The Nosh Heard 'Round the World: Larded and Loaded v2.0 (index complete!)

[oybolshoi]

Stop hugging me.

You say the sweetest things.

 

[BriarRosie]

It's not the points for the 14th. It's taking leave from work. If I arrive on the 14th it will be late because I'll take that flight out of Baltimore after work. It's the 15th or nothing for me to join the Citricos group.

If it doesn't work out I will save the leave and arrive the 16th or the night of the 15th.

Stop hugging me.

Oh poop. I don't think Michelle would want to give up MNSSHP in order to make this work for everyone. If it doesn't work for you, we can still fit in Victoria and Albert's if you are game for it.

You say the sweetest things.

She should be glad it was virtual hugs. Lord knows I am not hugging people constantly in real life.

 

[TDC Nala]

OK, you can cross me off the list then. Back to the DVC points drawing board.

What I'd really like to do is book the room in August when the events come out.

 

[TheDISneyFamily]

I don't want anyone to be left out, so if it works out better for everyone to do the Chef's Domain on the 15th or after we leave on the 16th, that's fine! No worries!

 

[kabuki]

Hey Lori.. Loved your review and your Paul Lynde center square comment ..

Peter Marshall: In the "Wizard of Oz," the lion wanted courage and the tin man wanted a heart. What did the scarecrow want?
Paul Lynde: He wanted the tin man to notice him.

We all need more Paul Lynde in our lives!

Hey it looks like Jason and I will be at the Big Mouse the same time as a lot of you .. we arrive Oct. 16th and would love to plan a drink with people or something..just jumping on the band wagon..

 

[BriarRosie]

OK, you can cross me off the list then. Back to the DVC points drawing board.

What I'd really like to do is book the room in August when the events come out.

Well, if you need to crash with me, the sofa bed is yours.

I don't want anyone to be left out, so if it works out better for everyone to do the Chef's Domain on the 15th or after we leave on the 16th, that's fine! No worries!

Great, now there's a dilemma. Who do we leave out? You back out, Catherine and Chelsi could go. I am really up for anything at this point.

Hey Lori.. Loved your review and your Paul Lynde center square comment ..

Peter Marshall: In the "Wizard of Oz," the lion wanted courage and the tin man wanted a heart. What did the scarecrow want?
Paul Lynde: He wanted the tin man to notice him.

We all need more Paul Lynde in our lives!

Hey it looks like Jason and I will be at the Big Mouse the same time as a lot of you .. we arrive Oct. 16th and would love to plan a drink with people or something..just jumping on the band wagon..

I wish the tag fairy could spot that comment about Paul Lynde and put that in your signature! Whether or not the Chef's Domain thing gets moved around or not, I'd definitely want to take time out and grab a drink with you guys.

 

[oybolshoi]

Whether or not the Chef's Domain thing gets moved around or not, I'd definitely want to take time out and grab a drink with you guys.

Well, there's plenty of time to figure it out ... especially since we can't make any reservations for another six months.

THE WAIT IS KILLING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahem.

If nothing else we can all take over a public room at the BCV and make general nuisances of ourselves ... kind of like what we do here on the restuarant boards.

 

[Disneygrl36]

Lori,
Loved reading your review of Victoria & Alberts. It's on my wish list....ok think back to the Wine Cellar & tell me if I could handle the wine tasting along with the food?

 

[Tink rules]

Well, there's plenty of time to figure it out ... especially since we can't make any reservations for another six months.

THE WAIT IS KILLING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahem.

If nothing else we can all take over a public room at the BCV and make general nuisances of ourselves ... kind of like what we do here on the restuarant boards.

Ok... everyone take out a jar and put in their spare change each day... we need to save up for both booze and bail...

 

[Poppinsme]

Oh I LOVED your review of V&As. It all looked so delicious! We chose in our Dec. trip to go to CG instead of V&As again. Well we will never make that mistake again. From now on when we go to WDW its back to V&As by god! Its such a special place and its only money. I owe, I owe, its off to work I go.

 

[kabuki]

Great, now there's a dilemma. Who do we leave out? You back out, Catherine and Chelsi could go. I am really up for anything at this point.



I wish the tag fairy could spot that comment about Paul Lynde and put that in your signature! Whether or not the Chef's Domain thing gets moved around or not, I'd definitely want to take time out and grab a drink with you guys.

Please don't change plans for the Chefs Domain for us! I don't want anyone to miss out that have already been making plans. It would be nice just to meet the people I talk with and seem to share the same love of food and drink porn! (and Paul Lynde) Besides if we are all at the same meal who will we have to read our food reports!?

