Just a reminder to everyone! The Epcot International Food and Wine Festival officially opens tomorrow!

The shrimp taco was one of my favorite treats last year. What was yours? Don’t forget to check out this year’s new booths:

Florida will be offering shrimp ceviche with fire roasted veggies, fried plantains and cilantro, as well as a white corn arepa with pork rillette and sweet corn salad. There are local brews and cocktails available too! The Florida booth is located in the American Adventure Pavilion!

Terra is the new vegetarian both to check out! There will be a veggie chili and a veggie “chicken” curry! The Terra booth is located at the entrance to World Showcase from Future World.

Those will be my first visits tomorrow and then I’ll probably head to Mexico for my crispy shrimp taco fix!

If you have a Chase Visa there is a card holder’s lounge in the Festival Center–I’m going to check that out tomorrow as well!

Don’t forget that Epcot’s 3oth anniversary is on Monday! There are special events being hosted all day. The limited edition Epcot 30 merchandise hits the shelves tomorrow! (Some of it is very limited–the iPhone case I have my eye on is an addition of only 300 pieces!)

Bistro de Paris in Epcot’s France Pavilion has won the Theme Park Insider’s award for Best Restaurant three years in a row. Since 2002 only three others have won this distinction: Blue Bayou at Disneyland, Mythos at Universal’s Island’s of Adventure and Chefs de France right down stairs from Bistro. (Mythos managed to win six years in a row.) Best theme park restaurant is certainly subjective. I think the best restaurant in a theme park is the Hollywood Brown Derby at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. However, the people have spoken, which meant that I needed to go eat! (You can find out more about the Theme Park Insider at http://www.themeparkinsider.com/)

Bistro de Paris is a Signature Dining restaurant at Walt Disney World. There are only a handful of them and they are supposed to have the highest level of service and the best quality of food. This also makes them small, popular, and expensive. As we will soon see, just because it’s expensive doesn’t mean it’s good. If you are going to head to Bistro de Paris and you are using the Disney Dining Plan, be aware that your meal will cost you two Table Service Credits. The only discount available at Bistro is the Tables in Wonderland card and Bistro de Paris is only open for dinner.

I absolutely love Chefs de France, so I assumed that I would love it’s big brother. We all know what happens when you assume, right? I already knew the wine list was impeccable. If you ask nicely they will let you order from the Bistro by the bottle list at Chefs. I headed into the France Pavilion quite a bit early for my reservation and found the small sign and hostess stand that barely announces that there is a restaurant to be found within. It was no problem to be seated early and I was whisked away up the stairs. It’s a good thing too, because there isn’t any waiting area down stairs. Once up the stairs I was met by another host who told me they would be able to seat me in just a few minutes. About five minutes later I was being led through an almost empty dining room to a table for two in the center area of the room.

My waiter greeted me shortly there after and I ordered a bottle of sparkling water and asked for time to peruse the wines by the glass list. My waiter explained that they only had liter size bottles of sparkling, did I want something else? I also explained to him that I had noted on the reservation that I had an allergy and since he hadn’t mentioned it, I wanted to make sure he knew. He looked vaguely confused. My sparkling water appeared while I looked at the menu, although a chef from the kitchen did not.

My waiter came back to the table to take my dinner order and I let him know what I wanted. He took the order and went back to the kitchen to talk to the chef. He was back fairly quickly to let me know that everything I had ordered had nuts in it. One of the dishes they could take them out of, but not the others. Okay then. It took three trips back to the kitchen to determine what I could and couldn’t have. I would have been a lot happier if they had just sent someone who knew the menu out to talk to me in the first place. Turns out that five of the seven appetizers on the menu have nuts in them. I was so frustrated that I didn’t even bother with asking about entrees. It would have taken another year. I decided to go with two appetizers and dessert.

After all of this happened, the glass of wine I ordered, a Pouilly Fumé appeared at the table along with a French baguette, butter and as amuse bouche of vichyssoise (cold leek soup) with a Parmesan froth. I wondered, as I ate, why there wasn’t a French cheese used for this, however it might have been the best bite I had for most of the evening!

My first course of Serrano ham with celery root remoulade and artichoke hearts arrived, after about twenty minutes. I can only assume that my waiter had to grab the dish from some crazy French chef and pick the nuts off of it himself. It looks tasty and it was. The saltiness of the ham pared well with the delicate flavors of artichoke and the celery root, which was almost a slaw, provided a nice textural balance. The dots of balsamic glaze placed around the plate added another element of both sweet and sour to the dish. Unfortunately, or not as would later seem to be the case, this dish is enormous. It is definitely big enough for two people to share if they have entrees following. I was almost full when I finished. While I was waiting for my next course I noticed fairly large sized entrees going out to other tables. I would be prepared for larger than normal French restaurant portions. Bigger, however, is not always better.

