Dining Wars: Drinking's Edge - An August 2018 Dining Report - Updated 2/18: Completed

[buzzrelly]

And THAT is how you celebrate your birthday in WDW…amazing from start to finish! And I'm totally jealous…I tend to have horrible birthdays.

After our adventures around Epcot we chilled at the Boardwalk for a while before making ourselves presentable for dinner.

One of us did a wee bit better on that front than the others.

Adorable!

The music on the other hand, ugh. The Disney sequences were great, but why with the greatest songbook in history available to you Disney needs to make up “new” music is beyond me.

Aw, I love the soundtrack. Maybe you have to hear it a few more times and it'll grow on you

First up we have the S'Mores Bomboloni with Banana Jam, House-made Graham Crackers, Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream

The actual “S’mores “ were like delicious little warm doughnuts warm filled with chocolate.

That looks delicious

 

[followthatmouse]

Episode VI: Birthday at the Top

After our adventures around Epcot we chilled at the Boardwalk for a while before making ourselves presentable for dinner.

One of us did a wee bit better on that front than the others.

Because our livers hadn't had enough yet today we started with a lil birthday pre-gaming in J and D’s room. They were gracious enough to bring along my favorite wine from California which is from a winery we’d all visited a few years earlier.


Eventually we Uber’d our way over to my favorite Disney restaurant: California Grill. We unfortunately were taken to a table all the way in the back and I had a moment of panic when I saw the terrible waiter we’d had at brunch on our last trip, but thankfully we had a wonderful server named Mark who took great care of us.

To start D and I got a bottle of my California Grill staple, the Michel Redde "Les Tuilleres" Sauvignon Blanc from the Sancerre region.

The sommelier here turned us onto this briny, crisp, and acidic wine a few years ago and it is the perfect accompaniment to seafood.

The boys elected to go with some beer instead.


That’s a Napa Smith IPA for one of them and a Bell's Oberon Ale for the other. No clue whose was whose, but I'm sure they were both 'hoppy' with their choices

Mark also brought us some of California Grill’s new bread service. Instead of the lavender focaccia and butter they are now serving sourdough bread with an olive oil and tomato dipping sauce.

This was quite good, but I gotta admit I missed the “good” butter.

RIP butter

We took a couple of pictures while we waited for our appetizers.


Any guesses who she likes better?

After largely successful flatbreads the night before we decided to stick with the theme and share The Farmer “Artisanal Hand Formed Pizza.” So fancy.

This is House-cured Pancetta, Roasted Garlic, Sweet Onion-Olive Agrodolce, Soft-cooked Egg, Arugula, and Aged Pecorino. I am a sucker for an egg on pizza so they had me from the beginning but the creamy yolk combined with the sweet pork and crunchy arugula was a winning combination. The crust was also simultaneously dense and chewy yet crispy and the onions added a terrific sweetness. This was a clear winner and thankfully no smelly feet cheese on this one.

For entrees I’d had my heart set on the Ramp Spaghetti they had on the menu for most of the summer. Sadly that was gone but I went with the Black Grouper with Herb Basmati Rice, Cashew Chutney, Bok Choy, Baby Shiitake, Rock Shrimp, and Kaffir Lime-Coconut Nage.

The grouper itself was moist and flavorful and the lime and coconut sauce was light and creamy with amazing flavor reminiscent for a thai curry. The rock shrimp were a nice touch and I liked the bok choy but in case its not clear from the picture the “greens” to fish ratio was a bit off. And to no ones surprise I got the mushrooms on the side for Casey.


For his entrée Jason went with the Colorado Rack of Lamb with Punjabi Eggplant, Curry-Potato Samosas, Courgettes, Cucumber Yogurt, and Lamb Jus.

As some of you may know the former Chef from Jiko is now at California Grill and the influence in this dish was obvious. Jason loved the messy plating that apparently told him to mix it all up and play with it and the lamb was cooked to medium rare perfection. The yogurt sauce was a great foil to the heavy lamb and the samosas were outstanding. I’m still not sure what a courgette is but I’m thinking it was a nod Jasons “cougar” wife as now that I was my birthday I’m 2 years older than him until December.

For her entrée D went with the Seafood Spaghettini.

This is Key West pink shrimp, Cedar Key clams, mussels, octopus, charred fennel, and lobster broth atop spaghettini (its like spaghetti but tini ). She loved all the fresh seafood and lobster broth and the licoricy fennel was a nice contrast.

