I have how many food pix? Time for a dining review!! Completed!

[suzybeezy]

I'm lovin' all the pictures! I can't wait to see more

 

[nikandboys]

Also from Wisconsin (and friends with Dundee Hunter), and enjoying pics ...you have some nice food porn. Nice way to spend a very windy Saturday when I should be scrubbing the kitchen floor.

 

[slk537]

Also from Wisconsin (and friends with Dundee Hunter), and enjoying pics ...you have some nice food porn. Nice way to spend a very windy Saturday when I should be scrubbing the kitchen floor.

Isn't it crazy today?? I've been watching the trees swaying back and forth and the snow bouncing off the deck. We're heading to my DB and DSIL's tonight to "talk WDW" for our Family Gathering this July and nothing less than this could get me to leave my cozy house today!

It's April 26 and we have our heat on...

 

[slk537]

I'm going to skip down to the miscellaneous for a while and post something that isn't technically WDW food - but enormously fun and an off property morning activity we HIGHLY recommend!!

Up here in our great state we have apple orchards all over. It's an autumn tradition to head to the orchards and pick up Honey Crisps, Connell Reds and all the best apples. DS goes on school field trips, we go on weekends - it's part of a Wisconsin fall. We also have pumpkin patches with pumpkin chuckers and hayrides out to Christmas tree groves and corn mazes. We're used to this - it's fun, and part of life.

What we DON'T have up here are citrus groves!!!

Years ago on our Disneymoon, DH and I drove down to Cocoa Beach and visited a grove. Last November, we decided to do the same with DS. Much to our surprise, we found one less than 10 minutes from WDW! We printed out a coupon, entered the info into the GPS, revved up the rental car, and spent the morning of the day after Thanksgiving, when the parks were INSANE at an orange grove.

SO much fun! We picked red navels and pommelos and grapefruits and kumquats and a HUGE lemon for water...we brought the best orange juice in the world and a huge bag of citrus back to the room and snacked for the rest of our trip. I can't recommend this more! In Florida, they have some outstanding citrus. It may be ugly and not perfect like the fruit they sell in the grocery stores up here, but it tastes 400 times better.

In fact - DS won't let me buy OJ anymore if he can't find "FL" anywhere one it... we found one he loved and thank God it said "Apopka, FL" on it!

Anyway - you can spend a whole morning here, or just an hour or so. We went on both trips and tried the different seasonal fruit. We were able to bring some back (the shelf life was amazing!) in December and my dad was asking for more when we went back in February.

A few photos:

DS trying the free samples before we left to pick:

That isn't grapefruit - it's a red navel. Best. Orange. Ever.

DS in front of the store - you can pick your own or you can select pre picked...or you can pick your own and finish stuffing the bag with the pre picked. The price is for a half peck or a peck so the weight doesn't increase the price. They actually went in and stuffed more in there for us so we got the most we could.

Max picking some of his own red navels:

Oranges on the tree (color does not indicate ripeness...green is fine and smaller ones are juicier):

Back at the same grove 2 months later, picking more oranges:

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I can get you the address and name of the place we went to. The people there were just so incredibly nice and it was a fantastic experience both times! This year for Christmas, we plan to order up a bunch of red navels, since we won't be down until honey navel season.

 

[Nee Nee and Biddy]

I would love to know the address and name of the orange grove! This might be a stupid question, but do oranges grow year round? We will be there the first week in June and this would be a good side trip. Thanks!

 

[devonsmommy]

I am hooked and can't wait to hear more! We are going to many of the same places!

 

[tigger2on]

I am pregnant and trying to watch my weight gain but I think I have already gained an additional 10 lbs reading your posts. At this rate, I'll weigh 300lbs by the end of your report!! LOL!

 

[wahoostampingirl]

I'm really enjoying this dining report. You're "negative" review of the Macadamia Nut Pancakes had me laughing because I'm a nut lover and I LOVE these so much! But the blueberry pancakes looked awesome as well.

Can't wait for more.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Loving your pics and reviews!

My grandparents live in SW Florida and had an orange and grapefruit tree for years. There is nothing like the fruit fresh from the tree. And that pretty orange color we see in stores - that is artificial. They are not that color from the tree. I wish I had some fresh squeezed O.J. right now.

 

[heather360]

Going to an orange grove sounds like fun. I'd love to have the address so that we can visit in October. I hope there's something good growing then.

 

[nikandboys]

Isn't it crazy today?? I've been watching the trees swaying back and forth and the snow bouncing off the deck. We're heading to my DB and DSIL's tonight to "talk WDW" for our Family Gathering this July and nothing less than this could get me to leave my cozy house today!

