BACKGROUND: Now it just so happens that our very first dinner at a Disney Signature restaurant was at Jiko. Most of our dining during our first five or six family trips to Disney World was focused on Character Meals
we did them all, and some of them we did over and over again.
That left little time for regular non-character restaurants, let alone the Signature restaurants. So getting to dine at Jiko during our 2001 trip was an extra-special treat for me. My DBIL (DHs brother) had driven over from Tampa to have dinner with us, so I somehow talked my DH into splurging by dining at Jiko, since we were staying at AKL at that time (just a few months after the resort opened in April 2001). And so the four of us (including DD1) had a wonderful dinner at Jiko.
Our First Dinner at Jiko - July 2001
Oh, and in case you were wondering, our other two kids opted to go to Simbas Playhouse that night. They really loved it there, as evidenced by the huge smiles on their faces when we picked them up after dinner.
They even saved one for their Dear Old Dad!
(I think DS is holding up two fingers because that is his second treat of the evening.
)
Anyway, I still have very fond memories of that meal, my first taste of Disney Signature dining. I took full advantage of my DHs temporary generosity (or was it insanity?
) and ordered the most expensive entrée on the menu, Jiko's Signature Herb-crusted Filet Mignon with red wine and port reduction and served on a bed of the most delicious macaroni and cheese Id ever tasted.
I highly suspect that that mac n cheese and red wine sauce were sprinkled with a very heavy dose of Pixie Dust.
I sooo wanted to pick up my plate and lick from it every last drop of those magical red wine and cheese sauces, but I had to show some restraint and set a good example for my 11 year old daughter.
She was after all, using her very best table manners at this fancy "grown-ups" dinner.
Oh, and you might be wondering just how much this most expensive entrée on Jiko's menu was in the year 2001??? And the answer is $28.50!!! I also found in my scrapbook notes from that dinner that my DBIL had the Banana Leaf Steamed Sea Bass with asparagus puree and accented with mushrooms and apples for $23.25 and very much enjoyed it. DH had a Salmon dish for $20 and DD1 was allowed to order the Fish & Chips from the Kids' Menu even though she was 11 at the time. And one more thing, I had one of my favorite desserts here, Creme Brulee for $5.25. Their version at that time was described as being "Scented with Grains of Paradise Dust".
Here is the one picture that we have of our food from our July 2001 Jiko dinner. As you can tell by the angle from which it was taken, it was my DD1 (then age 11) who took this picture of her Fish & Chips. It seems I had a Disney Dining Reviewer in the making and I didn't even know it.
Food from Our Jiko Dinner - July 2001
If you look closely, you can even see the rest of our food in the background.
And so although this was a wonderful first Signature dining experience, it was not one that we were able to repeat for many years due to various reasons (mostly due to money and/or time). But fast-forward to the planning of our Nov. 2010 trip when I decided that the celebration of our 25th anniversary merited a return trip to Jiko so that I could again have the entrée which I had often thought about during the many years since I had had it.
However, shortly before our trip I learned that Jiko had gotten a new chef who made some changes to their menu, one of which was replacing the mac n cheese with a different side dish, something like roasted fingerling potatoes or potato gratin.
I was so disappointed when I heard this that I immediately cancelled our ADR. But after that trip I began reading reviews where people were still able to get the macaroni and cheese with the filet because it was still on the Kids' Menu. Therefore on my very next trip (May 2011) my DD1 and I dined at Jiko for the second time.
And so was the filet with mac 'n cheese as good as I had remembered it?
Sadly my answer would have to be no.
This time around the whole dish was just okay; nothing special, nothing magical, definitely no Pixie Dust.
Now I know that some of you foodies out there are probably thinking..."Haha, it serves you right for expecting a plateful of kid's elbow macaroni and some runny cheese sauce to be anything but ordinary".
But I swear to you that this steak/wine sauce/mac 'n cheese combination was once extraordinary, or at least that's how I will always remember it as being.
However, on the positive side, my disappointment was offset by my DD's love of her chosen entree, the Braised Beef Short Rib served with Truffled Potato Puree, Pearl Onions, Baby Carrots, and a Cabernet-Tamarind Sauce. It was actually one of her favorite entrees of that trip, so consequently she specifically requested that on this trip (in honor of her graduation) we return for...
