Ollie's Week in the World!

Day Five:

Shhhhhh . . . I got up seriously early and left Kim sleeping so I could hop a bus to Hollywood Studios. I wanted to sit on Sunset Blvd. and have coffee and a chocolate croissant. Such an indulgence, I know, but Starring Rolls is a favorite and rather than fight crowds later in the AM, I headed out early and alone. Savoring a pastry and coffee while watching the park fill with people was great fun. Stayed a little over an hour then caught a bus back to the resort. Took Kim a croissant, too . . . And of course got a couple CUPCAKES for later in the day!!! Butterfinger, Red Velvet, & a Marble. Today is a relax at the resort day, so will need some dessert to have with lunch . . .

Tonight we go to Victoria & Albert's! So excited. Will update you all on this experience later tonight. It is a late night at MK and we may pack some park walking clothes to change into after V&A. We so love the parks at night!

OK, Jeff . . . The Butterfinger cupcake is EVERYTHING all the raving fans say it is. You MUST MUST MUST try it! We are saving the others for later - tonight! Will weigh in on the Red Velvet & Marble when we feast on them.

At the moment, we're getting Neat and Pretty for Victoria and Albert's. So looking forward to this! Did it last year and just couldn't resist going again. It is such a splurge, but we opted to stay at CBR so we could experience it once more!

Oh - and the crowds are heavy. MK was a swarming zoo and HS was filling fast today. Epcot didn't seem so bad yesterday, but we were there late and stayed after Illuminations. Spring Break is what it is. I think Christmas/New Years week is worse, though, but without the energy sucking heat.

More later!

Victoria and Albert's Update:

Let me start by admitting that I am in a glorious food and wine stupor. I will try, for Lizzy B., to be coherent, but it won't be easy. Will get some pics posted after I get home!

To begin, this is an event to be savored - a special event sort of meal. You are pampered and catered to, and made to feel as if you are the only diners in the room. Do you want more bread? No bread? How about extra baby Brussels sprouts? No matter, it will be at your pleasure.

We ate in the regular dining room; not in the Queen Victoria Room or at Chef's Table. Both of those options are pricier and have more or different course offerings. Tonight we were one of but four parties in the late seating. It was quiet and intimate; we were told it was the quietest night in months. Lucky us!

There are seven courses - each is paired with a wine if you so choose. I chose the wine pairing. This isn't something I'd normally do, but tonight was special. In each course you get to select from a couple options. There are also enhanced options you may choose that cost more. For example you may choose wagyu beef tenderloin in the meat course but it will increase the overall cost of your meal.

My meal started with a four bite amuse bouche; a silky, rich cauliflower pannacotta, a crab salad wrapped in vanilla crepe, a cold smoked bison tenderloin with sweet mustard sauce, and a seared tuna with ginger minnonette. Fancy words describing four bites of utter deliciousness. And this was just the starter!

Next was the cold appetizer - I chose gulf shrimp and heirloom tomato salad with charamoula sauce. The shrimp were wrapped in Serrano Ham and the tomatoes were the cutest little things! It was served with some lentils and micro greens. Magnificent. Clean and clear flavors; beautiful to look at. The salty ham and the earthy lentils were a great compliment to the shrimp. Loved this dish!

Second course was the fish course. My Alaska sablefish with arugula pudding melted in my mouth. The arugula sauce and sun choke puree were smooth and subtle, just the right amount of brightness to offset the rich fish. Also in this course was a pickled radish. This course may have been the best thing I had all night! That pickled radish was a bite of devine inspiration!

My third course - the hot appetizer - was veal loin and shortrib with an apple wine kraut. Spectacular in flavor and melt in your mouth tender. Such a simple and homestyle food concept, but so much better than Mom's ever was!

The fourth course - the meat course - I chose Kurobuta pork tenderloin and belly. It was perfectly roasted and served on a succotash of Black-eyed peas, corn, and baby fava beans, surrounded by a rich polenta sauce. It was a twist on classic southern comfort food. Oh, and I wanted to lick the plate, it was so good!

