First a Little Pomp & Circumstance,then a Whole Lot of Disney Dining! COMPLETE

[emmysmommy]

Those desserts were a lovely finish to the meal! I want some of that almond crusted cheesecake!!!

I love the magic, memories, and you show. When they show Walt giving his park open speech - I tear up! What a spectacular moment in Disney history!

Yep just 2 more sleeps and we are on our way. Wouldn't you know that I worked almost 11 hours to break away from the office and now I've got a scratchy throat!! Argh!!! I'm in denial... I won't get sick!

So sad to see there is only 1 more review.

 

[Linda67]

Mmm, those desserts look wonderful
I can't believe that you only have one more meal to review
I actually don't want you to post it, just keep chatting to us

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

The last time we ate at Narcoosee's my DH really considered ordering a second Almond Crusted Cheesecake because he loved it so much.

Loved the pictures of Wishes, the Castle, and the MSEP. Thanks so sharing them!

 

[jabead]

So sad to see there is only 1 more review.

Hi Brenda!

Last night I attempted to begin writing my last review but it was bringing me down too much, so decided to do something more fun instead. For your Disney trip, I have composed a list of Demands/Instructions/Recommendations/Suggestions??? or whatever you would like to call them. Since you are leaving on the 18th and are going to be away from your office for 18 days, 18 seems to be the magic number for this vacation.

Therefore, here is my list of 18 items:

1) Take lots of pics at any DISmeets you have with DDW, GoofySon’s Mom, PrincessBetsy, or anyone else.

2) Also take lots of pictures of your TPV at BLT.

3) Try something with Nutella, but preferably the Sleepy Hollow waffle and not the overpriced dessert at Tutto Italia.

4) Eat your whole order of Pineapple Macadamia Nut Pancakes at Kona.

5) Have some egg rolls at Yak & Yeti, but don’t forget to save room for the wonton dessert.

6) Have at least one avocado margarita from SAI/La Cava/La Hacienda. (If you stop by SAI, don’t forget the chicken tostadas.)

7) Catch a performance of the Hat Lady at the Rose & Crown Pub.

8) Have something other than the filet at Le Cellier (I’ll count it if Emily does and shares ).

9) Try the blueberry croissant bread pudding at Sunshine Seasons.

10) Share an order of zeppole with Michael at Via Napoli.

11) Stop in at Beaches & Cream, even if it’s just to get ice cream to go.

12) Have the filet and mashed potatoes at YSH, but either skip the cheese plate or ask for it without the jar of “goo”.

13) Get breakfast from the Boardwalk Bakery at least once.

14) Mess with the guy at the BW Pizza window in an attempt to get him to smile.

15) Check out Leaping Libations to see if they now have a Specialty Drink menu or if it is still the standard Disney pool bar menu. Have at least one drink to sip while you are relaxing by the pool.

16) Then have a pic taken of you being spit out of the mouth of the clown at the BW pool.

And these last two are the most important…

17) Forget about all the craziness at work…leave that all behind.

18) But don’t forget about your DIS friends and check-in here every now and then, because we will miss you.


Oh, and feel free to send me pics as evidence of the completion of any or all of the above items. I'll PM you with my phone number (if I can figure out how )


And so…

HAVE A GREAT, FANTASTIC, SPECTACULAR, WONDERFUL, OUTSTANDING, MARVELOUS, AWESOME
(plus any other good adjectives I’ve missed)
and most importantly, DELICIOUS TRIP!!! ​

(Oh, and please pass on my best wishes to Emily and Michael, too! )

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Hi Brenda!

HAVE A GREAT, FANTASTIC, SPECTACULAR, WONDERFUL, OUTSTANDING, MARVELOUS, AWESOME
(plus any other good adjectives I’ve missed)
and most importantly, DELICIOUS TRIP!!! ​

(Oh, and please pass on my best wishes to Emily and Michael, too! )

I second this!! And that is a great list!

 

[jabead]

The last time we ate at Narcoosee's my DH really considered ordering a second Almond Crusted Cheesecake because he loved it so much.

Loved the pictures of Wishes, the Castle, and the MSEP. Thanks so sharing them!

Now that's an idea! Next time I'm at Narcoossee's I might just skip the entree and get two of those yummy cheesecake desserts.

I second this!! And that is a great list!

Well, I might just have to make a list for you too!