My next dish was to be a fresh goat cheese terrine with tomato aspic and zucchini salad. The dish looked lovely upon arrival, all topped with tiny micro herbs. Alas, I had two bites and sent it back to the kitchen–it was too rich to eat. Everything on the plate from the cheese to the vinegar dressing on the zucchini was acidic and altogether unpalatable. I really wanted to love this dish because I love cheese, but it was not to be. I would steer clear of this one.

I probably should have just wrapped it up there, but a French restaurant can’t possible ruin dessert. Thankfully Bistro de Paris lived up to it’s reputation when it came time for my raspberry soufflé. It was perfectly cooked with red raspberries running throughout and a warm chocolate center. The red berry sorbet that came along side it was delightfully refreshing against the chocolate. Beware, however, that this is a blond soufflé base with chocolate inside, not chocolate and chocolate. Sadly, a bad restaurant experience cannot be saved by dessert. Between the very slow service, the lack of menu knowledge of the waiter, the absence of the chef in the dining room, and an inedible course, I don’t think I’ll be rushing back to Bistro de Paris unless they change the menu. I’ll have to be content with Chefs de France.

Those of you who have been following my blog, know that I’ve been absent for a few weeks. My apologies, but I’m back and settled in at my new apartment in Orlando, Florida! If you’ve been following, you also know that I decided to eat at Liberty Tree Tavern for my first meal in Orlando. I know you’ve had to wait, but I’m back with the review of my experience. I’ve been to Liberty Tree Tavern several times in the past few months and I have really enjoyed every dinner I’ve had. I have yet to make it over there for lunch, but it’s on my list of things to do! Liberty Tree Tavern serves Thanksgiving Dinner all year round and it’s one of my favorite dining experiences at Walt Disney World. The Colonial Tavern theming perfectly matches the rustic home style food they serve. I also appreciate that every single time I’ve been there the service has been above average, even though the dining room is always busy and I can frequently tell that the servers are over loaded with tables!

When you arrive at the Liberty Tree you are greeted by hosts dressed in Colonial garb and welcomed into the check in area, which is just to the left of the door. I’ve noticed that this area can be particularly congested right at dinner time. Reservations are almost certainly necessary for dinner, as I’ve seen lots of disappointed guests turned away right at the door. You may be able to walk up for lunch, your best bet is to try right around 11:30am, before the lunch rush starts! After checking in, you’ll likely be given a pager and be told to wait in the spacious Great Room. There are several sitting areas scattered around the outside edge of the room and a table set up with crayons and patriotic Minnie and Mickey designs for the kiddos to color. Of course, if there’s room, the adults are welcome to color as well! When the buzzer goes off and your family name is called, you’ll be escorted into one of several dining rooms. Each dining room is themed to a particular Colonial Era leader: George and Martha Washington, Ben Franklin, and Betsy Ross are just a few of them.

On my most recent visit I was seated in the John Paul Jones Dining Room, which has a nautical theme.  John Paul Jones was a Scottish sailor who is considered the first hero of the American Navy. He commanded several different ships during the American Revolution and was responsible for the conquest of many different British vessels during the war.

After being seated, your server will take your beverage order. All non-alcoholic beverages are included in the cost of your meal, except for Patriot’s Punch and Glowing Character Punch, those come with a take home Liberty Tree Tavern mug and will run you just over $8.00 extra. Dinner costs $35.99 for adults and $17.99 for children and is an all you care to eat meal.

The sponsorship at LTT has changed recently. Stouffer’s is out and Craisins by Oceanspray has taken over. This has resulted in some menu changes, but the mac and cheese is still the Stouffer’s variety.

After your drinks arrive both rolls and salad arrive at the table. The rolls come with maple syrup butter, which is definitely on the sweet side. I noticed that the rolls themselves have changed slightly and are flatter and more airy then I remember from past visits. Don’t fill up on bread, there’s plenty more coming! The salad is a garden salad with tomato, cucumber, lettuce and onion and is dressed with a strawberry vinaigrette. The vinaigrette is again sweet, but I find I really enjoy it! One of the things I noticed on this visit is that they have adjusted the portion size for solo diners. In the past, I’ve had a huge bowl of salad arrive that takes up most of the table for two, when you figure in the salad plate and the rolls that are still on the table. I was pleased to find that a serving for one, on a salad plate, was delivered to my table on this visit. This is a vast improvement for solo diners. You can always ask for more salad if you’d like it!

After the salad course, the huge Thanksgiving themed spread begins to arrive at the table. Once again, in the past I’ve been overwhelmed by the number of plates that arrived at my very small table. This course has been redesigned for the solo traveler as well. I ended up with one plate with a little bit of everything. Liberty Tree Tavern has added zucchini as an additional veggie and I was excited to see more green on my plate and slightly less of the offending orange mac and cheese. I’m not a huge fan of Stouffer’s mac and cheese and my visits to LTT have not increased my love. (They don’t sponsor anymore, so maybe we could get some yummy homemade mac and cheese, couldn’t we?)