Next came. . . CHEESE! The four bite cheese course had a Stilton blue, an aged Gouda, a white cheddar, and a truffle dusted soft cows milk cheese. The Stilton was served with poached pears and I loved it the most!

All along the meal we were also served fresh breads and various butter; a hot from the oven mini baguette with european style butter started the meal, then we had a truffle infused brioche and a truffle butter, and finally a whole grain wheat with a salted fresh churned butter. Yeah, like wouldn't have been enough in itself to provoke words of food ecstasy . . .

Finally, we had dessert with a special vacuum pressure brewed coffee. The coffee pot is a science show/project all on its own, but it makes the best coffee! To ho with the coffee, I had the Kona chocolate souffle with chocolate ice cream. I was so full I just couldn't finish it, and I wanted to! They poured a Godiva chocolate sauce into the souffle!!! OMG!! But I still didn't have enough room for the whole dessert! (

The courses they serve are small, but they do all deliciously add up!

At the end of the meal, ladies all receive a long stem rose. . .
And they send you home with a small orange nut loaf - made in-house - for a midnight snack. . .or for breakfast the next AM!!

I would recommend this to every foodie - if you can survive the sticker shock. The regular dining room starts at $125 per diner for all baic courses. Wine pairings are extra, some courses have additional choices at additional cost.

For me, it is so worth it!!

Oh Mrhub - that is a beautiful thing about this experience. They will creat a menu crafted around you and your wife's specific likes/dislikes. They have vegetarian offerings, too. So if there is a 'No Seafood' request, they will accommodate that. The restaurant even Calls You the week before to confirm the reservation and to discuss special needs or requests. It is so special and so personal. Once you go, you WILL want to return. Of all the dining experiences that I have had, this one makes me feel like an adult.

Children must be 10 or older, so it is a quiet, adult step away from the WDW frenzy. There is a dress code, so be ready to look neat and pretty!

Save a few nickels and dimes . . . Who am I kidding? Save some Benjamins and Do This!

JoAnn C - you would love it. My partner Kim had quail for one course, and 'poulet rouge' (an heirloom variety of chicken) was also an option in another. The menu is seasonal and just from listening to the servers speaking with other diners, all sorts of modifications and adjustments seem to be possible. We requested no extra visible black pepper for all of Kim's selections and that was easily done in the kitchen. You simply won't believe the flavors!

April Fools Day Update!

We opted to lounge in the sun at CBR today. Our Saturday night at V&A was late, so . . . We slept in Again! After a quick breakfast, we packed a tote bag and headed down to the scrawny little beach by our building. There were a couple lounge chairs and some shady spots. We spent the morning just laid back and soaking up the sun.

Let me digress to CUPCAKES. Yesterday I brought three cupcakes back from HS Starring Rolls and we shared the Butterfinger with our lunch. It was So Good! The cake was moist, and the frosting rich and smooth. As most of you know, the frosting is Piled High, and coated with chocolate then rolled in crushed Butterfinger candy. OMG. Today we had the Marble cupcake and the Red Velvet cupcake with lunch. Both are equally awesome. The marble cupcake was moist, with mile high frosting and chocolate sprinkles. What makes this great is the extra helping of chocolate ganache in the middle of the frosting. Smooth, sweet, and chocolatey! The red velvet cupcake was - for me - was the best of the three. Yes, Jeff - I am with you on this one. Again, the cake was moist and the frosting so smooth and nicely tangy. Best red velvet cake ever!

Tonight's dinner was at Citrico's. We caught a bus to MK then rode the monorail. I love monorail rides!

The menu at Citrico's is classic and full of terrific choices. We started with . . . say it with me . . . The CHEESE! Again, the blue selection was my favorite. Served with honey and bread crisps. Tangy and rich. Kim had a citrus salad that she loved and I had a classic tomato and mozzarella salad. The tomatoes were tiny and sweet, and the basil was also tiny - micro basil. I just can't resist caprese type salads!

