We are Eating Again -- Resistance is Futile Final update Tiffins 2/19

[2xcited2sleep]

Well, I can tell already that I like your vacation style! Jiko is one of my favorites as well. That wild boar tenderloin is to die for. It never even occurred to me that you could buy a bottle of wine to take home. Tucking that little tidbit away for next time because I've had some great wines there. The Parisian breakfast is on my list of things to try next time (hopefully they continue to offer it). I'd be like you and quickly dispense with the "farce" of orange juice and move straight to the champagne! I mean, we're really just making it easier on the server, LOL. I thought about doing the Food & Wine Classic this year but didn't. I tried it last year and unfortunately weather forced it to be moved inside and I just didn't love it. Of course the weather isn't their fault but I felt like the wine pours were extraordinarily small (when in the bubble lounge a server was actually chastised by a manager right in front of me that her pours were too generous) and it was hard to find the things we wanted to try since the map went "out the window" with the move indoors. I'm sure when it's on the causeway it's a different experience.

 

[kastoney]

What an amazing event. Disney or not it sounds like it did not disappoint! Will have to get there one of these days

 

[Niki Andiokno]

The next morning we were up early to be Theme Park Commandos. Since K & K were on such a tight schedule, we had to get to Magic Kingdom in the morning. Concerned we might have to beat off crowds, I looked for a last minute Be Our Guest breakfast reservation at about 7 am. Guess what? I found 1. 8:30 a.m. We were in Magic Kingdom at B Our Guest, ready to pick up our hot drinks. You heard it. We only ordered hot drinks. The resistance had begun.

We gathered our rose and wandered the castle looking for a place to sit. All of the 4 tops were taken. We wandered into the Tose Room. While we were admiring the rose, a Grandma, daughter and 2 grand kids asked us to join them. They were seated at a large table right next to the rose. They explainef that they had been on the dining plan for about 5 days already, and were about to burst. They had been eating 3 meals a day. They were almost finished with their breakfast, but had two full plates of pastries that were untouched. The mom insisted that we take the pastries. Not being a person to refuse such a generous offer, we dug in. It didn't take that much for the resistance to break lol.

The pastries were all very good. There were so many of them. Krissie emptied out her Togo cup and we filled it with the pastries we couldn't eat. Because, you know, starving children in Africa, don't waste food, yummy pastries yada yada yada. I love the croissant and twist thingy. Here they are. This isn't a photo from this trip. I stole it from one of my prior reports.


After our breakfast that wasn't supposed to be breakfast, we were allowed on Seven Dwarves Mine Train before park opening. We did POTC, BTMRR, Dumbo, Splash, Space Mntn, Haunted Mansion, Small World all before 11:30. We were good commandos, and we off to the Bubbles Brunch. Next report

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Following along a little late. Enjoying your report and looking forward to more

Better late than never! Thanks for joining..

Well, I can tell already that I like your vacation style! Jiko is one of my favorites as well. That wild boar tenderloin is to die for. It never even occurred to me that you could buy a bottle of wine to take home. Tucking that little tidbit away for next time because I've had some great wines there. The Parisian breakfast is on my list of things to try next time (hopefully they continue to offer it). I'd be like you and quickly dispense with the "farce" of orange juice and move straight to the champagne! I mean, we're really just making it easier on the server, LOL. I thought about doing the Food & Wine Classic this year but didn't. I tried it last year and unfortunately weather forced it to be moved inside and I just didn't love it. Of course the weather isn't their fault but I felt like the wine pours were extraordinarily small (when in the bubble lounge a server was actually chastised by a manager right in front of me that her pours were too generous) and it was hard to find the things we wanted to try since the map went "out the window" with the move indoors. I'm sure when it's on the causeway it's a different experience.

I think I have the perfect vacation style. Nice to hear from someone who agrees. Jiko jas the largest collection of African wines in the US, so some bottles you just can"t get anywhere else. My only suggestion is that you check the major liquor stores before you purchase. The prices are much higher, 2 to 3 times, at Jiko. If you can get it elsewhere, buy it there. If you can't, the wait staff is really good about boxing it up for you. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase something unique from Jiko.

