HAPPY to do a review of Jikos - 3/22/08

[kelleigh1]

I think the people at Hemp.com might disagree with you!

Ok, I'll concede that point.

 

[Mister Disney]

If I might be allowed to help out our esteemed Happy, I will fill you in on the cheese selections at Jikos which were presently perfectly. As Happy mentioned cheese is best consumed at room temperature and Jiko hit the nail on the head!


Jikos Artisan Cheese Selection with Spiced Fruit Jam and Crostini

from left to right
Midnight Moon- Goat; Corsu Vecchiu- Sheep; Purple Haze- Goat; Truffle Tremor- Goat; Benedictine- Cow, Goat, Sheep

Midnight Moon- Goat
This cheese is from Cypress Grove Chevre, currently Disney must have a contract with them, as many of the cheeses we sampled during our 10 day trip in March was from this vendor.
The description.....
Aged six months or more, this pale, ivory cheese is firm, dense and smooth with the slight graininess of a long-aged cheese. The flavor is nutty and brown-buttery, with prominent caramel notes.

Our thoughts? Our palates definitely noted the graininess of this cheese, although it was nothing compared to some of the aged parmesans and romano we've tried over the year. This is definitely a nice middle of the road cheese for those less adventurous.


Corsu Vecchiu- Sheep
The description.....
Made from raw sheep's milk, this variety of cheese comes from the French island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Semi-firm in texture, the paste of Corsu Vecchiu provides a tangy flavor that is sweet, nutty and somewhat salty tasting.

Our thoughts? Nice, would be great in a casserole, delicious with the crostinis and spiced jam.

Purple Haze - Goat
The description.....
Purple Haze is a fresh little goat's milk cheese from Cypress Grove Chevre in Northern California, flavored with wild fennel pollen and lavender.

Our thoughts? AMAZING! Texture is that of a brie, surprisingly, you could really taste the lavender (or maybe its smell, I dunno....)


Truffle Tremor- Goat
The description.....
The classic flavor of truffle meets the velvety perfection of ripened goat milk cheese. Earthy, elegant, and sophisticated, this cheese comes from Cypress Grove in Northern California

Our thoughts? Truffles = Earthy = Musty We've actually never been too fond of Goat cheeses in general, but this was nice when paired with the crostini and spiced jam....hmmm...maybe we were masking flavors?


Benedictine- Cow, Goat, Sheep
The description.....
From the Carr Valley Cheese Company in Wisconsin, this is a blended milk cheese of cow, goat and sheep. This cheese is creamy and intense with a tingly unctuousness before finishing with an earthy complexity.

Our thoughts? Yum...another good choice for the less adventurous, creamy...and for those that need to know....unctuousness means oily...which this was also.

 

[MarieA]

subscribing. Love your review!!!

 

[honeybee213]

Love this report. You have me in stitches!

 

[Mister Disney]

Gosh.....I almost forgot....

Nassier Dardari, our waiter for the evening, is also an incredible Sommelier and very well versed on Jikos wine offerings....

He was very imfornative and also keen to find out what we prefer with various things.

With our Cheese Course, he brought out a tasting of a South African Dessert Wine called

Fairview La Beryl Blanc, 2006

The The Fairview Estate is located in the heart of the Paarl wine district on the south west facing slopes of Paarl Mountain.

I love a good sweet dessert wine with strong cheeses, so this was right up my alley. It was crisp and very fruity, tasting notes say hints of peach, apricot, honey and vanilla. My palate isn't trained enough to know distinct things, other than it was a great choice....and I was hoping Nassier would keep up the good work on the wine.

 

[D&R love Disney]

4 out of 5 of those cheeses sound so good, I'll pass on the truffle tremor.

I had a wonderful cheese plate at Jiko a few years back, for some reason we haven't gotten back there since

 

[StuZioCardyni]

thank you for the review...I've just this second booked jiko's it look fantastic!!!

 

[Mr. D's K-Man]

4 out of 5 of those cheeses sound so good, I'll pass on the truffle tremor.