In addition to those two items you’ll find green beans, mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey, strip steak, and another change! LTT used to serve what I thought of as holiday ham, that’s been replaced by a very tasty pork loin! I only had a few slivers of the pork on my plate and after the first bite, I immediately asked for more! I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the beef on my plate was closer to medium rare than the medium well I usually find. I’ve always been amazed that LTT cooks so many turkeys every single day and I’ve never had a single piece of dried out turkey wind up on my plate. I’ll probably never cook another turkey at my home, so if I’m going to eat it–this is the place!

The major change at Liberty Tree Tavern over the course of the last few months has been the dessert course. The old apple crumble with vanilla ice cream is a thing of the past. I was initially concerned about this because nothing says Thanksgiving like apple pie to me and the dessert at LTT was a pretty close second to my Grandma’s apple pie. Fear not! The new apple and craisin cake, which is still served with vanilla ice cream is fantastic. I think I like it better than the old dessert option. I know that I managed to polish off the entire thing. Then I promptly needed a nap!

This was the perfect first meal in Orlando for me! It gave me a sense of home and was full of things that I never cook for myself. If you haven’t been to Liberty Tree Tavern, you should make a point to stop in on your next trip. It certainly isn’t gourmet, but it is the essence of comfort food in America!

Have fun Dining Out Disney!

It was difficult enough to think about a last meal in New Orleans. We have so many great restaurants. Add a first meal of the rest of your life into the mix and I ended up spending a lot of time looking at menus and thinking about what I really wanted from my last meal/first meal.

I knew that for my last meal in New Orleans I wanted something that was quintessentially New Orleans. There are lots of options for that modifier. How dressed up do you want to get? How much money do you want to spend? Do you want one last meal at your favorite restaurant? I eventually made a decision, fortunately I made one in time to get a reservation at the restaurant that says “New Orleans” to me.

On Wednesday night I’ll be having dinner at K-Paul’s. http://www.chefpaul.com/kpaul There isn’t a single restaurant in town that says New Orleans and good bye like K-Paul’s. Chef Paul Prudhomme is a household name–I bet you can find his spice mixes in your local grocery store. Paul started his rise to stardom as the Executive Chef at Commander’s Palace. He and his late wife, K opened K-Paul’s in 1979. It used to be a bunch of picnic tables and crazy waiters. Today you get a real table, and get to sit by yourself, in his Chartres St restaurant. I thought about going to Antoine’s http://www.antoines.com/ It’s the oldest fine dining establishment in the city. However, I didn’t want to have to get really dressed before driving. I thought about having dinner at  Stella!  http://restaurantstella.com/ It’s the top Zagat rated restaurant in town. Then I realized I’d rather have that $300 in my pocket. Plus Stella! is no fun if you can’t do the wine paring. As it turns out I’m really looking forward to Turtle Soup and Fried Green Tomatoes at K-Paul’s. (If anyone in the New Orleans are would like to join me for my last dinner–drop me a line–I’m dining alone).

Then I starting thinking about my first meal. I got lots of great suggestions from my last blog about The First Meal of the Rest of Your Life. California Grill would be a great place for a special dinner. Citricos is my favorite place to have a special dinner. I love the wine list at Jiko. I love the view at Narcoossee’s. I love the menu at Hollywood Brown Derby and I love the idea of Hollywood and new beginnings. I love Yachtsman. I’ve never had a better steak. I hate Le Cellier–they can’t cook a steak properly.

I made a very different choice for my first meal. I went with Home.  What says Home to you? The restaurant that says Home to me is Liberty Tree Tavern. I realize that this wasn’t even mentioned in my blog comments. I was looking for ideas not taking a poll for my first meal. I ended up making a reservation for 7ish on my first night in town. I could have made reservations at Cali Grill or Jiko, but for me that very first meal needed to be in the Magic Kingdom and it needed to be in time to be able to see Wishes at 10pm. Those are the things that I decided were super important for the first meal of the rest of my life!

So thanks to the PassPorter who made me realize that my first meal was about ME! And thanks to all of you who are reading my blog. And thanks to everyone in New Orleans who has impacted my life. I’m almost ready and life in Orlando is about to start for me!

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Jennifer and Sara just did a PassPorter Podcast (If you aren’t listening you should be!) on the best places to get a drink in Walt Disney World. I’m going to share my five best places to get a drink at Walt Disney World, but my choices have a slightly different bent to them. I cannot argue that Mizner’s Lounge or any of their other choices are not great places to grab a drink. My choices are completely based on the staff serving your drinks and the unique qualities that some of the bars at Walt Disney World have. There are tons of great drink choices in Walt Disney World. However, there are some very special bartenders that I’ve run across in the past few years. At least from my perspective, the person pouring my drink is just as important as the cocktail in front of me. I’m sad to tell you that this post will have very few photos, but you’ll get to meet some very special cast members, even though I don’t know some of their names.