I am so sorry that your experience at the classic last year was so bad. You're not the only person I heard it from. I was there last year on Friday, and everything was great. I think the causeway does make a difference. The setting is so much fun. The bands are great. The Atmosphere is so communal and exuberant. Bringing that party indoors is a terrible idea. I also can't believe your bad luck about the pours. While the people pouring alcohol have never poured an entire glass, except at the end of the night when trying to get rid of bottles, I have never had a really small poor. On occasion, I will stand at a table and try each wine. When I find one I like, I ask for another poor of the good wine. Typically, the 2nd pour has been a bit more generous. I'm not sure if that is because I chat up the people pouring or not. I would try the Classic one more time to see if the causeway makes a difference. Even better idea, come party with me and my friends. We always have a great time! I will make sure you get a good pour of wine. I am all about the booze. Well, and food too LOL.

What an amazing event. Disney or not it sounds like it did not disappoint! Will have to get there one of these days

To me, the Classic is really amazing. I'm sure Casey could enjoy a few hours at the Peter Pan Club while her parental units get their booze on with me Hint hint.

 

[followthatmouse]

You had me at 'pastries'!

 

[kastoney]

Love your idea to get in early with a BoG reservation and just order drinks. Brilliant! And who knew you'd get some free pastries too?

 

[Niki Andiokno]

You had me at 'pastries'!

The pastures are so good there.

Love your idea to get in early with a BoG reservation and just order drinks. Brilliant! And who knew you'd get some free pastries too?

The pastries were quite the surprise. Sweet folks. It is a good idea, but honestly I wanted to order some food. At least the grey stuff cupcake, cuz cupcakes for breakfast only happens at Disney!

 

[Ruth B]

Just joining. Enjoying reading along.
The Parisian breakfast looks great- shame they only do ut during F and W. Love a mimosa or 4 for breakfast

The Swolphon event looked great. What obnoxious people you encountered after that.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Just joining. Enjoying reading along.
The Parisian breakfast looks great- shame they only do ut during F and W. Love a mimosa or 4 for breakfast

The Swolphon event looked great. What obnoxious people you encountered after that.

I agree that they should have the Parisian Breakfast all year long. There have been years where I was not able to get a reservation. It is very popular.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

After completing all of the rides at Magic Kingdom, we were ready for brunch, and bubbles. What perfect timing for the Bubbles Brunch at Il Mulino!!

I can't express how wonderful this brunch was. The selection was not huge, but everything was super high quality. First up was your choice of beverage. The only disappointment for me was that you only receive one bubbly beverage. The choice was fantastic though. They served J champagne, either brut, rose or some sweet thing. You could get mimosa, but the server kinda mentioned it with a wink as an afterthought. The girls got rose and the boys brut. Wierd thing was, everyone but me wasn't getting their drink on. Call it hangover or sumthin, but no one was feeling the booze. EXCEPT ME!!!! Suddenly I had 3 1/2 glasses of bubbly (Kev drank some) all to myself. I was very happy. J has some great sparkles.

The next choice was am entree. The brunch works this way. First there is a buffet with more food on it than you can ever eat. Then you order an entree to go with your buffet. Although you only get to choose one entree per person, there is so much food you would not be able to eat more than one. The boys chose Lobster Eggs Benedict. This was so good, and a really huge portion. It doesn't look like it in the photo, but I swear they each had two whole lobster tails AND claws! I am not a hollandaise fan, but this was so good. The butter poached lobster was some of the best I have ever had. Lobster Benedict - Butter Poached Maine Lobster Tail, Toasted English Muffin, Wilted Spinach, Poached Egg, Hollandaise

Wait! I lost my entree pics. Here are the official ones but I SWEAR the entrees looked exactly like this. Il Mulino has some beautiful presentation.



Krissie and I couldn't decide, so we got two different entrees to split. Saltimbocca - Veal Scaloppini, Shaved Prosciutto, Sage, Madeira Sauce

and Striped Bass Limone - Seared Atlantic Striped Bass, Aged Carnaroli Rice Romanesco, Meyer Lemon Vin


The veal was so tender. The sauce was very rich.

The fish was likewise amazing. The use of meyer lemons makes such a big difference in the taste compared to ordinary lemons. The sweet tart taste of the meyer lemon is truly lovely. Plus the fish was slightly crispy outside and flaky inside.