Dinner at Jiko: The Cooking Place - Part I
We arrived on time for our 5:30 reservation and I requested that we be seated by a window. I remembered that last time it was rather dark in the restaurant and consequently my pictures did not turn out well, so I was hoping that some natural light would help this time around and I was correct.
DD2 took a few pictures by the entrance to the restaurant while we were waiting to be seated.
As you can see, it is quite unique and beautiful. The back wall, which was then a bright yellow-orange, changes colors throughout the night to represent the setting sun on the African savanna. The ceiling is a deep-blue to represent the sky and it is filled with big white sculptured birds that appear to be flying toward the sunset.
I read that the rings around the restaurant's many columns represent the neck rings worn by the women of some tribes to indicate beauty and wealth.
Upon being seated at a table by the window, we were presented with this menu:
Jiko Menu as of May 21, 2012
As we were perusing this menu and the wine/cocktail menu, our server, Shellie, stopped by our table to introduce herself and welcome us to Jiko. Shellie provided us with excellent service throughout our meal at Jiko and therefore she would unanimously receive our award for
"Favorite Server of this Trip".
After giving us some time to make our decisions, Shellie took our beverage orders. DD1 went with a South African red wine, the Warwick Estate Pinotage, which she very much enjoyed. Sorry, but we apparently forgot to take a picture of it. I opted to order the same cocktail that I had enjoyed on my last visit...
Jiko Sunriser - Parrot Bay coconut rum, Banana liqueur, orange, pineapple and cranberry juices.
This was again sweet, fruity and delicious, which (as you have probably figured out by now) is the way I like my cocktails.
Now Shellie noticed the sad, longing look on DD2's face when I ordered this sweet, fruity drink and offered to bring her a non-alcoholic version of the Sunriser. DD2 happily accepted this offer and Shellie gained some huge points with her right from the start. We liked both versions of the Sunriser and gave it a rating of "Very Good". The only problem was trying to hold ourselves back from quickly downing it because it was so light and refreshing on such a hot day.
Oh, and I also wanted to mention that this drink was only $7.00 for the alcoholic version ($4.19 for the Virgin Sunriser), which I thought was very reasonable for a Disney cocktail. And as I was looking at the picture from our 2001 dinner, I realized that I am drinking a Jiko Sunriser! When I went back to my scrapbook to confirm with my notes from that dinner, I discovered that not only was my drink the Sunriser but that it was $6.50. That means the price of it has only risen by $.50 in 11 years. Wow! Way to go, Jiko!
Now I must cut off the review here before getting into the food portion of our meal, as once again I have too many pictures to fit into one post. So please stay tuned for Part II of our Dinner at Jiko to find out the answer to these questions:
1) Would DD2 (our picky eater) be able to find anything on the menu to her liking?
2) Would DD1 enjoy her Short Ribs as much, this second time around?
3) Would I order the filet again, this time with the Chef's chosen accompaniments as listed on the menu?
NEXT UP - Dinner at Jiko Part II
Just let me know when you are on your way. 
Now I'll just have to figure out my excuse. 
I guess I will just call it "Delicious" flavored! 
I think it's the melon liqueur (midori) that adds some fruity taste. But delicious is right! 
They will have to bump up all the restaurant prices (especially the 2 credit ones) in order to justify spending that kind of money for the dining plan. This is very sad, very sad indeed. 
) but at least she will eat the fried ice cream! So I will need to wait until my next sisters trip to eat here. It sure looks good! Thank goodness for Cava del Tequila however, because I was able to pop in for an avocado marg and I agree that it was fantastic!
you are correct, Monday September 3rd is when we will be driving through 
) is evidence that these were truly amazing. I would describe them as being similar to Spanakopita, but even better. DD1 and I both rated the Inguday Tibs as "Excellent" and DD2 gave them a "Very Good" (still a very high rating considering the mushroom thing 
I realize that I should have known better than to order a short rib dish, in that they do have a tendency to have some/much fat. But I had had the short rib entree at Citricos last year without issue and DD1 seemed to have no problem with her Jiko Short Rib, so I guess I had been lulled into a false sense of security when it came to Short Ribs at Disney Signature restaurants. 
