The Widow, the Spinster, and the Missus take on Disneyland - A little OT Interlude in Napa 4/14

[pkondz]

We've been known to have a token male in the group.....

oooohhh... I wanna be a token male.

No, just wine drinking. We text every day throughout the day.

I do it several times a week.

I can get from anywhere in the city where I live to any part in about 30-40 minutes. Most commutes are under 20 minutes. Except during rush hour, where going from one end to another might be an hour if there's construction.

Sorry you won't be able to do that on the next one.

<stops reading>

 

[franandaj]

It was a whirlwind weekend but so fun!

We've had a lot of those lately! No wonder I caught a cold!

Just note to self...don't wear brand new shoes to walk across DL in....The back of my heels were NOT happy!

I could have told you that one! That's why I haven't bought new shoes since before the pandemic!

 

[franandaj]

Yes it was, will do better next time with the planning!

We just need to make sure and look at our calendars before booking flights!

Very good looking brekkie, bacon looks really good!

It was very good. I would like to go back there sometime for breakfast when I don't have a full day ahead of me and I can order a bloody Mary!

To me it does!

Yeah, I've seen your rush hour!

This is a really nice pic!

Jana did good!

Yes, I loved this dish!

It was so good, and yes, I remember it had loads of beef in it that was really tender and tasty!

I think we could have said that about everything!

I can't remember what it was either, but I do love a perfectly cooked white fish!

I want to say Halibut, it could have been Sea Bass, I just don't know.

I do really enjoy WOC, what a great way to end a lovely evening!

It was great to see it. I don't remember the last time I actually saw it from the viewing area. Fran didn't like the show so I rarely got to see it.

So very lucky indeed

We need to have another one! The last one was awesome!

Yeah, coming up soon!

 

[franandaj]

oooohhh... I wanna be a token male.

I think you would be a great token male. You are easy going enough and don't man-splain that you could probably be a perfect "token male".

I can get from anywhere in the city where I live to any part in about 30-40 minutes. Most commutes are under 20 minutes. Except during rush hour, where going from one end to another might be an hour if there's construction.

Well to be honest, I can get anywhere in the city I live within 20 minutes. without freeways. However if I want to go anywhere within the Greater Los Angeles region, that's a whole 'nother Ball game!

<stops reading>

We didn't get menus. It was basically a surprise fest, but I was very sad they didn't give us commemorative menus of the night. Evidently they did that when they first revamped the Chef's counter, but I guess it got to tedious.

 

[pkondz]

I think you would be a great token male. You are easy going enough and don't man-splain that you could probably be a perfect "token male".

Actually, the term "token male" refers to the... ack!.... urk!... gah!! <succumbs to Alison choking the life out of him>

Well to be honest, I can get anywhere in the city I live within 20 minutes. without freeways. However if I want to go anywhere within the Greater Los Angeles region, that's a whole 'nother Ball game!

Oh, I know...

Not as well as you, obviously, but...

 

[franandaj]

Our last Disney Culinary Adventure in this Trip Report took place before Christmas, back in December. About a month before this next trip. The January trip was booked back in May of 2023 shortly after Fran passed away. Jill and I were planning fun things to do and we decided that a trip in January that got her out of the Denver cold, would be a happy thing.

I used my DVC points this time, and we had three nights booked at the Grand in a one bedroom. We had planned to try for the Chef’s Counter at Napa Rose. The thing is that for the Chef’s Counter, you need to call at midnight on the 1st of the month 60 days prior to your desired reservation. And at the time we were supposed to book the reservation we were in Egypt.

You can read all about that in the Egypt TR. Here’s a link to that Chapter.

So our plan for the weekend trip was shaping up. We had a reservation for four at the Napa Rose Chef’s Counter. We also made another plan back in July. There is a YouTube star called Randy Rainbow who does hilarious parody videos, and he was kicking off his tour in Los Angeles. Jill was able to score us tickets to his show in DTLA on the Friday night of the weekend. So in addition to all there is to do at the Disneyland Resort, we also had an off campus activity.

Now when this trip to Napa Rose was planned, we just kind of assumed that it would be me, Jill, Jenny, and Michael having dinner. However, we had a little change in plans when Allyson was staying up late on Christmas Day with a little extra tipple….