My first spot to get a great drink is the Belle Vue Lounge at the Boardwalk. The lounge itself is very cozy and the bar is very small. I believe there are only about six seats at the bar. There are a few tables and couches in the lounge area, but if I can’t get a seat at the bar I keep walking. Every time I walk in the bartender working there remembers me, which is amazing considering how many people they see over the course of a year, I believe the gentleman I see every time I’m there is named Allen. The bartenders at the Belle Vue are experts in classic cocktails. It might be the one place you can order a Grasshopper on property and not have the bartender look at you funny. That, by the way, is my favorite cocktail to order there. Sadly the cocktail list is the same as at every other resort hotel bar. The bartenders there were working on their own cocktail list, but management decided to go with the standard list. The environment resembles a game room in an old seaside resort and I just cannot get over how wonderful the experience is when you sit down for a drink.

My next favorite place to have a drink at Walt Disney World is La Cava del Tequila. Everyone knows that I love margaritas and this is the best place to get one. The folks who run the Mexican Pavilion have brought in tequila specialists and have created great margarita menus at the restaurants, but the ones in the tiny bar in the Mexican Pavilion are just better. They are super pricey at about $12 a piece, but the care that goes into crafting them is worth it. There is also a fantastic tequila selection, if you’d like to try sipping on one. They also serve some small snack items. I believe the menu used to be larger, but now consists mostly of chips and dips. I used to plan PassPorter meets at the margarita stand outside Mexico. I now plan meets inside at the tequila bar. The environment is very cozy and there are great tables for sharing a drink and having some conversation. You can get your margarita to go if you are getting ready to watch Illuminations. I’ve also found this a great spot to hide out and people watch, especially on colder nights!

Next on my list is Victoria Falls. This spot holds a special place in my heart because every time I’ve been to Victoria Falls the bartenders have all been from the fine state of Louisiana. However, that isn’t my only reason for including it. The reason I think it is one of the best places to get a drink in all of Walt Disney World is because of the wine and beer list. They do offer the regular resort cocktail list, but they also offer a list that is primarily South African wines and beers. As far as I can tell it is the only hotel bar, besides the one at Wilderness Lodge to offer a regional list. I love South African wines and this is always a stop for me, even if I’m not staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. They offer wine varietals that are specific to South Africa like Chenin Blanc and Pinotage. They also carry the African beer Tusker. The bartenders here really know their stuff. I love hearing about the new things they’ve added since my last visit. I’m also going to offer a plug for the wine tasting that is offered at Jiko on Wednesday afternoons. A mere $25 buys you three different tastings as well as cheese and fruit plates and a bit of wine education. Call Jiko for more information.

There can be no argument on my next choice, because they have the best by the glass wine list in all of Walt Disney World and some of the most inventive cocktails on property as well. I absolutely love going up to California Grill to have a glass of wine or a cocktail and an appetizer. They have a fabulous wine list that represents the best wineries in California–which you can get by the glass. They also have a cocktail menu that isn’t the standard resort cocktail menu. If you time your drinks right, and they will actually let you go up to CG just to have a drink, you might be able to see Wishes from the bar. The best place to sit, however, isn’t at the main bar, it’s a the sushi bar. If you are very lucky you will get to watch their sushi specialist, Yoshi, crafting wonderful plates of eats. I highly advise that you sample some, if you happen to score one of these coveted stools. My absolute favorite thing to do is to order a glass (okay a bottle!) of champagne right before Wishes and take my glass out to the balcony viewing area to watch the show. Keep in mind that there are two viewing areas and if the one off of the main dining room is packed, there may not be anyone on the second platform closer to the private dining rooms. I know that I’ve watched Christmas Wishes in the rain with my glass of bubbly and tears streaming down my face, and been the only one out there. (It was raining!) It could be a life changing event!

You might be surprised by my last choice. My absolute favorite place to have a drink on all of Walt Disney World property is at the pool bar at Animal Kingdom Lodge. The afternoon bartenders there have become a regular fixture on my trips to WDW, even if I’m not staying at AKL. I stop in to see Bob and Patty no matter where I am staying. These two bartenders have remembered me through five years of trips. It doesn’t matter if I don’t make it back there for a year or so, both of them greet me warmly and by my name! I love spending an afternoon relaxing, getting in and out of the hot tub and sitting with a beverage at the bar. It’s one of my favorite ways to spend a lazy afternoon and I always meet great people while sitting there. Patty has been trying to get me to come work with her for a few years! I’m not going to work for Disney, but I am taking the plunge and moving to Orlando next week. One of my first stops will be to see Patty–as soon as I can figure out what day she works. I know that Disney doesn’t allow pool hopping for regular guests–but all is forgiven if you are just going to have a drink.