 

[jabead]

Mmm, those desserts look wonderful
I can't believe that you only have one more meal to review
I actually don't want you to post it, just keep chatting to us

Yes, I seem to be having a very hard time writing that last review, as you may have noticed. But I know I need to wrap this up since it has been 3 months now and I wouldn't want to get on the bad side of the Moderators and get sent to the DISboards corner. So my goal is to finish up before DonaldDoleWhip starts his new DR next week on the 21st. He has after all, completed two DRs during the time that I have been slowly plugging away at this one.

But I will most definitely be following along on many of the dining reports that have started recently or will be starting in the next few months. Plus of course, I am very much looking forward to meeting you and your DH in person at our Route 66-Cheesecake meet! I'm still working on the details with Lindsey at "That's so Sweet". She really is a sweetheart and very accommodating. By the way, will you by chance have a phone with you?

Okay, I guess I should start working on that last review now.

 

[smile4stamps]

I love your list Jabead!!

Have an awesome trip Brenda!!! I hope the time passes at just the right speed for you to fully enjoy your time at WDW!

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi Brenda!

Last night I attempted to begin writing my last review but it was bringing me down too much, so decided to do something more fun instead. For your Disney trip, I have composed a list of Demands/Instructions/Recommendations/Suggestions??? or whatever you would like to call them. Since you are leaving on the 18th and are going to be away from your office for 18 days, 18 seems to be the magic number for this vacation.

Therefore, here is my list of 18 items:

1) Take lots of pics at any DISmeets you have with DDW, GoofySon’s Mom, PrincessBetsy, or anyone else.

2) Also take lots of pictures of your TPV at BLT.

3) Try something with Nutella, but preferably the Sleepy Hollow waffle and not the overpriced dessert at Tutto Italia.

4) Eat your whole order of Pineapple Macadamia Nut Pancakes at Kona.

5) Have some egg rolls at Yak & Yeti, but don’t forget to save room for the wonton dessert.

6) Have at least one avocado margarita from SAI/La Cava/La Hacienda. (If you stop by SAI, don’t forget the chicken tostadas.)

7) Catch a performance of the Hat Lady at the Rose & Crown Pub.

8) Have something other than the filet at Le Cellier (I’ll count it if Emily does and shares ).

9) Try the blueberry croissant bread pudding at Sunshine Seasons.

10) Share an order of zeppole with Michael at Via Napoli.

11) Stop in at Beaches & Cream, even if it’s just to get ice cream to go.

12) Have the filet and mashed potatoes at YSH, but either skip the cheese plate or ask for it without the jar of “goo”.

13) Get breakfast from the Boardwalk Bakery at least once.

14) Mess with the guy at the BW Pizza window in an attempt to get him to smile.

15) Check out Leaping Libations to see if they now have a Specialty Drink menu or if it is still the standard Disney pool bar menu. Have at least one drink to sip while you are relaxing by the pool.

16) Then have a pic taken of you being spit out of the mouth of the clown at the BW pool.

And these last two are the most important…

17) Forget about all the craziness at work…leave that all behind.

18) But don’t forget about your DIS friends and check-in here every now and then, because we will miss you.


Oh, and feel free to send me pics as evidence of the completion of any or all of the above items. I'll PM you with my phone number (if I can figure out how )


And so…

HAVE A GREAT, FANTASTIC, SPECTACULAR, WONDERFUL, OUTSTANDING, MARVELOUS, AWESOME
(plus any other good adjectives I’ve missed)
and most importantly, DELICIOUS TRIP!!! ​

(Oh, and please pass on my best wishes to Emily and Michael, too! )

Oh my!!! THANKS!!!! You know me so well!!! I can do this!

I will definitely be thinking of you guys! I'll sneak a peek at the Disboards when I can but I said to Michael that I would take a break while we are on vacation. Doesn't mean I can't text!!!

Thanks again! I appreciate your well wishes!!!

Oh, and I am looking forward to reading the final post of your Dining Review!!

 

[Linda67]

Yes, I seem to be having a very hard time writing that last review, as you may have noticed. But I know I need to wrap this up since it has been 3 months now and I wouldn't want to get on the bad side of the Moderators and get sent to the DISboards corner. So my goal is to finish up before DonaldDoleWhip starts his new DR next week on the 21st. He has after all, completed two DRs during the time that I have been slowly plugging away at this one.

