Hunky Tuna Tostada - Fall 2017 DR - completed 7/12 - Animal Kingdom Snacks

I don't have any idea why I thought that I would have time to finish another dining report when I started in December. As the lack of posts has proven, it's been a really busy few months for me. I am down to 77 days until wedding day (WHAT) and a mere 25 days until my next Disney trip.
What, its not like you have a wedding to plan or anything :-) So glad to see you back, but seriously can you take the updates down a notch or two. I can't keep up :P

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But I got sidetracked by the China booth and R and I picked up some cocktails to start the day properly. R had the Happy Peach with DeKuyper Peach Liqueur and Myers’s Dark Rum – $8.95 and I had the BaiJoe Punch with Chinese Bai Jui Spirit, Lychee, Coconut and Pineapple Juice – $10.50.

These were strong and tasty
Strong and tasty, what else do us girls need :drinking1

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Our next stop was the Africa booth for an item I had been coveting, which I ordered post haste. The Spinach and Paneer Cheese Pocket with Mint Raita – $4.00 was a nice portion size for the price and was packed with delicious spicy flavors. The mint raita was a nice cool complement to the unique spice flavors that had a little bit of hot-spice as well as curry type spice. I really enjoyed this and would definitely get it again.
Yum! This looks so up my alley and I don't think I've ever even seen or read about it.

Smoked Corned Beef with Warm Crispy Potatoes, Pickled Onions and Blonde Ale Beer Fondue featuring BelGioioso Romano and America Grana Cheeses – $5.00, a better serving than we'd had on our previous visit. What possible accolades can I add to the fact that these were salty, cheesy, beefy crisps?
You had me at salty and cheese but beefy crisps just puts it over the edge :-)

Of course, I needed to stop for sustenance to get us through that many dozens of yard walk! :rotfl2:

Captain Cook's really is a gem of a QS, so we love grabbing food from there and the ability to walk back to our room was just the icing on the cake. Or the queso on the nacho, as it were...

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Oh, one of my favorites. And totally a necessity when you are passing through the Poly. Thanks bus driver!

Hilariously, we were just in a studio, but we did have wine and Golden Girls on tv, so I mean... who could resist our invitation to come join us in the room for a drink?
Two of my favorite things come together. Sign me up for the next in room party. BTW have you seen these? Got my cousin them for Xmas
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If you have not had burrata, it is a soft, fresh mozzarella usually made in house where it is served. This one was absolutely delectable. The tomatoes were incredibly fresh and had a very strong, vibrant tomato flavor - like Florida sunshine, imagine that! The mix of textures and flavors worked very well and I liked this dish a lot, though I do think $18 is a bit on the high side for a tomato appetizer.
Wow, this looks and sounds amazing. Because a. who doesn't wanna eat Florida sunshine and b. buratta is life!

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NO ONE at all in the Grand lobby! We closed down the Grand!
Wow. Drop. The. Mic.

We have been able to ask for them to hold the OJ on our mimosas each time we've been. Orange juice tends to give me heartburn, so they are usually very accomodating.
So first I thought why is she ordering wine when free booze and then I realized how did I not know you could do this? I had contemplated doing the same thing, then I saw they had them premade so I figured you couldn't. Totally going all champs, all day next time

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Vanilla bean french toast - Parker House Bread, creme brulee custard, caramelized bananas, walnuts. This was very good, but left me longing for the Grand Floridian Cafe vanilla bean french toast. What is wrong with me?!
I have no idea what is wrong with you because this wast the best dang french toast I'd ever had. GFC might as well have been KFC in this case :P

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99% sure this was my choice - Crispy Fried Chicken Thigh with Korean sweet and spicy sauce, house made kimchi, and cilantro. YALL. I can taste this now. It had just the right amount of heat with a sweet and smoky flavor to it.
Wow, I so wish we'd tried this. It sounded so good, but for some reason I thought ordering chicken wasn't a good value. But if its good dang chicken I guess that shouldn't have even mattered.

Aside, my best friend and I took Casey to NYC for her birthday and we got to have Korean Fried Chicken from a David Chang restaurant. So good.
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For the table: carrot cake pancakes, with cream cheese cream, maple bourbon syrup, and pecans. We were really glad we ordered this! It outshone the French toast for me. I loved the flavors in this and it was a lovely sweet breakfast treat.
Wow, if this outshone the french toast than that is saying a lot. Cali Grill is just brunch perfection.

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Just the bright spot in my week. Back to your regularly scheduled food pics...
Perfection!!! Love the casual retro vibe.

It had apparently rained on us at some point. Going from one end of the spectrum to the other, we followed fancy brunch with Pecos Bill's for dinner.

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Oh how the mighty have fallen :P
 
Got my engagement photos back and I absolutely love them.

