Let's Do It Again - January Trip Report

[Niki Andiokno]

Better late than never, I always say. Hiya. It's Niki. I am finally going to start my trip report, with plenty of food pics for your food porn enjoyment.

DH and I did another anniversary trip January 4 -11. So here is the cast of characters. Me, Niki - I love all kinds of food. My favorites are seafood and chocolate. I love to drink alcohol in all its forms except gin. DH Mike - he loves all kinds of food, but has become a bit disenchanted by Disney food lately. He is quite the wino, with that being his go-to choice almost all of the time.

I really liked most of what we ate, but had a few disappointments with some old favorites.

Our trip started off with us running late. We didn't check in until 8:30 at night. So much for our La Hacienda reservation. We checked into a great room at SSR and decided we just had to get some food. Mike's favorite resort is Old Key West. What better way to start out our Disney Dining than a great meal at Olivia's Cafe. Olivia's is open until 10pm. This is a great place to get a great late dinner at a relatively inexpensive price.

I ordered a diet coke and this little beauty:



Shrimp grits. It is cheesy and shrimpy goodness. While it is not as authentic as the renouned Hominy Grill in Charleston SC, this truly hits the spot. Just a bit of spice, but not too hot. The grits had a good consistency. The tasso ham lends a nice salty flavor. Can't say enough about how great this dish is.

DH had his favorite, STEAK.



Grilled NY Strip steak. Even though this is not a steak house, DH's steak was really, really, really good. It was cooked to a perfect medium, with the outside browned just right. The cheesy Olivia's potatoes are really excellent. The green beans may have been frozen, but were crunchy and had a good taste. He says that this is the best steak deal on property.

At this point, my phone ran out of charge, so no dessert photos. Those of you who have read my prior reports, or followed my trips on the Live Thread, know that I am horrible about keeping my electronics charged. I NEVER get photos of my favorite foods. That was the case here. We had banana bread pudding sundae. OMG!! It was good. Bread pudding made from banana bread. Banana Foster sauce that can rival O'Hana. Vanilla bean ice cream just put this over the top.

Olivia's is a hidden gem. It has become a Must Do on our trips, and is a great place to have a nice dinner our first night without going into a park.

 

[tweetylori]

Off to a great start!

 

[Niki Andiokno]

The next day was very exciting for me, as I finally would get to ride Toy Story Mania! The last trip in October, I did not stay on site so I was not able to get FastPassPlus. That makes all the difference in the world as far as getting on the ride.

DH needed to stop at CVS first, and guess what was right next door?



Lucky me, glazed just came out of the oven. Score free donut for me. We also got a bavarian cream and cinnamon roll. I sucked them down so fast, I didn't even get a photo. Sorry. Just imagine the sweet, sticky Krispy Kreme.

After riding some of my favorites, TSM, ToT and RnRC, I was ready for a brand spankin new experience. Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge!! I love that Disney is focusing more and more on its lounges. I have always been a fan of the Tambu Lounge at the Poly and Territory Lounge at Wilderness Lodge. I was hoping for a great experience here.

It was one of the warmest days of our vacation, and I was ready for a drink. Tequila is my favorite form of alcohol, so the Margarita tasting was right up my alley. Since it was only 11am, DH and I decided to share. I couldn't be too much of a lush so early in the morning, could I? Here is a pic of this wonderful tasting:



Tasting of three flavored margaritas $11.25

Bucky Greenhorn - Derby Margarita
Melvin Macheezmo - Mango Margarita
Ready Freddy Fiddlesticks - Pomegranate Margarita

I don't know why one is already gone. Especially because the Pomegranate was my least favorite. It had a fake taste to it that I couldn't put my finger on. Kinda like the soap from Bath & Body Works. The Mango was nice and sweet. The best was the original margarita. Totally Yummy! All of the margaritas allowed you to taste the tequila, which is what I like. Even though DH had a few sips, I still got a bit of a buzz on.

Now for the food. WOW!!!! As much as I disliked the Brown Derby, I loved the food here. We shared two appetizers for lunch. First up the Prince Edward Island Mussels - sauteed in a garlic herb butter sauce $15.00



These were fabulous. A rather large plate. All of them were open, sweet tasty little mussels. Not a single grain in any of them. The garlic sauce was amazing and had sweet peppers and I think a bit of mango. Just lovely. The only problem was that the dish didn't include any crostini or bread to soak up the wonderful sauce. I asked for some, and was brought out a couple pieces of thinly sliced toasted bread. I believe they should be part of the dish. Otherwise you have nothing to eat the garlic and wine with. I think the waitress just brought us something because I threatened to pick up the bowl and chug it if she didn't. That wouldn't do at a classy place like this. And it is one classy lounge. Nice covered tables under shady umbrellas.