I just happened to wake up for a brief bit in the middle of the night. I went to sleep before 8PM, and woke at 11ish for a bio break. I noticed she sent me a text message so I responded. She was still awake and immediately called me and asked about this weekend in January. She was just checking to see if we could put her up in the room, and would we mind if she crashed our party?

I ensured her that we would love to have her join us, and when I woke up in the morning I found a screenshot of her flight information in my WhatsApp. As we got closer to the trip, the personnel changed from Michael at dinner to Allyson, and the weekend morphed into a girls trip. And it turned out to be an Epic weekend!

Jill flew in from Colorado on Thursday evening. This time I didn’t have a Zoom meeting, so I was able to pick her up from the airport. We shared a nice bottle of wine before we hit the hay. We didn’t have an early morning, in fact it was relatively leisurely.

When it was determined that it would be us four ladies on this adventure, I had set up a group text. In the days leading up to the trip, Allyson was freaking out. The Vancouver airport had closed down two days before she was supposed to fly due to record amounts of snow. She lives in a small town in the mountains Northeast of Vancouver and her plane connected through Vancouver.

Her saga began around 6AM, the plane left Kamloops a little late, but she made it to Vancouver with enough time to run through the airport, clear customs, and just about die making it to her plane to Santa Ana. Now that she was safely on her way to California, Jill and I decided to get our day going as well.

I made us smoothies for breakfast, and she helped me accomplish a task at home that I’ve been wanting to do since I moved into my house. And by 10:15 we were on our way to begin our Disney weekend. Earlier that morning Harvey’s Handbags had a special release and Jill had been able to snag one. She set it for pickup instead of shipping. And wouldn’t you know it, just as we were sitting at the bottom of the freeway off ramp, she got the text that her order was ready.

We decided we would rather pick it up before arriving at Disney, so we made a quick detour and were at Disney by 11AM. Of course the room wasn’t ready yet, and by this time the smoothies we had for breakfast had worn off. Now we were starving. We decided to get lunch at Earl of Sandwich.

Now normally both of us would have had the same “go-to” sandwich, the 1762, the Roast Beef with Cheddar and horseradish sauce. However, based on our plans for dinner, we were going to having something very similar so instead, we went with The Earl’s Club, Turkey, bacon, Swiss, lettuce, Roma tomato & sandwich sauce, but we got it without the tomato.

Neither Jill or I have much of an appetite, so half a sandwich and a few chips was just perfect to satiate our appetites. We still had a few hours before we had to leave for DTLA, so we decided to go on a few rides. Allyson’s plane still hadn’t landed. Our first stop was TSMM.

Still I was a beaver, and Jill beat me again.

Then we went on Radiator Springs Racers.

And then we went on Webslingers….

Before we decided to ride Guardians, Allyson sent a text that her plane had landed.

By the time that we got off the ride, she was in a ride-share on her way back to the hotel. We decided to go back to the lobby and meet her. I still hadn’t received the text that the room was ready. It was getting close to the time when we needed to leave for the concert, and we still hadn’t received the text, so Jill asked one of the registration assistants about the room, and within 15 minutes, I got the text that the room was ready.

For anyone wondering if they still have the little shampoos that you can take home as souvenirs, nope. It’s all attached to the wall.

We had our bags brought up to the room, and got a little bit settled, however both of us dressed for the show in case the room had not been ready before we had to leave. We left right on time and soon we arrived at Phillippe’s downtown. If you’re not familiar with this place, it's one of the two sandwich shops in LA that claim to have created the French Dip sandwich.

Again we split a sandwich, this time Roast Beef, and we got some cole slaw, as well as beverages. I had a glass of Red Wine and Jill ordered a coke.

The sandwich was good, but the Au jus was super salty. What you don’t see in the picture is their spicy horseradish sauce. Jill tried it and it nearly blew her head off. I really liked it, but only in very small bursts, it was super strong!

Then we made our way to the theater. It took us three different parking lots before we finally found a place to put the car. And soon we were on our way to the theater.

The theater had a bar, and you could even take your Adult Beverages inside the theater.

