"We seem to be made to suffer. It’s our lot in life" - Feb/April 2017 - 5/9 Half/Grand Floridian Ca

[Dis_Yoda]

Artist’s Palette

My mother wanted breakfast this morning so we headed to the food court at Saratoga Springs before we would head over to Hollywood Studios to do a couple rides. I went super healthy as you can tell since I did get fruit. I ruined (err...made tastier) it with the yummy caramel sauce! The cinnamon roll was also nice and warm and gooey which is how a cinnamon roll should be! I had no problem finishing it off!

Cinnamon Roll & Apple Slices w/ Caramel​

 

[TeeterTots]

Can't go wrong with caramel sauce! I would've drizzled it over the cinnamon bun! Yum...

 

[Sailormoon2]

I would've drizzled it over the cinnamon

THIS. EXACTLY.

 

[mousegear]

All caught up! Love the review of the tea! I would love to do it but I have a feeling DS 13 would be upset if I drag him for it.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Can't go wrong with caramel sauce! I would've drizzled it over the cinnamon bun! Yum...

You can't go wrong with caramel sauce at all! That idea is genius! Such an indulgent move but probably very much worth it!

THIS. EXACTLY.

All of you are bad influences on diets! I like it

All caught up! Love the review of the tea! I would love to do it but I have a feeling DS 13 would be upset if I drag him for it.

Thank you for catching up...but I didn't do a tea? Its been many years since I've done the Grand Floridian Tea but my tip for the 13 year old that would be upset would be to say "well, we're paying for this trip and we need to do things I enjoy sometimes" When my mother is the one paying, we tend to follow her decisions more as its her money and not mine.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Joining in and getting caught up for another great review. I need that Moonshine sampler. I completely would have overlooked it without you.

 

[Gigi@Disney]

Hole In The Wall Bar

I walked around some of Disney Springs and decided I wanted more alcohol and something sweet. I combined those two desires into one tasty beverage!

Bailey’s Iced Shake

It was yummy although it wasn’t really strong as it was pre-blended so those tend to be light on the booze! I headed back to the hotel by bus and was back in the room by 10pm! My mother was shocked and said she probably would have come if she knew we would be back by then but she was ok with her cheetos for dinner. (Hey, I offered!) I took a shower and headed to bed!​

YUM! Following!

 

[kastoney]

I took advantage of the new alcohol policy and ordered an Italian beer! My mother got a glass of wine. The options were really limited - like 5 different wines and 1 beer option and they were all Italian themed. The glassware also left a lot to be desired.

Limited or not, so good to see alcohol in MK. Though clearly they haven't ordered the right glasswear yet.

We headed to Animal Kingdom around 3:00PM. On our way into the park, I noticed B’rer Bear was outside the gate! We stopped so I could take a photo with him!

We ran into B'rer Bear and B'rer Fox on our way out of AK on or last trip and I was shocked to see them. Maybe they do that in the late afternoon now?

I went with the seared duck breast. This was wonderful! The duck had an awesome flavor to it, especially thanks to the huckleberry sauce that accompanied it. I was so full between enjoying most of my dish and finishing my mothers!

Minus the mushrooms this looks awesome and so perfectly cooked. Is that some confit duck on the side?

Artist’s Palette

My mother wanted breakfast this morning so we headed to the food court at Saratoga Springs before we would head over to Hollywood Studios to do a couple rides. I went super healthy as you can tell since I did get fruit. I ruined (err...made tastier) it with the yummy caramel sauce! The cinnamon roll was also nice and warm and gooey which is how a cinnamon roll should be! I had no problem finishing it off!

Laughing at your idea of a nutritious breakfast. Just about the same as mine I had to do a double take and see where you were eating though. I thought at first you had to mean Artist Point of Art of Animation I clearly have no knowledge of SS

 

[franandaj]

Hey! I had a whole post that the DIS ate! I don't remember exactly, but something to do with Fran isn't big on Tiffins, but everything you post from there looks good, so once we finally get back to going there we'll approach the idea of trying it. I'm too tired to think of what else I said, but I'm miffed that my post got lost!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Joining in and getting caught up for another great review. I need that Moonshine sampler. I completely would have overlooked it without you.

