Vegcentric
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2009
That stinks, but is totally understandable if the majority of people disliked it!
Down the Rabbit Hole a Vegan Alice and Omnivore Mad Hatter Taste Wonderland
- Thread starter mandibc11
- Start date
That stinks, but is totally understandable if the majority of people disliked it!
danyella522
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2010
LOVE!!! I'm making ADR's for our January trip as we speak. I'm newly vegan and SO has been macrobiotic since birth. Do you ever visit www.thekindlife.com? she has delicious recipes for yummy vegan treats that are easy to make!
mandibc11
Living in Wonderland, married to the Mad Hatter, w
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2007
Do you know what they are going to put in it's place? I know there is a Vegetarian Shephard's Pie, but the Vegan version was just not that great!
mandibc11
Living in Wonderland, married to the Mad Hatter, w
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2007
I love The Kind Life! The forums are awesome, and I've never made a recipe from there that hasn't passed even my husband's meat-eating tastebuds!
Vegcentric
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2009
I agree, that books is awesome. My husband is actually a bigger fan of the book than I am, which is odd...since it's pretty obvious throughout the book it was geared more towards women. He likes the recipes as well.
danyella522
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2010
I've gifted it(kind life book) to a few friends of mine and one of them recently switched to a vegetarian diet with her boyfriend! Big step for them.
MelanieC
<font color=blue>BL II - Blue Team<br><font color=
- Joined
- Sep 28, 1999
I also love the Kind Life. Actually, the day I bought that book was the last day I ate meat. It wasn't necessarily that book that made me do it, but it as the one thing that motivated me to. I had been planning to do it for a while before that. That book is also what got me to make steps towards becoming vegan (which I accomplished early May).
Vegcentric
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2009
I kind of wish that it was a book that made me go vegetarian. I went vegetarian during the super bowl, after seeing that banned risque peta ad. Kind of a strange thing, to end up going vegetarian from THAT ad. Earthlings was pretty much what sealed the deal, once I finally got around to watching it (which I was putting off for a while).
Then I kicked the pescetarian habit after reading Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals book. That's another good one, if you haven't read it already. Changed the way I looked at fish, that's for sure.
mandibc11
Living in Wonderland, married to the Mad Hatter, w
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2007
I'm sad to say I haven't read the entire book yet! I've gotten so much information about it from friends and the website that I just haven't purchased it yet...my budget for books usually only affords me those on Amazon, and it's still a bit pricey on there. HOWEVER, when I read the Omnivore's Dilemma, that was when I really decided to get rid of the meat in my diet. I had already stopped dairy because of my allergy. What's funny is that I read the Young Adult version of the book, so it was both entertaining AND educational!
Anyway, enough about that - I'm just glad there are other vegans out there I can talk to about it! I am literally the only vegan that I personally know in Nashville!
Anyway, enough about that - I'm just glad there are other vegans out there I can talk to about it! I am literally the only vegan that I personally know in Nashville!
mandibc11
Living in Wonderland, married to the Mad Hatter, w
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2007
Today was a great day for a Signature Dinner, because we had the luxury of getting ready at our own pace (which happened to be fairly slow given the amount of alcohol that had been consumed by then).
Getting to the Animal Kingdom Lodge would have been a bit tricky since AK always closes early and there isnt a direct bus to the resorts. Since this was our last day to have Park Hopper tickets, I really wanted to go to Magic Kingdom one more time and just walk around. It helped with logistics also, because we were able to bus to MK and then grab a bus straight to AK Lodge.
After riding all the Fantasyland Rides we didnt get to last time (they are so much more crowded in the morning!), we headed over to make our dinner reservation at Jiko.
I had eaten here once before on a trip with my mom a few years back, and knew that I absolutely loved it. It would be my first time as a Vegan though, so I was excited to see if they could accommodate me like Boma had. I was really looking forward to Jeremys take on it, as well!
We arrived and were given a pager, so we grabbed a seat in the bar. Before we had time to order drinks though, the pager went off and we were taken to our seats; a table in the back of the restaurant. The lighting was a little brighter here, and I wasnt the biggest fan of that, but I didnt want to ask to move either. (which is my usual course of action when everything isn't JUST RIGHT when eating out) Turns out, the lighting changes from brighter, to a pinker tint throughout the night.
Our waiter came and told us ALL about the restaurant and the menu. He had apparently worked here for a very long time, and knew pretty much everything about everything (or so he acted). He took our drink order, and went to grab a separate menu for me. I didnt know, but Jiko actually has separate menus for Vegans and Vegetarians what a lovely surprise!