The show was really funny! The premise was that Randy Rainbow was running for President and he gave us his campaign promises through his YouTube videos which he sang live as well as a few original songs. We had a great time and it was totally worth it.

When we got back to the room, Allyson wasn’t there. Turns out she went out to ride a few rides, she ended up watching the fireworks and riding the train with a couple of Cast Members. It was just random and she ended up talking to them while they rode the train around the park. We agreed that the next day would be a chill one and no one had to get up early.

[Continued in Next Post]

 

[franandaj]

[Continued from Previous Post]

The next morning we all got up slowly. Jenny was going to be joining us on this day. She started texting us around 7AM and finally arrived just before 10AM. We had already had a snack for breakfast. It was supposed to rain all day, so we weren’t quite sure what we wanted to do. No one wanted to eat a lot cause we had a big meal this evening.

Eventually we settled on going into the park and riding a couple rides. First we went on Soarin’. It was Around the World and not California. Then we went and rode TSMM. Today I got a cat! The DIS doesn't like the other word.

And Jill got the high score in the vehicle.

That was enough for us. We took this wet photo in the rain and went back to the room.

Jenny and Jill didn’t want to get their hair wet as both of them had paid good money to get it straightened. Allyson and I had planned on showering before dinner so we didn’t care if our hair got wet. We had all brought our swimsuits to go in the hot tub, but since it was raining out, Jill and Jenny didn’t want to go down there. So Allyson and I spent a little bit of time in the hot tub, and it turned out that the rain let up for the time we were down there.

In the room, Jill and Jenny watched the Elton John concert on Disney+

The dinner reservation was for 5:30, and we all got dressed up and headed down to Napa Rose. It was nice that we didn’t have to leave the hotel for dinner. We were seated at the chef’s counter and had a great view of the kitchen.

This Gentleman was our Sommelier and server for the evening.

We had a great view of this station all evening. They made all sorts of things from Bread to Scallops.

We started off with Champagne. Nicolas Feuillatte is one of my favorites, several years ago I attended a French Family Lunch in Epcot where their Champagnes were featured.

We all took selfies.

We were all served the same Amuse Bouche. Osetra Caviar in Cauliflower spuma. Normally I’m not a fan of Cauliflower, but whatever they mixed into this was actually pretty tasty.

Now for the rest of the meal, they were not serving us all the same stuff. I’m only showing you my plates and wines because it was too confusing to keep track of what everyone was having. This was my wine to go with my First course.

I was served this scallop on a sweet potato puree and sauteed brussel sprouts. It was very tasty, but I didn’t eat everything on the plate. It worked well together, but wasn’t something I wanted to try and get every single bite. Perhaps because I’m not a huge fan of sweet potatoes or brussel sprouts.

Sorry this picture is blurry, I believe that it was a Pinot Noir.

I think this was a dish that we were all served the same thing. It’s Napa Roses signature Portabello Cappuccino. It’s basically a mushroom soup, and it’s very tasty.

Next up was this wine, whose label gives no indication of what varietal it was or anything, perhaps it was a blend. All the wines they served us were super tasty, I had no complaints.

This was a very “interesting” course for me. It was Roasted Bone Marrow with Kobe Beef Cheeks over Crostini with Compound Butter. It was definitely tasty, but it was also kind of a lot. I probably would have enjoyed a portion about half that size. I believe that I had that packaged to go, for Jenny. She really loves bone marrow.

This is the same dish after I’d dug into it a bit. I believe that the alternate course that was served was quail.

At this point, we were due for a break. The chef came by with a palate cleanser. The did ask before he served it if we were OK with alcohol. He added this St. Germain Liqueur to the Lemon Sorbet you see here.

Then it was time for the main course. I was served this wine, which again has a funny label that doesn’t indicate at all what varietal, etc.

I was served this Beef Short Rib with pureed Boniato. It was very good, but by this time I was getting super full. I had to take most of this home as leftovers. I had a little bit of food envy as Jill and Allyson were served some sort of steak, either filet or New York.

Then we were on the way back down the scale. This Rose was light and crisp, but not sweet.

It was a great accompaniment to this Comte Fritter with Lemon Froth. I’m guessing this was intended as our cheese course. It was a very interesting taste, but definitely good.

