Tuesday, October 16th - Hurricane Hannah's Blows and A Trough, uh, Table for Two
Welcome back friends, countrymen, Romans! Lend me your ... monitors? That doesn't sound right at all. Apparently I have not had enough to drink yet this evening to make my attempted Shakespearean plagiarism even remotely amusing, but since that pesky work-thing is always looming on the horizon I thought I'd better play it safe with just one glass of Kajmir. The funny thing is that while I sit here enjoying my beverage I find myself wanting to listen to
Kashmir and I lament the fact that my sweater is not made of cashmere.
**crickets chirp**
What? You guys don't like puns?
**crickets fall silent**
Tough crowd.
Ahem...
First up, a brief analysis of Hurricane Hannah's. This was the first time, ever, that Jay and I decided to go hang out at Stormalong Bay, but that's a whole other story for a whole other day. Before braving the wilds, we wanted a drink. So we stopped in to see Hannah, who used to be a fine purveyor of tasty and varied alcoholic beverages. We noticed last year that the drink menu had been standardized, meaning that guests at the Grand Floridian pool had the same drink menu as those at the Beach Club pool, and so on and so forth. We bade a teary farewell to such unique drinks as the Shipwreck and the Stormalong, but found a new love in the Espresso Chiller, which was available everywhere (we know this because we drank our weight in them at Saratoga Springs last May). Our mouths and livers were primed for chillers that hot, sunny afternoon ... imagine our horror when we couldn't find it on the menu!
"Hi there, attractive, well-built bartender guy with smiley dimples. Do you still make Espresso Chillers? Please say yes, because if you say otherwise I'm going to have spend the next three hours in a lounge chair drinking bottled water dreaming wistfully of the good old days when alcoholic freedom of expression was celebrated at Disney World instead of being squashed by corporate cardboard cut-outs and Carrie Nation wannabes."
"Uh, I don't know about any of that other stuff you said, but we don't make Chillers any more because they don't let us buy Starbucks Coffee Liqueur, which was one of the primary ingredients."
I'm sure he must have seen the tears welling in my giant eyeball, because he quickly followed with, "But I can try to make you something similar using Bailey's. Would you like that?"
"Oh, yes! That sounds lovely." And I beamed at him, but not too widely because I didn't want to flash those pointy incisors and scare the poor guy any more than I already had.
The result was not bad - it tasted like a runny mudslide - but we wouldn't go back for another one and wouldn't recommend that anyone else try asking for an improvised Espresso Chiller any time soon. The CM was really nice and only charged us for the price of a shot instead of charging us for a mixed, blendy drink. And in all fairness, we weren't upset with the CM at all - he tried his best to make us a substitute drink and we paid for it and we drank it and let us never speak of it again.
But what is the deal with WDW and all these standardized drink menus and continuous revisions? Part of the fun of staying on property was being able to go to different hotels and try things that were unique to them - such as a Stormalong at Hurricane Hannah's, or the Oreo Mintini at Martha's Vinyard. All these great drinks are disappearing along with variety and creativity; and why on earth would we want to drink the exact same thing at every single bar, lounge, and restaurant at WDW when there are more than 200 different places to try???
I posed that very question in the Beach Club Villas survey that I just completed. I'm sure the WDW powers-that-be will write it off as just another complaint from a drunken crank (hey, that's drunken crohn to you) but at least I had my chance to tell them what I think about carbon-copy menus.
Final analysis: Hurricane Hannah's should be downgraded to a Tropical Depression.
When we returned to the room to get cleaned up for dinner, there was a surprise waiting!!
Totally unexpected. Completely unnecessary. Absolutely delightful.
BriarRosie remembered that I was celebrating a birthday on this visit. Since she was also staying at the BCV, she left a little prezzie with the front desk and they had it delivered to the room. Those of you who have been following the Argle-Bargle for the last decade will remember right away why this was a perfectly hilarious birthday token. I thought I was going to soil myself, I was laughing so hard. Thanks, Lori, for the great laugh you gave us and for even remembering that I was celebrating a birthday. You gave us both a wonderful vacation memory!
When you care enough to send the very best...
Send Toblerone!!!
Smile for the camera, almost birthday-girl, and don't forget to hide the incisors!