But I will most definitely be following along on many of the dining reports that have started recently or will be starting in the next few months. Plus of course, I am very much looking forward to meeting you and your DH in person at our Route 66-Cheesecake meet! I'm still working on the details with Lindsey at "That's so Sweet". She really is a sweetheart and very accommodating. By the way, will you by chance have a phone with you?

Okay, I guess I should start working on that last review now.

Nobody puts Jabead in the corner
I most certainly will have a phone with me
I'll PM you when I get back from walking the hound

 

[jabead]

BACKGROUND: I had never been to Kouzzina before. Well, that isn’t completely true. I have actually dined in that building before, when it was Spoodles. Does anyone remember when they had Sunday Brunch there??? Well, the jabead family went to Spoodles for Sunday Brunch in July 2001. And would you believe it cost only $6.95 for the kids and $18.95 for DH and me? Oh, and that even included a glass of champagne. Now days just that glass of champagne would probably cost $18.95 at Disney World.

Anyway, I couldn’t do my last review without including a couple of old pictures…

Sunday Brunch at Spoodle’s – July 2001

The Strolling Accordion Player
​

Ah yes, but that was then, and this is now and now means…

​

Breakfast at Cat Cora’s Kouzzina​

After packing up and leaving off our luggage at Bell Services, we were off to the final meal of our trip. At Kouzzina, I requested a table outside so that we could enjoy this view while we had our breakfast…

​

As you may recall, DD2 does not like to get up for breakfast in the morning. ​

​

Our meal began with DD1 and me sharing this…​

Kouzzina Press Pot Coffee
Enjoy the robust and unique flavors of this signature blend coffee available only at Kouzzina! - $6.29
​

DD gave this coffee a rating of “Very Good” and liked it even more than Kona’s Press Pot because it was stronger. On the other hand, I am pretty much a wimp when it comes to coffee and prefer it rather weak and with cream and sweetener. Therefore I only gave the Kouzzina coffee a rating of “Okay”. So our overall rating then is “Good”.


DD2 does not drink coffee (doesn’t even like the smell of it in fact ), so she got the…

Mega-Berry Smoothie - Raspberry Purée and Nonfat Yogurt blended with Odwalla Berries GoMega (an excellent source of Omega-3) - $4.69 (also shown in the above picture)
​

She was very disappointed with this and thought it tasted really weird.


Now there were three items on the Kouzzina breakfast menu which interested me, and I was quite happy when my daughters chose (without any coaching from me) two of them.

DD1 chose this…​

Classic Golden Waffle - with Whipped Mascarpone Cheese, Honey, and Chopped Pecans and choice of Bacon or Chicken Sausage - $10.49
(She requested no pecans and chose the bacon)​

She gave this a solid, “Good” rating. I tasted it and also thought it was good, but would have been better with the chopped pecans.

DD2 then chose this…​

Spinach, Tomato, and Feta Scrambled Eggs - served with Breakfast Potatoes and a Croissant with choice of Bacon or Chicken Sausage - $11.99
(She also chose bacon)
​

Now she rated this only as “Good”, but frankly I doubt that she would have given anything a better rating that morning. And I can’t confirm or disagree with her rating because I was not offered a taste, nor did I dare ask for one because she didn’t seem like she was in a sharing mood at the time. Or at least not with me, who made her get up and have breakfast with us on our last morning.

But I have saved the best for last, which I am happy to say was my breakfast...​

French Toast Baklava - Grilled Fig and Anise country bread topped with baked apples, honey, walnuts and cinnamon with your choice of Bacon or Chicken Sausage - $11.99
(I made it unanimous and chose the bacon)
​

I really, really enjoyed this breakfast! It even rivaled Kona’s Pineapple Macadamia Nut Pancakes, and you know how much I love those. But like the pancakes, this French toast is very filling and there was no way I could eat it all.

But as if that wasn't enough food, I couldn’t stop myself from ordering this side dish for us to share…​

Sweet Potato Hash $5.49
​

This was “Good” but totally unnecessary, as the three of us together couldn't finish it.

 

[jabead]

And so our overall rating for our final Disney meal was:

Good



Though the girls were not terribly impressed with our Kouzzina meal (as it was breakfast, after all ), I would definitely return here for that delicious French Toast Baklava.

And that’s all she wrote folks, but I will close out this last review with some pictures from the Boardwalk.

Goodbye Yacht Club Resort – Home of one of my favorite Disney restaurants, Yachtsman Steakhouse.