Out came the drinks, along with my menu. I had ordered a Cosmopolitan, which is my beverage of choice, and something I hadnt had up to that point of the vacation. Jeremy got his usual Gin and Tonic, so we were happy as we perused our menus.
Hopefully the menu picture turned out well enough despite the small selection, everything sounded fantastic! I was pretty impressed by the amount of appetizer selections I had to choose from.
Jeremy chose the Crispy Savanna Rolls for an appetizer, and they looked delicious when they came out! He really enjoyed them, and since we were both pretty starved at this point, he ate them all! As for the taste, hell have to let you in on that all I know is that he ate them in a hurry so they must have been pretty fantastic.
I decided on the Vegan Taste of Africa, which came with Hummus, Masala, and a Curry Pesto that was to die for. I think I ate all of the bread that came with it, which was also great! There were two types, and I couldnt decide which I liked better, the Whole Wheat Lavosh or the Papadum. My taste testing was the result of an empty basket very quickly.
Entrees came out after this, and I liked that they werent too speedy with it, but neither were we chomping at the bit waiting.
Jeremy was very excited about his Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon. This week was definitely his chance to really be a carnivore, and he took the challenge well! The steak came with one of his favorites, Mac and Cheese, but this wasnt your ordinary past dish. This Macaroni was thick, gooey, and covered in a red wine sauce that also smothered the Filet. Again, I think he ate the majority of it!
I was excited to try my dish. At first I was really disappointed that there was only one entrée on the Vegan menu. But when it came out I understood why no one would have selected a different entrée, anyway! It was called the Chakalaka, which entertained me for a while before it actually came out the mad hatter probably got tired of hearing me recite it over and over! It was a dish of tomato relish that covered a very large Edamame Cake. This was sitting atop a mountain of flavorful Coconut rice. While I didnt taste the coconut, the other herbs and spices sufficed very well!
Even though we were at this point overly stuffed to the point of discomfort, we still had dessert waiting on us. And not being ones to pass up dessert except in extreme situations, we dug in.
Jeremys selection was quite adorable, and probably great for him since it was a bit smaller. The Jiko Trio came with a Flourless Chocolate cake, a Chocolate Mousse, and Caramel Ice Cream. He liked it all, but as usual the ice cream was his favorite.
Even though I was only getting a Fruit Salad, they really went all out with it! The berries were surrounding a fruit sorbet that was light and SO delicious. It was all drizzled in Pomegranate Mollasses, and Im a lover of all things Pom!
Our night was fantastic. We were among the last to leave, and I was very happy that we had decided on Jiko as our only Signature of the trip. Well be back numerous times. This dinner was a little spendy, but of course if was being a Signature restaurant. I didnt take note of the total, but my guess is in the ballpark of 140 before tip.
Getting to the Animal Kingdom Lodge would have been a bit tricky since AK always closes early and there isnt a direct bus to the resorts. Since this was our last day to have Park Hopper tickets, I really wanted to go to Magic Kingdom one more time and just walk around. It helped with logistics also, because we were able to bus to MK and then grab a bus straight to AK Lodge.
After riding all the Fantasyland Rides we didnt get to last time (they are so much more crowded in the morning!), we headed over to make our dinner reservation at Jiko.
I had eaten here once before on a trip with my mom a few years back, and knew that I absolutely loved it. It would be my first time as a Vegan though, so I was excited to see if they could accommodate me like Boma had. I was really looking forward to Jeremys take on it, as well!
We arrived and were given a pager, so we grabbed a seat in the bar. Before we had time to order drinks though, the pager went off and we were taken to our seats; a table in the back of the restaurant. The lighting was a little brighter here, and I wasnt the biggest fan of that, but I didnt want to ask to move either. (which is my usual course of action when everything isn't JUST RIGHT when eating out) Turns out, the lighting changes from brighter, to a pinker tint throughout the night.
Our waiter came and told us ALL about the restaurant and the menu. He had apparently worked here for a very long time, and knew pretty much everything about everything (or so he acted). He took our drink order, and went to grab a separate menu for me. I didnt know, but Jiko actually has separate menus for Vegans and Vegetarians what a lovely surprise!
Out came the drinks, along with my menu. I had ordered a Cosmopolitan, which is my beverage of choice, and something I hadnt had up to that point of the vacation. Jeremy got his usual Gin and Tonic, so we were happy as we perused our menus.
Hopefully the menu picture turned out well enough despite the small selection, everything sounded fantastic! I was pretty impressed by the amount of appetizer selections I had to choose from.
