Yo Ho Yo Ho a Tipsy Life for Me - A November '17 Dining Adventure - Complete 5/27

[pepperandchips]

I have been "saving" your latest installment until I had a chance to comment as it was chock full of solid gold gems...

We eventually made it back to the room and found out what Jason really meant when he said "nap"

I feel like we just got a way-too-intimate look at Jason acting out some type of Titanic meets Pirates fantasy and yes, you ARE lucky to have a hilariously silly partner in crime. I can't imagine the antics y'all get up to that never make it to the internet!

our beloved restaurant with the bread and dippy thingys (as Casey called it)

She has a way with words! And what a beautiful young lady she is growing up to be. I loved that she dressed for dinner. My cousin has a two year old daughter who's just started REALLY talking a lot and her favorite books right now are the "Fancy nancy" books which weren't around when I was a kid but capture the spirit of me as a child. I feel like they are Casey too! (As much as you can think you know the personality of someone you've never met before haha)

The Witwyn Wine Flight for me which was a Chenin Blanc, Sav Blanc, and an unoaked chardonnay. I'm not usually a chardonnay fan, but liked this one best and had another glass with dinner.

Making mental note of this! I do like a nice unoaked Chardonnay from time to time!

Casey was even brave and tried all of the hot ones and enjoyed them so much she called the red sambal a "tasty dream

Again, that little wordsmith strikes! The bread service itself really is a tasty dream. And probably the best deal at WDW...

Wine got all over the table and me, but rest assured the server brought me a new glass so all was right in my tipsy world.

That was a good server!

Despite asking for this with no peanuts (I have an allergy) we got it with peanuts,

That's kinda terrifying... what if you had a more serious allergy

Thanks for the look at all of these dishes! Like your meal this night we tend to go for options from the appetizers, but we haven't gone much farther afield than the bread service, salads, and samosas. That seafood dish looks great but I would not be able to make it past one bad mussel either. I will need to branch out, I think! I've already told R that we are going to Sanaa on the next trip. Actually our next trip is next weekend but might be the last one for a little while since our APs expire at the end of this month

Carry on with regularly scheduled fabulous programming...

 

[kastoney]

I'd guess about 8-10 inches. It was a lot more than I was expecting! A lot of schools around here are closing because roads are icy and also because of the freezing temperatures. So nuts! Stay warm.

You guys too. Looks like we are finally starting to thaw out today and even have 60's in the forecast later this week. Crazy!

I love this trip report. I had to refill my wine glass to get all the way through

Looking forward to many more alcoholic beverages while I read about your travels

I hope for your sake you got to refill your wine glass a few times Thanks for drinking along with me!

I have been "saving" your latest installment until I had a chance to comment as it was chock full of solid gold gems...

I'm chock full of something but I'm not sure anyone would ever classify it as gems

I feel like we just got a way-too-intimate look at Jason acting out some type of Titanic meets Pirates fantasy and yes, you ARE lucky to have a hilariously silly partner in crime. I can't imagine the antics y'all get up to that never make it to the internet!

He's a special guy that Jason. And yes, you can only fathom what I do not post. He certainly keeps me on my toes.

She has a way with words! And what a beautiful young lady she is growing up to be. I loved that she dressed for dinner. My cousin has a two year old daughter who's just started REALLY talking a lot and her favorite books right now are the "Fancy nancy" books which weren't around when I was a kid but capture the spirit of me as a child. I feel like they are Casey too! (As much as you can think you know the personality of someone you've never met before haha)

Thanks Melinda!!! She definitely is all girl. I don't know the Fancy Nancy books, but from the title I can only guess that they describe Casey to a tee. She is definitely not her jean and flip flop wearing mother's daughter I have a feeling you two would get along fabulously.

Again, that little wordsmith strikes! The bread service itself really is a tasty dream. And probably the best deal at WDW...

Unquestionably. I think I'll suggest they just change the name to tasty dream

Thanks for the look at all of these dishes! Like your meal this night we tend to go for options from the appetizers, but we haven't gone much farther afield than the bread service, salads, and samosas. That seafood dish looks great but I would not be able to make it past one bad mussel either. I will need to branch out, I think! I've already told R that we are going to Sanaa on the next trip. Actually our next trip is next weekend but might be the last one for a little while since our APs expire at the end of this month

Next weekend!!!!!!!!!! Awesome your trip is so close. I remember our AP days so well and how it only made fiscal sense to visit more Be sure to have some tasty dream for me and Casey!

 

[heathsf]

Looks like we are finally starting to thaw out today and even have 60's in the forecast later this week. Crazy!