Goodbye Boardwalk Bakery and the Pizza Window Guy with no sense of humor.

Goodbye Flying Fish Cafe - Sadly, I did not get to partake of your delicious food on this trip.

Goodbye Friendship Boats that I rarely got to ride because my daughters were too impatient to wait for them.

Goodbye Boardwalk, my favorite Disney Resort

Goodbye Boardwalk Villas, thanks for providing us with a wonderful stay!

Goodbye Villa #2026 with your beautiful view of the pool!





And a special Goodbye to this guy…

I’d much rather see you out my window than the rooftop or parking lot I usually see.

(Oh, and I can't wait to see that picture of emmysmommy being spit out of your mouth! )

​

LAST UP: Our Favorites and Final Thoughts (If I can come up with any...final ones that is, not thoughts. I do occasionally have a few of those. )

 

[jmm476]

Kouzzina breakfast looks yummy! I don't do nuts in my food, so no French toast baklava for me, but those eggs with spinach and feta look so good! I want some right now.

 

[MickeyNicki]

I am so glad you got the french toast from Kouzzina....that was the highlight breakfast of our last trip...it was just delish and it came in a close second to those pumpkin pancakes from Kona

 

[jedijill]

That french toast is amazing! I could go for some right now!

Jill in CO

 

[jecskc]

Wait .... you are done ??? How can that be ?? I just got here You are going back in November ?? Or did you just want me on your list for that ?? I need to check .....

ETA: Oh, just a week. OK ... I'll wait

 

[smile4stamps]

Breakfast looks delicious! The eggs look good but I'm not much of a fan of feta cheese...

My hubby is also not a huge fan of mornings. However he understands that mornings in Disney equal lower waits and since he doesn't understand why I want to pay so much to stand in line he is okay with my getting us going early. I've actually tried to balance the getting going early and the sleeping in days so hopefully we will both be content at the end of the trip!

 

[jabead]

Oh my!!! THANKS!!!! You know me so well!!! I can do this!

I will definitely be thinking of you guys! I'll sneak a peek at the Disboards when I can but I said to Michael that I would take a break while we are on vacation. Doesn't mean I can't text!!!

Thanks again! I appreciate your well wishes!!!

Oh, and I am looking forward to reading the final post of your Dining Review!!

Bye, Brenda! I'll be looking for those texts.

Nobody puts Jabead in the corner
I most certainly will have a phone with me
I'll PM you when I get back from walking the hound

Why thank you, Linda. But now I have the sudden urge to watch "Dirty Dancing".

Altogether now...

"Now I've
had
the time of my life
No I never felt like this before
Yes I swear
it's the truth
and I owe it all to you."
​

Kouzzina breakfast looks yummy! I don't do nuts in my food, so no French toast baklava for me, but those eggs with spinach and feta look so good! I want some right now.

Well, if it's any help, I think the nuts were only on top and therefore could be excluded...like what DD did with the pecans on her waffles. But those eggs looked really good too!

I am so glad you got the french toast from Kouzzina....that was the highlight breakfast of our last trip...it was just delish and it came in a close second to those pumpkin pancakes from Kona

Hmm...second to the pumpkin cakes. I think I really need to try those then.

That french toast is amazing! I could go for some right now!

Jill in CO

Yep, it really puts to shame the Eggo waffle I had for breakfast this morning!

Wait .... you are done ??? How can that be ?? I just got here You are going back in November ?? Or did you just want me on your list for that ?? I need to check .....

ETA: Oh, just a week. OK ... I'll wait

Sadly, no trip currently in the works for the jabead family.

Breakfast looks delicious! The eggs look good but I'm not much of a fan of feta cheese...

My hubby is also not a huge fan of mornings. However he understands that mornings in Disney equal lower waits and since he doesn't understand why I want to pay so much to stand in line he is okay with my getting us going early. I've actually tried to balance the getting going early and the sleeping in days so hopefully we will both be content at the end of the trip!

My DH is also not a morning person. I guess that's where DD2 gets it from.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Bravo! This was an epic report and I mean that in the best possible way.

I know the feeling of having no trips planned. I'm in the same boat, and I'm hoping for something to come soon when we have to go there again.

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

So sad to see your dining review come to an end. I've really enjoyed your "then" and "now" photos.

I regret we cancelled our breakfast at Kouzzina last time we stayed at the Boardwalk. Guess why? My teenage son was too lazy to get up.

So are you planning a trip in 2013?