My Chakalaka, Churro and Cheeseburger Challenge - CRYSTAL PALACE AND AN IMPOSSIBLY EMPTY MAIN STREET

Hello and welcome to my third dining review!
I am Alby, an Italian 30 – something mother of 2 . I have never gone to Disney World with my family (this will soon change… I hope!), but I have managed quite a few solo trips when I was in the US for business reasons.

I will be in the World from January 4 to 10, 2015 (plus 2 Universal days attached at the beginning) and will hopefully cover 14 wonderful meals .

I looove reading and writing Disney dining reviews!
I hope you find this helpful, and to this aim here is a bit of context about my likes and dislikes: I could live on pizza and pasta, but when I am abroad I prefer avoiding Italian food and trying local things. When I am in the US I like breakfast food that can’t usually be found in Italy (such as French toast and pancakes), steaks (which are definitely tastier than the European ones) and Cajun food. But basically I eat and enjoy everything!

There’s not much I really dislike, but I can say I am not a fan of American BBQ (too different from home), in particular ribs, and it is rare that I order fish (while I love shrimp).

I work far from home a lot and I am therefore sick and tired of standard, banal hotels and restaurants, and prefer themed experiences and beautiful views to spotless and rigorous service. Luckily, Disney dining (and hotels) fit the bill perfectly!

So, what’s the deal with the title of this review? Why a Chakalaka, Churro and Cheeseburger Challenge?
It’s because I feel a bit conspicuous dining solo, and I let this fact condition me a lot during my past trips: I often chose to have a very early TS breakfast every day, and eat snacks or CS that could be brought to my room during the day. With very few exceptions, I avoided both TS and CS in - restaurant lunches and dinners – this made also easier having to go back to the room and work some during the day.

It meant that I did not enjoy the dining opportunities offered by the resort I was staying at (although they always offered appealing restaurants), and missed several “fundamental” Disney experiences, like dining in the World Showcase (with the exception of things that could be taken out).

But in the last couple of trips, I started to realize I was missing out, and on this trip I am going to make up for it! So, here comes my Challenge:
• Chakalaka: on this trip, I am staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge . I will spend more time in the resort in comparison to previous trips, and distance from the parks (which has deterred me from trying AKL till now) is less important. I want to try Boma (dinner, not only breakfast!), Jiko and/ or The Mara, and chakalaka reminds me of this intention.
• Churro: this reminds me to try at least a couple of World Showcase meals during my trip!
• Cheeseburger: what would you say if I told you that the only cheeseburger I have eaten in the past 25 years has come from the Beach Club Private Dining, and was a dry and tasteless cheeseburger at that? Everyone says that I really should change this, and try a good specimen of THE American staple.

In the next post, the lineup I have tried to come up with to fulfill my challenge!

Here is my planned meal lineup:

Friday, 1/2
B, L, D: airline food >> it will be Lufthansa this time, their food has been inconsistent in the past. Fingers crossed!

Saturday, 1/3
B: Emack and Bolios, Hard Rock Hotel >> Starbucks, very convenient before early entry to Universal parks
L: CS, tbd
D: Emeril’s Orlando >> a first for me! Can’t wait to try the gumbo, which has sadly been removed from House of Blues menu!

Sunday,1/4
B: Emack and Bolios, Hard Rock Hotel
L: CS, tbd
D: Boma! >> Here comes the Disney food!

Monday, 1/5
B: Boma >> so that I can see the sun rising over the savannah before going to Epcot 
L: Les Halles Bakery >> a favorite of mine, and this time I won’t make the mistake of bringing their ham and cheese croissant to my room and eating it cold!
D: The Mara >> this starts a series of afternoons and/ or evenings that I will need to spend at the resort. Luckily the menu looks interesting!

Tuesday, 1/6
B: Chef Mickey >> last year I enjoyed it a lot!
L: Be Our Guest >> I managed to score a fastpass!
D: The Mara

Wednesday, 1/7
B: Crystal Palace >> a first for me!
L: Columbia Harbor House
D: House of Blues >> one of last year’s 2 winners!