It's April 26 and we have our heat on...

You must be from up north, we didn't get snow just cold wind. o windy it was hard to walk against. We are 1 hour north of Milwaukee, 20 minutes from Lake Michigan.

 

[slk537]

You must be from up north, we didn't get snow just cold wind. o windy it was hard to walk against. We are 1 hour north of Milwaukee, 20 minutes from Lake Michigan.

West Central - lots of wind and cold, hard pellety snow for a while. Today is cool, but nice and sunny finally!

 

[slk537]

The Citrus Grove we went to was Showcase of Citrus -

www.showcaseofcitrus.com/index.asp

 

[FormrCastMbr]

Great reviews, thanks! Gotta check out the citrus grove someday!

 

[dundeehunter]

Visiting the orange grove brings back memories of my 1st trip to WDW and Florida with my parents. Back then, it was just MK...so we had to do something else with our week. The lemons are HUGE and we could make 4 pies out of one lemon. So true about the Wisconsin pumpkin patches and apple ochards in the fall. Great trip report. Too funny that my co-worker, Nickandboys chimed in this report. I'm so jealous that she's got a trip planned.

We should really plan a Wisconsin meet sometime and talk WDW...my friends don't get it...and Nickandboys is about the only one!

Keep the pictures and reports coming!

 

[davinakb]

I don't remember for sure, but I think it could be the: Tanzanian Chocolate Cheesecake - with chocolate ganache, Amarula sauce, and lavender ice cream. We both thought it was extremely good. In short: loved Jiko, but would prefer a table for four and could skip dessert and enjoy flatbreads and filet. Great evening!!

You had some of our favorites from Jiko, good stuff. Thanks for the reviews.

 

[slk537]

Visiting the orange grove brings back memories of my 1st trip to WDW and Florida with my parents. Back then, it was just MK...so we had to do something else with our week. The lemons are HUGE and we could make 4 pies out of one lemon. So true about the Wisconsin pumpkin patches and apple ochards in the fall. Great trip report. Too funny that my co-worker, Nickandboys chimed in this report. I'm so jealous that she's got a trip planned.

We should really plan a Wisconsin meet sometime and talk WDW...my friends don't get it...and Nickandboys is about the only one!

Keep the pictures and reports coming!

Love to! DH and I are pretty much the only ones here who really get it too.

 

[caa1277]

WOW!!!! Everything looks so good. I just got done eating lunch and I am ready to eat again.......I wanted to lick the screen but decided it wouldn't taste to good.

Gret pics and reviews.......keep them coming!!

 

[slk537]

On the January trip, we were on our way to Epcot for EMH evening and decided that dinner at ESPN would be something new and different. We weren't too hungry, so we decided to get some appetizers and share.

We were able to walk right in and let me tell you - this is a sport fan's paradise!!! TV's everywhere! We had had such high hopes for Brett and the boys that we would be watching them from ESPN on Superbowl Sunday, but alas, instead we were there a few days before watching interviews with the NY Giants and the NE Patriots.

So what did we order?

Nachos!

Macho Nachos - crispy corn tortilla chips piled high and topped with spicy ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese, fresh pico de Gallo, sour cream, and sliced jalapenos $9.99

We liked these - not too spicy and even though it says shredded cheese, they also had nacho cheese on them. They were good, filling and although pretty sloppy, that's what a sports bar is all about, right?

We also ordered the chili:

Boo-Yeah Chili - tender chunks of sirloin, freshly ground beef, sweet peppers and vine-ripened tomatoes, all simmered in some secret infusions $5.49

We really liked this, but there was a flavor in them we just couldn't identify. DH asked our server (it was driving us crazy trying to figure it out!) in idle conversation and he wasn't sure. Next thing we knew, the chef came out to talk to us with a copy of the recipe he had printed out! He had attached his business card with his email and told us to feel free to email him with any questions or recipes we wanted. SUCH a sweetheart!!

And the mystery flavor? We think maybe cumin.

In short, ESPN was a lot of fun for a snack stop/light dinner and the service was great.

 

[wilderness gal]

This is a tradition for us, as it is for many WDW guests. DS loves the Pirate Cruises at the Beach Club and Grand Floridian so DH and I always have breakfast while he's cruising at either Spoodles or Kona Cafe.

DH gets his usual - the same thing every time. The Big Kahuna Platter:

This is everything you need for a huge breakfast: scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, ham, macadamia nut pancakes, pineapple and french toast. He absolutely loves this - everything is always fresh and delicious and it has made Kona a favorite.

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I saw this pic & just had to make a reservation @ Kona for breakfast thanks for sharing the pic & reviews

jean