We also shared Duck Confit Tacos - Sweet Onion and orange conserve, Taleggio cheese and leek rings $15.00



There were three, but I still don't have DH trained to wait. These were really excellent as well. We are both big duck fans, and these did not disappoint. The duck was tender and not greasy at all. I believe it was all breast meat. The sweet salsa was amazing. The chipotle mayo type sauce added a bit of a kick. They were a little small for the price tag, but the taste was well worth it.

Overall I really liked this place. I hope it keeps its own kitchen. An expensive lunch, but an awesome respite from the park to get a good buzz on and have some great food.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Dinner on our first full day at Disney was my favorite restaurant ever, Il Mulino! This is the first time I was actually able to take photos at this restaurant. As you may recall, my camera ALWAYS stops working when I am eating my favorite foods, so I was super excited. Did this stroke of luck mean Il Mulino would no longer be my favorite? Wait to see.

We started out with an amuse busche from the chef, roasted eggplant with a bit of cheese on top served with pepperoni type sausage. I could seriously make a meal out of this eggplant. It is very flavorful. The cheese just adds a kick. The sausage is good, even though I don't like sausages.



We then got bread service. Nice, with olive oil. The foccaccia was wonderful, but the bread was nothing special.



I have tried alot of different appetizers here, but this time I wanted to revisit my favorite Fried Calamari.



This is so good. The calamari is lightly breaded and crispy. It is not oily at all. It is served with some spicy banana peppers for an extra kick. The marinara sauce is the best. It has some pepper in it, making for a really spicy sauce. I would love this over some linguini with some seafood. At one point I thought they used it for the Linguini Frutti di Mare, but the last time DH ordered it there was a white wine sauce. They really need to bring it back, as this is excellent sauce.

On to the main entrees. DH enjoyed one of the best things I have ever eaten, Costolette Di Maiale - Pork Chop with Cherry Vinegar Peppers and Mushrooms. This was very tasty. The pork chop was tender and moist. The mushrooms added a great flavor. Awesome Awesome Awesome!



I varied from my usual Dentice for the second time. I ordered the Rigatoni Con Funghi - Rigatoni with Wild Mushrooms, Garlic and truffle Oil. Our server suggested some sweet Italian Sausage with it, so I said I would try it. This is his favorite way to eat this dish. Here is a pic.



This was also really good, but I had a bit of food envy because it was no pork chop. I really like this pasta, but I think it lost some of the mushroom flavor by adding the sausage. DH totally disagrees with me. He thought the sausage was a great improvement. He likes the vegetarian version, but add meat and he thought this was out of this world good. He still wouldn't trade though.

One point I would like to make is that what you see is a half portion, which would typically cost $14. With the addition of the meat it was $26, only $2 less than a full order of the original pasta. I couldn't believe that the sausage was so expensive for a half order. I was too happy with my meal to argue, though. I will just never add a side of meat if I order pasta again.

Next for dessert. I love the Tartufo here. It is one of my favorite desserts ever. Zabaglione flavored gelato covered in rich dark chocolate with a brandied cherry smack dab in the middle. I dream about this dessert, with all the rich flavors in such a simple package. Sounds good, right?

No super dessert for me at Il Mulino. I tried to order Tartufo, but the waiter told me that they had just changed to a special Tartufo. What? New Tartufo? How can it be? The new version was vanilla gelato covered in crushed hazelnuts. Gone was the zabaglione, the chocolate, the cherry. The new one did not strike my fancy so I decided no dessert here. I left totally fixated on my long lost Tartufo.

Was this still my favorite restaurant? At that time, Absolutely! I just figured I was finally lucky enough to get some Il Mulino porn. Little did I know that another new restaurant would displace it. Which one will it be? Do ya know? Do ya know? Do ya know?

Wait and see.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

So I couldn't go without dessert. I had been dreaming of chocolate for far too long. Or at least all day.

Off I went in search of chocolate. Where else would I head but Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory. Here is what I had to choose from:



I went with the Midnight Reverie. I wanted total chocolate overload. I got my wish.



This was soooo Yummy! I would have this again in a heartbeat.

All was right with the World.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

I almost forgot the wine at Il Mulino. We both got a glass of 2009 Antinori Toscana. Really wonderful full bodied red. If you like red wine, stop by the lounge even if you don't eat at Il Mulino. It is worth the trip to the Swan.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Off to a great start!

Thanks! You are my greatest (and only) fan, LOL.

 

[wilma-bride]

I started reading this yesterday morning at work but couldn't see the pictures due to the restrictions on web access from my workplace. Now I have had a chance to catch up and view the wonderful pictures.

