COMPLETED**1st Anniversary, 2nd Dining Review...Updated 1/15 Final Posts
- Thread starter heatherandnick
- Start date
heatherandnick
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2010
So...we're back. And honestly, I'm not happy about it. It's raining and crappy here, and there is no one waving to me with big white gloves. 
To get through my post-trip depression, I am planning to begin my reviews this week. We had a fabulous time with totally awesome food. And I mean totally awesome.
Stay tuneed for yummy reviews and even yummier photos.
To get through my post-trip depression, I am planning to begin my reviews this week. We had a fabulous time with totally awesome food. And I mean totally awesome.
Stay tuneed for yummy reviews and even yummier photos.
MickeyNicki
It is pretty darn sad when a valet picks you out a
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2005
Welcome home! If it helps any, we have had terrible rain for the past 3 hours in Naples FL 
jerseytinkerbell
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2010
So...we're back. And honestly, I'm not happy about it. It's raining and crappy here, and there is no one waving to me with big white gloves.
My husband and I just got back yesterday from our 2nd anniversary trip and we were talking about the very same thing. We were talking about coming home to lousy weather and how we wish our biggest problem of the day was people taking flash pictures on POTC.
We are just over the Delaware Memorial Bridge into Jersey so hi from the other side of the bridge and happy anniversary to you heatherandnick
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2010
My husband and I just got back yesterday from our 2nd anniversary trip and we were talking about the very same thing. We were talking about coming home to lousy weather and how we wish our biggest problem of the day was people taking flash pictures on POTC.
Hi! Thanks and happy anniversary to you as well!
I see you have a trip coming up, so that must help too. Man, I'm so jealous, but good for you! It's definitely nice to know when you will be returning. My ticker went automatically to 11 months, 3 weeks. I have to delete it, but I just don't want to. lol
butiflfeet
I drink and I know things
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2008
Welcome back! We will be adding the DxDDP to our upcoming trip in October so I'm trying to prepare myself for 7 nights of wonderful food! Like you, we have a signature pretty much every day so we have enough room for 3 courses at each meal! I'm looking forward to seeing how your trip went 
basketlacey
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2003
Welcome back! Can't wait to see what you ate!
heatherandnick
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2010
Hello everyone and welcome! 
After much stress and anticipation, we challenged (and beat!) Hurricane Irene on our way to D-World.
I have to tell you, I was pretty sure we weren't going to make it. Our flight was out of Baltimore on the Saturday that she was supposed to hit. Luckily, we had scheduled the earliest flight out at 6:30am (gotta make the most of those days at Disney, ya know?!) and made it out of the area before the storm moved in. So, yes...we made it!!'
A tad bit of background info on us in case we are just meeting...DH is definitely a meat and meat guy. If it is meat, is wrapped in meat, was cooked with meat, or is topped with meat, chances are he will love it. He has definitely become more adventurous in the past year (and I have D-World and the DxDP from our honeymoon to thank for that
) and will pretty much eat anything put in front of him (even veggies).
I will eat anything. Seriously. I would say I have a sweet tooth...well, okay, I definitely have a sweet tooth. But I also love anything spicy and salty. So, as I said before, I will eat anything. Although I enjoy meat as well, I will stop eating a filet mignon just to have room for dessert...something DH would NEVER do.
Since we indulged in the DxDP yet again, we knew we had to plan in some opportunities to use those awesome snack credits (personally, I think we should be entitled to snack credits in the real world as well...
). It is because of this that we only scheduled one meal our first day...dinner at Jiko.
(As a side note, I have to tell you that we got some super-terrific snacks on this trip. I didn't take pics of all of them, nor will I probably remember all of them, but I will sure try to highlight some of the...well...highlights! Our first day we enjoyed one of the best snacks of our entire trip...the jalapeno cheese stuffed pretzels. OMG, they are so good. We never got the chance to get another one during the remainder of our trip, but we sure talked about them the whole time.)
Now, back to Jiko...
It was my numero uno pick from our last trip. I absolutely loved it, as some of you might remember. So, needless to say, I had high hopes. Luckily, Jiko did not disappoint and we both truly enjoyed it once again.
I love the atmosphere: the dim lighting, the fairly quiet ambience, and that smell!! I guess it's the wood-burning stove they have in there, or maybe it's even something in Boma, but to me the entire AKL just smells delightful. Also, our server Michelle was really great. She was attentive without being pesky, and she gave us great recommendations.