I had a wonderful cheese plate at Jiko a few years back, for some reason we haven't gotten back there since

OH ... you have to go back. Our first experience (mind you we were still wet behind the ears on Jiko's) wasn't all that earth shattering. Our second experience with our friends Jim and Jon more than made up for that. Speaking with Mark over at the Yachtsman convinced us that Jiko's is a MUST. Ya just gotta make it a point to get over there.

 

[Mr. D's K-Man]

Alas, we shall have to come back to the actual names of the cheeses in a bit, after I consult with the K-Man, as my mind is not as sharp as it used to be (or maybe it was the cocktails I enjoyed that evening...one will never know..)

Sure, Sure our little Blue Friend ... perhaps it's your turn for a little trip to the Clinic?

 

[Mr. D's K-Man]

Gosh.....I almost forgot....

Nassier Dardari, our waiter for the evening, is also an incredible Sommelier and very well versed on Jikos wine offerings....

He was very imfornative and also keen to find out what we prefer with various things.

Nassier was absolutely brilliant, and at the risk of sounding like I'm contradicting (which I'm absolutely NOT) Mister Disney, I must say ... "Nassier, our Sommelier for the evening, is also an incredible waiter."
One look at the wine list at Jiko's and it's information overload. Where in the world does one begin! Nassier took total control and made the perfect choices for our meal and our tastes.

But let's get back to the food and wine before I get liver and stomach contractions!

 

[Mr. D's K-Man]

We skipped the micro greens on the plate...but they sure did look nice and fresh.

Well of course we skipped the micro greens! Why would we use up valuable calories and space in our stomachs (no fat belly comments Blue Man) jeopardizing DESSERT?

 

[Happy the Dwarf]

OK boys, let’s get back to the review. K-Man, you have four more courses to go before dessert, so cool your jets. The next course has a lot more than micro greens, and you DID eat vegetables this night. Amazing what a little pick ax to the hand will do … commonly referred to as “Miner Persuasion”.

 

[Happy the Dwarf]

Maize and Sweet Potato "Tamales"

Herbed Maize Pudding and Truffles Sweet Potato Mash with Shredded Goat Cheese in a Corn Husk Boat

Now, does that just look delish? A smooth creamy consistancy with just a little bit of the goat cheese on top.

I must report though that the K-Man AGAIN skipped the greens due to his inability to find strech pants for his fat belly....errrr...

correction he skipped the greens in order to manage calories and space for dessert.

Now everyone, repeat after me YUM!

What would make this better? A glass of wine of Course! Nassier our Sommelier extrodinaire brought over a nice smooth white wine....

Fairview Viognier, Coastal Region 2006

*************


Speaking of Miner Persuasion, note there are no table clothes tonight!

After the thrills and spills at the Yachtsman, word got out and they skipped the fine linens.



​

 

[Hedy]

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I love those tamales, I heard they've taken them off the menu though.

 

[Happy the Dwarf]

I love those tamales, I heard they've taken them off the menu though.

Yes alas the August Menu shows this wonderful dish significantly absent!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Yes alas the August Menu shows this wonderful dish significantly absent!

That's what I was going to get as my app. I wonder if the cheese plate is allowed as an app on the dining plan, if not I'll probably get the duck salad or the ostrich, they're both new items on the menu.

 

[Happy the Dwarf]

Next up was an "off menu" offering from the Chef.

Palate Cleansing time.....

A melon sorbet with a vodka shooter....

One can not go wrong when offering the boys alcohol....what I must say though is that they didn't even offer me a taste of this.....

We'll have to leave it to them to tell you about it.

 

[Mister Disney]

Melon Sorbet with a Vodka Chaser?

one word....

mmmmm.....

 

[Happy the Dwarf]

That's what I was going to get as my app. I wonder if the cheese plate is allowed as an app on the dining plan, if not I'll probably get the duck salad or the ostrich, they're both new items on the menu.

Ostrich? Did someone say Ostrich?


Moving right along we continued on our gluttonous trek with the

Pokanoket Farm Ostrich Schnitzel

Crisp Ostrich Filet, Marinated Slaw and Lemon Caper Aioli

The Ostrich was prefecto! Crispy...not the least bit gamey....and the caper aioli was a great compliment to the Filet.

The Marinated Slaw? PUCKER UP BABY.....quite tangy!

Nassier brought over a very crisp nice Reisling, Klein Constantia 2005