The jabead Family went to Disney World! 3/23-3/30/13 COMPLETE

[emmysmommy]

Glad to see an update Barb!! Those cocktails were not too expensive - even by Disney standards! I've had the pina colada at the lounge but I need to expand my horizons with the lapu lapu or the pina colava.

 

[jabead]

Surprise! Another update and you didn't have to wait a month for it.


Okay, time for another confession here. To the best of my recollection , I have never had a Mickey waffle. I know, I know...shameful. But before you revoke my membership in the DIS Dining boards, please know that on this trip I rectified this grievous situation at the Wilderness Lodge's...












As you can see from the menu, Roaring Forks has three kinds of Mickey waffles...




Strawberry and Cream Waffles
(photo taken by roxysmum123 for the live thread)







Chocolate Lovers Waffles - Kids meal
(photo taken by podsnel for the live thread)





And my choice (and picture)...




Bananas Foster Waffles
Our Rating - 4.5/5


I shared these with my DH, but after one bite I wished that I hadn't agreed to share.



So now I can finally say that I'm a proud member of the Mickey waffle fan club!
​

Next up: Lunch at Le Cellier

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

It's so exciting to see updates here again! And I'm glad that your first Mickey waffle experience was a success - Roaring Fork was a great choice for the milestone.

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Congratulations on your first Mickey waffle! You'll be hooked from now on.

 

[kanadar]

I just found this review, noticed you were from central Illinois. I am from Champaign, but live in Normal now. I totally understand your husbands want to watch the Illini game, pretty sure my whole family would have made that decision as well even though NO illini fan liked the outcome haha. My family and I LOVE Disney, we went 3 times from Oct. 2012-Feb 2013 (F&W festival, then a friends DISNEY wedding in dec, and PHM feb). We are now currently planning a trip for October, we already have most of our dinner reservations yet no resort reservations haha. This is how my family works, food is more important lol. I loved your review of BOG, we went for lunch but have not been able to go for dinner but I really enjoyed their lunch.

 

[jabead]

I just found this review, noticed you were from central Illinois. I am from Champaign, but live in Normal now. I totally understand your husbands want to watch the Illini game, pretty sure my whole family would have made that decision as well even though NO illini fan liked the outcome haha. My family and I LOVE Disney, we went 3 times from Oct. 2012-Feb 2013 (F&W festival, then a friends DISNEY wedding in dec, and PHM feb). We are now currently planning a trip for October, we already have most of our dinner reservations yet no resort reservations haha. This is how my family works, food is more important lol. I loved your review of BOG, we went for lunch but have not been able to go for dinner but I really enjoyed their lunch.

Hello kanadar! I am from just up the road from Normal, in Lexington. Thank you for reading my much neglected Dining Report. I'm so glad you've enjoyed it. I still have hopes of coming back to complete it, but the reality is that the Live Thread that I host has been keeping me far too busy to think about writing another installment. But speaking of the Live Thread, you really should check it out if you haven't already. I think it might help you with your trip planning.


Here is the LINK.

 

[kanadar]

Haha yeah I've started reading it, theres a lot there lol. Reading the disboards actually made me and my sister decide we wanted to try either Jiko or Sanaa, we settles on Sanaa for this trip. As well as made us want to try Artist Point which surprisingly will be another first for us. We have been to Disney A LOT for living in Illinois lol. So october for food and wine is becoming a must do for us especially now that we are older

 

[smile4stamps]

 

[jabead]

Surprise...I'm back!!!

Today marks the one year anniversary since the beginning of this trip and it has been nearly 9 months since I was last able to post a review. Yesterday I was reading my Territory Lounge review from this long ago abandoned dining report to help me with the review for my return visit to the lounge in December. So I'm not sure if it's due to guilt or just a case of March Madness but I have decided that I will attempt to complete this dining report from my family's March 2013 trip to Disney World.

Now I realize that these reviews will be too old to be of interest to most of you, so I'm not going to spend a lot of time in writing them...besides, in all honesty I really don't remember all the details from meals I had a year ago. So for anyone who chooses to read on, I apologize in advance for their quality and promise to do better next time...which will probably be very soon.


Ok, so you've heard of speed reading, speed dating, etc. Well, I'm going to try my hand at speed reviewing.



Picking up where I left off 9 months ago, the next review will be from our lunch on March 26, 2013 at Epcot's...





Here was the menu at that time...








Gotta love that pretzel bread at Le Cellier...




Especially when dipped in the..

.

Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup made with Moosehead Beer and “Nueske’s” Applewood-Smoked Bacon


Each of us enjoyed a bowl of soup and then the four of us shared an order of...