Glad to show you the wonderfulness that is the Moonshine Sampler! I went pretty safe with my selections this time around so I think next time I may branch out for some of the stronger less fruity ones!

YUM! Following!

Welcome!

Limited or not, so good to see alcohol in MK. Though clearly they haven't ordered the right glasswear yet.

Exactly. I'm happy to at least have something that does match what food is being offered. The glasswear left a lot to be desired but hopefully they'll slowly get it right. It was still only a few weeks new when we were there!

We ran into B'rer Bear and B'rer Fox on our way out of AK on or last trip and I was shocked to see them. Maybe they do that in the late afternoon now?

That's awesome you ran into B'rer Fox! I haven't seen him in forever it feels like! Maybe it is a late afternoon special at AK! We don't usually hunt characters so I've never followed.

Minus the mushrooms this looks awesome and so perfectly cooked. Is that some confit duck on the side?

Do you really think I ate the mushrooms? Do you not know me? I picked around those suckers! There was some confit on the side. That was gone so quickly I forgot to write about it. I really like duck...

Laughing at your idea of a nutritious breakfast. Just about the same as mine I had to do a double take and see where you were eating though. I thought at first you had to mean Artist Point of Art of Animation I clearly have no knowledge of SS

I figured our ideas of a nutritious breakfast were the same! Unless you are DVC, most people have no knowledge of SSR so don't feel bad Its just a basic quick service that has the same offerings as elsewhere for breakfast!

Hey! I had a whole post that the DIS ate! I don't remember exactly, but something to do with Fran isn't big on Tiffins, but everything you post from there looks good, so once we finally get back to going there we'll approach the idea of trying it. I'm too tired to think of what else I said, but I'm miffed that my post got lost!

Boo! Mean Disboards! Sorry it ate your post - that is super frustrating when it does that. Its one of the reasons why I started writing my trip reports inside of Google Docs so I don't lose my big posts but obviously that doesn't help the comment eating.

I could see how Tiffins may seem off putting when you look at the menu (especially knowing Fran's tastes) but once you get there it isn't that bad. The menu reads much more exotic than what it is - just like most fancy restaurants (I had to teach Shaun this fact to get him to start enjoying fine dining many years ago and teach him how to decode it) I definitely think there are some things Fran would love! I mean, who doesn't love Wagyu?

Get your old house in order and rented so you can go to Disney again

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Festival of The Arts Booths

After our morning at Hollywood Studios where I kicked her butt at Toy Story Mania and we visited Aerosmith and the Great Movie Ride, we headed over to EPCOT to enjoy the Festival of the Arts. We started with painting on the mural where I had the hardest time trying to find my number! That color was almost all gone by that point so they figured I was smart enough to find it!

We went through the booths for lunch and were just going to enjoy them until we got full or drunk or both.

Masterpiece Kitchen

When we saw the menu for this booth, we knew it was the one that had the most we wanted to try! We went to it first because well, might as well start with what we figured would be our favorite. Here’s a spoiler...it was!

We each enjoyed our respective cocktails. I haven’t had a sidecar in forever but I’ll be more likely to order them in the future when I’m not in a whiskey mood! I like strong cocktails! My mother loved the look of the wine bottle for the Merlot. She would have preferred the champagne at the booth but it was like $40 or something crazy so we passed!

Classic Sidecar w/ Chocolate Twist + Meeker Vineyard Winemaker’s Handprint Merlot

I ordered the Wild Mushroom Risotto despite hating mushrooms. I know I’m crazy. I picked them out of the risotto and enjoyed the cheesy, truffle goodness! My mother enjoyed some of the mushrooms I picked out and told me to grow up.

Wild Mushroom Risotto, Aged Parmesan, Truffle Shavings & Zinfandel Reduction

She ordered the grown up option of the charcuterie plate. She liked the blue cheese and the pates. She said her favorite was the ‘ham’ but I ended up in a fight with her that it was actually the duck (you can tell it is duck because of the fat on the one side) I may have rubbed this in her face when she realized I was right later that day. I ate all the prosciutto and was happy!

Charcuterie Plate w/ Artisan Cured Meats, Smoked Duck Breast & Cheese

We also got the triple chocolate mousse to share. We both really enjoyed this but it was rich! We were happy that the white chocolate mousse was in the middle to break up the dark and milk chocolate richness.