I love them!

R and I shared kid's corn dog nuggets and nachos with tons of fixins.

The 2 best things at Peco Bill's :rotfl:

The warm chocolate pudding is also always a favorite for us and it was again this year.

Yum! I didn't get this last year, but I loved it the first year we went.

My other favorite dish, also from the Islands of the Caribbean booth: Quesito: Puff Pastry with Sweetened Cream Cheese and Guava Sauce – $3.75

This looks so good too.
 
Okay I meant to quote this in multiple parts but that did not work out for me. Oh well, here have a couple paragraphs!

Your weight loss is amazing, you look so great in the photos you posted! I am sure it has been a challenge "training" your body what to eat and when... I definitely struggle with either wanting to eat all day long or getting overwhelmed and stressed and not remembering meal times until I'm HANGRY!! Speaking of which, I did not eat my afternoon snack... scuttling off to get that now... low carb/keto is the only diet I have ever been able to stick to. I have added back in a few things (yogurt, berries) after reading Julia Ross' "The Diet Cure" and started taking a lot of vitamins/supplements. I honestly feel like a different person. Clearly I have enough energy to be back on the boards, so I guess that's a win?! haha. Recipes welcome for sure!

Your son seems so sweet. He definitely looks like an amazing travel buddy and I love that he watches food vlogs and is open to trying different things at least some of the time! With all the festivals going on throughout the year I am sure y'all will hit one together after skipping F&W. I love that description of your son's love of the lodges... I haven't met him but can almost hear the inflection! hahaha. That wilderness plan you hatched sounds like so much fun! If I wasn't allergic to horses I would love to do a trail ride there. Trail's End continues to be a favorite for us. I think I have a report coming on that, not sure which trip we did it on (oh waah wah I know, what a problem :charac2:)

We have only stayed in a regular Inn room at Boardwalk and for some reason netiher of us cared for it much. The DVC rooms look much more our style but they certainly are hard to get! I have a friend that seems to always have extra points and she's a BWV owner so maybe she can hook me up one day with the 11 month window so we can give it another shot. The reason why you love Boardwalk sounds like the reasons we love the Swolphin so much!

My wedding planning has been totally offline, we are not doing a disney wedding with the exception of throwing in a few disney songs (mostly from the Dave Digs Disney album and Lava). We are going low key at a local restaurant here in Atlanta, trying to keep things on the smaller/more chill side. No attendants, no walking down the aisle, ceremony and reception all in one place, etc. R's mom seems to be kinda struggling with the non-traditional elements but otherwise it has been almost completely stress free ever since we booked our venue. 74 days...:crazy2:

Thanks! I feel great. It has been awesome to do everything I want to do without having to push so hard to do it.

I used to do that all the time... skip meals and then end up hangry and eat a day's calories at the end of the day, which pretty much did my metabolism no favors. That is why that "intermittent fasting" thing confuses me so much as a "thing" because pretty sure when I used to do that it caused massive weight gain! I force myself to eat breakfast, which is usually a protein shake because it's all I can really deal with, and then I have a salad for lunch and dinner mostly protein and veggies, sometimes a yogurt in the afternoon because I tend to get pretty hungry around 3. I'm boring most of the time and then I enjoy a bit more on weekends and ESPECIALLY ON VACATION and it seems to be working out. Low carb is pretty much what they want you to do after the surgery and I eat so little I'm probably not that far from keto but I just can't go whole hog into it, I love my yogurt and occasional fruit too much. I do feel a lot better when I take my vitamins and dare I say it? made it though this year's cold/flu season without any major illness so I do think vitamins do make a huge difference.

I do love my little guy. I cherish the "just us" time when there's no one else bugging me for attention and I'm so glad I can take him to Disney! We will be there next during the festival of the arts and since I'm kind of artsy myself I am looking forward to it. We also are going to slow WAY down from our last trip and just enjoy being there, enjoy the resorts and some of the extra activities.

Oh wow, allergic? that's poopy. I think it will be a lot of fun and it's a triumph for me that I can consider it now that I am under (way) the weight limit. It was something I couldn't consider before! I can't wait for your trail's end report, I have never been (but have been to hoop dee doo). Brunch is my favorite meal and we'll do that at least, but considering CA Grill even though we're talking a couple hundred $$ for the both of us and I can't eat much. I am imagining sitting there like at dinner on the cruise and ordering a bunch of stuff and taking one or two bites of each. I enjoyed it but did send back a lot of food! More on that on my cruise report though! The CA Grill brunch reviews are making me wish it was worth it... I may go crazy and do it anyway. We'll see when it comes time to book. I'd have to move trails end to Saturday then but that would be fine I'm sure.

