Synonymous
I know all about it, see?
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2000
- Messages
- 1,119
Okay, this brings us to Tuesday.
Day 4-
Breakfast- Our daughter was scheduled for the Cooking Adventure at Grand Floridian, so we grabbed some pastry at Gasprilla's Grille. I had a cinnamon roll. It was okay, but paled in comparison to the Cinnamon rolls that I knew awaited me at the Main Street Bakery. This place pointed up for us what was missing at Beach Club, though- a quick, easy place to grab a bite to eat. GG, like Roaring Forks at WL, is cafeteria style, nothing special, but you can get in, get something to eat, sit down, and get out again. BC needs that desperately. Beaches & Cream just doesn't fit the bill, and Hurricane Hannahs is mainly a pool bar.
Lunch- Food & Wine Festival: We rode the monorail out of GF, planning to go back to the hotel to swim (it was supposed to be a non-park day). As soon as DD saw Space Mountain, though, she had to go to MK. So, grandma and grandpa took her, while DW and I used the opportunity to head over to Epcot for the Food & Wine Festival. We munched our way around about half the world. The only pavilion that stood out, for me, was the South African. They had Durban chicken skewers which were surprisingly spicy and delicious. I love hot, spicy food, and this was great. Mind you, it's still theme park food, so it wasn't burn-your-tongue spicy, but much better than I expected. This was so good that I went back and tried the spicy meatloaf (can't remember what they call it). Again, spicy and delicious. Later in the trip we also tried a spicy meatloaf dish from Australia, which was also very good. Most of the other booth items we tried were good, but nothing special.
Dinner at California Grille:
I sure do love California Grille. This was DD's scheduled night at Neverland Club, so we dropped her off and monorailed over to the Contemporary. We were very early for our PS, but were seated right away, in the Wine Room. It was much quieter in here, which I found a little disappointing. I like the exciting atmosphere in the main room, and I commented to my wife that next time I'd like to try sitting at the counter overlooking the kitchen. If you time it right, CG is a great experience, because you can watch the MK fireworks with a spectacular view. We ordered our wine and appetizers, then headed outside to the observation deck. The music is piped in and we could see everything, even Tinkerbell flying out of the castle. Towards the end of the show, the promised rain started, along with lightning strikes that were more spectacular than the fireworks. We had a great view of these throughout our dinner, and it was the only rain of our trip. I think it was more of Mickey's Magic.
So was the dinner. We had the triple-cheese, triple-garlic, sundried tomatoes and oregano flatbread, which was a very tasty starting point. DW wanted sushi. On our last trip here, there had been a "cooked" sushi item, which I had gotten up the courage to try. We asked about it, and the server said we might want to try an item that's not on the menu, but a favorite of the locals- shrimp tempura wrapped in rice (and whatever else they wrap around sushi.) We got this and it was very good. I was very proud of myself for having TWO pieces of sushi, but my wife insisted it didn't count because it was cooked. Anyway, for picky-eater me, it was an accomplishment.
For a first course, I had Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli with sundried tomato broth, shiitake and basil. I was a little skeptical of this, but it turned out to be wonderful. The goat cheese is very flavorful, but not over-powering. This is one, large ravioli, with the cheese in the middle and everything else on top. Delicious. Main Course was the beef filet with tamarind barbecue sauce. I am a huge fan of tamarind sauce from my Indian Restaurant obsession. This was just slightly sweet, a perfect complement to the wonderful beef. My dad, a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, ordered this with the sauce on the side. All of the restaurants were happy to accomodate his tastes.
Unfortunately, none of the desserts appealed to me (I'm a chocolate guy. Keep the fruit and hazelnut away from it, thanks.) We decided to head for Beaches & Cream for ice cream, instead. See comments in Part I. We never got our ice cream.
