo sauce, queso fresco and sour cream
"They were so good!"
"We really like San Angel Inn and would try it again. Perhaps not a must do but we'd return."
On Wednesday night, she and Em had dinner at Epcot's...
"We were seated at a table near the windows facing WS lagoon and our server, Nicolaus, was exceptional."
"Em selected the potato crusted snapper and declared it excellent!"
"I had the beef tenderloin, which was served with a side of truffle mash potatoes. The filet was huge!! It was topped with a mushroom crust that was delicious. I loved this meal!!!"
Truffle Mashed Potatoes
For dessert, I passed since I was so full. Em chose the chocolate bar - that's the English translation!"
"Some people may remember Phillipe, the Manager of the French restaurants, that brought me a glass of champagne after an issue that we experienced while dining there in Feb. Phillipe remembered me and not only sent a champagne drink to the table..."
"But he also sent this lovely meringue and raspberry dessert."
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
I did not try the pasta, but it did look amazing!"
)"
But hopefully I'll get back here some time to complete this thread. In the meantime, enjoy the many, many great updates on the new thread...I know I am. 