You should definitely hit up your friend, the 11 month window is key wiht BWV!

Your wedding sounds lovely. We are attending one in Arizona that sounds very similar, low key, ceremony and reception at what appear to be a rented home, catered by a taco truck, backyard games and live music. Wondering if I can get away with wearing my tiki dress to it but kind of wanted to buy something new. we'll see I guess!



Real life update:

Got my engagement photos back and I absolutely love them.

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LOVELY!!!:lovestruc you both look so happy and so in love. So happy for you! :hug:
 


Enjoyed the reviews, love your engagement picture, Congratulations!
Thank you!!!

What, its not like you have a wedding to plan or anything :-) So glad to see you back, but seriously can you take the updates down a notch or two. I can't keep up :P
Sorry!!! Trying to knock these reviews out before I disappear again... haha :duck:

Strong and tasty, what else do us girls need :drinking1
Every few booths you gotta hit a strong one to counteract the weak pre-mixed items, ya know?!

Yum! This looks so up my alley and I don't think I've ever even seen or read about it.
Oh my gosh, I wish it was a permanent thing! They really need to add something like this to one of the permanent kiosks - maybe it would fit at the African outpost since some of the Northern African countries have Indian-flair going on in their culinary inspirations.

Two of my favorite things come together. Sign me up for the next in room party. BTW have you seen these? Got my cousin them for Xmas
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I NEED THESE! Except I would totally break them, I'm only allowed to have stemless as I tend to lose my center of gravity with the second glass of wine... :D

So first I thought why is she ordering wine when free booze and then I realized how did I not know you could do this? I had contemplated doing the same thing, then I saw they had them premade so I figured you couldn't. Totally going all champs, all day next time
Oh yeah girl! They are all over it with hooking you up on that as more champs = bigger tip!

I have no idea what is wrong with you because this wast the best dang french toast I'd ever had. GFC might as well have been KFC in this case :P
Okay maybe my taste buds were off or maybe I was just full of other tasty stuff? Guess I need to go do a re-review! You know, for science. Statistical standard deviations or something.

Wow, I so wish we'd tried this. It sounded so good, but for some reason I thought ordering chicken wasn't a good value. But if its good dang chicken I guess that shouldn't have even mattered.

Aside, my best friend and I took Casey to NYC for her birthday and we got to have Korean Fried Chicken from a David Chang restaurant. So good.
Okay I am certain we must have something like this in Atlanta and now I feel compelled to go find it. I don't really have anything against even regular fried chicken but KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN?! Nom!!!

I love them!
Thank you!!! :flower3:
The 2 best things at Peco Bill's :rotfl:
Yes they are! lol
 


Finally on a computer so I could properly respond, Lisa.

I do love my little guy. I cherish the "just us" time when there's no one else bugging me for attention and I'm so glad I can take him to Disney! We will be there next during the festival of the arts and since I'm kind of artsy myself I am looking forward to it. We also are going to slow WAY down from our last trip and just enjoy being there, enjoy the resorts and some of the extra activities.
That slow experience is definitely my favorite kind of trip! I am interested to see how this bachelorette thing works out - whether being with lots of people will encourage me to stop and smell the roses or hustle me back into "once in a lifetime" mode.

Oh wow, allergic? that's poopy. I think it will be a lot of fun and it's a triumph for me that I can consider it now that I am under (way) the weight limit. It was something I couldn't consider before!
:dance3: Go Lisa! Go Lisa! Go Lisa! (that's my best happy dance... oh wait also this one :woohoo:)

I can't wait for your trail's end report, I have never been (but have been to hoop dee doo). Brunch is my favorite meal and we'll do that at least, but considering CA Grill even though we're talking a couple hundred $$ for the both of us and I can't eat much. I am imagining sitting there like at dinner on the cruise and ordering a bunch of stuff and taking one or two bites of each. I enjoyed it but did send back a lot of food! More on that on my cruise report though! The CA Grill brunch reviews are making me wish it was worth it... I may go crazy and do it anyway. We'll see when it comes time to book. I'd have to move trails end to Saturday then but that would be fine I'm sure.
Trail's End is like $25 or something, so I would do that without hesitation even on a tiny tummy... but the $80 adult price at California Grill with no real opportunity for leftovers would probably make me think twice, as it is you. The real positive is that since so much of it is self-serve, you could just serve yourself one bite of everything! But I am not sure if it would be worth it. It's so hard to say! Do you have a separate cruise report or is it coming up in your DR? I can't keep anything straight anymore.. haha

Your wedding sounds lovely. We are attending one in Arizona that sounds very similar, low key, ceremony and reception at what appear to be a rented home, catered by a taco truck, backyard games and live music. Wondering if I can get away with wearing my tiki dress to it but kind of wanted to buy something new. we'll see I guess!
Did I tell you that our wedding is lightly tiki themed? I would love it if everyone wore a tiki dress to mine... but I am all for any special occasion to get a nice new outfit!!