The other thing about the entrees was we were able to take then home!! We each ate only a little of the entrees before we were stuffed. Our waiter suggested we save room for dessert and offered to box them up. This most excellent t brunch suddenly became a two meal affair.

Let me show you why we were so full. Here is the buffet. There was a breakfast station with the usual bacon (far superior to Disney) scrambled eggs, sausage and such, an omelet station with real crab meat and interesting gruyere cheese, leeks and other food stuff, an entree station which I don't remember eating, a fancy juice station, yogurt and fruit station (including brulee fruit fancy huh), a waffle station with fresh made waffles and bourbon maple syrup that was TO DIE FOR, and the best sushi station EVER!!! And don't forget about salads, cheese and bread, if you can find room. There was so much food, we could have eaten there for days and not doubled up. This was not a huge buffet, but everything we had was fantastic.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

 

[Niki Andiokno]

I know this sounds unbelievable, but I swear there were more photos. Like all that wasn't enough.

Next post is a picture of my first plate. This is mostly sushi and sashimi. I suspect this came from Kimono's. This was the freshest, most flavorful sashimi I have ever eaten. This was perfect. I am certain I had more, as well as some cheese on the next plate.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

My favorite was the ahi tuna. I literally went back to get a plate of that alone. I also loved the grilled veggies and pickled oyster Mushrooms. The green energy juice was super sweet/tart with a melon taste. The bacon was heavenly, thick cut yet crisp. Omelet was huge and really tasty. I cant find my photo, but it was da bomb. The guy didnt scrimp on crab, I tell you.

The desserts were great too. The waffle with bourbon maple syrup was one dessert. Yummy. I liked the creme brulee, chocolate croissant and mousse. We chose the last seating at 12:30, and we are so happy we did. Our waiter brought us some extra take home contrainers for dessert, and suggested we throw some fresh fruit on too. So we grabbed a couple bananas. I hope I don't get him in trouble, but he just seemed to want to help clear everything out. Plus we had so much fun with him, and Krissie and I kept telling him how adorable he was, I think he kinda felt sorry for our husbands. Plus, he remembered waiting on Mike and I before. I wish I could remember his name. Great server.

Long and short, this meal was a great deal even with a price tag of $89 if I remember. The food quality was far superior to any brunch buffet I have ever eaten. The dishes were plentiful. Plus we had dinner that night, breakfast lobster the next day and sweet snacks to boot. We are usually in WDW while they serve this brunch every other year. It will definately be a MUST DO next time we are there and it is available. Another event I wish they had all year round.

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Wow, that brunch looks AMAZING!!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

That brunch looks awesome! I’m definitely jealous! Wish they did it more than just the Food & Wine Weekend

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Wow, that brunch looks AMAZING!!

This brunch deserves an all caps AMAZING!!

That brunch looks awesome! I’m definitely jealous! Wish they did it more than just the Food & Wine Weekend

I agree this should be held more than one time a year. California Grill and Narcoosee's have brunch all year round now, right? Swan/Dolphin need to up their game to stay competative, right? Unfortunately, I don't think it will happen. There were only a handful of other tables filled at our brunch. Such a shame, as the food was really exceptional. The Swan and Dolphin restaurants get overlooked way too often.

 

[Ruth B]

Ohhh that brunch looks fabulous

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Ohhh that brunch looks fabulous

Ab Fab!!

 

[Niki Andiokno]

A quick update from Animal Kingdom and Zuri's Sweet Shop. I always make a stop here for one of my favorite treats, dark chocolate Mickey head with chili spice. This is so good. It is very thick rich chocolate. One head lasts me for a very long time . Here is a picture of the cooler at the sweet shop.

Krissie got some cotton candy, which was very good. She also took home a huggy little monkey


I will continue to come here. I do believe I need to branch out and try some other treats though.

We rode a bunch of rides. We met Barb for a flight of passage and safari. At the end of a long day we were beat, and went back to the Room. We did take a bottle of wine from the sweet shop with us. The Den by Painted Wolf Wineries. I lost my photo, I must get better at my management. This is a nice red that reminds me of cherries and blackberries. Such a nice find at Zuri's

Next up, the Italian Wine Lunch!

 

[SweetSerenity]

Your brunch looks wonderful! You're inspiring us to try some of these special events.