Le Cellier "Poutine" with Canadian Cheddar, Truffle Salt, and Red Wine Reduction

I remember liking the fries and cheese curds but not the red wine sauce.



We also shared another appetizer...



“Le Cellier” Lobster Chopped Salad with Mixed Field Greens, Haricot Verts, Avocado, Tomatoes, and "Lake Meadow" Egg

This was good and something I would consider having again along with the soup for a lighter meal here.



We decided to choose one dessert to share from this menu...








After much deliberation, we chose the...



Neopolitan Cappuccino Cake - Cappuccino Mousse, Caramel Pretzel, and Chocolate Cake

Since there were four of us sharing this, I only got a few bites but those were a couple of seriously good bites.



Though I wasn't able to fit in a visit to Le Cellier during my December trip to Disney World, I'm hoping to return during my next trip. I do believe there is a bowl of cheddar cheese soup and a pretzel breadstick calling my name. ​

 

[jabead]

Next that day was a stop at Epcot's friendly neighborhood pub...




...where nobody knows your name, but perhaps that is a good thing.






My DH, DD, and I shared the Imperial Sampler...




I don't like beer so I stuck to the Strongbow Cider and left the other four to my DH and DD. The last time we had the Imperial Sampler it was only $10.00. Though it was now $11.75, I still think this is a pretty good deal.

Oh, and plus they accept TIW for a 20% discount here.



Being only 17, my DS had a soda and a little grub from the pub...





He chose the English Chips...



...or thick-cut french fries, as they are called here in states.


IMHO, the Rose & Crown is one of the crown jewels of Epcot's World Showcase. So my advice to you is,

"Keep Calm and Carry Yourself to the Rose & Crown Pub" ​

 

[smile4stamps]

Welcome Back Barb!! Ha-Ha! I think it's guilt! I once had a dining review that I let set for about a year! I finished it because I don't like to leave things un-done... Also like you though I didn't remember very much!!

 

[jabead]

For dinner, we left the UK and traveled across the pond...and we somehow got lost and ended up in Mexico?!?!




Margarita anyone?



Note: This was back before the "Dark Days of Summer" when Brenda (emmysmommy) reported to us on the live thread that the avocado margarita was no longer being served at La Hacienda.



Yes please, don't mind if I do...





...have an Avocado Margarita!

This was the one and only bad avocado margarita I've ever had. A more accurate description of this drink would have been...Crushed Ice Margarita with only a hint of flavor. But hey, at least the maraschino cherry on top was tasty!



My daughter stuck with the Classic version...






Next they brought out the French Baguettes...

Not really, I was just checking to see if you were paying attention.




This is Mexico, not France, so of course we were given chips & salsa...






...to munch on while we looked over the menu.






My son chose the...



Pollo al Pastor - Achiote marinated chicken served with roasted vegetables, beans and pineapple relish


I don't remember hearing any complaints from him, so I'm pretty sure he liked it.




DD and DH teamed up and ordered the...



Del Mar Platter - Mixed grill offering mahi mahi, shrimp, scallops and vegetables, served with beans and fresh salsa


DH didn't care for the scallops but DD liked them just fine. And they both enjoyed the mahi mahi and shrimp.



Personally, I think I made the best choice here though...



Pescado a la Talla - Grilled Tilapia served with esquites (roasted corn) nopales(cactus leaves) and mango chutney


This was delicious and I wouldn't hesitate to order it again, whenever I do finally return to La Hacienda. For now though, I'm still holding a bit of grudge for messing up my beloved Avocado margarita and then completely removing it from their menu. However, after seeing my tilapia photo, I'm thinking it's about time to forgive and forget.

Oh, and by the way, we were too full to have dessert but here were the choices we were given...

​

 

[jabead]

The next day, March 27, 2013, this Epcot-loving family was back again at their favorite park, where we had breakfast at France's...





First a group shot of our breakfast...






Then they each demanded to take a "selfie"...




Ham & Cheese Croissant





Chocolate Croissant





Quiche Lorraine with Ham and Gruyere Cheese



And last is that common breakfast food...



Creme Brulee


Oops...ok, not really something we should be eating for breakfast but hey, there are eggs in creme brulee, right?


DH was off meeting a client in Tampa today, so it was just the three of us that devoured that entire tray of delicious "pâtisseries".

Yep, nary a crumb was left behind. ​

 

[jabead]

It seems that we didn't get very far before we were hungry again, because our lunch was right next door in...




Morocco







It had been more than 10 years since we last dined at Restaurant Marrakesh. I'd forgotten how pretty the dining room is...