LOVELY!!!:lovestruc you both look so happy and so in love. So happy for you! :hug:
Thank you :love::love:

Love your engagement photo!!! :-)
Thank you Amber!!

I'll have to check it out! Your engagement picture is gorgeous, btw!

Aw shucks, y'all are all too sweet with these compliments. No... don't... stop... hahaha
 
So, I have a #sorrynotsorry for you guys as I am really trying to power through these updates so I can crank through as much as possible prior to my next trip, as I am afraid I will get really busy again ahead of the wedding. So with that non-apology, I present a couple more updates :flower3::flower3::flower3:

Also, shameless self-promotion, I started my Aulani, Kauai, Disneyland (engagement) trip report here: Dreams Come True in Blue Hawaii

Late October Trip, Day 1, October 28:
So, later the same month my next trip occurred because I had decided to ask for Swan & Dolphin Food and Wine Classic Causeway Tickets for my birthday (which had been in August) and my other Disney buddy and partner in crime, my mom, happily obliged. Here we are:

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We went down for a long weekend October 28-30 (Halloween weekend) as that was when the Classic was being held. I was really looking forward to this event, and I actually reviewed it on the 2017 main food and wine thread, so if you already read that, I'm sorry, there will be a repeat review in here.

We arrived in Orlando mid-morning and we were super hungry when we got into town, so we did not pass go, did not collect $200, but instead drove straight to Disney Springs to find some grub! Despite having read (and listened to) mixed reviews, we both wanted to try the Polite Pig. It also won out due to sheer proximity to the parking structure, and if you've followed my previous reports, you might remember that my mom has been dealing with foot pain after a wreck that broke her foot last year. She's better but still not 100%, especially after a lot of walking, so it was good to park near our destination.

Upon entering we were mesmerized by all of the smoked meats:

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I never remember to take pictures inside restaurants, so we're just cutting straight to the chase here. We both ordered a beer, I had the Cask & Larder 5 Points IPA, while my mom went with the Cask & Larder Red Drum Amber Ale. We were both happy with our choices and with the huge beers for just a couple bucks extra over the smaller size:

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#vacaymodeENGAGE! :drinking1

We decided to get two entrees to split. first up was her pick, Smoked & Fried Chicken Sandwich,
Sweet and Smoky BBQ, Duke's Mayo, Pickles and Romaine Slaw. Served with Pickle Spear $12

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And I went with the Brisket Sandwich - with Pimento Cheese, Lil' John's BBQ, Picked Jalapeños and Crispy Onions. Served with a Pickle Spear $14.

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Though tempted, neither of us opted for a side dish since we had the Food & Wine Classic later and we wanted to be HUNGRY!

Well it's a good dang thing we didn't order sides, because these sandwiches were absolutely massive. We weren't even able to finish them! Despite hearing warnings when it opened that this place is not a good value, I believe it absolutely was. We got an annual pass discount on the sandwiches and the beers weren't expensive for the size (in Disney prices, at least).

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AND OH MAN, WERE THE SANDWICHES GOOD! I can't pick a favorite, which is why I like to travel with people who share. Both were obviously freshly prepared with care, and the flavors and combination of contrasting textures was excellent. The sweetness on the chicken was perfectly counteracted by the spice and the slaw, while the brisket was rich and decadent with the pimento cheese and the crunchy onions. We loved these and would definitely go back. From what I gather, this place is also a good option on the dining plan.

We putzed around Disney Springs for a while, then went and checked into our condo at Bonnet Creek and relaxed on the balcony before getting ready for the main event: the food and wine classic.

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Up next: the Swan & Dolphin food and wine classic!
 
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October 28 Continued, Swan & Dolphin Food and Wine Classic:
I've already written most of this so I am rehashing some of it and re-visiting some of the review.

We attended the Saturday evening portion of the Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic (10/28/17). This was my first Food and Wine Classic and (spoiler alert) I was very disappointed, mostly with the event organization.

The event was moved indoors to the Dolphin ballrooms due to inclement weather. It seems obvious that we should have known from the number of empty tents on the causeway between the Swan and Dolphin that the event had been moved, but there was absolutely NO signage reflecting this anywhere. We had indicated we'd pick up our tickets via will-call when we purchased them, and we interacted with no fewer than 5 staff members in checking in. None of them mentioned that the event would be held indoors or where. Thankfully we were early so after walking around for a while trying to figure out where we were supposed to be, we noticed a group who'd just checked in going down an escalator to the convention space and followed them to the event.