What are your favorite places in Walt Disney World to have drinks? Why? Is it the drink itself? Is it the ambiance? Is it the friendly staff? Let me know!

I’m sure you’ve all heard that old saying, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” Well I’ve made some big life changes lately and I’m moving to Orlando. What does that mean for you, my dear readers? It means a couple of things. I’ll be able to attend some of the special events that are designed for Orlando locals. These include Tables in Wonderland dinners, wine dinners at Jiko, and some of the specialty dinners like last year’s Haunted Mansion Room for One More Dinner. It also means that I’ll be able to try out new menus as they change, rather than waiting for my next trip. I’ll be able to go to new restaurants as they are opening. I’ll be able to provide more up to date reviews and information for all of you.

This brings me to a big decision. My very first day in Orlando will be May 31st and so that I have some comfort in making a big change, I’m staying my first night at the Villas Wilderness Lodge. My obsession with food and drink in general is well known. Dining at Disney has become a big part of my life. It’s not only writing this blog, but making dining decisions has been the biggest part of planning my Disney vacations for a long time. I understand that for many of you, where you are staying and what you are going to see at the parks is the first thing that you plan. The first, and most often changed part of my planning, is where I’m going to eat. I take polls. I obsess. I ask lots of questions and spend hours pouring over changes in menu items.  Ultimately, I’ve had a lot of wonderful meals, even if I am sometimes overly critical of the food and staff.

I’m looking as the very first meal I eat on my very first night in Orlando as The First Meal of the Rest of My Life. So I’m reaching out to you. Where would you have that very first meal? It might not sound all that important, but my obsession with food and all things Disney come together in my love of Disney Dining. I have now eaten in all but two of the sit down restaurants at the parks and resorts. The two I haven’t been too really just don’t appeal to me very much: Boatwright’s and Hollywood and Vine. I promise I’ll get to them eventually. I haven’t conquered all of Downtown Disney yet, but I’m working on that too.

So I’m asking you. Where would you have the first meal of the rest of your life? And perhaps more important, why would you choose this location? Is there a restaurant that is particularly special for you? Or a restaurant that, to you, represents the beginning of a journey? I’ll, of course, listen to all of your thoughts, but I can tell you that there are three locations that are off the table for me. I’m not going to go to Victoria and Albert’s by myself. That is an experience I think is better shared with someone else. Two other Signature Restaurants have been sour experiences for me in the past few months: Artist Point is one and Bistro de Paris is the other. I’m looking forward to trying them again in the future, but I know that they aren’t the spot for this very important first meal. I also highly doubt that I could get a reservation at Le Cellier at this late date.

I can’t wait to hear what everyone else would do! I’ll be posting back again soon to let you know what I’ve decided and of course a write up of my first meal will follow!

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On my most recent trip to the World, I dined solo at Akershus Royal Banquet hall. I checked in early and was hoping to get seated before my dining time because I had plans to meet friends after dinner. Unfortunately, I was herded into a corral full of people waiting to be seated. The waiting area for Akershus is in full sun with no where to sit down. I really wish they would go to a beeper system so that we could wander the Norway Pavilion while waiting for our names to be called. It might improve the sales at the nearby shops. (It would also help if the nearby shops were a little more affordable.)

Family name after family name was called, until it was exactly time for my Advance Dining Reservation. Then I waited five more minutes for my last name to be called. The mood in the waiting corral was not so pleasant. There were lots of unhappy princesses. The youngsters didn’t understand what or why they were waiting out in the sun in a very small space.

Me and Belle!

I entered the restaurant after my name was called and was handed a small slip with my name on it. I held onto the small slip as I was ushered into another, thankfully smaller, line. There were three families ahead of me waiting to get photos with the hostess of the meal: Belle. I’m not exactly sure why Belle is the hostess of the meal in Norway. She’s French! There isn’t a Norwegian Disney Princess, so the logic of this meal defies all explanation! I’m going to guess that the Norwegian restaurant wasn’t getting enough traffic, so Disney decided to turn it into a character meal with Princesses. The demand is certainly high enough! I eventually got to meet Belle. She asked me where my Beast was, and I had to tell her that I had left him at home. I only waited for the photo because the Photopass Photo from this meal is included in the cost of your meal. This is the photo taken with my camera. The ones from the Photopass Photag are actually a little better.

I was seated almost immediately after my photo session with Belle. I noticed as I walked through the room that there were no tables for two in the entire restaurant. This explained my long wait outside. I had figured that if I checked in early I would be seated early. I couldn’t see much demand for solo diners or even parties of two at Akershus. Apparently I was correct. They don’t even have tables for parties of one or two.    There are tons of tables for four and lots of tables for parties of five or six. I wonder if it wouldn’t make sense for this restaurant to have some tables for two that could easily be pushed together to accommodate a party of four, but pull apart for solo or twosome diners.