I love Ghirardelli's ice cream sundaes, the Mint Bliss being my favourite (although I am tempted to try the new salted caramel one in a couple of weeks).

The calamari at Il Mulino looks fabulous. Calamari is one of my favourites but can be very hit and miss. I am glad it was good

Looking forward to more

 

[ciera321]

Looking forward to more....nice start!

 

[Dislover1991]

So I couldn't go without dessert. I had been dreaming of chocolate for far too long. Or at least all day. Off I went in search of chocolate. Where else would I head but Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory. Here is what I had to choose from: http://s217.photobucket.com/user/andiokno/media/Mobile Uploads/2014-01/20140105_214852.jpg.html I went with the Midnight Reverie. I wanted total chocolate overload. I got my wish. http://s217.photobucket.com/user/andiokno/media/Mobile Uploads/2014-01/20140105_215312.jpg.html This was soooo Yummy! I would have this again in a heartbeat. All was right with the World.

Yum that looks great! I wanted to try both the mint sundae and the Midnight Reviere but no one else in my party was willing to get the other and us split each of them. I ended up just getting a scoop of mint & scoop of chocolate. Next time I'll be sure to stop by Ghirardelli 2 days so I can try each of them

 

[Niki Andiokno]

I love Ghirardelli's ice cream sundaes, the Mint Bliss being my favourite (although I am tempted to try the new salted caramel one in a couple of weeks).

Yum that looks great! I wanted to try both the mint sundae and the Midnight Reviere but no one else in my party was willing to get the other and us split each of them. I ended up just getting a scoop of mint & scoop of chocolate. Next time I'll be sure to stop by Ghirardelli 2 days so I can try each of them

The Midnight Reverie was awesome. I sooooo want to try Mint Bliss. I just can't finish one on my own, so DH and I always share dessert. He hates mint, so I don't see one in my future any time soon. If anyone is there the last week of October and want to split a Mint Bliss I am your girl. Maybe I should just eat ice cream for lunch and skip everything else so I can finish it on my own. Hmm.

The calamari at Il Mulino looks fabulous. Calamari is one of my favourites but can be very hit and miss. I am glad it was good

I also love calamari. This is the best I have had. Never chewy. I only wish they had grilled on the menu. That is my favorite appie ever.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Sorry I messed up the quotes. I will get better at this. Promise.

The next day of our vacation was set aside for Animal Kingdom. This is a great park, but doesn't have any good breakfast options. One of our goals this trip was to find CS breakfast spots. By using FP Plus, we were able to get a bit later start and get something in our bellies better than belVita or Luna bars.

We were at SSR, so we decided to try Artist's Pallette. We have always liked lunch here, but never ventured into breakfast territory. I guess there was a reason why. The food was meh.



DH and I split the breakfast burrito. We would have been so much better at McDonalds for less than half the price. The tortilla was tough. The eggs were flavorless. At least they were fluffy, but had an odd consistency. There was no cheese, or at least none we could taste. There were very few peppers or tomatoes. The salsa added a bit of flavor, but was also really bland. No spicy kick at all. I love spicy food, and have a high tolerance to heat. But this had Absolutely No Heat.

Very disappointing.

 

[wilma-bride]

If anyone is there the last week of October and want to split a Mint Bliss I am your girl. Maybe I should just eat ice cream for lunch and skip everything else so I can finish it on my own. Hmm.

Niki, it just so happens that I will be at WDW the last week of October Shall I add a Ghirardelli meet to our list of possible meets on Barb's 'live' thread

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Absolutely. A Ghirardelli meet would be FANTASTIC. Where is the list? I have been so far behind lately.

 

[wilma-bride]

Not a fan of Artist's Palette at SSR. That breakfast wrap doesn't even look appetising.

Absolutely. A Ghirardelli meet would be FANTASTIC. Where is the list? I have been so far behind lately.

I posted a list of suggested meets on page 108 of Barb's live dining reviews thread I have added a Ghirardelli meet to the list

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Just saw your list. I am bored stiff in court waiting for my cases to go in front of the judge and catching up a bit.

I made a couple suggestions as well.

 

[distherapy]

I'm loving your reviews! We leave in a little over a week and I'm craving those margaritas...

 

[tweetylori]

Very much enjoying your report and your pics! If it makes you feel any better, almost nobody responded to my recent report either. I have around 4,000 views and hardly anyone says anything...I know how disconcerting that is!

Do know you are appreciated, and am very much looking forward to more!

 

[guinness408]

Great report! Trying il mulino for the first time this august so nice to read that report. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[GMS]

Loving your reviews! Thanks!