And now it's time for some serious eating. We tried Jiko back in May for the first time and Jay loved it. I thought it was alright, but I also didn't feel well the night we were there so I'm sure that colored my impression. I was willing to give it another try and this time I was going to be the Less Timid Tastebud Girl...
sort of...to Jay's Captain Adventure.
Here we are before the 60-minute odyssey that was our trip to the Animal Kingdom Lodge:
We'll need two tables: one for us and one for our food
Allow me to offer you some advice ... take a freaking cab to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. All we had to do was take a three-minute stroll to the front entrance of the Beach Club where a squash-colored car was waiting to whisk us away to Disney's version of Africa. But for some boneheaded reason we thought it was a better idea to walk all the way through Epcot and wait at the Animal Kingdom Lodge bus stop for a ride to the African plains of Central Florida. I didn't mind the walk at all - I needed to burn off all those calories I was planning on eating - but I minded the
time tremendously. In case any of you out there are new to me and my trippies ... patience is not one of my virtues. Actually, I'm not even sure I
have any virtues, but you get the general idea ...
At any rate, it took a good hour for us to arrive at our destination and we checked in at the podium at exactly 7:30, which was our ADR time. And the place was bizzzzzz-eeeeeee - I don't think we were seated until 8PM, by which time we were very hungry indeed.
We had a terrific waiter whose name I can't remember - I never seem to remember their names - but he explained some of the items on the menu and was especially good with the wine list. I found myself struggling to reconcile the South African whites to the wines I typically like to drink: Pinot Grigios and Sauvignon Blancs. So he suggested one for me to try and while the taste wasn't bad the aroma really turned me off - it smelled like a cat's litterbox.
No problemo says the amazing nameless waiter - I've got another wine that I'm sure you'll like. And he proceeds to pour me a glass of one of the most refreshing, crisp, light wines I've had in a long time: Professor Something or Other Sauvignon Blanc.
So, in conclusion, if you like white wines avoid Cat Box Pinot Grigio while dining at Jiko and opt for Professor What's His Name Sauvignon Blanc, it's just the smart choice.
Jay ordered a glass of red wine that he can't remember the name of, but he says it cost about $15 and it was "red, dark, and good."
Now that the important stuff has been taken care of, we can get down to the serious business of eating. We ordered two appetizers because I was jonesin for the cheese plate and Jay wanted to try the Taste of Africa.
Cheesy does it
We have a winner!!! The best cheese plate of the entire trip, and that's saying something because we tried two different cheese plates in France that were excellent. The selections, from left to right (I think), with descriptions taken from the menu:
Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog: A soft, surface ripened goat milk cheese with a creamy texture and a subtle, tangy taste. Each wheel of this cheese features a ribbon of edible vegetable ash along the center that gives it its distinctive appearance.
Zamorano: A hard sheep's milk cheese with a sharp, moderately gamey, sheep's milk flavored-bite and texture.
Ossau-Iraty: A traditional, unpasteurized semi-soft cheese made from ewe's milk from France and aged for 90 days.
Bica de Queijo: A semi-firm blended cow, goat, and sheep's milk cheese from Portugal.
Benedictine: A blended cow, goat, and sheep's milk cheese from Wisconsin.
**Side note: Wow! I had no idea they were making cheese like this up there!** This cheese is creamy and intense with a tingly unctuousness before finishing with an earthy complexity.
**Second side note: Wow! Wisconsin cheesemakers sure are pretentious!**
The cheese plate was presented with yummy crostini, spiced figs, and some kind of jam. I loved every single one of these cheeses - I could have ordered a second plate and just had it for dinner, it was that good. I probably could have even ordered a third one for dessert but that might have been pushing the lactose envelope a bit too far for one evening. And as for that Wisconsin cheese... I had to look up the definition of unctuous just to be able to tell you fine people that I don't recall this cheese being either oily or greasy, although it was rather smooth.
Who knew Africa could taste this good?
This is the Taste of Africa appetizer that Jason ordered. According to the menu what you see before you is: Kalamata Olive Hummus, Durban Tikka Masala, and Malay Spinach-Lentil Dip with Lentil Pappadam, Whole Wheat Lavosh, and Flax Seed Naan Bread.