Salad Bar choices

I immediately headed to the salad bar after being greeted by my server, who was wonderful throughout the meal. I was a little disappointed by the choices offered on the salad bar. Almost all of the offerings were mayo based salads like chicken, shrimp, potato and pasta. There was a lovely beet and apple salad that was fantastic. Grilled asparagus was another tasty offering. The cold cuts on the bar were just basic cold cut ham and salami. There were three types of cheese as well: swiss, munster, and a Norwegian offering that despite being authentic was almost inedible. The peel and eat shrimp on the bar were so small that they were not worth the effort to actually peel and eat them. I did really enjoy the rolls that were available: crunchy on the outside and nice and soft in the middle. I also really liked the white zin vinaigrette salad dressing that was available for the regular mixed green salad.

Almost immediately after I returned to my table from the “salad” bar the first princess arrived at my table. Snow While was more than nice to me and we had a short conversation, but she was eager to move on to the table next to mine that had several younger princesses at it. The same was true for Aurora. I have to say that the quality of face characters at this meal wasn’t quite up to par. I sort of felt like the “second team” had showed up for my dinner that night. Snow, Aurora, and Cindy didn’t really look like they were supposed to.

Fungus

My entreé arrived in between visits from Snow and Aurora and I was less than pleased. What could have been a wonderful dish was swimming in truffle oil. I really like mushrooms and so I ordered the veggie offering of mushroom stuffed ravioli with parmesan cream. This dish was so rich that I only finished a couple of bites of it before having it taken away. Thankfully my glass of wine cut the richness a little bit and I was able to consume enough to count as an actual meal. It looks really good doesn’t it? Right up until you notice that it’s swimming in oil and it isn’t just regular olive oil, but truffle oil, which is very over powering!

I had planned this meal for two reasons! First reason was that I had never met Princess Ariel! The second was that I’m trying to dine at every single restaurant on property. I’m very close. There is only one restaurant I haven’t been to yet. You can leave your guesses in the comment section.

Well all of the downsides to this meal were saved by a Cast Member and a Princess. I struck up an conversation with the Cast Member who was in charge of making sure that every Princess got to every table. I was a little weepy during the meal because I was thinking about Cam, Luke and Stefanie and how they were doing. I told their story to the CM in charge of Princesses and she shared with me that she was in fact a Breast Cancer Survivor and Disney was her life line. The CM spent a long time talking to me, as she must have known I was feeling a bit down. When Ariel arrived at my table, the CM in charge of Princesses made me tell the story I had told her and I got a huge hug from Ariel and lots of pixies for the Matthews Family.

My dessert and Ariel arrived at the same time and at that moment my whole meal turned around. Ariel spent a lot of time with me, posing for pictures and taking a video for me. Plus dessert. Dessert at Akershus is wonderful. They bring out a trio of selections that includes a chocolate cake, rice pudding and a puff pastry with mascarpone cheese and strawberries. The chocolate cake and the puff pastry are great, but I’m a sucker for rice pudding and this was the real deal. It was amazingly creamy and firm at the same time and I wish I could eat it every day!

I have to say, that while my meal at Akershus was not great, the Cast Members, both my server and the CM in charge of Princesses, made my meal worth every penny. I would not hesitate to book another meal at Akershus, although I think I will try breakfast next!

I called an audible on my first day of my last Walt Disney World trip. I was planning on grabbing some counter service somewhere in Epcot on my first afternoon. However, I heard that The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World had released their results for their most recent dining survey. The restaurant that ended up with the highest guest rating of any park table service restaurant was Tokyo Dining. I thought to myself, “I haven’t been to Tokyo Dining.” As soon as I got to my room at Coronado Springs Resort I logged on to the Disney website using the new, free wifi. I booked myself a lunch reservation at Tokyo Dining.

Tokyo Dining Tables

When I arrived at Tokyo Dining for my 1:30 reservation I was, in a word, exhausted. I had worked a long shift the night before, only gotten about an hour and a half of sleep, and nearly missed my 6:00am flight to Orlando. I was greeted at the desk by three smiling faces. One hostess checked me in, another compiled a bunch of menus for me and the third introduced herself and took me to my table. I didn’t end up with a table at a window, all of those were occupied, but there was a comfortable amount of room between me and the tables on either side. I immediately noticed the calming Japanese music that was playing over the speakers scattered around the dining room ceiling. I was already feeling more relaxed. The combination of the warm welcome and the relaxing music was just what I needed. I began to pour over the menus that had been provided to me. The first was a drink menu, that included wine, sake and cocktails. I know that it is very unlike me, but I decided that a cocktail would probably push me over the edge, in terms of need for sleep.