Grade- A+
Day 5- Lunch at Columbia Harbor House: We ate here as part of the Keys to the Kingdom Tour. It is one of our favorite places to stop for lunch at MK. As always, I had the New England Clam Chowder Bread Bowl. For fast food, this is haute cuisine. Thick, creamy chowder with large chunks in it. The bread is good, too.
Grade- A-
Dinner at Jiko: Heh. You think I love California Grille? That's nothing compared to Jiko. This is my favorite restaurant ANYWHERE. I even like it better than the Four Seasons, in NYC. You start by going through the incredibe lobby of the Animal Kingdom Lodge, an attraction in itself. The restaurant is beautiful, with deep colors and indirect lighting. We took our 5-yr old with us this time, with a few small toys to keep her occupied. She was a champ. We ordered her the kids' chicken strips, and instead she gorged herself on the Taste of Africa (three African dips with various breads, spicy and delicious) and my crispy cinnamon spiced beef rolls. We ordered her another dish of those and the chicken sat, ignored.
Okay, start with the wine. It's all African, so we're not familiar with any of it. No problem- waiter asks what we usually like, brings out bottles for us to sample, then pours what we like. Next, the bread. Not the Taste of Africa, but the regular bread. It's thick, soft and tangy, with spiced butter. I could have eaten nothing but this and been happy, except then I would have missed everything else. The Taste of Africa had what seemed like a pickle chutney dip, a garlic-based dip and one other. The waiter confirmed that the Chutney is an Indian dip. All of them were wonderful, and like nothing else you'll find at WDW. The spiced beef rolls, what I got to taste of them, anyway, were great. Just a hint of cinnamon, in a wrapping something like an egg roll.
My main course was the beef tenderloin with macaroni and cheese and red wine sauce. Yes, macaroni and cheese. IT WORKS, trust me. This ain't Kraft we're talking about. Thick and creamy, with a little bit of wine sauce mixed in, it's the perfect complement to the wonderful meat. Heaven.
Okay, dessert- Tanzanian chocolate purses with honey sauce for dipping. The only way I can convey my appreciation for this dish is to tell you that if you ever eat here with me, I won't share it with you. A thin filo-dough purse filled with melted chocolate. Thick. Rich. Warm. And what, oh what, is that exotic flavor that it has? Cardamom? Wow. The dates must have been pureed and blended in, because there was no texture discernible. Just smooth, wonderful chocolate. Oh my god, I need more.
I love Jiko. Did I mention that? A+++
BTW- I walked through Boma while the family went out to look for animals. It looks very exciting, with several exotic dishes, including some of the things I enjoyed at the Food & Wine Festival. Definitely will try it next trip.
Day 6-
Breakfast- Norway- Princess Storybook Breakfast. What can you say? Belle, Mulan, Alice, Sleeping Beauty and (most importantly for DD) Jasmine, in a European Castle setting. DD was in heaven. The adults, however, were underwhelmed with the food. Dry french toast sticks, bland sausage and bacon, decent potatoes with cheese. But, hey- Jasmine!
Grades:
Food- C
Magic- A
Lunch at Tusker House- We shot from Epcot over to AK. I used to appreciate Tusker house because it attempted to offer an African chicken dish. It doesn't anymore, but the rotisserie chicken that my DW got was very good for a fast food joint. I had the fried chicken sandwich and I was very pleasantly surprised at the piece of chicken. It was plump and juicy, breaded, very tasty. Chocolate cake afterward was rich and thick and delicious. DD again stole most of mine. I have to teach that child better manners
Grade- A
Dinner- Anniversary dinner at Bistro de Paris: Whoa! What's this restaurant doing in a theme park? As soon as you walk in, Epcot drops away from your consciousness. Elegant and sophisticated. We did get a seat by the window, from which we could view Illuminations, but, other than that, we may as well have been miles away from a theme park.
Except- the place makes some compromises for the American theme-park diner. Portions are larger than you would find at another French restaurant, because they don't serve as many courses as you would expect. We were surprised that there was no cheese course on the menu. Our waiter said that they do offer it, but probably don't get requests more than once a week.