Thursday, 1/8
B: CS in Epcot
L: La Cantina de San Angel >> hope to try their nachos and churros!
D: tbd

Friday, 1/9
B: Cape May Cafe >> one of my old favorites
L: Min and Bill’s Dockside Diner >> I want to try their sausage!
D: Jiko >> another first!

Saturday, 1/10
B: Character Breakfast at Ravello, Four Seasons >> I am really curious about them
L. Sanaa >> last year’s 2nd winner!

End of trip! Boooo!

Alby said:

Cheeseburger: what would you say if I told you that the only cheeseburger I have eaten in the past 25 years has come from the Beach Club Private Dining, and was a dry and tasteless cheeseburger at that? Everyone says that I really should change this, and try a good specimen of THE American staple.

In the next post, the lineup I have tried to come up with to fulfill my challenge!

Click to expand...

There are no great hamburgers at Disney....until Shake Shack opens in Downtown Disney (as has been rumored)

But pancakes and french toast....plenty to chose from.

Tour trip looks wonderful! Jiko is a beautifully themed restaurant with excellent food. If you drink wine you should check out"wine Wednesday" at Jiko. It is an afternoon wine and cheese pairing. I have met several single diners at this and it is loads of fun.

You will be there during American football season. Shula's Steak House at the Dolphin resort is open for lunch during football games. You will find an excellent burger there. If you are at Universal Resort, Bula Pool Bar & Grill by the pool at the Royal Pacific Resort had a good burger at a decent price plus great fries. It won't be as great as Shula's, but it will be a very good and typical American cheeseburger.

Your trip looks wonderful! Jiko is a beautifully themed restaurant with excellent food. If you drink wine you should check out"wine Wednesday" at Jiko. It is an afternoon wine and cheese pairing. I have met several single diners at this and it is loads of fun.

You will be there during American football season. Shula's Steak House at the Dolphin resort is open for lunch during football games. You will find an excellent burger there. If you are at Universal Resort, Bula Pool Bar & Grill by the pool at the Royal Pacific Resort had a good burger at a decent price plus great fries. It won't be as great as Shula's, but it will be a very good and typical American cheeseburger.

JZCubed said:

There are no great hamburgers at Disney....until Shake Shack opens in Downtown Disney (as has been rumored)

But pancakes and french toast....plenty to chose from.

Click to expand...

Yes, I know, I usually get pancake'd out by the 4th day
But I enjoy myself in the process!

Niki Andiokno said:

Your trip looks wonderful! Jiko is a beautifully themed restaurant with excellent food. If you drink wine you should check out"wine Wednesday" at Jiko. It is an afternoon wine and cheese pairing. I have met several single diners at this and it is loads of fun.

You will be there during American football season. Shula's Steak House at the Dolphin resort is open for lunch during football games. You will find an excellent burger there. If you are at Universal Resort, Bula Pool Bar & Grill by the pool at the Royal Pacific Resort had a good burger at a decent price plus great fries. It won't be as great as Shula's, but it will be a very good and typical American cheeseburger.

Click to expand...

I unfortunately don't drink wine (I know, strange for an Italian, and stranger for someone from my Northeastern region), but thanks for your great suggestions!

I am back!

Well, I have been back for a few months now, but life got in the way…. Finally, I am ready to start my dining review!

How did it go? Hmmm, a few days into the trip I got a flu, and unfortunately lost any interest into food… I even cancelled some of my precious breakfast pre-park opening reservations!

Nevertheless, it was a wonderful and very relaxing trip (maybe because I spent much more time in bed than usual) and I experienced some lovely meals.