Well, for the first time in my life I tried hummus and it wasn't bad. I don't care for olives, however, and so I didn't really eat much of it. I had absolutely no interest in the other two - the durban stuff was too spicy and mushed up spinach-ey bean dip just didn't sound appealing to me. Jay loved every bite of it, and when I just asked him for his thoughts on this dish he replied, "It was Afric-licious."
Make way for more food - it's time for the entrees!
Durban Curry Shrimp
This item is described as follows on Jiko's menu: Shrimp Ragout with Durbanesque Curry Sauce, Artichokes, Tomatoes, Sweet Peas, and Jade Blend Rice Pilaf.
All I can tell you is that Shrimp Ragu sounds like something we make here at home.
Jason, however, said that this was a tasty dish with good spice to it, but he thought that the Pan Roasted Jumbo Scallops that he tried back in May were better. This was a good runner-up, but the scallops were the better choice and had a more significant "kick" to them than the shrimp.
Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon
Served on a bed of macaroni and cheese swimming in a rich, red wine sauce, for some reason this is considered the restaurant's signature dish. I find that very funny considering that nothing about this dish is remotely South African, unless the chef used an exported native red wine to make the sauce. Don't get me wrong, I liked this just fine, but I think there's a difference between a
popular dish and a
signature dish.
Having said that, I ordered my filet medium and it was perfectly cooked and so tender that I barely needed the knife to slice it. The macaroni and cheese tasted better this time around and wasn't nearly as sticky or bitter as I remember it being the last time I tried it. And for what it's worth, I think the red wine sauce is the best part of this dish. I'd like to see the filet served with a big, honking hunk of melted goat cheese on top, dripping slowly into that red wine sauce ... yum! That would be a real winner in my book!
**book as yet unwritten**
After all that food we were pleasantly stuffed, but when I am presented with a dessert menu I have no choice but to look, and having looked I often have no choice but to order, and having ordered Jason often has no choice but to say, "Bye-bye belt!"
It's true; we only ordered one dessert
I tried to pick something that would be a light, refreshing end to the meal but still satisfy my sweet tooth. Enter the Madagascar Vanilla Bean Mouse, served with Cardamom-Spiced Pound Cake, Macerated Strawberries and Strawberry Sauce.
This was a great choice! The mousse was exactly the way it should have been: so light it melted in our mouths and with just a subtle hint of vanilla. The strawberries and strawberry sauce were an excellent complement - tart but not overly so. I think there was a small, round slice of spice cake underneath the mousse but I don't remember anything about it, so it must not have added anything to the dish.
We also ordered a glass of port with dessert - just one - and asked that it be split between the two of us. However, the bartender wasn't paying attention and ended up pouring two full glasses of De Krans Cape Tawny Port. Good beverage karma strikes again because our waiter told us the second glass was on the house! And the port paired exceptionally well with the mousse.
Here's to Grimace, wherever she may be
I really didn't want to share anyway...
And as if that wasn't enough, we were presented with two coconut macaroon-type cookies. I don't even like coconut, but I still ended up eating them. Yes, I said
them. I ate both cookies because I turned into the incredible gluttonous gal on this trip and couldn't seem to get enough food no matter how much I ingested.
Coconut cookies and tawny port: a win-win combo!
And thus ended a wholly satisfying and extremely tasty meal at Jiko. Great service, great atmosphere, great food - we highly recommend that you give this restaurant a try if you haven't already done so. Absolutely wonderful even if it is located in the middle of nowhere.
For those of you who have been asking after Grimace (that's what Jay and I call my mom; for an explanation please read all 27 volumes of the Argle Bargle - there will be a test) thanks for caring! She did not accompany us on this trip - we learned our lesson last year. Besides, Grimace had her own vacation plans this year:
Japan will never be the same...
Thanks for reading! Coming up: It's my birthday and we celebrate in many ways that include Crystal Palace, Caseys, the Boardwalk Bakery, Martha's Vinyard, Bistro Paris, and Room Service!
Jiko is down on our list for next year so I'm glad you liked it! It's nearly 10am here on a Friday morn... is it time for lunch yet?
). The more I read aobut Jiko, the more I want to try it but the fussy eater in me is telling me that I won't like it. Still, I will content myself with enjoying your more adventurous escapades 