That aside, we had a great meal. Our waiter, Richard, from a village near Lyons, was the peak of professionalism. He took great pride in suggesting wine and food choices for us. He is a graduate of a French culinary school who hopes to own his own restaurant someday. Richard was personable and made us feel very welcome. I can't think of a time when I have had better service.
For an appetizer, I had the double consomme of chicken and beef, with a puff pastry baked over the top. I'm a puff pastry fan. The soup was similar to an onion soup in flavor; the crust was light and flaky. Very nice. DW had the tartine de foie gras, which I tried. It seemed very well done, but foie gras is just not one of my favorites. I was drawn to the filet mignon with gnocchi for my entree, but I felt the need to branch out after having so many filets on this trip. Instead I decided to try the rack of venison with black pepper sauce. Richard asked if I had ever had venison before and I said no. He said that for the first time, he would suggest medium, then medium rare after I've had a chance to get used to it. I got the medium rare anyway, because I like meat juicy. I didn't find the venison to be particularly gamey. In fact, on its own, it was rather bland. With the toasted bread, shallot, etc., however, it was very tasty.
Dessert was the warm chocolate cake with melted chocolate center. Let me start by saying this was NOT as good as the Tanzanian chocolate purses. But I still won't share it with you. Warm, soft chocolate cake, flowing, warm chocolate center... oh my. I wish I had gotten two.
We were the last ones out of this place, a good hour or more after Epcot closed. In fact, the manager came around and asked what gate we planned to leave by, so he could tell security what to expect. Richard insisted that we not feel like we had to go, that it was no problem. We didn't feel rushed at all. We told him that it had been a wonderful anniversary dinner and he was shocked. "Why you did not tell me???" We were given menus to keep as souvenirs. It is VERY nice to stroll out of Epcot as the last people for the day.
Grade- A+
Wow, this is really, really, long, and I've got 2 days to go. See you in Part III.
Day 4-
Breakfast- Our daughter was scheduled for the Cooking Adventure at Grand Floridian, so we grabbed some pastry at Gasprilla's Grille. I had a cinnamon roll. It was okay, but paled in comparison to the Cinnamon rolls that I knew awaited me at the Main Street Bakery. This place pointed up for us what was missing at Beach Club, though- a quick, easy place to grab a bite to eat. GG, like Roaring Forks at WL, is cafeteria style, nothing special, but you can get in, get something to eat, sit down, and get out again. BC needs that desperately. Beaches & Cream just doesn't fit the bill, and Hurricane Hannahs is mainly a pool bar.
Lunch- Food & Wine Festival: We rode the monorail out of GF, planning to go back to the hotel to swim (it was supposed to be a non-park day). As soon as DD saw Space Mountain, though, she had to go to MK. So, grandma and grandpa took her, while DW and I used the opportunity to head over to Epcot for the Food & Wine Festival. We munched our way around about half the world. The only pavilion that stood out, for me, was the South African. They had Durban chicken skewers which were surprisingly spicy and delicious. I love hot, spicy food, and this was great. Mind you, it's still theme park food, so it wasn't burn-your-tongue spicy, but much better than I expected. This was so good that I went back and tried the spicy meatloaf (can't remember what they call it). Again, spicy and delicious. Later in the trip we also tried a spicy meatloaf dish from Australia, which was also very good. Most of the other booth items we tried were good, but nothing special.