Here is the list:

Friday, 1/2
B, L, D: airline food (confirmed…)


Saturday, 1/3
B: Fountain of Fair Fortune(replacing Emack and Bolios - the Hard Rock Hotel shop cum Starbucks, never opened in time for early entry, which was supposed to be at 7 but was more like 6.40)
L: The Leaky Cauldron
D: Emeril’s Orlando (confirmed)

Sunday,1/4
B: USF Starbucks (replacing Emack and Bolios, Hard Rock Hotel)
L: Fast Food Boulevard
D: Boma (confirmed)

Monday, 1/5 (everything confirmed)
B: Boma
L: Les Halles Bakery
D: The Mara

Tuesday, 1/6 (everything confirmed)
B: Chef Mickey
L: Be Our Guest
D: The Mara

Wednesday, 1/7
B: Crystal Palace
L: nothing… L (missed Columbia Harbor House – one of my favorites!)
D: Earl of Sandwich (missed House of Blues)

Thursday, 1/8
B: cronut + Starbucks
L: Tangierine Cafe
D: The Mara

Friday, 1/9
B: Nothing… (missed Cape May Café)
L: Just snacks
D: The Mara (missed JikoL)

Saturday, 1/10
B: The Mara (missed Character Breakfast at Ravello, Four Seasons L)
L. Sanaa

Here come the reviews!

Friday, 1/2

My trip started with quite a lot of airline food, as I had breakfast on a Milan – Frankfurt flight, mid morning snack in an airport lounge, lunch and dinner on a Frankfurt – Orlando flight! Whew!

Luckily, everything was good… even very good in some cases.

So, for anyone who’s interested into exotic airline breakfasts…

Chocolate granola with berries, milk, cured meats (turkey and ham) with a pickle, bread with seeds, butter and honey. The granola was extremely, unexpectedly good and the berries very fresh.





Snacks in Lufthansa lounge in Frankfurt:

Potato knoederl (dumpling) with mushroom sauce – very good, but I am a knoederl lover, I have yet to find one I don’t like – apple juice, bread and a lentil soup that did nothing for me… the spices were very strange.


Lunch on the Frankfurt – Orlando flight (an incredibly complex and lengthy affair… people have to spend the 10 hours flight somehow, I guess):

Amuse bouche (sorry for the blurry picture): savory pannacotta with basil pesto and marinara sauce. The texture was really pannacotta – like and I loved it! I am picky with pesto, but this was good.


Caviar with accompaniments (lime and boiled egg)


Appetizer (blurry again… L I was trying to use a new camera, and I went on making mistakes during the whole holiday): it included a good but oily crab spring roll and a cous cous sald that was quite delicious.


Entrée: beef tournedos with Barolo sauce, that I found too strong (but I don’t like wine in general) accompanied by a delicious potato and leek puree.


Dessert: pineapple carpaccio with coconut mousse, raspberry brittle and a light yoghurt sauce that was again very good and interesting.


Despite the number of courses, everything was very light and after a few hours I was hungry again!

Afternoon snack (actually it was my dinner):
Mediterranean specialties from the trolley – couscous, olives, tabbouleh, grilled shrimp (spicy and delicious!), ham, ratatouille.


Fresh fruit – ripe enough and refreshing


That’s all for the first day!

I was full enough that I missed breakfast on the following morning!

Saturday, 1/3


On Saturday, I lined up for Diagon Alley early entry at 6.50 am… actually I did not line up at all, because the turnstiles were already open and the initial queue absorbed inside the park.

Crossing the park before dawn, taking (blurry) pictures of quiet, empty, and my first look at Diagon Alley were breathtaking.

But coming to the food… as I said before, I wasn’t hungry at all, but after the first couple of hours of touring, I entered the (very empty but not so quick) Fountain of Fair Fortune, and bought…

… the Fishy Green Ale!




I chose it for the novelty factor, but I must say it is a good drink, lightly carbonated (which was fortunate because I don’t like carbonation), with a light but refreshing mint taste and blueberry “bubbles” that are lots of fun! The straw is especially thick to be able to drink them easily.


After a while, I had lunch at The Leaky Cauldron.

Not everyone agrees, but I loved it (much more than the Three Broomsticks) and the 20 minutes or so of queueing (at 11.30) were absolutely worth it!

The restaurant is well themed, the menu is interesting and I find it very convenient that they bring your food to you.
I had the Toad in the Hole, or sausage in a Yorkshire Pudding case, with minty peas and mixed vegetables.



It was delicious! Even the vegetables (the peas especially) were fantastic, there is nothing I would change in this dish… maybe the portion is a bit too small (I was very hungry that day… this won’t unfortunately last long).