Well, there's plenty of time to figure it out ... especially since we can't make any reservations for another six months.

THE WAIT IS KILLING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahem.

If nothing else we can all take over a public room at the BCV and make general nuisances of ourselves ... kind of like what we do here on the restuarant boards.

I hear you on the waiting thing Brenda! Now look at all the people who are going at the same time?! We will crash the new system when we all have the window of opportunity
Jason even asked "have you heard anything about the Food and Wine events?" He knows better... I almost had to beat him!

 

[BriarRosie]

Over the weekend, I caved in and bought a new camera. For one thing, it has a dedicated Food setting on the camera, plus it's smaller and easier to tote. My other camera is 5 years old, and this camera is 10MP vs. the 4MP I had. I can't wait to take some food porn with it!

I did not use any of my weekend time to update my trip report. But I will be updating tonight with California Grill. Stay tuned.

 

[BriarRosie]

Monday, October 20: California Grill

Catherine, her mom and I were having dinner the night after Victoria and Albert's at California Grill, and our friends Bruce and Marta joined us. My plan was to share flatbread pizza and/or sushi for the most part, and having appetizers instead of having entrées. We also shared 3 bottles of wine among the 5 of us over the course of the evening.

After a short wait in the bar area, we were led to a booth at the farthest end of the restaurant before you get into the Wine Room. But I was happy with it, because I did feel we were secluded enough to enjoy some good food, good wine, and good company.

It was first decided that we'd order a couple of flatbread pizzas.

Roasted Mushroom Flatbread with Nueske's Bacon, Fingerling Chips, Fontina and Trufflie Aioli

Wow! This was rich and delicious, a great starter. I loved the little crispy chips on top for added texture. And hello? Bacon is a gift unto itself.

Triple Cheese Flatbread...Pecorino, Asiago, and Provolone with Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Pesto

This flatbread is part of the Vegetarian Zone according to the menu, because it had an asterisk (*) next to it. This is what I think of as the classic "Margherita" pizza, with the simple combo of tomato, cheese and basil. All very, very tasty.

We also shared some sushi. Both were served on the same plate, presented so beautifully. The "Snake in the Grass" is the maki roll covering most of the plate. It's BBQ Eel with Shrimp Tempura, Avocado and Cucumber. The roll artfully placed in a circle is the Spicy Kazan Roll: Crab, Shrimp, Bay Scallops, Tuna and Fireball Sauce, which was piled in the center.

Now, I love Dragon rolls, which is what Snake in the Grass is, and it's a really well-made version. The spicy roll above had a lot of great flavors going on, but it was not as spicy as "fireball" might suggest.

Now, I had a couple of pieces of everything, but I was still planning on ordering my own thing. So I ordered one of my old standbys....soup!

Cream of Heirloom Tomato Soup with Parmigiano-Reggiano Foam and Basil

I put grated cheese in my tomato soup, so the "foam" was something I knew I'd like. It was creamy and delicious...but something was missing....something that could improve the soup.

But more about that in a minute. I want to share a dish that Bruce ordered.

Seared Loin of Rabbit with Caramelized Fennel, Truffled Panisse and Herb Game Sauce

I did not try Little Bunny Foo-Foo. But I heard he was one tasty wabbit.

So what was missing from my soup? Nothing except a great grilled cheese sandwich to go with it, of course! Our server heard me talking about how great it would be to have an "adult" grilled cheese sandwich with it, maybe Gruyère cheese or something similar. She said, "Let's see what I can do", quickly running off to the open kitchen area.

Soon she reappeared with this:

Get out! She came through for me and got me a little non-menu item to go with my tomato soup, and she also did not charge me for it! I never did find out what cheese they used, but it looked like they took the thick bread they serve at the tables and make an impromptu grilled cheese for me! I dipped it into the soup and felt extremely satisfied. The server earned some Brownie Points with me.

What do you think I did next?

If you guessed, "Food Pushed" to Catherine, you'd guess right. I knew I couldn't finish all that, because I ordered another appetizer for myself after the soup. So she got an unexpected treat, too.

At one point during dinner, there was an announcement that the Wishes fireworks would start soon, and anyone not seated near the windows could view them from the platform outside.

Being one of the sheeple that I am, I followed the other lambs onto the platform. I figured, I might as well enjoy the fireworks as long as I'm there. However, I would have been perfectly happy with the evening if there were no fireworks shown. As I stated in my title installment, I come to California Grill for the food. The fireworks show is not that important to the enjoyment of my dining experience there.