What!?!? That's insane!!! I just checked my 10 day weather forecast and Friday it's supposed to be 50! This weather is crazy!

 

[kastoney]

Brunch at the Top

Today was the most magical Dismeet ever that I teased in the intro, but you'll have to wait until the end to find out just what happened.

First things first, today was the half marathon for Jason so he was up at 3am for the third day in a row. Sounds like the definition of insanity to me But he ran his personal best half at just over 2 hours so he was a happy man.

To celebrate I'd booked a reservation at California Grill for brunch somewhere near the 180 day mark (blasphemy for me I know). We'd always wanted to do this so I figured if you're gonna splurge on such an extravagant meal what better day than after running the half marathon (or in my case virtually supporting your husband from the cozy confines of your pirate bed).

After yet another bus debacle we ended up ubering to Cali Grill which became our norm for the trip. At just under $10 for the trip, it was money well spent.

Upon arrival we were greeted with a sparkling cranberry drink for the kiddo.

And a mimosa for the grown-ups

I'm not typically a mimosa fan as neither orange juice nor champagne are my favorites, but these beauties were bottomless so you know I downed about 10 during the course of our two and a half hour meal.

For those unfamiliar with California Grill brunch you pay a flat fee and this entitles you to the aforementioned mimosas, as well as unlimited visits to their "buffet" as well as entrees. Here is a look at the buffet, or what they called self serve, options.

I didn't take any pictures of the total offerings, but rest assured this was not your Mama's buffet. Everything was served in small batches and exceedingly fresh with nary a warming tray in sight.

For our first trip, Casey of course got some of her beloved slushi.

She also through in a turnover (which I believe was guava), fruit, and a deviled egg for good measure.

Jason stuck to more of the charcuterie options, with a bit of slushi thrown in there. Gotta love a buffet that offers top quality of both.

They were happy campers


And now for my plate....

Starting at twelve and moving clockwise we have the deviled egg, cheddar biscuit, pork terrine, drunken goat cheese, prosciutto, salami, some indiscriminate white stuff I can't recall (update per @pepperandchips this is apparently pork belly rillettes. I still got nothing), apple salad, and a spicy tuna roll. My absolute favorite was the cheddar biscuit. Now I love a good biscuit and this one was made with such delicate precision that you could see all the layers inside. I could have devoured ten. Other favs were the apple salad, pork terrine, and deviled egg. The sushi was also very good and impeccably fresh.

For our second round, Casey focused on her favorites.

Anyone surprised by this plate?

I went for the pork terrine, deviled egg, and apple salad I loved the first time around and also added in some more sushi, a date bar, and a pecan sticky bun.

Everything was just as good as the first time around, but I made a big mistake going for the sticky bun instead of another biscuit. The sticky bun was very good and I was surprised to find apples inside, but nothing could compare to that biscuit. Two months later I still kick myself or not getting one (or ten) more.

Continued in next post....​

 

[pepperandchips]

Rudely interrupting between your two posts to alley-oop the last installment

some indiscriminate white stuff I can't recall

If it's at 6:00, it's pork belly rillettes which is also amazing smeared on those cheddar biscuits if you're into that kinda lowbrow behavior

 

[kastoney]

Brunch at the Top Continued​

After eating all the yummy buffet options we finally put in our orders for entrees. Casey said she was full at this point, but at $48 for her (and$80 for us) she was A. gonna get an entree and B. get one Jason and I wanted so we could eat it!

Here are the entree options.

There were so many amazing sounding options it was really hard to choose. In retrospect I wish we'd taken advantage of the unlimited ordering so we could have tried more, but ultimately we decided on...

Vanilla Bean French Toast for Casey

This is Parker House Bread, with Crème Brûlée Custard, Caramelized Bananas and Walnuts and thank God we made Casey order something as this was INCREDIBLE. Hands down the best french toast I've ever had. It was intensely creamy inside, yet crunchy on the outside,and the caramelized bananas just put it over the top. This was our favorite item of the meal.

And random side note, Jason took this and the next few photos with his iPhone 8. Anyone on the fence about getting one the difference between the cameras on the 7 (which I have and most of these pics come from) and 8 is astonishing.

Speaking of Jason he went with the Grilled Hanger Steak which came with Two Eggs Any-style, Chimichurri, Marble Potato Hash, and Charred Red Onion.
Unfortunately Jason didn't love this as his steak was a bit tough and it needed a lot more chimichurri. It wasn't bad at all, but I think Jason and I both felt compelled to order the items that felt the most expensive and offered the most value, when in reality we should have just ordered what our tummies thought sounded best (carrot cake pancakes and fried chicken I'm looking at you)

I ended up ordering the Eggs Benedict with Two Soft-poached Eggs, Toasted English Muffin, Honey Ham, Classic Hollandaise, and Butter-poached Maine Lobster.