This was another palate cleanser, they called it a Citrus Taco. It was quite refreshing.

We finished up the wine pairing with this Moscato d’asti. I believe that Allyson traded with me for the dessert. So we also must have traded wines, or not? I can’t even count how many glasses I’d had that evening.

I really wanted this Sticky Toffee Pudding (which is why she was kind enough to switch with me). It wasn’t as good as mine. I’ve had it several times over the last few months and still mine is the best.

Our last sweet of the evening were these Petit Fours. I ate mine that night, and I believe that Allyson sent hers home in my togo bag. I ate those a couple days later when I got home.

We all stumbled back to the room, and I’m pretty sure I went directly to sleep.

Next: We still have another day left!

 

[pkondz]

we decided that a trip in January that got her out of the Denver cold, would be a happy thing.

Point of order.
A trip in January that gets you out of any cold, is a happy thing.

There is a YouTube star called Randy Rainbow who does hilarious parody videos, and he was kicking off his tour in Los Angeles.

I'm positive you've mentioned him before.

However, we had a little change in plans when Allyson was staying up late on Christmas Day with a little extra tipple….

A little extra tipple will do that!

She was just checking to see if we could put her up in the room, and would we mind if she crashed our party?

Another crasher! I need to get out more.

when I woke up in the morning I found a screenshot of her flight information in my WhatsApp.

Which airport did she fly in to? I'm guessing (just a guess) that since it was an international flight, it was to LAX?
I'm guessing that LGB is a smaller airport? Or did she find a flight to SNA?

I was able to pick her up from the airport.

Nice that you were able to do that. I presume getting to SNA is easier than LAX?

Allyson was freaking out. The Vancouver airport had closed down two days before she was supposed to fly due to record amounts of snow. She lives in a small town in the mountains Northeast of Vancouver and her plane connected through Vancouver.

she made it to Vancouver with enough time to run through the airport, clear customs, and just about die making it to her plane to Santa Ana.

I hate those airport rushes!

she helped me accomplish a task at home that I’ve been wanting to do since I moved into my house.

Glad you could get some help with whatever it was that needed doing for so long.

We decided to get lunch at Earl of Sandwich.

Not a bad choice. Surprisingly, we have one up here.

Now normally both of us would have had the same “go-to” sandwich, the 1762, the Roast Beef with Cheddar and horseradish sauce. However, based on our plans for dinner, we were going to having something very similar so instead, we went with The Earl’s Club, Turkey, bacon, Swiss, lettuce, Roma tomato & sandwich sauce, but we got it without the tomato.

I've had the 1762, but my go to is the Holiday Turkey. (Also like the Club and the Montagu)

Still I was a beaver, and Jill beat me again.

Jill's got skilz.

And it rhymes, too! Feel free to chant it at her next time she beats you.

Then we went on Radiator Springs Racers.

Someone knows where the camera is.

It was getting close to the time when we needed to leave for the concert, and we still hadn’t received the text, so Jill asked one of the registration assistants about the room, and within 15 minutes, I got the text that the room was ready.

phew!

I like how it says "Alison's party".... cause it's gonna be one!

Phillippe’s downtown. If you’re not familiar with this place, it's one of the two sandwich shops in LA that claim to have created the French Dip sandwich.

Interesting. Did a bit of Googling... I've never heard of it served "wet" like that at a restaurant. When I make it, I often will dip the roast beef in the au jus before placing it on the bread. So... I guess mine is wet too, just in a different way.

What you don’t see in the picture is their spicy horseradish sauce. Jill tried it and it nearly blew her head off.

Whoops!

The show was really funny! The premise was that Randy Rainbow was running for President and he gave us his campaign promises through his YouTube videos which he sang live as well as a few original songs. We had a great time and it was totally worth it.

Turns out she went out to ride a few rides, she ended up watching the fireworks and riding the train with a couple of Cast Members.

Not a bad way to kill some time!

Jenny was going to be joining us on this day. She started texting us around 7AM

Heh. Not gonna get up early... but will get texts starting around 7am.

Then we went and rode TSMM. Today I got a cat! The DIS doesn't like the other word.

Sure it does! Kitten! Kitty! See? No problem at all.

And Jill got the high score in the vehicle.