J went with the Pork Tenderloin with Goat Cheese Polenta, Mushrooms, Chestnut, Brussels Sprouts, Pear, Lacquered Belly, and Zinfandel Glaze.

Per my exhaustive notes “he really enjoyed this.” What can I say, he’s a man of few words.

To go with their entrees the boys went with their own bottle of wine, a red blend from another California Winery we’d visited a few years ago - Gundlach Bundschu

I love that the CG wine list has wines from places we’ve visited. The nostalgia adds a whole new dimension to already amazing wine.

At this point Happily Ever After was getting read to start so we headed out on the balcony. This was our first time seeing it and I was definitely excited.

Despite hearing it was largely projections that we couldn’t see I thought the actual fireworks were outstanding and we had a tremendous vantage point. The music on the other hand, ugh. The Disney sequences were great, but why with the greatest songbook in history available to you Disney needs to make up “new” music is beyond me. Also anyone else get a Lady Antebellum vibe from the singers? I was totally ready for it to be a quarter after one and I’m a little drunk and I need you now.

While outside we decided to take some “fancy” photos, but the wind had other ideas.


We ordered a second bottle of the Gunlach Bundschu (GunBun for the cool kids out there) for dessert and had a few other treats to drink it down with.

First up we have the S'Mores Bomboloni with Banana Jam, House-made Graham Crackers, Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream

The actual “S’mores “ were like delicious little warm doughnuts warm filled with chocolate. The marshmallow ice cream didn’t have a ton of flavor by itself but they were all good together

We also got the Warm Valrohna Chocolate Cake with vanilla bean ice cream, milk chocolate whipped panna cotta, cashew clusters .

This was a little rich for my blood so I just concentrated on drinking my dessert.

This was yet another amazing California Grill experience. Our server was outstanding, the fireworks view not to be outdone, and the food – as always – was perfection. I was a bit disappointed they no longer had the ramp spaghetti I wanted, but that is also what I love about CG. They keep their menu fresh and seasonal, which means its always changing, and variety (and wine) is clearly my spice of life. With our tables in wonderland card we saved $72.25 on what I believe was our highest Disney dining bill ever.

After some more attempts at wind-free pictures...

...we Uber’d back to Boardwalk and toasted my birthday with another wine D and J had brought, this time from my favorite Virginia winery.

And we of course washed it all down with some more tipsy treats.


Up next, Grease: It Does a Tipsy Body Good​

Oh, what a wonderful birthday! Each course of your CG din dins looked so luscious! I'm not surprised that a nap would be required after such a day! Exclamation points all 'round!

We were very disappointed in our last CG dinner. The meal and evening were a complete disaster, actually. CG was an old favorite, too. We had enjoyed it over many years, almost from the time it opened. From your report, it looks like the chef from Jiko has brought the place back to life. I'm almost tempted to return.

 

[kastoney]

Looks like an amazing birthday dinner - from start to finish.

It certainly was!!!

What an amazing birthday dinner! As you know, I love Cali Grill too and I do miss the original bread service. Back in June, we were given the olive oil, tomato thing too. I thought it was ok. I also appreciate the ever-changing menu and love how everything is fresh and for the most part beautifully plated.

It truly was amazing, even if I missed the old bread

Wow what a great Birthday dinner, the flatbread looks so delicious with the egg on it!

Entrees, wine, and dessert all looks amazing for a Birthday!

Glad you had a great spot for the HEA viewing!

Perfect place to be when celebrating a Birthday!

It truly was perfect!!!

Wow! What a fun birthday dinner and total #squadgoals. I love Cali Grill too. I skipped dinner there this last trip as we did brunch but I’m regretting it seeing all this goodness! Thank goodness there is always next time. Making notes on wine recommendations!!

We are certainly quite the squad. We had skipped dinner on our prior trip too in favor of Brunch and while we loved that there is certainly something special about CG dinner. And hope you get to try the wines!!! I hate trying to pick out random bottles so when they have stuff I know I love we keep going back, and back, and back

Such an amazing dinner! I’m hungry just reading about out!

It looks like you had lots of nice wine which is total perfect tipsy birthday fun! Uber is such a great way to get around!

Nothing better than a tipsy birthday with an uber driver J and D had their car the whole time but we never even used it.

Amazing birthday! I love the pictures round Epcot. Fantastic day.
Your reports make me laught out loud

Thank you! Glad you are enjoying it!