The brochure we'd received at check in had a nice map with corresponding numbered legend indicating the location of each booth and the food or beverages being offered there. Since the booths had to be rearranged due to the event being held indoors, I could not make heads or tails of what was supposed to be where. I am not saying that the booths weren't arranged as they would have been if the event was on the causeway, but I couldn't tell if that was the case and could never figure out whether the indoor arrangement correlated at all to the brochure with the map. To add insult to injury, each booth simply had a large sign indicating the region of the wines on offer (CALIFORNIA, for example, emblazoned in huge letters with only a small 8.5x11" sign at the booth listing the actual winery and wine selections). It was nearly impossible to find the booths that we'd earmarked to visit.

Here is the size of the signs with the actual details of the wines offered at each booth:
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(it's like letter size or maybe a smidge larger)

So you had to go up to each one to actually see what they were pouring, and then I felt guilty if I just read the sign and walked away. I know that's dumb, but I just wanted some semblance of organization.

I will preface my review of the food with the fact that I was already disgruntled by the disorganization of the event. I found the food underwhelming in both quantity and quality. Lines built at each of the "good" stations and other guests were intolerably rude, cutting long lines by walking up from the "plating" (exit) areas versus the chef areas. Rude guests, of course, are not the event's fault. The lack of obvious queuing areas and inadequacy of crowd control absolutely are the event's fault and it did not go unnoticed.

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We most enjoyed the (new this year) Bubbles Lounge, where the atmosphere and decorations were most concentrated. The convention space understandably lacked ambiance and the bubble lounge had charm in spades, comparatively. The food wasn't a highlight here, as it was basically boring finger sandwiches, but there was sparkling wine so that made up for the pedestrian fare. Of the spaces, our least favorite was the "back" ballroom, which housed the stage for the live musicians, and during the time we were in that space the music was uncomfortably loud.

I would be open to trying this event in the future if I am already going to be at Walt Disney World on a weekend when it will be held. The food offerings seem to change every year so I would try again, hoping for a better menu. This year I made a special trip for the food and wine classic and won't do that again. I didn't take very nice looking photos (I had only my phone, not my camera, and eventually gave up taking photos all together). Apologies in advance for the quality, but here are some photos:

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Sushi - my mom really enjoyed this. I thought it was fine but lacking something. She has become a sushi aficionado, and I thought it was fine, but at this type of event I am expecting "WOW!"

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Shula's beef offering. This was pretty good and the potatoes (that you can't really see here) were heavenly. I actually went back later and asked for just potatoes, which confused them, but they gave me a small serving.

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China Town area - if I recall the offerings were a duck bun and a pork dumpling. The dumpling was run of the mill but the duck bun was pretty good!

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The lobster roll was a stand-out, with tons of lobster and this would have been a high dollar item elsewhere.

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Cibs Smokehouse offerings tend to get panned, but I thought this was pretty good: Roasted & Smoked Iberico Pork, Fennel Puree, Honey Caramelized Apple, Buttered Turnip

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Sweet corn risotto balls - I hate corn (I know, I know :duck:) but like arancini so I hoped I would like these but, guess what, they tasted like corn, DUH! So I did not.

I can't find the full 2017 menu posted anywhere any more since 2018 menus are out now, so I don't have a description for this:

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Pasta that I don't remember anything about. I guess that's enough of a review on that.

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Funnel cake from the carnival trucks - these did not have a line and I was so hungry by this point I ate several, just to have something substantial to soak up all that wine!

Finally, the ugly of the event:

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I took this photo for the sole purpose of my review, just to show that I wasn't being overly harsh for no good reason. This was common throughout the event - plates of discards and trash everywhere. There was not a lack of seating but I guess there was a lack of staffing for the discards to have built up like this.

Overall, I do think we got our money's worth from this, but I am in no rush to repeat it. I would rather load the cost of the event onto a disney gift card and spend the same amount of time eating around Epcot's food and wine festival, or doing a "crawl" through the Swan and Dolphin lounges and just selecting menu items that appeal to me.

I am not rushing back to this event, but I wouldn't rule it out either if I am there during that weekend. I do want to experience it in its regular format outside on the causeway. If I do this event again, I will approach it as a wine tasting (a really EXPANSIVE wine tasting with lots of options) that offers small bites on the side. I would also pour out more of the wine or ask for smaller pours since I did not feel my best the next day, to say the least...

next up: an offsite review of hungover brunch at Hash House a Go Go!
 
The event was moved indoors to the Dolphin ballrooms due to inclement weather. It seems obvious that we should have known from the number of empty tents on the causeway between the Swan and Dolphin that the event had been moved, but there was absolutely NO signage reflecting this anywhere. We had indicated we'd pick up our tickets via will-call when we purchased them, and we interacted with no fewer than 5 staff members in checking in. None of them mentioned that the event would be held indoors or where. Thankfully we were early so after walking around for a while trying to figure out where we were supposed to be, we noticed a group who'd just checked in going down an escalator to the convention space and followed them to the event.