Jill's got skilz! Jill's got skilz!


See? Catchy.

Jenny and Jill didn’t want to get their hair wet as both of them had paid good money to get it straightened.

Understandable.

Allyson and I spent a little bit of time in the hot tub, and it turned out that the rain let up for the time we were down there.

Good timing.
I looooove a good hot tub.

In the room, Jill and Jenny watched the Elton John concert on Disney+

Haven't seen it... but was tempted. I did see him live a couple years ago.

We were seated at the chef’s counter and had a great view of the kitchen.

I love that! I'm always fascinated by the action going on in the kitchen. I could happily watch "the show" for hours.

We had a great view of this station all evening. They made all sorts of things from Bread to Scallops.

We started off with Champagne. Nicolas Feuillatte is one of my favorites

I've never heard of that!

We all took selfies.

And you all look great!

Osetra Caviar in Cauliflower spuma. Normally I’m not a fan of Cauliflower, but whatever they mixed into this was actually pretty tasty.

I'm not a fan either, but... good restaurants have a way of making things I don't particularly care for taste good.

they were not serving us all the same stuff.

"stuff"...

I was served this scallop on a sweet potato puree and sauteed brussel sprouts.

Another example of "stuff I don't particularly care for"

I think this was a dish that we were all served the same thing. It’s Napa Roses signature Portabello Cappuccino. It’s basically a mushroom soup, and it’s very tasty.

Was it called a cappuccino because of the way it looked? Or was there a coffee flavouring in there as well?

It was Roasted Bone Marrow with Kobe Beef Cheeks over Crostini with Compound Butter.

Whoa

He added this St. Germain Liqueur to the Lemon Sorbet you see here.

I wonder if I would like that? It sounds good... elderflowers, pear and honeysuckle.

I was served this Beef Short Rib with pureed Boniato. It was very good, but by this time I was getting super full.

Again... whoa. Sounds amazing.

Comte Fritter with Lemon Froth.

That sounds interesting! Then again, almost everything does.

This was another palate cleanser, they called it a Citrus Taco. It was quite refreshing.

I wouldn't have thought of that as a palate cleanser. This meal is fascinating!

I can’t even count how many glasses I’d had that evening.

We all stumbled back to the room, and I’m pretty sure I went directly to sleep.

Stumbled is the word, I'm sure!

I looked up the two wines you mentioned...

This one seems to be a Malbec from Washington - Wautoma Spring Winery

And this one appears to be a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - Caterwaul Winery

 

[jedijill]

Such a fun weekend and I was so happy to get out of the cold even though it rained all weekend! Randy Rainbow was so much and Napa Rose was divine as usual.

Jill in CO

 

[mvf-m11c]

Sorry for responding so late to your post. It was so nice seeing you again during the November trip. My cousins and I had a great time spending the last few hours with you at DL. Thank you again for the great time.

It was so nice to go back to the DLR during the Holiday season.

Very nice pics on the rides. Never get tired of watching "A Christmas Fantasy" parade. Even though the parade has changed over the years with new characters and floats, its still one of my favorite parades at DL.

Some of my pics from ACF.







Enjoying the rest of updates from your other trips at the DLR.

 

[DnA2010]

I want to say Halibut, it could have been Sea Bass, I just don't know.

I feel like now that you said it, that it was halibut, but I just don't know either

We need to have another one! The last one was awesome!

Yes, yes we do

However, we had a little change in plans when Allyson was staying up late on Christmas Day with a little extra tipple….

That extra tipple sometimes gets me in trouble, other times it's the start of awesome trips
You showed as online, what can I say

She was still awake and immediately called me and asked about this weekend in January. She was just checking to see if we could put her up in the room, and would we mind if she crashed our party?

The tipple always makes me call too...I bet that was indeed a shocker, a call on a potty break

when I woke up in the morning I found a screenshot of her flight information in my WhatsApp.

When the flights were super low miles, I knew it was meant to be!

And it turned out to be an Epic weekend!

Oh man so epic, I keep re-living the awesomeness!

In the days leading up to the trip, Allyson was freaking out. The Vancouver airport had closed down two days before she was supposed to fly due to record amounts of snow. She lives in a small town in the mountains Northeast of Vancouver and her plane connected through Vancouver.