Jeremy chose the Crispy Savanna Rolls for an appetizer, and they looked delicious when they came out! He really enjoyed them, and since we were both pretty starved at this point, he ate them all! As for the taste, hell have to let you in on that all I know is that he ate them in a hurry so they must have been pretty fantastic.
I decided on the Vegan Taste of Africa, which came with Hummus, Masala, and a Curry Pesto that was to die for. I think I ate all of the bread that came with it, which was also great! There were two types, and I couldnt decide which I liked better, the Whole Wheat Lavosh or the Papadum. My taste testing was the result of an empty basket very quickly.
Entrees came out after this, and I liked that they werent too speedy with it, but neither were we chomping at the bit waiting.
Jeremy was very excited about his Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon. This week was definitely his chance to really be a carnivore, and he took the challenge well! The steak came with one of his favorites, Mac and Cheese, but this wasnt your ordinary past dish. This Macaroni was thick, gooey, and covered in a red wine sauce that also smothered the Filet. Again, I think he ate the majority of it!
I was excited to try my dish. At first I was really disappointed that there was only one entrée on the Vegan menu. But when it came out I understood why no one would have selected a different entrée, anyway! It was called the Chakalaka, which entertained me for a while before it actually came out the mad hatter probably got tired of hearing me recite it over and over! It was a dish of tomato relish that covered a very large Edamame Cake. This was sitting atop a mountain of flavorful Coconut rice. While I didnt taste the coconut, the other herbs and spices sufficed very well!
Even though we were at this point overly stuffed to the point of discomfort, we still had dessert waiting on us. And not being ones to pass up dessert except in extreme situations, we dug in.
Jeremys selection was quite adorable, and probably great for him since it was a bit smaller. The Jiko Trio came with a Flourless Chocolate cake, a Chocolate Mousse, and Caramel Ice Cream. He liked it all, but as usual the ice cream was his favorite.
Even though I was only getting a Fruit Salad, they really went all out with it! The berries were surrounding a fruit sorbet that was light and SO delicious. It was all drizzled in Pomegranate Mollasses, and Im a lover of all things Pom!
Our night was fantastic. We were among the last to leave, and I was very happy that we had decided on Jiko as our only Signature of the trip. Well be back numerous times. This dinner was a little spendy, but of course if was being a Signature restaurant. I didnt take note of the total, but my guess is in the ballpark of 140 before tip.
Vegcentric
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2009
Thank you for your Jiko review. I have a Jiko ADR for one of our later vacation days, but I got into a bit of a predicament when my sister and mother pointed out that I have too many signature dining reservations made. I need to cancel at least one...and it came down to either Citrico's or Jiko.
Your review is very helpful, though I'm debating now more than ever, lol!
Your review is very helpful, though I'm debating now more than ever, lol!
princessallegra
They call me Mrs. Disney
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2007
YUM YUM YUM!!! Jiko looked amazing!!!! We need to get there!!!! 
mandibc11
Living in Wonderland, married to the Mad Hatter, w
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2007
Well Friends, at an extremely early time tomorrow morning (getting up at 4am for a 6am flight!!), The Hatter and I will be making our way for a 3 week trip to Europe! Needless to say, my reviews will be halted for that time, but when I return I'll have even more amazing food reviews to share from Oxford, Stratford, London, Amsterdam, and tons of tiny villages in Germany! You can read all about it on my blog once I get back.
We're traveling across the pond to do some research, and probably have a lot of fun in the process!
Anyway, all that to say, I'll return to my reviews of our Disney trip as soon as I get over the inevitable jet lag.
We're traveling across the pond to do some research, and probably have a lot of fun in the process!
Anyway, all that to say, I'll return to my reviews of our Disney trip as soon as I get over the inevitable jet lag.
MelanieC
<font color=blue>BL II - Blue Team<br><font color=
- Joined
- Sep 28, 1999
Well Friends, at an extremely early time tomorrow morning (getting up at 4am for a 6am flight!!), The Hatter and I will be making our way for a 3 week trip to Europe! Needless to say, my reviews will be halted for that time, but when I return I'll have even more amazing food reviews to share from Oxford, Stratford, London, Amsterdam, and tons of tiny villages in Germany! You can read all about it on my blog once I get back.
We're traveling across the pond to do some research, and probably have a lot of fun in the process!
Anyway, all that to say, I'll return to my reviews of our Disney trip as soon as I get over the inevitable jet lag.