Great dinner to end the perfect birthday!
California Grill is amazing and the view of the fireworks incredible!
That food looks so tasty it's making me hungry
Casey is a wee trouper still smiling at the end of such a busy day and looks just gorgeous all dressed up for the evening
Laughed when I saw the title for your next chapter as the cure for any hangover here is a "fry". Basically bacon, sausages, fried potato bread, fried soda and an egg (black pudding for some-fried of course) along with copious amounts of tea! Works a treat too

Casey is most certainly a trooper. Of course she is used to us and all our dining adventures, but I don't think most kids would tolerate us as well as she does

Mmm, a fry totally sounds like something up my alley. I'm not normally one for food after such an eventful day, but in this case some serious carbohydrates and grease were in order. But no tea, definitely no tea

Where would we all be without your impeccable descriptions?!

The world would sadly be very lost

These are the epitome of fancy. Think about how models have manufactured wind blowing in their faces - you all were models who just had the real variety of wind

Thats a great point. Those poor models are suffering with wind machines while we were living large with the natural kind Life just is not fair sometimes. Hang in there models.

What a perfect way to cap off your birthday! I haven't dined at CG but every time I read a dining review of it, I promise myself to fix that someday

I think when you finally finish school you have yourself a ready made celebration meal!

Sounds like another great meal! I just looked at the menu online, and the Lamb is already gone from the menu. boo.

Oh no. Jason loved that. But I'm sure they have replaced it with something equally as good

I love GunBun wines as well! I’ve never visited their winery, but I would love to someday. I’ve never been to California Grill, but I’m hoping to get a brunch ressie there for our trip in March. Your meal looks fabulous!

Awesome, I thought I was the only one on the GunBun train! The winery isn't all that from a visual perspective, but they have great wines at really good price points.

I hope you do try CG brunch. We've done it once and it was an unbelievable experience. And they of course serve some GunBun too

This looks delicious! One day we might go back here for dinner. The only two times we've gone have been bad experiences so probably not for a long while. Do love the brunch though

Sorry you had bad experiences. Funny how some of us can have amazing experiences and others not so good ones. We certainly have a few places that we have written off that others love. I guess that is what makes us all uniquely disney foodies

The projections are really amazing and should be viewed at least once, but the fireworks are really good. I've viewed this show mainly from afar and only once in front of the castle.

I'm hopeful we'll see them one day, I'm just way too lazy to actually have to work for it

And THAT is how you celebrate your birthday in WDW…amazing from start to finish! And I'm totally jealous…I tend to have horrible birthdays.

Sorry to hear you have horrible birthdays. I am a B-A-B-Y about mine and always just do the planning myself so I get what I want. I grew up sharing my birthday with my cousin. We shared birthday parties every year and family dinners when we got older. As soon as I got old enough to do what I wanted for my birthday the world started looking out I'm happy to plan yours sometime. I just charge a small fee payable in booze

Aw, I love the soundtrack. Maybe you have to hear it a few more times and it'll grow on you

Maybe....but doubtful. I am very quick to judge and rarely change my mind.

Oh, what a wonderful birthday! Each course of your CG din dins looked so luscious! I'm not surprised that a nap would be required after such a day! Exclamation points all 'round!

We were very disappointed in our last CG dinner. The meal and evening were a complete disaster, actually. CG was an old favorite, too. We had enjoyed it over many years, almost from the time it opened. From your report, it looks like the chef from Jiko has brought the place back to life. I'm almost tempted to return.

Oh no, sorry to hear you all didn't have a good experience at CG. Thankfully we haven't encountered that but if we were to have a bad experience I'm sure we'd rethink going back. Hollywood Brown Derby is your CG to us and I don't think I could pay Jason to go back in there. Even if the Jiko Chef was in charge

 

[Ejb123]

...I too would panic if I had to put up with the waiter you had at brunch on your last visit...... he is terrible! Looks as though you had a lovely time and a great birthday.

 

[Tracy161]

Thats a great point. Those poor models are suffering with wind machines while we were living large with the natural kind Life just is not fair sometimes. Hang in there models.

I couldn't agree more. Keep your spirits up models.

I think when you finally finish school you have yourself a ready made celebration meal!

YES!!!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

But no tea, definitely no tea

POTLOADS of the stuff!!!

 

[kastoney]

...I too would panic if I had to put up with the waiter you had at brunch on your last visit...... he is terrible! Looks as though you had a lovely time and a great birthday.