Also of note, was that the highways which would get me to Vancouver kept being closed as well, so it's not like I could easily hop in my car and just drive there...

she made it to Vancouver with enough time to run through the airport, clear customs, and just about die making it to her plane to Santa Ana.

Literally almost died...the tiny "local" part of the terminal is very very far from the international side for an out of shape broad like me!

I did have all the people on my plane pulling for me, and also helping me plan a speedy exist from the plane, as I was about half way down in the plane; as I was on the window, my seatmate and I broke the law and changed seats early, and then as we were doing that final few feet before parking, right before they take off the seatbelt sign, I grabbed my carry-on and booked it up the isle- I mean we all decided, what were they going to do, kick me off?

Thankfully the SNA plane had been delayed a bit, but it did show as boarding when I arrived in Vancouver; hence the running across the airport, I was so lucky that the internal security had no line (when does that happen?), and that the people in the customs line (which was the shortest I'd ever seen) allowed me to go to the front (good things happen when you ask nicely) and then the final push (run) to the gate) - I arrived and they were JUST starting to board!

Oh yeah! Alison's party indeed!

The theater had a bar, and you could even take your Adult Beverages inside the theater.

Best kind of theatre

When we got back to the room, Allyson wasn’t there. Turns out she went out to ride a few rides, she ended up watching the fireworks and riding the train with a couple of Cast Members. It was just random and she ended up talking to them while they rode the train around the park.

It was a nice ride around the park- they laughed (well one didn't really, she was too busy asking me questions about what I do for work etc, as she was from HR and was kinda scoping me out it felt like- she told me at the end of the trip she loved that I talked about managing construction, and how DL/Disney supports women in such roles- I digress...) at the plan that DH and I joke about for retirement, that being working at the land part time- him a JC skipper, and myself driving the horses up and down Main Street. They were very nice to talk to, and I enjoyed my circle of the park, I do like a trip on the train.


Onwards!!

 

[DnA2010]

Today I got a cat! The DIS doesn't like the other word.

I know Jenny and I did not hit th kitty - booo, but we had lots of fun!

We took this wet photo in the rain and went back to the room.

So wet! I feel like maybe we did Soarin' as well?

So Allyson and I spent a little bit of time in the hot tub, and it turned out that the rain let up for the time we were down there.

It was a very nice chill (I guess it wasn't cold though haha) time in the tub, I was for sure looking forward to some Grand hot tub time

We were seated at the chef’s counter and had a great view of the kitchen.

I was totally obsessed with watching the kitchen!

this was actually pretty tasty.

I remember really liking this, but I do like cauli

Now for the rest of the meal, they were not serving us all the same stuff.

This was super surprising to me, but was very fun!

I was served this scallop on a sweet potato puree and sauteed brussel sprouts.

SO I looked at my pics, and I was served a while fish of some sort, which looks like it had a muscle with it

I believe that the alternate course that was served was quail

Yup, a squab- I remember it being good, but a bit tricky to eat, as those little birds can be. I think I tried your dish and found it very rich for me.

Jill and Allyson were served some sort of steak, either filet or New York.

It was filet, and it was indeed great, not sure if you ended up trying it.

Comte Fritter with Lemon Froth. I’m guessing this was intended as our cheese course. It was a very interesting taste, but definitely good.

These were tasty, pretty such I ate a bunch of Jenny's as these wouldn't really keep to take home.

This was another palate cleanser, they called it a Citrus Taco. It was quite refreshing.

This was delicious I remember! Super refreshing and fun.

I really wanted this Sticky Toffee Pudding (which is why she was kind enough to switch with me).

Serving 4 different desserts was really fun! I will always have you back lol! Looking at my pics, the one I had a tart, looks like apple or apple/pear

Such a great night, we need to do it again someday!

 

[franandaj]

Point of order.
A trip in January that gets you out of any cold, is a happy thing.

Since I don't live in a cold climate, I wouldn't understand, but I certainly wouldn't travel to Denver in January.

I'm positive you've mentioned him before.

I'm sure I have. I realized that he is also very American focused. Unless you follow American stories, most of his videos wouldn't make much sense.

A little extra tipple will do that!