In fact it was so nice in there that it made me feel like getting up from my seat and dancing...



Ok, ok...not me, but a girl can dream can't she?



We started with some Moroccan bread...





Then some drinks...



Marrakesh Express - Made with Cruzan Coconut Rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, topped with Myers’s Dark Rum - $8.99
& Hot Moroccan Mint (Green) Tea - $2.99

Those of you who know me already know which of these was mine.



I also ordered an appetizer for us to share...



APPETIZER COMBINATION FOR TWO - Beef brewat rolls, chicken bastilla and jasmina salad - $16.95

The beef brewat rolls and chicken bastilla were similar as both consisted of thin layers of pastry filled with minced meat (one beef, one chicken & almonds) that is lightly fried and then sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar. I remember that one of these was extremely dry (the meat was dried out and hard), so not as good as the other, but I don't recall now which. I do remember though that my favorite of these by far was the jasmina salad. The salad had olives, feta cheese, cucumbers, diced tomatoes and was topped with a really good honey mustard vinaigrette.



Then my son and I both had the...



Chicken Kebabs - Grilled Brochettes of Chicken Breast served with Olive Salad and Dried Fruit Sweet Couscous






While my daughter chose...



Shish Kebab - Grilled Tenderloin of Beef with Mixed Vegetable Yellow Rice


These entrees were deemed to be equally good and both rated a 4 out of 5.

DD declared she was too full for dessert and given their limited dessert choices, DS and I decided to go elsewhere to satisfy our sweet tooth.




So what did we have in mind???





Where we shared a...



No Way Jose - A Peanut Butter and Hot Fudge delight featuring Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Morsels, Whipped Cream, and a Cherry

If you like ice cream, peanut butter, and chocolate then I guarantee that there is NO WAY you will not love JOSE.
​

 

[jabead]

Welcome Back Barb!! Ha-Ha! I think it's guilt! I once had a dining review that I let set for about a year! I finished it because I don't like to leave things un-done... Also like you though I didn't remember very much!!

Hi Paula! You will probably be my one and only poster, so thank you!

 

[jabead]

If we had followed our pattern of eating our way around the World (Showcase), our dinner would have been at Teppan Edo or Tokyo Dining in Japan. But instead our dinner plans took us outside of the park and to the Yacht Club's...








My DH had returned from his meeting in Tampa, so all four of us were in attendance at this meal. We all decided to skip the appetizers, but I'm pretty sure that we went through this entire basket of rolls...

I think we probably even asked for a few more of the delicious onion pull-apart rolls, since one of these per person is sometimes not enough.


I also had to have the Iced Tea here, because I love that it is served with a small pitcher of simple syrup so that you can make your own sweet tea.





Three out of four of us ordered the...



8-oz. Center Cut Filet Mignon served with Mashed Potatoes and a Cabernet Wine Sauce





This is my standard entree here and in my half dozen visits to YSH it has never failed me. Apparently my son and daughter also enjoyed their filets, since all three of us rated our entrees here a 5 out of 5.



Though my husband is also a steak lover, he decided he needed to be different and not order steak at the steakhouse. Instead he had the...



Ahi Tuna with a Verjus-Truffle Vinaigrette and served with Potato Puree and Garden Vegetables


He liked this and rated it a 4 out of 5, but liked the bites of my filet that I gave him even better.




Again we decided to share one dessert between the four of us. Here were the desserts we had to choose from...





We agreed on this one...



Peanut Butter and Pretzel Gianduja Cake with Liquid Ganache and Salted Caramel Gelato


Holy cow, this was good!! We all loved it and unanimously gave it a 6 out of 5. Unfortunately during my last visit to YSH (Dec. 2013) we didn't have time for dessert, but during my next visit (in about 5 weeks) I will definitely try to save room for dessert. I have my fingers crossed that the PB & Pretzel Cake is still on the Yachtsman dessert menu.
​

 

[auntfrannie]

Barb, dining reviews are timeless! So better late than never. But it does look like you need to book another family vacation.

 

[smile4stamps]

Nope Barb.. you've had another visitor!!

You know the only reason Hunter want's to return to Yachtsman is for those rolls!! I have to say I am far more a Ribeye person than a Filet person.. I just love the fatty marbling!!

We have never dined in Morocco.. It just has never really caught much of my attention!

 

[JintyB]

I was going to post just to stop Paula feeling lonely, but it's positively a party here now!

Thanks for the reviews Barb. We've still never tried the YSH, maybe this summer.

 

[rachel09985]

Glad to see you back on here! Wow, that avocado margarita does look bad.