Thankfully my expensive entree did not disappoint. The hollandaise was rich and creamy and the lobster and poached eggs perfectly cooked. It paired nicely with the honey ham, which added a nice sweetness. My only sight complaint was it could have used more lobster as there wasn't enough to get some with every bite.

Now for the Dismeet I know you've been just dying to hear about. While we were eating our buffet items two British women approached out table and asked if I was Kari. As I don't know anyone from across the pond I was a bit confused, but they explained that they read my dining reports and had recognized us (later Casey wanted to know if we were famous). This was the first time someone had approached me so I was a bit surprised. We ended up chatting about their trip (and of course food) and they thanked me for the reviews, which had helped them plan some of their meals. I love writing these report and that was gratifying enough, but then (wait for it, wait for it) she offered to pay for mine and Jason's meals They explained they were leaving the next day and had several dining credits left and wanted to use them on us. To say I was flabbergasted was an understatement (to say I turned 50 shades of red is a more accurate depiction). Here we were at the meal we knew was our massive splurge of the trip and someone was offering to pay. We couldn't believe it.

Emma and Nicki (yes they had names lest I think I dreamt this) ended up coming back when they were done and sure enough they flagged down our very slow server (who apparently they had previously) to put our meals on their dining credits. I still couldn't believe it, but we had a nice chat about their favorite meals of the trip and what we had planned. We also talked about where they were from in the UK (Essex), which my only knowledge of was this really bad British reality show about a woman names Amy Childs that takes place there (Jason and I had a slight addiction to during a trip to London a few years back). So of course like a fool I mentioned this, which I later realized was likely the equivalent of someone asking an American about the Kardashians. Yes I was that tipsy girl!

Our server eventually took care of everything and we profusely thanked Emma and Nicki. This was pixie dust like I'd never experienced and the highlight of our trip. They are apparently only lurkers on here and wouldn't tell me their user name nor let me take a picture, so you'll have to take my word for it that it happened. I'm hoping this post will at least convince them to say a quick hello so I can again thank them for making our trip!

Getting back to the meal, we had no room for dessert so it was packed up to go.

We would end up devouring this later that night, after it traveling in our backpack through Animal Kingdom all day, so while everything was largely nondescript at that point it didn't stop us from going to town.

Clearly the magic that Emma and Nicky bestowed on us made this our favorite meal of the trip, but it might have snuck in there anyway due to the unbelievable experience. It was fantastic to have a long leisurely brunch sipping unlimited mimosas and eating buffet items that truly make you rethink a buffet. The entrees were delicious as well, but given how good everything else was they were really icing on the cake. We certainly won't do this every trip, but will unquestionably be back. And I almost forgot the view we had the entire time.

Not too shabby, huh???

Up next, we hunker down like Nomad's...​

 

[kastoney]

What!?!? That's insane!!! I just checked my 10 day weather forecast and Friday it's supposed to be 50! This weather is crazy!

You said it!

Rudely interrupting between your two posts to alley-oop the last installment

If it's at 6:00, it's pork belly rillettes which is also amazing smeared on those cheddar biscuits if you're into that kinda lowbrow behavior

I'll forgive the rudeness since you're helping' a girl out. Thanks for the assist. I still remember nothing about it, but now know what I'll do with it next time

 

[Neverland_Girl]

And now for my plate....

Starting at twelve and moving clockwise we have the deviled egg, cheddar biscuit, pork terrine, drunken goat cheese, prosciutto, salami, some indiscriminate white stuff I can't recall (update per @pepperandchips this is apparently pork belly rillettes. I still got nothing), apple salad, and a spicy tuna roll. My absolute favorite was the cheddar biscuit. Now I love a good biscuit and this one was made with such delicate precision that you could see all the layers inside. I could have devoured ten. Other favs were the apple salad, pork terrine, and deviled egg. The sushi was also very good and impeccably fresh.

I'm drooling over a deviled egg, and that biscuit looks as amazing as you made it sound!

Vanilla Bean French Toast for Casey

This is Parker House Bread, with Crème Brûlée Custard, Caramelized Bananas and Walnuts and thank God we made Casey order something as this was INCREDIBLE. Hands down the best french toast I've ever had. It was intensely creamy inside, yet crunchy on the outside,and the caramelized bananas just put it over the top. This was our favorite item of the meal.

That looks so good!! I love a good french toast especially when it has caramelized bananas.