My server arrived in no time at all and introduced herself as Mami. She actually pronounced it as Mommy, I was feeling better and better about making this decision, considering that I probably should have opted for a nap. I ordered a glass of water and a pot of hot green tea, which arrived in just a few minutes. I continued to pour over the menus. Tokyo Dining offers a prix fixe meal at lunch for $22.50 that includes an appetizer, a choice of four entreés and dessert. After looking that over, I decided that none of the options really appealed to me. I thought about just ordering a couple of appetizers, but decided that one of the meal options was probably a better deal for me.

There are lots of different meal combinations available at Tokyo Dining. They offer tempura combinations, grilled meat combinations, and some specialty combinations. I decided to order one of the tempura combinations. It included miso soup, seaweed and cucumber salad, rice, three pieces of sushi, two pieces of a California roll, and seafood and vegetable tempura. The miso soup was decidedly lacking a spoon, but I was immediately informed that in Japanese culture they pick up the bowl and drink the soup. I did find the soup a little bit over salty. I love salt, so if I think something might be too salty, it probably is very salty for everyone else. The cucumber salad was refreshing and and excellent little bite. The noodle salad had a little bit of bite from some chilies that were tossed with the noodles. It was absolutely wonderful. The spice wasn’t overwhelming, but provided a nice bit of heat. The sushi was nice and fresh, and yes, I picked up the plate and took a big sniff before I ate the raw fish. I smelled–nothing! Exactly what you should smell when you are about to eat raw fish. The big surprise for me was the tempura. My tempura bowl had two large shrimp and five scallops as well as several different veggies. Everything stayed nice and crispy except for one of the scallops that was buried under the rest of the food. Wow! That’s a lot of food!

After I finished that huge plate–okay–I didn’t finish it, but I was stuffed. I cleared my bill, using my Tables in Wonderland discount, with Mami and sat for a little while longer enjoying the relaxing environment and my tea. I exited the building feeling completely refreshed. I entered World Showcase and was assaulted by a ton of people wandering around. The difference in environment was shocking.

I really enjoyed my meal at Tokyo Dining and I will be planning meals here again. It’s a great respite from a busy Disney Park. I can compare it to how I feel at Hollywood Brown Derby at the Studios. You feel like you’ve left the park and entered Japan. Keep in mind that this is a really small restaurant. There are only thirty five tables in the entire place. If everyone finds out how wonderful it is to spend an hour at Tokyo Dining it is going to be very difficult to get a reservation.

There are a couple of negatives to this spot that I noticed. The first is that you cannot sit at the sushi bar. They are no seats at the open kitchen. I wish there were. Especially for solo diners I think it would be nice to be able to sit at the sushi bar. The other thing that is a problem is that the waiting area for Teppan Edo is in the same area as the check in for Tokyo Dining and the entire area is open. I heard a lot of noise from people waiting for their Teppan table. It would be nice if they would put in at least a screen in between the Teppan waiting area and the Tokyo dining area.

At any rate, Tokyo Dining gets the Heather Seal of Approval. I really enjoyed my lunch and will probably be back at Tokyo pretty soon.

<a href=”http://www.hypersmash.com”>Hypersmash.com</a>

I was inspired listening to Lou Mongello’s WDW Radio Podcast tonight. The Podcast discussed Top Ten Wow Moments at Walt Disney World. As I was thinking about my top wow moments, I realized that many of my Wow moments revolved around food. I thought this would be a great place to share those special moments, so that you can plan to enjoy some of those really special things as well.

Wishes from California Grill

It was just about 10pm on a random Thursday in August of 2008. We had finished the first four courses of our dinner at California Grill and ordered a bottle of Iron Horse Fairytale Cuveé, which, thanks to our wonderful waiter, arrived at the table very quickly along with two tall fragile looking glasses. The lights in the restaurant began to dim and we grabbed our glasses and ran out to the balcony that over looks the Magic Kingdom. It was completely empty because it was drizzling slightly and the restaurant wasn’t particularly busy that night. The music started and we were magically whisked away to that very special place that Wishes in the Magic Kingdom takes us. I will admit that tears were running down my face from the very first shell, but I think I actually started sobbing during the finale. We were celebrating our purchase into Disney’s Vacation Club. It was the restaurant related moment when I realized that I’d be able to visit Walt Disney World whenever I wanted for the next 50 years. I know it sounds like it was an incredibly romantic moment, and it certainly could be if you wanted it to be. I was with my roommate and best friend and it was, rather than a romantic moment, another moment that truly cemented our friendship as being truly a family. You can make this moment your own by planning a trip to the California Grill about an hour and half before the start of Wishes. Share your appetizers and your entreés and order a special bottle of bubbly or wine right before the show is about to start. If you happen to score a table at the window you don’t even have to leave your seat. The lights in the restaurant dim and the music is piped in to both the restaurant and the outdoor viewing area. If you have your kids with you, you might want to skip the wine and just watch the faces of your children as the sky lights up in front of you.