My next course was my last course before dessert, and I knew I couldn't finish it and still have room for dessert, because I made a fatal error. I ordered a double portion of it. I only finished about half, so my bad!

Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Pesto, Shiitake Mushrooms and Basil

The goat cheese made this super-rich, and as I said, I could barely just finish one of them. The downside was that the tomato sauce seemed a bit thin. I had to lean over the plate to make sure I didn't have some sauce on my "shelf". Next time I'll know better than to order double, but then again, I didn't think I'd be getting grilled cheese!

Catherine and her mom both had food porn worthy food, but I am not sure I can identify what Catherine had. I'll do my best.

I believe Catherine had:

Whole Wheat Pasta stuffed with Wild Mushrooms, Spinach, Fontina, Porcini-Celery Broth, and Black Truffles

Isn't that beautiful? I know I didn't hear any complaints from Catherine, so I think she enjoyed it.

Catherine's mom ordered a dish that would have tempted me had I not gorged myself on tomato based dishes.

Seared Scallops with Fregola Pasta, Bacon, Almonds, Cauliflower Puree, Wild Mushrooms and Cider Reduction

Can we say that this looks as good as my scallop at Todd English's bluezoo™ tasted? Finally a decent food porn photo! I was offered a bite, but I needed to pace myself for dessert!

Would I get a chocolate dessert? Of course! If I were any more transparent, I'd be glass.

Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Ice Cream

This is your typical gooey molten chocolate cake, and the homemade raspberry ice cream was decadent with it. Raspberry is what I'd consider one of the flavors that are typically paired with chocolate, and this ice cream and sauce definitely enhanced this dessert. I finished every bite.

We had Caymus Conundrum white wine with the flatbreads, and I had a glass of pinot noir I can't remember the name of, but was very good. I know it was not La Crema, though. I only remember the last wine was Thomas Fogarty Gewürztraminer, but only because I had been reminded of John Fogerty for some reason. Yes, my mind can be a scary place.

I would have loved to have shared the cheese board with someone, but I would have really need to have a plan of action that would include it. That's why there's always next time...

I had a wonderful meal, shared with friends. I was lucky enough to have found a few great meals shared with others during this trip. What more could you ask for at Walt Disney World?

Next: My final rounds of the festival kiosks...my final installment.

 

[oybolshoi]

Jay is making goo-goo eyes over my shoulder at your sushi platter, but I guess that's OK since I was practically licking my computer screen when I saw your soup and impromtu cheese sandwich.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Mmmmm you had two of my favorite things!

Caymus Conundrum and the Spicy Kazan Roll! Now I will make one comment. If you eat the whole roll and all the lovely bay scallops piled up in the fireball sauce, trust me it lives up to its name gloriously! I was breathing fire but enjoyed every last bite.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Our Christmas Eve dinner at CG looked eerily similar, except no grilled cheese & soup or mushroom & pasta thingie. Looks good and I can attest that the rabbit was great-and I am so not one to eat rabbit. DS made me try it.

 

[Disneygrl36]

How cool that you got a grilled cheese sammie to go with your soup.

I love the California Grill. Oh how I wish we were going sometime soon.

 

[kabuki]

Lori! Your pics are great and everything made me want to go back to Cal. Grill. We have been doing other restaurants now because of the noise level of this place but the food looked so good now I may have to try and get in.. when I can call.. on JULY 17th!!!!

 

[BriarRosie]

Jay is making goo-goo eyes over my shoulder at your sushi platter, but I guess that's OK since I was practically licking my computer screen when I saw your soup and impromtu cheese sandwich.

Best of both worlds....Brenda and Jay both drooling at my food porn. I know he would love that Kazan sushi thing. Heaping pile of bay scallops mixed into the sauce. And the cheese sandwich was really good when dipped into the soup....but I'm sure you already know that.

Mmmmm you had two of my favorite things!

Caymus Conundrum and the Spicy Kazan Roll! Now I will make one comment. If you eat the whole roll and all the lovely bay scallops piled up in the fireball sauce, trust me it lives up to its name gloriously! I was breathing fire but enjoyed every last bite.

Well, now I know we can hang out. Anyone who likes sushi and Conundrum is all right in my book.

Our Christmas Eve dinner at CG looked eerily similar, except no grilled cheese & soup or mushroom & pasta thingie. Looks good and I can attest that the rabbit was great-and I am so not one to eat rabbit. DS made me try it.