Since we were on DxDP, we had the luxury of enjoying an appetizer, entree, and dessert each, which we LOVE! We don't eat out much at home, so indulging in all of this is what makes our vacation truly special.
As his appetizer, DH chose the Grilled Wild Boar Tenderloin.
He absolutely loved this...like, I mean, he moaned when he ate it. He says it was probably his favorite appetizer of the trip. It was very tender, cooked and seasoned to perfection, and he thinks it should be available in an entree-sized portion.
For my appetizer, I got the Crispy Beef "Bobotie" Roll.
Yum, yum. I loved this. It was a tad bit spicy, but also sweet, crunchy, salty, and meaty all at the same time. I really enjoyed dipping it in the cucumber raita which added a cool, creamy goodness similar to sour cream on a taco. Mmmm. I would definitely get this again.
We both had the same entree, the Braised Beef Short Ribs.
This was really good too (although a bit blurry, sorry). The meat was super tender and the truffled potato puree was delicious. Our server told us they put the potatoes through a ricer, making them ultra-silky and smooth. The sauce was great and created a gravy effect...it was almost like a pot roast...only different...and really, really good. We were both happy with our choice.
Since we were celebrating our anniversary, our server brought us out a complimentary dessert of the Amarula Creme Brulee.
Oh geez, this was good. DH and I both love creme brulee, but the chocolate on the bottom really struck my fancy. I think I ate most of this, and for that I was very grateful.
For his dessert, DH got the One Last Cup.
I can't really tell you what it was, except that it was a bunch of chocolate goodness. The presentation was really cute.
I ordered the Coconut Bread Pudding.
Mmmmm. I love coconut anyway, but I especially enjoyed the warm bread pudding mixed with the cold ice cream. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you what flavor the ice cream was, but I'm thinking it was expresso or caramel flavored. Either way, I enjoyed it.
For those of you who like the DxDP vx. OOP breakdown, here goes:
We used 4 of our dining credits, and would have spent $122 (plus wine and tip).
Overall, Jiko hit it out of the park again. It's still definitely in my top three...but is it my number one? I guess you will just have to wait and see.
After much stress and anticipation, we challenged (and beat!) Hurricane Irene on our way to D-World.
I have to tell you, I was pretty sure we weren't going to make it. Our flight was out of Baltimore on the Saturday that she was supposed to hit. Luckily, we had scheduled the earliest flight out at 6:30am (gotta make the most of those days at Disney, ya know?!) and made it out of the area before the storm moved in. So, yes...we made it!!'A tad bit of background info on us in case we are just meeting...DH is definitely a meat and meat guy. If it is meat, is wrapped in meat, was cooked with meat, or is topped with meat, chances are he will love it. He has definitely become more adventurous in the past year (and I have D-World and the DxDP from our honeymoon to thank for that
) and will pretty much eat anything put in front of him (even veggies). I will eat anything. Seriously. I would say I have a sweet tooth...well, okay, I definitely have a sweet tooth. But I also love anything spicy and salty. So, as I said before, I will eat anything. Although I enjoy meat as well, I will stop eating a filet mignon just to have room for dessert...something DH would NEVER do.
Since we indulged in the DxDP yet again, we knew we had to plan in some opportunities to use those awesome snack credits (personally, I think we should be entitled to snack credits in the real world as well...
). It is because of this that we only scheduled one meal our first day...dinner at Jiko.(As a side note, I have to tell you that we got some super-terrific snacks on this trip. I didn't take pics of all of them, nor will I probably remember all of them, but I will sure try to highlight some of the...well...highlights! Our first day we enjoyed one of the best snacks of our entire trip...the jalapeno cheese stuffed pretzels. OMG, they are so good. We never got the chance to get another one during the remainder of our trip, but we sure talked about them the whole time.)
Now, back to Jiko...
It was my numero uno pick from our last trip. I absolutely loved it, as some of you might remember. So, needless to say, I had high hopes. Luckily, Jiko did not disappoint and we both truly enjoyed it once again.
I love the atmosphere: the dim lighting, the fairly quiet ambience, and that smell!! I guess it's the wood-burning stove they have in there, or maybe it's even something in Boma, but to me the entire AKL just smells delightful. Also, our server Michelle was really great. She was attentive without being pesky, and she gave us great recommendations.