Our entrees were both delicious; stripped bass with asparagus risotto for Kim and veal shank with roasted vegetables for me. My veal was so tender and flavorful, and the serving was huge; i couldn't finish it all. Dessert was a tropical fruit creme brulee for Kim and a blood orange tart with strawberries for me. Creme brulee was great, but my dessert was not as successful. Not quite enough flavor, and it wasn't either sweet or tart.

If this report sounds hurried, well . . . It is. We had to hustle back to the resort to watch the Notre Dame and UConn women's semi-final go to overtime. The Irish pulled it out! Now we are watching Stanford try to beat Brittney Griner and Baylor. Go Cardinal!

Tomorrow is our last full day . . .

Last Day on Earth, er . . In the World:

Crowd levels have grown quite a bit over the last three days so we opted to stay at the resort this AM and save our last night for Epcot.

We lounged around Old Port Royale, sunning ourselves and sharing a turkey BLT for lunch. Was really good. The pasta salad was NOT really good, but the jerk chips offered were, to us, a bit of an odd flavor profile.
We had them yesterday and fed them to the seagulls (shhhhhh . . .)

Our early dinner was actually afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian Garden Tea Room. The service was excellent and we had a delightful time. Kim opted for the new Princess Kate Tea - with potted shrimp, champagne (that I got to drink 'cause she thinks all wines are icky), a CHEESE PLATE, a scone, jam tart, & some fancy pastries. She picked a green tea that had an essence of pear. It was good, and she loved it! I had the Grand Tea, with tea sandwiches, an onion tart, pate, a scone with devonshire cream and strawberry jam, delicate jam tart, and a heaping bowl of English Trifle. I chose Eros tea, a citrus and vanilla infused black tea. It is warm and delicious. The absolute best part of this - besides sharing - is the quiet and calm atmosphere. We were quite full and so very happy with the experience!

We relaxed in the GF lobby for a bit, listening to the piano music and watching twin girls - about four or five years old - dance to the music. They were actually dancing, twirling and using their arms. It was so cute!

We eventually hopped on the monorail and transferred to the Epcot line. The new Avengers wrapped monorail pulled along side us at the TTC. It is pretty cool!

At Epcot, our plan was to hustle back to France and have a Slushie. We were hoping beyond hope that we could score a table near the wall and hang there until Illuminations. SCORE! Just as we walked up, I caught sight of some folks who looked like they were loading up to leave. Kim was sure we were gonna get skunked, but I told her to hurry around the Slushie booth, that I knew there was a table there. And there was - the best, most perfect table anywhere and our view for the fireworks was going to be unbeatable.
As we waited for Illuminations, we had several rounds of Grey Goose slushies and cheese plates and baguettes from the Boulangerie, and when the fireworks began, our seats WERE great! We looked at each othe several times and kept saying "are you kidding me?" It was that great a spot.

After the show, we waited for the crowd to thin and made a slow walk out and waited in the cattle pens, ah, the bus lines through three buses until all the CBR folks were loaded and leaving the park. Once at the resort, we walked through the centerhouse, got ice cream, and sat by the pool, enjoying the night air. I am not sure we have ever had a better last night on any of our trips. . .

We fly late tomorrow so will have part of a day to say goodbye, but. . . We are missing the Magic already.

Final Report:

Check out was a breeze. We got our bags all checked in at the airline check-in. What an awesome service! The only annoyingmpart is that they don't/can't check us through to home. Only to Seattle. Oh we got that fixed at the airport! After this, rode the internal shuttle to Old Port Royale for lunch. It was nice to sit in the sun a bit more and relax before the airport hassle. Lots of people this afternoon - spring break is full house!

Our town car splurge picked us up a bit early and that was great. Easy ride to the airport, fairly quick security line, and then a chance to settle back down before the flight. Takeoff was delayed about 30 minutes but the ride home was smooth after the pilot dropped us down out of the high turbulence. Movies, napping, a quick transfer, and suddenly we were pulling into our carport and dragging bags across the threshold.

Pictures soon!

Until next time, all I can think of is