Another crasher! I need to get out more.

Yes! You do! Hopefully that will be coming sooner rather than later!

Which airport did she fly in to? I'm guessing (just a guess) that since it was an international flight, it was to LAX?
I'm guessing that LGB is a smaller airport? Or did she find a flight to SNA?

Jill flew into Long Beach, Allyson flew into SNA.

Nice that you were able to do that. I presume getting to SNA is easier than LAX?

Well SNA is an easier airport to navigate, and the distance is a wee bit shorter than the drive to LAX, but they both require driving on the 405 freeway which really sucks regardless of the direction you go.

I hate those airport rushes!

I hope I don't have to do that on the way home from "The Peg". Then again, I had to change my flight. They changed it so that I left Winnipeg on Friday night and then spent the night in the Vancouver Airport cause my flight didn't leave until Saturday. They let me change it at no charge and now I'm going through Calgary instead of YVR.

Glad you could get some help with whatever it was that needed doing for so long.

She hung hooks in my pantry so that I could put my reusable grocery bags in there and not store them on the living room floor.

Not a bad choice. Surprisingly, we have one up here.

There's one in Long Beach too. I never end up eating there.

I've had the 1762, but my go to is the Holiday Turkey. (Also like the Club and the Montagu)

I don't like cranberry sauce, then again, we've had this discussion too.....

Jill's got skilz.

And it rhymes, too! Feel free to chant it at her next time she beats you.

Someone knows where the camera is.

I like how it says "Alison's party".... cause it's gonna be one!

I didn't think about that when I was photoshopping it, I just didn't want to post the picture with my last name in it.

Interesting. Did a bit of Googling... I've never heard of it served "wet" like that at a restaurant. When I make it, I often will dip the roast beef in the au jus before placing it on the bread. So... I guess mine is wet too, just in a different way.

Yeah, they offer single dipped or double dipped or no dip.....

Not a bad way to kill some time!

I figured she could find something to do while we were at the show.

Heh. Not gonna get up early... but will get texts starting around 7am.

We do that every morning, but the texts usually start anywhere between 5AM and 6AM, so yeah, 7AM is sleeping in for us!

Sure it does! Kitten! Kitty! See? No problem at all.

Yeah, but the other word doesn't work.....

Jill's got skilz! Jill's got skilz!


See? Catchy.

Good timing.
I looooove a good hot tub.

And I can't wait for our next trip! It's on the patio of our cabin!

I love that! I'm always fascinated by the action going on in the kitchen. I could happily watch "the show" for hours.

Love sitting at the counter and being able to watch everything!

I've never heard of that!

It just happened to work out that the weekend Fran and I were in F&W in Epcot that was the Champagne house that was served at the French Family Lunch. I sure hope that they are still doing those. Jill and I are planning to do F&W in October of 2025.

I'm not a fan either, but... good restaurants have a way of making things I don't particularly care for taste good.

Exactly!

Another example of "stuff I don't particularly care for"

Me neither. I didn't clean my plate. Once the scallop was gone, I left the rest of the garnish on the plate.

Was it called a cappuccino because of the way it looked? Or was there a coffee flavouring in there as well?

It had a froth on the top over the soup.

I wonder if I would like that? It sounds good... elderflowers, pear and honeysuckle.

That sounds interesting! Then again, almost everything does.

Yes, that's the fun with these kinds of dinners. They come up with such unique sorts of things!

I wouldn't have thought of that as a palate cleanser. This meal is fascinating!

Stumbled is the word, I'm sure!

I looked up the two wines you mentioned...

Thanks! Mystery Solved!

 

[franandaj]

Such a fun weekend and I was so happy to get out of the cold even though it rained all weekend! Randy Rainbow was so much and Napa Rose was divine as usual.

Such a fun weekend! Allyson is already on board for 2025! We'll have to find new fun things to do for then!

 

[franandaj]

Sorry for responding so late to your post. It was so nice seeing you again during the November trip. My cousins and I had a great time spending the last few hours with you at DL. Thank you again for the great time.

No worries! This trip report isn't going anywhere! I had a great time hanging out with you all as well!

It was so nice to go back to the DLR during the Holiday season.