Royal Table Windows

My second Disney wow moment happened at Cinderella’s Royal Table. Now you might be thinking what on Earth are a couple of single young adults without any kids doing dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table? I have to say that I think it is something every one should do once, whether or not you have budding princesses. We waited in line for our photo with Cinderella and once that was done, we headed up the stairs to the restaurant. The Cast Member who seated us realized that we didn’t have any children with us and we were presented with the Fairy Godmother wand and Pirate Sword that are usually given to the children. We also got a pair of Wishing Stars, so that we could participate in the special ceremony that is done every so often during breakfast. This would have made it on to the Wow list, just for how well we were taken care of by the staff, however, the moment came when half way through breakfast Snow White appeared at our table. She started chit chatting with us and asked what Kingdom we were visiting from. When I told her we were from New Orleans she leaned over and whispered conspiratorially that while she was now living in Germany, she was really from the far away Kingdom of Baton Rouge. Snow gave me a huge hug and posed for a number of wonderful photos. You can make this Wow moment yours by reading my blog post on how to make a Cinderella’s Royal Table reservation and coming up with great questions to ask the Princesses who will be visiting with you during your meal.

The View

My next Wow moment happened at Animal Kingdom Lodge on a very recent trip. On a previous trip I had picked up a flyer for a wine tasting taking place at Jiko on Wednesdays at 2:00pm. I called Jiko a few weeks before our next trip and booked the wine tasting for both my roommate and myself. I left a message on the restaurant voicemail and soon got a return call that we had been booked at the appropriate date and time. We arrived a little bit early and were seated at a table set for 10 people in the middle of the restaurant. There were already a couple of bottles of wine sitting on the table and a description of each of the wines we’d be tasting that day. The other eight drinkers arrived shortly and we were met by Raul, the wine guy at Jiko. He talked a little bit about the collection and began pouring from the first bottle. At the same time waitstaff were providing each of us with our own personal cheese tray. There were three different kinds of cheeses and various things to go with them. When we got to the third and last wine the staff replaced our cheese boards with a fruit and dessert tray. Raul was happy to answer questions and refill our glasses with which ever wine we had preferred. The entire group was chatting as though we’d all known each other forever. Just this great experience would put it on the Wow! list, but the fact that we probably drank six glasses of wine each and had such wonderful food provided for only $25.00 per person was amazing!  You can take part in this experience by calling Jiko directly and asking to take part in the Wednesday Wine Tasting.

Cottontail Tamarind Cupcake

Next on my Wow! Dining list might surprise you a little bit. I have a tiny tradition of skipping my usual breakfast of a bagel and cream cheese in my room and grabbing a crazy Walt Disney World cupcake at either Starring Rolls and the Disney Hollywood Studios or at Kusifari Bakery at Animal Kingdom. On a fairly recent trip I stopped at Kusifari and got a Cotton Tail Tamarind cupcake. The thing was enormous. It was a chocolate cupcake with white buttercream icing and chocolate filling and chocolate chips. It had an huge chocolate Cotton Tail on the top, really a lollipop that was stuck down into the cupcake. I walked away from the bakery and was stopped by at least ten other guests who wanted to know where I had found such a massive treat. This cupcake could have easily been shared by three or four people.

Menu at Victoria & Albert's

My final Disney Dining Wow! should come as no surprise. It comes from Disney’s top rated restaurant, in fact the only five diamond restaurant in Orlando: Victoria and Albert’s. My roommate and I booked the Queen Victoria Room last October. For those of you who don’t know there are three dining options at V&A: the regular dining room, the chef’s table and the Queen Victoria room. The chef’s table and the Queen Victoria room serve the same menu. The difference is that the chef’s table is more casual and the Queen Victoria room is super formal. We got all dressed up and went to dinner. We were running really late and I called the restaurant and let them know. The first Wow! was that it was not a problem, we could arrived whenever we wanted; the table was ours for the night. The second Wow! for the night happened when our salads arrived at the table. One of our servers showed up with a toasting tray and bread and a selection of olive oils. Our salads were served and then our croutons were toasted in whichever oil we preferred. Then the lamb showed up and a bit of liquid nitrogen was poured into our plates to cold smoke our lamb. It was amazing! Then the host for the restaurant, Isreal, showed back up to cook our salmon dish to order on heated salt blocks. Wow! I know that Victoria and Albert’s is expensive, and I know that the Queen Victoria Room and the chef’s table are even more expensive, but if you can do it, it’s amazing. How to make this dining experience your own: call Disney dining at 180 days if you want the chef’s table or the Queen Victoria Room. If you want to dine in the regular dining room you have a little more time, but they do regularly sell out. I will tell you that our meal for two cost almost $1000. If you want to eat at Victoria and Albert’s put money away for it! I’ve written a couple of articles on how to save for a Disney Vacation, but they equally apply to how to save for a Disney Meal! Good luck!