Since we were on DxDP, we had the luxury of enjoying an appetizer, entree, and dessert each, which we LOVE! We don't eat out much at home, so indulging in all of this is what makes our vacation truly special.
As his appetizer, DH chose the Grilled Wild Boar Tenderloin.
He absolutely loved this...like, I mean, he moaned when he ate it. He says it was probably his favorite appetizer of the trip. It was very tender, cooked and seasoned to perfection, and he thinks it should be available in an entree-sized portion.
For my appetizer, I got the Crispy Beef "Bobotie" Roll.
Yum, yum. I loved this. It was a tad bit spicy, but also sweet, crunchy, salty, and meaty all at the same time. I really enjoyed dipping it in the cucumber raita which added a cool, creamy goodness similar to sour cream on a taco. Mmmm. I would definitely get this again.
We both had the same entree, the Braised Beef Short Ribs.
This was really good too (although a bit blurry, sorry). The meat was super tender and the truffled potato puree was delicious. Our server told us they put the potatoes through a ricer, making them ultra-silky and smooth. The sauce was great and created a gravy effect...it was almost like a pot roast...only different...and really, really good. We were both happy with our choice.
Since we were celebrating our anniversary, our server brought us out a complimentary dessert of the Amarula Creme Brulee.
Oh geez, this was good. DH and I both love creme brulee, but the chocolate on the bottom really struck my fancy. I think I ate most of this, and for that I was very grateful.
For his dessert, DH got the One Last Cup.
I can't really tell you what it was, except that it was a bunch of chocolate goodness. The presentation was really cute.
I ordered the Coconut Bread Pudding.
Mmmmm. I love coconut anyway, but I especially enjoyed the warm bread pudding mixed with the cold ice cream. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you what flavor the ice cream was, but I'm thinking it was expresso or caramel flavored. Either way, I enjoyed it.
For those of you who like the DxDP vx. OOP breakdown, here goes:
We used 4 of our dining credits, and would have spent $122 (plus wine and tip).
Overall, Jiko hit it out of the park again. It's still definitely in my top three...but is it my number one? I guess you will just have to wait and see.
ChildAtHeart82
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2010
Great review! We're trying Jiko for the first time on our next trip. I agree with you about the jalapeno cheese pretzels. They are delicious. 
MickeyNicki
It is pretty darn sad when a valet picks you out a
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2005
Your meal at Jiko looks excellent..makes me want to try and fit it in somewhere
heatherandnick
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2010
Thanks for reading! I hope you like it as much as we do!Great review! We're trying Jiko for the first time on our next trip. I agree with you about the jalapeno cheese pretzels. They are delicious.
Thanks! More to come!
And it WAS excellent! I know it's so hard to decide where to eat, but we really do love this place. I think one of the reasons we love it so much is that there are no places like it where we live. We live at the beach so the choices are pretty much seafood or subs. This is something totally different for us and it makes for a truly unique experience. Hopefully you guys can fit it in! Thanks for reading!Your meal at Jiko looks excellent..makes me want to try and fit it in somewhere
GoofySon'sMom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2007
Great start! We, too, ate at Jiko on our trip and also enjoyed it but not as much as we have in the past. Glad to hear you were not disappointed!
heatherandnick
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2010
DH used to be picky...only last year he wouldn't touch anything that even touched a veggie. Even still, he enjoyed Jiko when we went last summer. Although there are some different flavors, your DH could always order the sauces on the side. It was really good. Good luck getting him to become a bit more adventurous. I feel your pain.
Can I ask what made you enjoy it less than your previous visit? Is it perhaps that it was SOOOO good the first time, it didn't live up to your expectations this time? Just wondering because we had that happen for a couple restaurants that we visited this time.
GoofySon'sMom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2007
It could be that it didn't live up to our hyped up expectations. I am really not sure. DS and I got the filet and I thought it was the worst of the steaks we had all week ... not bad, just not as good as the others we had. If it was the only meal we had in Disney, it would have been pretty good. Comparing it to other meals and our last meal there, it just didn't live up. Again, not bad... just not spectacular as we had remembered.
gardengirl628
Help, help, a Herrible Hoffalump!
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2009
Great review of Jiko! Can't wait to read more!
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