Now for the Dismeet I know you've been just dying to hear about. While we were eating our buffet items two British women approached out table and asked if I was Kari. As I don't know anyone from across the pond I was a bit confused, but they explained that they read my dining reports and had recognized us (later Casey wanted to know if we were famous). This was the first time someone had approached me so I was a bit surprised. We ended up chatting about their trip (and of course food) and they thanked me for the reviews, which had helped them plan some of their meals. I love writing these report and that was gratifying enough, but then (wait for it, wait for it) she offered to pay for mine and Jason's meals They explained they were leaving the next day and had several dining credits left and wanted to use them on us. To say I was flabbergasted was an understatement (to say I turned 50 shades of red is a more accurate depiction). Here we were at the meal we knew was our massive splurge of the trip and someone was offering to pay. We couldn't believe it.

How sweet and a great ending to your meal! I've seen so many good reviews of this brunch I hope they keep it around for a while. I just wish they had it on more days.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Happy New Year everyone
Finally managed to get back on the Dis today after all the festivities and seeing the old year out and New Year in and yours was the first report I caught up on. Sanaa’s bread service looks amazing (we’ve never eaten there but one of these days we will have to). Casey looked very grown up all dressed up for dinner and her expression at spilling your wine is hilarious!
Your meal at California Grill looks awesome for so many reasons but the fact that you had some wonderful pixie dust bestowed upon you all makes it even better

 

[pepperandchips]

Amazing pixie dust from fellow DISers! What are the odds?! That was so sweet. I hope that even without their gift you guys thought the brunch was worth it. It's my favorite "special thing" to do at WDW and (spoiler alert) I'm coming up on another review of it in my DR also. We have not had the French toast but will have to remedy that the next time we have a special occasion to celebrate at WDW. Our remarks on the steak and Benedict have been similar - seems the steak is a hit or miss item.

I've gotta agree with your British friends, I always appreciate your review and they do help me plan future meals! And a big congrats to Jason on his half PR. From what I understand that's pretty difficult to do during a run disney event since there are so many runners on the course, so even more awesome that it was his best time followed up with a great celebratory meal!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Looks like an amazing brunch and awesome to do post Wine & Dine Half Marathon! We're going to do that after Wine & Dine this year since my mother wants to do Narcoossee's brunch in September.

Those cheddar biscuits! Yum! And sushi! I knew Casey would love all the slushi!

That is so sweet one of your readers paid for you meal. Such a wonderful pixie dust!

 

[ncc1701]

You can never go wrong with bottomless Mimosas . I have been debating about the CG the last few trips. I may have to take the plunge once I can get over my thing with floor to ceiling windows on higher floors.
How sweet of those DISers to comp your brunch.

 

[disneyAndi14]

What an awesome brunch, all the food items look very delish. How wonderful to have your meals covered by the Dis readers! I agree with them, your reviews were the first thing I started reading when I joined the Dis boards. I got so many great ideas from you for different foods and places to try.

Andi and I use to eat only quick service our early trips until I started reading reviews and discovered another whole side to Disney, love it!

 

[alex9179]

What a lovely gesture by the DISers! They repeated an oft-mentioned sentiment, though. Your reviews are so helpful in choosing from the huge pool of options and I, personally, love that you all order such a variety.

I'll be celebrating my birthday at CG brunch in Jan, though it'll be more of a late lunch. I'm also waiting to eat until I get there so that I can sample as much as possible with my cousin, who I invited to join me on the trip. Four half orders! I'll let her know that the french toast would be a wise choice but I'm not sure what beer (her preferred adult beverage) would pair well!

 

[Raeven]

Casey said she was full at this point, but at $48 for her (and$80 for us) she was A. gonna get an entree and B. get one Jason and I wanted so we could eat it!

Good idea!

This is Parker House Bread, with Crème Brûlée Custard, Caramelized Bananas and Walnuts and thank God we made Casey order something as this was INCREDIBLE. Hands down the best french toast I've ever had. It was intensely creamy inside, yet crunchy on the outside,and the caramelized bananas just put it over the top. This was our favorite item of the meal.

That looks incredible! It's made me realize we need to go back because the menu changed I may be booking this again for our next trip.

And random side note, Jason took this and the next few photos with his iPhone 8. Anyone on the fence about getting one the difference between the cameras on the 7 (which I have and most of these pics come from) and 8 is astonishing.

The iPhone 8's take incredible pictures, I can't wait to get one!

(later Casey wanted to know if we were famous)

That's so cute!

she offered to pay for mine and Jason's meals They explained they were leaving the next day and had several dining credits left and wanted to use them on us.

Wow that's so generous!