I also had the Sticky Toffee Pudding, one of my favorite desserts in the world.


This wasn’t perfect (it was slightly undercooked), but still good. I prefer it with custard, though!

In the evening, I had decided to try a “signature” restaurant outside Disneyworld, and chose to have dinner at Emeril’s Orlando.

I’ll start saying that my experience has been better at Disney’s signatures: my 3 course meal took 40 minutes overall, going at a pace that I don’t consider acceptable in the case of fine dining.

The food, on the other hand, was good, the appetizers better than the entree.

I started with a bread service including a cornmeal muffin (not bad) and a dinner roll.



My appetizer was Florida shrimp with fried green tomatoes. It is strange that the shrimp are cold and the tomatoes piping hot, but everything tasted very good, spicy ratatouille (hidden under the greens) included.



Chicken and andouille gumbo, delicious if a bit too rich – I would reduce the chicken and sausage in it.



Fillet mignon with asparagus and potato cake, the most underwhelming dish: the meatit was perfectly cooked but bland, it lacked sauce and/ or marinade, and the potato cake was bland *** well. I loved the vegetables, though.


It was anyway more than enough food, and I had no room for dessert!

Sunday,1/4

My breakfast was a caramel macchiato at the Starbucks in USF. This was my first real Starbucks (we don’t have those in Italy) and I liked well enough… not nearly as much as (spoiler ahead J) the peppermint mocha I had in Epcot later in the trip, though. I guess this wasn’t special enough!



Much later, I had lunch in Springfield, at the Fastfood Boulevard. This place seriously exceeded my expectations: I rarely have typical fast food and I don’t normally love it, but here I did!

I had the chicken and waffle sandwich with maple mayo, which receives rave reviews from everyone I know, and a side of spicy, delicious curly fries.





Before this, I had my very first churro. You won’t believe this, but I accidentally deleted my photo! Anyway, the first part of my challenge was accomplished, and I loved my cinnamom – y treat, even if it was slightly too crunchy.

In the evening, it was finally time to move to Disney World, and I had dinner at Boma. Second part of my challenge, accomplished!

As mentioned in my PTR, I have eaten at Boma several times for breakfast, but dinner has a different, warmer feeling.



For anyone who needs it, I have taken a few pictures of the buffet, although not the best ones.










First of all, I loved the soups, and tried several.

The coconut seafood stew… good, but it could be improved by a stronger coconut taste, …



… a creamy and very good mushroom soup…



… and my favorite, the sweet chicken and corn chowder!



Than I tried a variety of dishes.

In my first plate the highlights were the corn & spinach pudding (sweet and having an interesting texture thanks to spinach leaves), the cornbread muffin (better than at Emeril’s) andthe chakalaka, one of my favorites!



In my second plate, I had a very good cous cous with raisins (in the middle), the famous watermelon rind salad, which I found very strange but excellent, a very garlicky tabbouleh, two kinds of hummus and pita bread, a papaja/ avocado/ grapefruit salad.



Finally, it was time for dessert! I had the zebra dome and, while good, I didn’t find it lifechanging (the same goes for the cookie). I actually preferred the not – very – minty strawberry mint panna cotta.

The bread pudding and the little orange tart were delicious, but my favorite dessert was the cassava cake (at the top between the zebra dome and the bread pudding)!



Will she go on eating like this for 10 days, you’ll wonder? Alas, this is soon coming to an end!

So glad you decided to post! Wow, those airline meals are nice; I'm happy when I get to have cookies and chips on JetBlue!

Sorry to hear you got sick on your trip, but hopefully you enjoyed it all the same. Looking forward to the rest of your reviews.

I

luvpooh said:

So glad you decided to post! Wow, those airline meals are nice; I'm happy when I get to have cookies and chips on JetBlue!

Sorry to hear you got sick on your trip, but hopefully you enjoyed it all the same. Looking forward to the rest of your reviews.

Click to expand...

It was actually the best airline meal i have ever had!

Thanks!

Monday, 1/5

On the following morning, not to go too far, I decided to fully enjoy my staying at AKL and had breakfast at Boma.