Yes you know full well. I was going to ask for another table if he was our waiter. No chance I was going t endure that again.

Thanks for the birthday wishes. Hope you all are well!

 

[kastoney]

Episode VII: Grease! It’s What’s for Breakfast!!!

After a day of birthday indulgences we enjoyed some much needed sleep, but sadly today was our last day at the Boardwalk as were moving to the Beach Club and J and D were headed home. Three days in Disney was definitely enough for them, but they indulged us with a few hours more in Disney Springs.

We were at Disney Springs before it even opened and amused ourselves with some photos before the stores opened.


As some of you know I did not get the shopping gene but Casey and D most certainly did so they milked this visit for all it was worth.

Casey even found someone to make her a "half birthday button" as she was 7 1/2 today and used this to con D into buying her half of Disney springs, including this guy (the stuffed mickey bar, not the actual “guy”)!


After a "thrilling" shopping excursion our tummies were rumbling and we were in need of some serious carbohydrates. After contemplating our options we ultimately decided on D-Luxe Burger for lunch. Because hamburgers, they do a tipsy stomach good!

Jason got the El Diablo burger with a Chorizo and Beef Patty, Fried Banana Peppers, Pepper Jack, Lettuce, Tomato, Grilled Onion and Chipotle Mayonnaise. Can you say ulcer?

Seriously though this was delicious and the chorizo added not only complexity but a good amount of heat to the burger – and of course more grease!!!.

He washed this down with a S’mores Milkshake which is Vanilla Gelato blended with Milk, Toasted Marshmallow, Dark Chocolate Sauce, and crushed Graham Crackers, topped with Whipped Cream, Crushed Graham Crackers, Marshmallows and Dark Chocolate drizzle.

Bet ya didn’t know he could consume a liquid that wasn’t of the alcoholic variety? He enjoyed this, but my stomach had no interest in lactose this morning.

Employing a mob mentality, J, D, and I all got the same burger: The Southern. which is their Signature Blend Beef Patty topped with a Fried Green Tomato, Pimento, Lettuce, Grilled Onion and Bacon.

Oh wow did this hit the hangover spot. The burger was amazingly juicy and cooked to a perfect medium rare and the soft brioche like bun was the perfect vessel for soaking up the burger grease and juices. The toppings were all individually fabulous, but together the flavors all got a bit muddled. Never fear though they did their job to soak up all those birthday drinks from the day before.

Jason and I also got some fries to share.

These were reminiscent of boardwalk type fries and they had several sauces you could have with them. My favorites were the garlic ranch and buffalo ranch, because ranch is its own food group right?

We even let Casey order her own Cheeseburger Kids Meal.

No picture, but I’m pretty sure she ate more of the stuffed mickey bar than her actual meal. Which of course just reminded me why I never let her order her own food.

Overall we really enjoyed D-Luxe Burger. I’m not sure I’d go out of my way for it since we can get great burgers at home too, but it hit the day after tipsy spot perfectly.

After lunch we sadly bid D and J adieu (adieu to you and you and you) and hopped the first bus that came (Port Orleans) for what we hoped would be a quick away to get to MGM. We were of course wrong and ended up waiting 45 minutes at POFQ for an MGM bus and then to add insult to injury were dropped of at a war zone I believe was formerly known as Hollywood Studios. MGM would never have stood for such things!

After escaping the land mines we finally made our way to Toy Story Land for the first time.


Like most everyone I was struck by how compact this area was. With 40 square miles available you’d think Disney could have at least sprung for wider walkways. The heat and claustrophobia were real.

We did get our first trip on Slinky Dog.


Which was much more fun than I would have imagined, though no ride picture for us.

We also took in a movie with a couple of puppets and a tour of the stars and since we sum total had done 50% of MGM’s rides we decided to head out. We were able to pick up an additional fast pass for slinky dog that night though.

On the way out Casey and Jason grabbed a frozen coke.

While mine was definitely more of the caffeine varietal.

No clue what this was but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say there was some coffee in it.

Up next we return to drinking's edge....​

 

[Jenny Sanders]

(adieu to you and you and you)

SERIOUSLY love me some Sound of Music!!!!!!

Your burgers look awesome! Joe and I still need to get over there...There and Blaze...

 

[goofy78]

Seriously loving all of your reviews! D-Luxe is delicious. It’s going to be our arrival no park day lunch in May. Can’t wait for more!