 

[FSU Girl]

After yet another bus debacle we ended up ubering to Cali Grill which became our norm for the trip. At just under $10 for the trip, it was money well spent.

I was hearing how bad the buses were during the marathon this weekend, I guess it gridlocks some of the roads. Uber is the best its so cheap to use to get around Disney.

I'm not typically a mimosa fan as neither orange juice nor champagne are my favorites, but these beauties were bottomless so you know I downed about 10 during the course of our two and a half hour meal.

Bottomless mimosas were the best and dangerous. There's a place by my house I'd watch FSU football games and they had brunch and bottomless mimosas, but they come in wine glasses and are mostly champagne.

Starting at twelve and moving clockwise we have the deviled egg, cheddar biscuit, pork terrine, drunken goat cheese, prosciutto, salami, some indiscriminate white stuff I can't recall (update per @pepperandchips this is apparently pork belly rillettes. I still got nothing), apple salad, and a spicy tuna roll. My absolute favorite was the cheddar biscuit. Now I love a good biscuit and this one was made with such delicate precision that you could see all the layers inside. I could have devoured ten. Other favs were the apple salad, pork terrine, and deviled egg. The sushi was also very good and impeccably fresh.

All the first plates look delicious. I'd probably have an entire plate of just deviled eggs for my first trip. I need to convince my fiance to go. He's a little sour on the place after our bad dinner, but every time I read about brunch here it makes me want to go really bad.

OMG this looks delicious. I feel like the best way to go is get the first reservation and just linger until they close eating all day long all the different options lol.

Thankfully my expensive entree did not disappoint. The hollandaise was rich and creamy and the lobster and poached eggs perfectly cooked. It paired nicely with the honey ham, which added a nice sweetness. My only sight complaint was it could have used more lobster as there wasn't enough to get some with every bite.

This looks really good. I love lobster and love eggs Benedict so this would definitely be a hit with me.

I love writing these report and that was gratifying enough, but then (wait for it, wait for it) she offered to pay for mine and Jason's meals They explained they were leaving the next day and had several dining credits left and wanted to use them on us.

That is so nice! Definite pixie dust for your awesome dining reviews

Getting back to the meal, we had no room for dessert so it was packed up to go.

That's good to know you can pack up the desserts. I know when I go to these huge meal places I'm usually stuffed by the time dessert comes around and it would be perfect to save it for later or the next day.

 

[buzzrelly]

HOLY COW!! I knew reading that post was going to hurt, but I didn't know how much I am so regretting not keeping that ADR now, except that I don't think we would have had as good of an experience since I was sore, exhausted, and Oh, Yea…I would have been paying for it!

he ran his personal best half at just over 2 hours so he was a happy man.

Amazing I also had my personal best in just over 4 hours…it helps that this was actually my first half marathon

but these beauties were bottomless so you know I downed about 10 during the course of our two and a half hour meal.

Of course!

For our first trip, Casey of course got some of her beloved slushi.

Love it!

Vanilla Bean French Toast for Casey

That's what I probably would have ordered…they had me a creme brulee

but then (wait for it, wait for it) she offered to pay for mine and Jason's meals They explained they were leaving the next day and had several dining credits left and wanted to use them on us. To say I was flabbergasted was an understatement (to say I turned 50 shades of red is a more accurate depiction). Here we were at the meal we knew was our massive splurge of the trip and someone was offering to pay. We couldn't believe it.

That is simply AMAZING! So, so nice!!

Getting back to the meal, we had no room for dessert so it was packed up to go.

We would end up devouring this later that night, after it traveling in our backpack through Animal Kingdom all day, so while everything was largely nondescript at that point it didn't stop us from going to town.

Looks delicious!

California Grill Brunch, I WILL be seeing you in October!!

 

[amalone1013]

I'm behind on commenting!

I'm glad Jason was taking your pirate room seriously

I had a Brunch reservation but cancelled it because it ended up being the day we decided to do AK and it interfered with our FOP FP. I'm regretting it now! Even though I might have just ended up with plate of biscuits and that amazing french toast...

I haven't done much in the way of ADRs for our trip in 18 (!) days... Maybe I'll take a page from your book and try to wing it

Such a sweet gesture for your new friends to do that! As others have mentioned, your reviews are amazingly helpful with picking places to go. And entertaining too, and full of a wonderful, fun family

 

[shannie102]

OK, you convinced me! I have been hemming and hawing about doing the cali brunch, but after this review its a must do for our next trip!

 

[TeeterTots]

Wow! What a nice treat! Pixie dust for sure! Brunch looked great! I had to cancel Cali grill dinner Friday night but I did finally eat at Jiko last night! Fab-U-lous!!!