Have a great time. You'll be getting back about the time we get back from Disney. I can't wait to hear about your vegan adventures in Europe too
mandibc11
Living in Wonderland, married to the Mad Hatter, w
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2007
Fresh off the plane from our whirlwind experience in Europe, I've slightly recovered from my jetlag but am still laying low. Jeremy and I have yet to resume normal life, but I'm slowly getting back into a routine and with that will come reviews. My next one is coming right up!
mandibc11
Living in Wonderland, married to the Mad Hatter, w
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2007
We had some of our leftovers for breakfast this day, so that we could make full use of our credits with dinner that evening. It was nice to sit and relax on the boardwalk with some pizza and fruit, but I was ready for lunch to roll around so that I could try out the food at Beaches and Cream!
A few months before we left, I had decided I wanted to stay another night and Jeremy, being the great guy he is, agreed that we could! When I contacted the person we had rented the DVC points from though, he let me know our room rate would skyrocket with it being a Friday night. SO...we decided to hop across the lagoon and stay that night at the Disney Swan.
After checking in, me putting on my swimsuit to catch some rays, and Jeremy heading over to the Dolphin for a birthday massage, I was hungry and ready for lunch. His massage seemed to last forever, and about the time I was starting to chomp at the bit, he showed up ready to walk the short way on the boardwalk to get to Beaches and Cream.
We were lucky enough to immediately be seated, and the waitress gave us our menus to decide. When I let her know about needing Vegan options, she had to talk to the kitchen staff and see what could be done. I had let her know the Veggie Wrap sounded great, so when we returned she had good news for me. I could have it, but the chef was going to have to go "next door" to make it. I'm not sure if she meant the Beach Club Marketplace, or Cape May Cafe, but I was just happy they were going to do it. Apparently whatever they do at Beaches and Cream is pre-mixed and the Sun Dried Tomato Pesto contained dairy.
The wrap was delicious - the Black Olive Hummus really made it, in my opinion. One other thing; the fries also had to be cooked next door because they were fried with the onion rings, which contain dairy.
Jeremy ordered the Chicken Sandwich with fries, and was pretty happy with his selection, also. Nothing too out of the ordinary as far as Chicken Sandwiches are concerned, but he again drowned it in Honey Mustard, so what's not to love?!
For dessert, I ordered just a scoop of tofutti vanilla, and Jeremy got a Vanilla shake. They were both fantastic! Sorry...I was excited about the ice cream on that hot, hot day and forgot to take a picture!
We paid Out of Pocket for this one, coming in at $28.06. I loved this place! Very easy, and very adorable for lunch any day. Had I been able to get one of the more elaborate dessert concoctions, I absolutely would have! Perhaps next time I'll try to get a Vegan Banana Split!
A few months before we left, I had decided I wanted to stay another night and Jeremy, being the great guy he is, agreed that we could! When I contacted the person we had rented the DVC points from though, he let me know our room rate would skyrocket with it being a Friday night. SO...we decided to hop across the lagoon and stay that night at the Disney Swan.
After checking in, me putting on my swimsuit to catch some rays, and Jeremy heading over to the Dolphin for a birthday massage, I was hungry and ready for lunch. His massage seemed to last forever, and about the time I was starting to chomp at the bit, he showed up ready to walk the short way on the boardwalk to get to Beaches and Cream.
We were lucky enough to immediately be seated, and the waitress gave us our menus to decide. When I let her know about needing Vegan options, she had to talk to the kitchen staff and see what could be done. I had let her know the Veggie Wrap sounded great, so when we returned she had good news for me. I could have it, but the chef was going to have to go "next door" to make it. I'm not sure if she meant the Beach Club Marketplace, or Cape May Cafe, but I was just happy they were going to do it. Apparently whatever they do at Beaches and Cream is pre-mixed and the Sun Dried Tomato Pesto contained dairy.
The wrap was delicious - the Black Olive Hummus really made it, in my opinion. One other thing; the fries also had to be cooked next door because they were fried with the onion rings, which contain dairy.
Jeremy ordered the Chicken Sandwich with fries, and was pretty happy with his selection, also. Nothing too out of the ordinary as far as Chicken Sandwiches are concerned, but he again drowned it in Honey Mustard, so what's not to love?!
For dessert, I ordered just a scoop of tofutti vanilla, and Jeremy got a Vanilla shake. They were both fantastic! Sorry...I was excited about the ice cream on that hot, hot day and forgot to take a picture!
We paid Out of Pocket for this one, coming in at $28.06. I loved this place! Very easy, and very adorable for lunch any day. Had I been able to get one of the more elaborate dessert concoctions, I absolutely would have! Perhaps next time I'll try to get a Vegan Banana Split!
disney_princess_85
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2009
I'm only on page 8 but I just wanted to say that I love your reviews! I'm a vegetarian so it's fun to see some vegan meals. You're a very cute couple, by the way.
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