Triple Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Crunch, Dark Chocolate Sauce and Gold Leaf

Decadent Delights

I was excited when I heard about this menu item. In reality, it was a bust. The Vanilla Kisses were nice but the Dark Chocolate Mousse was too dense. It was really pretty though but I could barely eat half of it! I think having it shortly after the Triple Chocolate Mousse from the previous booth probably set this up for failure.

Dark Chocolate S’Mores: Homemade Graham Cracker, Vanilla Kisses & White Chocolate “Fire”

Pop Eats!

Our next stop was Pop Eats! I just wanted alcohol here as the popping bubbles cocktail seemed fun. My mother wanted the shrimp ceviche and the sparkling wine. She liked her shrimp ceviche as it tasted really fresh. She didn’t like her cloudem sparkling wine as it was too sweet. She liked my popping bubbles cocktail more. She stole my drink and gave me hers. I wasn’t going to fight her on that as I won’t waste a tasty beverage! I ended up with all the 'bubbles' of it anyway as she didn't like the texture of the champagne bubbles.

Shrimp Ceviche w/ Lime Mint Foam

Cloudem Silver Sparkling Wine

Popping Bubbles Cocktail

E=AT2

I went with the Deconstructed BLT as I love Pork Belly. The pork belly was the right amount of crispy and melt in your mouth fatty. That makes me happy!

Deconstructed BLT w/ Crispy Pork Belly, Tomato Jam and Soft Poached Egg

This is the booth where I won my fight with my mother. She was very happy with her salad and was going on and on about the ham. When I showed her the booklet stating it was duck, she just looked at me and said “oh” Thats about the most I get of an admittance.

Cobb Salad w/ Smoked Duck Breast, Avocado Mousse, Applewood Smoked Bacon & Blue Cheese

We finished walking around the festival. I was full and nothing else stood out to me much. I was also behaving so that I wouldn’t get too full.

​

 

[nco91590]

YUM! Those menu choices look really creative and fun!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Surprise!

Totally just booked a last minute weekend trip with a girlfriend! 3/31 to 4/2! SSR 1 Bedroom On Points

This will be a cheap weekend though - hopefully my Disney Visa Points come in time as that's like $200!

 

[TeeterTots]

Surprise!

Totally just booked a last minute weekend trip with a girlfriend! 3/31 to 4/2! SSR 1 Bedroom On Points

This will be a cheap weekend though - hopefully my Disney Visa Points come in time as that's like $200!

Jerk! Kidding! I'll be there 4/7-14! Have a blast!!!

 

[Mom2m&k]

Yay for a quick trip! We are going for a quick one the weekend of May 5! The popping bubbles drink sounds yummy and that charcuterie board....yum!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

YUM! Those menu choices look really creative and fun!

I loved how creative the Festival of the Arts booths were! Yes, they were more expensive than Food & Wine Festival offerings but the presentation was so very worth it!

Jerk! Kidding! I'll be there 4/7-14! Have a blast!!!

My pass doesn't work from 4/8 to 4/21 as I just have a Gold Pass! Have fun being there the week before Easter!

Yay for a quick trip! We are going for a quick one the weekend of May 5! The popping bubbles drink sounds yummy and that charcuterie board....yum!

Yay for quick trips! We can't do a trip in May since I have my surgery that month! The popping drink was pretty much champagne with champagne bubble balls. It was fun! My mother totally love that charcuterie board!

 

[TeeterTots]

My pass doesn't work from 4/8 to 4/21 as I just have a Gold Pass! Have fun being there the week before Easter!!

I know, right! Darn school breaks! Lol! Thanks Disney for making me spend more $$ haha. Have a super time!

 

[Sailormoon2]

Yum! Charcuterie boards are the best!!

 

[TeresaNJ]

Wow, looks like I would love some of those food choices at the Festival of the Arts! Maybe we'll try to hit that up next year!

 

[kastoney]

Love how our combined hatred of mushrooms manifests itself so differently. You're content to pick the mushrooms out and I wouldn't even eat at a booth that was serving them

You all did much better at the festival than we did. You'll see when I get to my review we were highly disappointed, but we're partially to blame. I'd done next to no research and presumed the festival was in every country like flower and garden. I of course was wrong and we ended up missing just about every booth you got to eat at.