Ugh that's really crappy that they weren't prepared.


I love this picture of you! I agree the Bubble Lounge looks awesome compared to the rest.

I took this photo for the sole purpose of my review, just to show that I wasn't being overly harsh for no good reason. This was common throughout the event - plates of discards and trash everywhere. There was not a lack of seating but I guess there was a lack of staffing for the discards to have built up like this.

Overall, I do think we got our money's worth from this, but I am in no rush to repeat it. I would rather load the cost of the event onto a disney gift card and spend the same amount of time eating around Epcot's food and wine festival, or doing a "crawl" through the Swan and Dolphin lounges and just selecting menu items that appeal to me.

I am not rushing back to this event, but I wouldn't rule it out either if I am there during that weekend. I do want to experience it in its regular format outside on the causeway. If I do this event again, I will approach it as a wine tasting (a really EXPANSIVE wine tasting with lots of options) that offers small bites on the side. I would also pour out more of the wine or ask for smaller pours since I did not feel my best the next day, to say the least...

That doesn't sound worth it. There's no way we could make it there on the weekend of the F&W Classic, but it is something I've been curious about when I've read a few reviews. I definitely feel like it's a good choice to just do F&W.
 
And I went with the Brisket Sandwich - with Pimento Cheese, Lil' John's BBQ, Picked Jalapeños and Crispy Onions. Served with a Pickle Spear $14.

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Though tempted, neither of us opted for a s
This looks amazing! Glad you guys liked it.

Sorry that the event didn't hold up to what you wanted it to be. Why do people need to be so rude and gross sometimes....
 
I NEED THESE! Except I would totally break them, I'm only allowed to have stemless as I tend to lose my center of gravity with the second glass of wine... :D
Too funny as I sit here drinking from a stemless glass. I tend to have the same issue. Also our dogs have not once, but twice, swiped a glass with their tail and took the stem clean off.

Okay maybe my taste buds were off or maybe I was just full of other tasty stuff? Guess I need to go do a re-review! You know, for science. Statistical standard deviations or something.
Yes, you must do this in the name of science alone!

Okay I am certain we must have something like this in Atlanta and now I feel compelled to go find it. I don't really have anything against even regular fried chicken but KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN?! Nom!!!
Do you all not have Korean Fried Chicken down there? I love good ole American fried chicken, but somehow the Koreans are truly the masters. We live in a town that has a huge Korean population so we have not 1, not 2, but 3 within about 5 minutes from our house. Not dangerous at all!

So, I have a #sorrynotsorry for you guys as I am really trying to power through these updates so I can crank through as much as possible prior to my next trip, as I am afraid I will get really busy again ahead of the wedding. So with that non-apology, I present a couple more updates :flower3::flower3::flower3:
Well at least you apologized. I guess I'll accept your rose :P

So, later the same month my next trip occurred because I had decided to ask for Swan & Dolphin Food and Wine Classic Causeway Tickets for my birthday (which had been in August) and my other Disney buddy and partner in crime, my mom, happily obliged. Here we are:

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1. Love Mom. While you all look alike, she definitely does not skew old enough to be Mom and
2. I didn't know you were an August baby. I'm one too - the 20th - when is your's? #LeosUnite (presuming of course you were born in the right part of the month :P)

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#vacaymodeENGAGE! :drinking1
Love how you all vacay!

Well it's a good dang thing we didn't order sides, because these sandwiches were absolutely massive. We weren't even able to finish them! Despite hearing warnings when it opened that this place is not a good value, I believe it absolutely was. We got an annual pass discount on the sandwiches and the beers weren't expensive for the size (in Disney prices, at least).
Wow, those sandwiches look and sound amazing. Will definitely need to be polite and give the pig a chance

We attended the Saturday evening portion of the Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic (10/28/17). This was my first Food and Wine Classic and (spoiler alert) I was very disappointed, mostly with the event organization.
:sad::sad::sad:

We had indicated we'd pick up our tickets via will-call when we purchased them, and we interacted with no fewer than 5 staff members in checking in. None of them mentioned that the event would be held indoors or where.
That is ridiculous. Was the weather not bad that you wouldn't' have known it was moved organically?

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(it's like letter size or maybe a smidge larger)

So you had to go up to each one to actually see what they were pouring, and then I felt guilty if I just read the sign and walked away. I know that's dumb, but I just wanted some semblance of organization.
Not dumb at all. Clearly they were not prepared to take an outdoor event and move it indoors and they should have been.