I hear rabbit tastes like chicken. I noticed I had a tomato and cheese theme going on with the flatbread, soup, sandwich and ravioli.

How cool that you got a grilled cheese sammie to go with your soup.

I love the California Grill. Oh how I wish we were going sometime soon.

I was floored that the server took it upon herself to go above and beyond and get them to whip together impromptu food. I sort of understand what people with food allergies go through. I read stories of chefs making special items for guests with dietary restrictions all the time. In my case, it was just a dietary wish. Heh.

Lori! Your pics are great and everything made me want to go back to Cal. Grill. We have been doing other restaurants now because of the noise level of this place but the food looked so good now I may have to try and get in.. when I can call.. on JULY 17th!!!!

Oh, even if you go really early or really late, I don't think you can go wrong with the stuff I ate. Go for it.

 

[BriarRosie]

It's been a while, but I'm back to share my final day noshing around World Showcase!

Tuesday, October 21: Noshing Around the World, Part Deux

This was my final day, and I decided to get back to the basics of food and wine festival kiosk noshing. It would fill me up before having to go back to the Real World.

Catherine walked around with me until it was time to head back to wait for Magical Express to pick me up. I had to go back to Mexico to see if they would actually sell me the chilaquiles this time. They did, and we're back in business!

Chilaquiles

I know this does not look like much, but it's heaven on a plate. There's a tortilla and pulled chicken. The cheesy goodness is hidden under the tomatillo sauce and sour cream. This is the dish I will keep coming back for year after year, as long as it's at the Mexico kiosk.

What's next? We're heading to South Africa:

Durban Spiced Chicken

These came fresh off the grill, and they were seasoned perfectly. I don't like a lot of that juicy sauce, but I mashed a bit of the veggies into it, so it soaked up pretty well. Another winner.

Up next, Australia:

I regret not trying the barramundi fish, but I came here for one reason only: I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try something called "wattleseed". I had the mousse.

Wattleseed Mousse

You know what this tasted like? Tiramisu. It had a very faint coffee flavor, but it was creamy and slightly sweet. Catherine doesn't like coffee, but I made her try this. Of course I had to, being the Food Pusher that I am. She seemed to think it wasn't bad. I thought it was pretty middle-of-the-road as far as desserts go. Not bad, but not the "Oh wow, fabulous!" I like to experience with desserts.

So what did I do? I went back to the New Orleans kiosk and got some bread pudding.

Bread Pudding

This isn't as much of an "Oh wow. Fabulous!" dessert as the strawberry shortcake I had the other day, but it was still pretty darn good. I enjoyed it more than the wattleseed mousse.

Catherine had some of that Purple Haze beer. I made her let me try it. I really liked that hint of raspberry in it! I didn't get my own beer, but now I wish I had.

Next up, another past festival favorite: Chile.

I had been jonesing for the beef empanada and dulce de leche.

Spicy Beef Empanada

These are perfect little meat pies. You have the crusty outside with the beef filling, spicy just enough for a little kick, but not spicy to burn out the inside of your mouth. Love these.

Dulce de Leche

So I cooled off my mouth a little with this dessert. It's tiny, ain't it? But it's still really good. Some people don't like nuts on their desserts, but I don't mind them. The almonds went well with the caramel/butterscotch taste of the custard. There was some sort of cake in there, but I think it's totally unnecessary to have it there.

So I was stuffed full of half savory, half sweet, and I had to get back to the Beach Club to go home. I really did get my Larded and Loaded on, but mostly Larded.

I learned this year that I might want to skip the dining events next year, and create my own events by having meals at the restaurants I like to visit instead. I will still dedicate some time to nosh at the festival kiosks, but I will make more ADRs than I normally would. I regret that I didn't make time to do any festival demonstrations this year. From what I heard, it was difficult for some to get into. I know that I have to get in line 40 minutes beforehand, and I'd get in. That's normal. I expect that.

I wish that I could get more opportunities for the Jiko wine dinners. I had such a great time, I can see why there's a group of devoted regulars who know the staff, and the staff know them. I wish other restaurants did this, too.

I've called DVC Member Services to book my next trips to WDW. I'll be coming back next October and December. My dates are:

October 14-19, 2009
December 10-14, 2009

I hope to meet up with the foodies in October, and the MouseFesters (why does that sound WRONG?) in December.

If you enjoyed my food reviews and food porn, I hope to see you again.