Dinner at California Grille:
I sure do love California Grille. This was DD's scheduled night at Neverland Club, so we dropped her off and monorailed over to the Contemporary. We were very early for our PS, but were seated right away, in the Wine Room. It was much quieter in here, which I found a little disappointing. I like the exciting atmosphere in the main room, and I commented to my wife that next time I'd like to try sitting at the counter overlooking the kitchen. If you time it right, CG is a great experience, because you can watch the MK fireworks with a spectacular view. We ordered our wine and appetizers, then headed outside to the observation deck. The music is piped in and we could see everything, even Tinkerbell flying out of the castle. Towards the end of the show, the promised rain started, along with lightning strikes that were more spectacular than the fireworks. We had a great view of these throughout our dinner, and it was the only rain of our trip. I think it was more of Mickey's Magic.So was the dinner. We had the triple-cheese, triple-garlic, sundried tomatoes and oregano flatbread, which was a very tasty starting point. DW wanted sushi. On our last trip here, there had been a "cooked" sushi item, which I had gotten up the courage to try. We asked about it, and the server said we might want to try an item that's not on the menu, but a favorite of the locals- shrimp tempura wrapped in rice (and whatever else they wrap around sushi.) We got this and it was very good. I was very proud of myself for having TWO pieces of sushi, but my wife insisted it didn't count because it was cooked. Anyway, for picky-eater me, it was an accomplishment.
For a first course, I had Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli with sundried tomato broth, shiitake and basil. I was a little skeptical of this, but it turned out to be wonderful. The goat cheese is very flavorful, but not over-powering. This is one, large ravioli, with the cheese in the middle and everything else on top. Delicious. Main Course was the beef filet with tamarind barbecue sauce. I am a huge fan of tamarind sauce from my Indian Restaurant obsession. This was just slightly sweet, a perfect complement to the wonderful beef. My dad, a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, ordered this with the sauce on the side. All of the restaurants were happy to accomodate his tastes.
Unfortunately, none of the desserts appealed to me (I'm a chocolate guy. Keep the fruit and hazelnut away from it, thanks.) We decided to head for Beaches & Cream for ice cream, instead. See comments in Part I. We never got our ice cream.
Grade- A+
Day 5- Lunch at Columbia Harbor House: We ate here as part of the Keys to the Kingdom Tour. It is one of our favorite places to stop for lunch at MK. As always, I had the New England Clam Chowder Bread Bowl. For fast food, this is haute cuisine. Thick, creamy chowder with large chunks in it. The bread is good, too.
Grade- A-
Dinner at Jiko: Heh. You think I love California Grille? That's nothing compared to Jiko. This is my favorite restaurant ANYWHERE. I even like it better than the Four Seasons, in NYC. You start by going through the incredibe lobby of the Animal Kingdom Lodge, an attraction in itself. The restaurant is beautiful, with deep colors and indirect lighting. We took our 5-yr old with us this time, with a few small toys to keep her occupied. She was a champ. We ordered her the kids' chicken strips, and instead she gorged herself on the Taste of Africa (three African dips with various breads, spicy and delicious) and my crispy cinnamon spiced beef rolls. We ordered her another dish of those and the chicken sat, ignored.
Okay, start with the wine. It's all African, so we're not familiar with any of it. No problem- waiter asks what we usually like, brings out bottles for us to sample, then pours what we like. Next, the bread. Not the Taste of Africa, but the regular bread. It's thick, soft and tangy, with spiced butter. I could have eaten nothing but this and been happy, except then I would have missed everything else. The Taste of Africa had what seemed like a pickle chutney dip, a garlic-based dip and one other. The waiter confirmed that the Chutney is an Indian dip. All of them were wonderful, and like nothing else you'll find at WDW. The spiced beef rolls, what I got to taste of them, anyway, were great. Just a hint of cinnamon, in a wrapping something like an egg roll.
My main course was the beef tenderloin with macaroni and cheese and red wine sauce. Yes, macaroni and cheese. IT WORKS, trust me. This ain't Kraft we're talking about. Thick and creamy, with a little bit of wine sauce mixed in, it's the perfect complement to the wonderful meat. Heaven.