I would be open to trying this event in the future if I am already going to be at Walt Disney World on a weekend when it will be held. The food offerings seem to change every year so I would try again, hoping for a better menu.
We almost did this last year - and it would have been the sole purpose of the trip - so glad we didn't now.

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China Town area - if I recall the offerings were a duck bun and a pork dumpling. The dumpling was run of the mill but the duck bun was pretty good!
Though i totally when have been all over this

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The lobster roll was a stand-out, with tons of lobster and this would have been a high dollar item elsewhere.
This does look awesome! Oddly we are sitting here watching Andrew Zimmerman and he is in Portland Maine eating a lobster roll twice that size for $25. So it sounds like a good deal.

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I took this photo for the sole purpose of my review, just to show that I wasn't being overly harsh for no good reason. This was common throughout the event - plates of discards and trash everywhere. There was not a lack of seating but I guess there was a lack of staffing for the discards to have built up like this.
Yikes! That is just unacceptable!
 
Finally on a computer so I could properly respond, Lisa.
That slow experience is definitely my favorite kind of trip! I am interested to see how this bachelorette thing works out - whether being with lots of people will encourage me to stop and smell the roses or hustle me back into "once in a lifetime" mode.

We definitely did this last trip in that mode. So few days in the parks. We keep talking about our next trip and now it goes like "we can have a late lunch at Sanaa and THEN go to AK and maybe see RoL" (haven't seen it yet). Last time we did Sanaa it was after dark but it's on the list again.

:dance3: Go Lisa! Go Lisa! Go Lisa! (that's my best happy dance... oh wait also this one :woohoo:)

this is my favorite happy dance. and yes I really do it! :banana:


Trail's End is like $25 or something, so I would do that without hesitation even on a tiny tummy... but the $80 adult price at California Grill with no real opportunity for leftovers would probably make me think twice, as it is you. The real positive is that since so much of it is self-serve, you could just serve yourself one bite of everything! But I am not sure if it would be worth it. It's so hard to say! Do you have a separate cruise report or is it coming up in your DR? I can't keep anything straight anymore.. haha
yeah I am being stupid even considering it, lol. I would only consider it if I could somehow work out a good use of the DDP and blow the rest of the credits on high priced character meals I would not do otherwise.


Did I tell you that our wedding is lightly tiki themed? I would love it if everyone wore a tiki dress to mine... but I am all for any special occasion to get a nice new outfit!!

invite me and I'll wear mine, haha. I love the tiki birds. BF suggested that maybe the tiki bird dress might be appropriate for the "welcome pizza party" at the hipster pizza place rather than the wedding. He might be right. Watch out for tiki bird dress photos in my review when I get to "optional dress up night" with Captain Mickey.

I'm not going to quote your review of the swolphin thing but come visit me here and I'll take you for a good lobster roll! The Church does it best in summer if you want traditional but if you want "hot buttered lobster roll" I like the square rigger. YUMMMMMMM Now one of them is 2 meals for me, lol.
 
:wave: Hi there! I'll admit I was intrigued with your dining report name because I had no idea what it meant. Before I knew it, I was sucked into your review.
I love your ears (so unique!), and also the way you described the pizza at Via Napoli inspired me to make an ADR for our September trip. :thumbsup2
 
:wave: Hi there! I'll admit I was intrigued with your dining report name because I had no idea what it meant. Before I knew it, I was sucked into your review.
I love your ears (so unique!), and also the way you described the pizza at Via Napoli inspired me to make an ADR for our September trip. :thumbsup2
Hunky Tuna Toastada was a line from the Tiki Room under new management... it was Iago's failed attempt at repeating "Hakuna Matata" when Zazu says it.

Obviously I am way too much of a tiki room fan :D That's why I NEEDED the dress!!!!
 
Hunky Tuna Toastada was a line from the Tiki Room under new management... it was Iago's failed attempt at repeating "Hakuna Matata" when Zazu says it.

Obviously I am way too much of a tiki room fan :D That's why I NEEDED the dress!!!!
Ray makes fun of me because I actually don't like the Tiki Room and we haven't done it the last few trips. :rolleyes1
However I *love* my Tiki Room dress!
 
What a bummer about the Swolphin event. Come on guys, it's Orlando. It rains there. How could you not have a good back up plan? And it's been around for several years no, right? I'm always disappointed when tables aren't getting cleared of trash too... The bubbles lounge photos came out cute though! That makes it worth it, right? :laughing: I think you've got the right idea with taking the ticket cost and doing your own crawl or spending it at F&W.