Yes, and I got your message about your return trip. I believe that I am in town that weekend. I need to get back to you.

Very nice pics on the rides. Never get tired of watching "A Christmas Fantasy" parade. Even though the parade has changed over the years with new characters and floats, its still one of my favorite parades at DL.

I haven't seen it in a few years, so it was nice to see it again both in the day and night.

Some of my pics from ACF.

Thanks for sharing your pictures!

 

[franandaj]

I feel like now that you said it, that it was halibut, but I just don't know either

We are getting old!

Yes, yes we do

And it's been booked!

That extra tipple sometimes gets me in trouble, other times it's the start of awesome trips
You showed as online, what can I say

The tipple always makes me call too...I bet that was indeed a shocker, a call on a potty break

It was fine. I was actually back in the bedroom by the time that you called. I think I checked the phone after the potty break while I was getting back in bed.

When the flights were super low miles, I knew it was meant to be!

Oh man so epic, I keep re-living the awesomeness!

Yes! Can't wait to do it again next year!

Also of note, was that the highways which would get me to Vancouver kept being closed as well, so it's not like I could easily hop in my car and just drive there...

Just brutal!

Literally almost died...the tiny "local" part of the terminal is very very far from the international side for an out of shape broad like me!

I did have all the people on my plane pulling for me, and also helping me plan a speedy exist from the plane, as I was about half way down in the plane; as I was on the window, my seatmate and I broke the law and changed seats early, and then as we were doing that final few feet before parking, right before they take off the seatbelt sign, I grabbed my carry-on and booked it up the isle- I mean we all decided, what were they going to do, kick me off?

Thankfully the SNA plane had been delayed a bit, but it did show as boarding when I arrived in Vancouver; hence the running across the airport, I was so lucky that the internal security had no line (when does that happen?), and that the people in the customs line (which was the shortest I'd ever seen) allowed me to go to the front (good things happen when you ask nicely) and then the final push (run) to the gate) - I arrived and they were JUST starting to board!

So glad the people on the plane rallied for you!

Oh yeah! Alison's party indeed!

Best kind of theatre

It was a nice ride around the park- they laughed (well one didn't really, she was too busy asking me questions about what I do for work etc, as she was from HR and was kinda scoping me out it felt like- she told me at the end of the trip she loved that I talked about managing construction, and how DL/Disney supports women in such roles- I digress...) at the plan that DH and I joke about for retirement, that being working at the land part time- him a JC skipper, and myself driving the horses up and down Main Street. They were very nice to talk to, and I enjoyed my circle of the park, I do like a trip on the train.


Onwards!!

So glad you could amuse yourself!

 

[franandaj]

I know Jenny and I did not hit th kitty - booo, but we had lots of fun!

That's what's important!

So wet! I feel like maybe we did Soarin' as well?

Did I miss saying that? Yes we did!

It was a very nice chill (I guess it wasn't cold though haha) time in the tub, I was for sure looking forward to some Grand hot tub time

It was actually very nice out, not cold at all.

I was totally obsessed with watching the kitchen!

Me too! It was very entertaining.

I remember really liking this, but I do like cauli

Yeah, I was surprised.

This was super surprising to me, but was very fun!

And refreshing.

SO I looked at my pics, and I was served a while fish of some sort, which looks like it had a muscle with it

This threw me at first, is was kind of like ew....and then I realized "mussel".

Yup, a squab- I remember it being good, but a bit tricky to eat, as those little birds can be. I think I tried your dish and found it very rich for me.

That's what Jill said too.

It was filet, and it was indeed great, not sure if you ended up trying it.

I was so full by that point, I couldn't manage another bite of meat.

These were tasty, pretty such I ate a bunch of Jenny's as these wouldn't really keep to take home.

She got really full too. I remember she took a lot home.

This was delicious I remember! Super refreshing and fun.

Serving 4 different desserts was really fun! I will always have you back lol! Looking at my pics, the one I had a tart, looks like apple or apple/pear

I was not in a tart kind of mood. I wanted either chocolate or the sticky toffee pudding.

Such a great night, we need to do it again someday!

Hopefully when next year rolls around there will be a new place to try, like Din Tai Fung!

 

[franandaj]

 

[franandaj]

 

[franandaj]