Okay, dessert- Tanzanian chocolate purses with honey sauce for dipping. The only way I can convey my appreciation for this dish is to tell you that if you ever eat here with me, I won't share it with you. A thin filo-dough purse filled with melted chocolate. Thick. Rich. Warm. And what, oh what, is that exotic flavor that it has? Cardamom? Wow. The dates must have been pureed and blended in, because there was no texture discernible. Just smooth, wonderful chocolate. Oh my god, I need more.
I love Jiko. Did I mention that? A+++
BTW- I walked through Boma while the family went out to look for animals. It looks very exciting, with several exotic dishes, including some of the things I enjoyed at the Food & Wine Festival. Definitely will try it next trip.
Day 6-
Breakfast- Norway- Princess Storybook Breakfast. What can you say? Belle, Mulan, Alice, Sleeping Beauty and (most importantly for DD) Jasmine, in a European Castle setting. DD was in heaven. The adults, however, were underwhelmed with the food. Dry french toast sticks, bland sausage and bacon, decent potatoes with cheese. But, hey- Jasmine!
Grades:
Food- C
Magic- A
Lunch at Tusker House- We shot from Epcot over to AK. I used to appreciate Tusker house because it attempted to offer an African chicken dish. It doesn't anymore, but the rotisserie chicken that my DW got was very good for a fast food joint. I had the fried chicken sandwich and I was very pleasantly surprised at the piece of chicken. It was plump and juicy, breaded, very tasty. Chocolate cake afterward was rich and thick and delicious. DD again stole most of mine. I have to teach that child better manners
Grade- A
Dinner- Anniversary dinner at Bistro de Paris: Whoa! What's this restaurant doing in a theme park? As soon as you walk in, Epcot drops away from your consciousness. Elegant and sophisticated. We did get a seat by the window, from which we could view Illuminations, but, other than that, we may as well have been miles away from a theme park.
Except- the place makes some compromises for the American theme-park diner. Portions are larger than you would find at another French restaurant, because they don't serve as many courses as you would expect. We were surprised that there was no cheese course on the menu. Our waiter said that they do offer it, but probably don't get requests more than once a week.
That aside, we had a great meal. Our waiter, Richard, from a village near Lyons, was the peak of professionalism. He took great pride in suggesting wine and food choices for us. He is a graduate of a French culinary school who hopes to own his own restaurant someday. Richard was personable and made us feel very welcome. I can't think of a time when I have had better service.
For an appetizer, I had the double consomme of chicken and beef, with a puff pastry baked over the top. I'm a puff pastry fan. The soup was similar to an onion soup in flavor; the crust was light and flaky. Very nice. DW had the tartine de foie gras, which I tried. It seemed very well done, but foie gras is just not one of my favorites. I was drawn to the filet mignon with gnocchi for my entree, but I felt the need to branch out after having so many filets on this trip. Instead I decided to try the rack of venison with black pepper sauce. Richard asked if I had ever had venison before and I said no. He said that for the first time, he would suggest medium, then medium rare after I've had a chance to get used to it. I got the medium rare anyway, because I like meat juicy. I didn't find the venison to be particularly gamey. In fact, on its own, it was rather bland. With the toasted bread, shallot, etc., however, it was very tasty.
Dessert was the warm chocolate cake with melted chocolate center. Let me start by saying this was NOT as good as the Tanzanian chocolate purses. But I still won't share it with you. Warm, soft chocolate cake, flowing, warm chocolate center... oh my. I wish I had gotten two.
We were the last ones out of this place, a good hour or more after Epcot closed. In fact, the manager came around and asked what gate we planned to leave by, so he could tell security what to expect. Richard insisted that we not feel like we had to go, that it was no problem. We didn't feel rushed at all. We told him that it had been a wonderful anniversary dinner and he was shocked. "Why you did not tell me???" We were given menus to keep as souvenirs. It is VERY nice to stroll out of Epcot as the last people for the day.
Grade- A+
Wow, this is really, really, long, and I've got 2 days to go. See you in Part III.