After a cup of coffee and the refreshing jungle juice…



… and a watery bowl of oatmeal saved by an outstanding pecan sauce…




… I had (counterclockwise from top): a good grilled tomato, bland pap with chakalaka – which I found less spicy than usual, sausage with breakfast potatoes, ham & cheese scrambled eggs (which I am not crazy about, I prefer the goat cheese ones), salmon, fruit, a fantastic corned beef hash and bobotie ( I am not a fan).



I ended my meal with some salads: watermelon rind salad again (still strange and still good), a bland African fruit salad and a very good spinach and apple salad.




I spent my first Disney day at Epcot, and I had to eat at Les Halles!

I had their fantastic ham & cheese croissant, which I always love, and a fromage roulade that I didn’t like because it tasted of burnt bacon.



I also bought a few snacks for later: a good but not too light crème brulee



and a macaron with raspberries and cream that I found simply wonderful!




After a long evening at the MK, I had dinner at Mara with their enormous but very good seafood gumbo, chock full of rice, shrimp and vegetables.



I was very satisfied with my first full day of Disney dining!

The reviews are wonderful, Alby! Lots of great selections.

auntfrannie said:

The reviews are wonderful, Alby! Lots of great selections.

Click to expand...

Thanks!

On Tuesday my day started with a 7 am breakfast at… Chef Mickey!

I had lot of fun, especially with Pluto, who even danced a tango with me!




I started with the mandatory coffee and OJ…




Then I had (clockwise from top): cheesy potatoes (very good), delicious ripe fruit, cheese blinis with cherries, a bit overstuffed but good, a turkey hash that was unexpectedly cold and maybe too much for me at 7 am, and bland breakfast potatoes.




My sweet tooth was then satisfied by a delicious Mickey waffle, more fruit and a decent salmon croissant.




Lunch was at Be Our Guest!

The fastpass procedure with preorder was very quick, in literally 2 minutes I was inside and seated

…here!



I started with a good leek and potato soup



And then had the croque mosieur, which wasn’t awesome but not bad either, and good french fries.



I found the West Wing very relaxing (it is so dark) and the Ballroom gorgeous, and I was all in all very happy with BOG, despite an average entrée.


Afterwards, I spent my afternoon in bed as I started to feel sick, and dinner was at the Mara again, where I reunited with the fantastic chicken corn chowder I had at Boma on my first day. J

Wednesday, 1/7


On Wednesday I had (my last TS) breakfast at Crystal Palace.


It was fantastic! Not fully realizing it, I got to the MK very early, and when I saw people entering through the Breakfast turnstile, I simply followed them and found myself in a completely empty Main Street.







Only when I reached the Crystal Palace and asked the cast members, I found out that it was only 7.30, I was a full half hour early!




I don’t know how this happen, but I assume that the people I had entered with were there for some business reason (or a tour), and I was waveed through by mistake.


I expected the Crystal Palace cast members to send me back to the turnstiles, but they said I could walk around and take pictures, waiting for the restaurant to open!

It was wonderful!


At 8, I finally entered an empty restaurant



and started my breakfast with some of the best breakfast food in the world: a Mickey waffle and puffed French toast (with strawberries)!




Then I had (clockwise from top): a good potato casserole, bland breakfast potatoes, a very good but dry cheese & bacon scone, watermelon (finally! It seemed that they offered only cantaloupe everywhere), sausage, an interesting western – style breakfast pizza, and breakfast lasagna (I loved its consistency… but it is too sweet).




I loved the experience, mainly because of my free private tour of Main Street, and I will be back to Crystal Palace for sure.

Unfortunately, I then started to feel quite sick, and after a short morning I went back to AKL and to bed, and missed lunch.


I had planned dinner at Downtown Disney and actually went there (I had Cirque tickets), but I wasn’t ready for a TS meal and had the Holiday Turkey Sandwich at Earl of Sandwich.

I am sorry for the terrible pic… and the sandwich wasn’t fantastic either, but I think I was more at fault than the sandwich itself for my lack of enthusiasm.

Great reviews, thanks

Loving your reviews! So sorry you got sick...BTDT and it isn't fun.