 

[ncc1701]

The D-Luxe burger is making me rethink tonight's dinner plans. Will have to consider it next trip since we usually are at DS multiple times a trip to eat. Like you I am missing the "shopping gene". We hit the Christmas, Kitchen , Disney Art & World of Disney stores and that's about it (except for a free sample at Ghirardelli)

 

[Dis_Yoda]

D-Luxe burger does sound like a good post drinking day! Poor you on having your daughter have the shopping gene! Someone in the family has to have one!

Those types of ranch sound so good right now! Glad you enjoyed them with your appropriate type of fries

 

[SweetSerenity]

Ulcer.

We wanted to try the s'mores and pumpkin shakes from D-Luxe, but we never made it over as we were too busy being piggy piggies elsewhere.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Happy late Thanksgiving! I hope you guys had a great day and weekend. Just now getting to catch up on everyone.

 

[earfulofmagic]

I love that Casey "conned" D into buying her souvenirs with the half-birthday trick. Iconic!!!

D-Luxe looks delicious! I had the Southern Burger last summer when they'd recently opened, and it basically disintegrated after a bite or two -- I think the bread was different, and the burger had excess grease -- but it looks like they've got it together now, with this review and all the other rave reviews. Happy to see it was a good meal

 

[dolewhipandpixiedust]

I have a picture of Tyler with the Mickey bar that looks identical to yours lol. D-Luxe is on the list for next trip in May

 

[Tracy161]

Grease! It’s What’s for Breakfast!!!

And here I always thought grease is the word

we were in need of some serious carbohydrates

I spend most my life in need of some serious carbohydrates

Bet ya didn’t know he could consume a liquid that wasn’t of the alcoholic variety?

I kept reading along expecting to see alcohol, and was shocked when I didn't

because ranch is its own food group right?

MGM would never have stood for such things!

No! It sure wouldn't have

I'm so excited to ride SDD - everyone keeps saying it was way better than they'd expected. Glad to see you snagged a FP for later that night, too.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I’ve been wanting to try D-Luxe. Sounds like it really hit the spot. I need to stay for a week and only eat at Disney Springs to get through my list of places to try and also hit my favorites. So nice your friends could come to Disney to celebrate your birthday. I’m a little surprised they weren’t converted after all the fun you had!! Hollywood Studios is a war zone. The parking lot, bus station, and walking path from Epcot resort area are all a mess. I suppose it will all be worth it ... although may be years before the crowds dissipate enough for me to visit (if they ever do).

 

[FSU Girl]

Casey even found someone to make her a "half birthday button" as she was 7 1/2 today

I love to hear when other's celebrate their half birthdays. I always celebrate mine, go out and celebrate and do something fun. My Husband gives me half a card, it's cute.

Seriously though this was delicious and the chorizo added not only complexity but a good amount of heat to the burger – and of course more grease!!!.

This sounds delicious.

He washed this down with a S’mores Milkshake which is Vanilla Gelato blended with Milk, Toasted Marshmallow, Dark Chocolate Sauce, and crushed Graham Crackers, topped with Whipped Cream, Crushed Graham Crackers, Marshmallows and Dark Chocolate drizzle.

OMG this sounds amazing. I love all things milkshakes, I wish I could reach through my computer and grab that drink lol.

After lunch we sadly bid D and J adieu (adieu to you and you and you)

Love the Sound of Music reference, great movie.

We were of course wrong and ended up waiting 45 minutes at POFQ for an MGM bus and then to add insult to injury were dropped of at a war zone I believe was formerly known as Hollywood Studios. MGM would never have stood for such things!

The construction happening at the front of the park is very annoying. When we went for the Welcome Dinner we got on the tram in the parking lot and it literally brought us like two feet closer since they can't get anywhere near the front of the park.

Which was much more fun than I would have imagined, though no ride picture for us.

I went on this ride for the first time and was really surprised how much I enjoyed it. For some reason I thought it was going to be a really calm roller coaster, but it wasn't at all.

No clue what this was but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say there was some coffee in it.

It looks like an iced cappachino.

 

[disneyAndi14]

I didn’t think I would ever be hungry after Thanksgiving and those burgers and fries look yummy right about now!

When we went I really liked Andi’s speciality burger more than the plain cheeseburger. I can’t remember which one but it was spicy and tasty!

I really like SDD as well, TSL is very small and very hot in the Florida summer heat!