And because I was super behind:

Our next stop was the Africa booth for an item I had been coveting, which I ordered post haste. The Spinach and Paneer Cheese Pocket with Mint Raita – $4.00 was a nice portion size for the price and was packed with delicious spicy flavors. The mint raita was a nice cool complement to the unique spice flavors that had a little bit of hot-spice as well as curry type spice. I really enjoyed this and would definitely get it again.

I'm kind of sad we never hit the Africa booth after your reviews. Especially this guy!

Smoked Corned Beef with Warm Crispy Potatoes, Pickled Onions and Blonde Ale Beer Fondue featuring BelGioioso Romano and America Grana Cheeses – $5.00, a better serving than we'd had on our previous visit. What possible accolades can I add to the fact that these were salty, cheesy, beefy crisps?

YUM. These were tasty - they would make a great app somewhere, I think. Or a quick service meal :)

These are the pork nachos - Pulled Pork Nachos topped with Onions, Cheese, Spicy Mayo, Tomatoes, and Pineapple Salsa (ours were ordered with pineapple salsa on the side). $7.92 after our 20% annual pass discount. You can't tell from the photo but this was a massive portion! They are made on kettle chips and are so flavorful and perfect for snacking. Both R and I ate all we could and we still had some to put in the refrigerator. I am not a fan of pineapple on savory things, but the pineapple salsa that came with these was actually pretty good. I'm still glad it wasn't covering the entire serving though.

I still want to try these. I've never been a pineapple fan, but I have been enjoying pineapple salsa, and similar salsas too, like the mango one at the India booth.

First up, we have my two favorite Citricos selections - the arancini and the cheese plate. The menu describes the arancini as crispy risotto, mascarpone, and zesty garlic poma rosa sauce. ($13). :cloud9: Citricos makes arancini like I've never had it elsewhere. I'm sure y'all are tired of me reviewing this dish, but I cannot resist it. When I'm at home, I crave it. I try to order it other places, cross my fingers, and wish, but it's never *this* arancini. It's incredibly moist - maybe due to the mascarpone? While it is flavorful and cheesy, it still manages to be light. And the tomato sauce is fresh, flavorful, and slightly spicy without being overly acidic. It's simply perfection. Did I mention fried? Because it is. NOM!
That looks freaking amazing. We have not really hit anything at the monorail resorts except Cali Grill for dinner on night. I need more! It's so hard to choose!

Debacle sorted out, we went to the Tambu Lounge over at the Poly for a nightcap, but of course I didn't take any photos. Just picture a tropical drink. In a pineapple.
Ok, we really need to hit more food/etc on the monorail loop. I actually started planning a Memorial Day weekend trip, based around resort food and the waterparks (which we like but we haven't done any in Florida), and then I remembered my cousin is getting married that weekend.

Tiramisu with Italian Sorella Mascarpone and Chocolate Sauce $12.00. Maybe it's something in the mascarpone at Citricos, but this was another gem. I absolutely love tiramisu and have a hard time resisting it anywhere, but it's certainly hard to say no to tiramisu in bed with the monorail whooshing quietly by outside your patio. And with that, another heavenly night at the Grand Floridian was complete.
What better end to a night could you ask for? Looks and sounds amazing to me!

Okay, that's better and definitely better than our view from home. Which never has monorails, for some reason!
Everything is better with monorails!

Got my engagement photos back and I absolutely love them.
Eeeeee it's fabulous! I need to fb stalk to see if there are more :)

Mai-tais! Which is the answer, of course, to "How do you get a hippo out of a tree?" (TWO SHOTS OF RUM!)
I want this cup...

R and I shared kid's corn dog nuggets and nachos with tons of fixins.
Our last trip we split the nachos and taco platter, but I wish we'd gotten corn dog nuggets! I didn't even notice them on the menu. It must have been because I was too busy trying to talk Zack into ordering the Country Bears Jug, because I won't drink anything you can get in it...

And what's a visit to the France booth without Passion slushes?
Delicious!
 
Ya know.....we have been to the Swan and Dolphin food and wine classic three times and absolutely loved it. BUT it has always been outdoors. I cannot even imagine what it would be like if they had to move everything indoors! When it is outside, there is a ton of space to absorb all of the booths, the bands, the crowds of people. I am not a fan of crowds and the fact that it is so spread out is what makes it bearable for me. I would be so upset if it had to be crammed indoors! Loved your review of the California Grill brunch. I have it booked for April and have been hemming and hawing about spending that much money for one meal! Neither my husband or I are big eaters but we do like to have a little bit of everything and we definitely like champagne!
 
Loved your dining reviews! That California Brunch always looks amazing and yet it doesn't seem to ever fit in our plans. Someday!

Your engagement photo is beautiful, congratulations!

What a disappointment in the Food & Wine Classic. I've never heard of this, but I don't think I'll be trying to hard to get there since it doesn't seem like a well-organized event.
 

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