Niki's Nightly Nom Nom's, A culinary trip report

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Great reviews! I'm enjoying hearing about some of the restaurants in the Orlando area! I've been curious to try CiCi's, the commericals always make it look like a lot of fun!

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Great reviews! I'm enjoying hearing about some of the restaurants in the Orlando area! I've been curious to try CiCi's, the commericals always make it look like a lot of fun!

If you are interested in Cici's you should really go. Everyone I knows really likes it, except DH and I. We are both spoiled by the best pizza in the world, so what do we know?

I will continue with Il Mulino review tomorrow. I got it started, the accidentally deleted it.

 

[Jonesloonybin]

Loving the reviews so far!

Oh, and we also do not like CiCi's. I feel like I could have better pizza if I buy it frozen and cook it in the microwave. YUCK! But I do know many people that do like it. And it is a good deal if you have a lot of people/kids.

Can't wait to hear more.

Terri

 

[Niki Andiokno]

I am going to start the Il Mulino restaurant review now.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE WDW RESTAURANT EVER!!!!

I had a really great review started, then accidentally deleted it. I am certain this won't be nearly as witty or entertaining, but here goes.

Our friends decided to cook some hamburgers in this night, which gave us the opportunity for another adult night out at a signature restaurant. As you may recall, I printed up a few Restaurant.com gift certificates before I left home. Il Mulino was one of them.

I heard about this restaurant from my Thursday lunch crew. A bunch of friends have lunch every Thursday in Chicago. Sometimes we go other places, but we usually meet in the sports bar in the basement of Macy's (great fries and service.) We have been doing this for over a decade. One of the crew is a judge who is one of the founding members of A.C.E. (American Coaster Enthusiasts.) He loves roller coasters and great food. He will go to WDW a couple of times each year. He raved about Il Mulino several times, so I knew we had to go. This did not fit into the friend's budget, so we had originally planned to do it before they got there. Since they arrived before us, I was really happy we got to fit it in.

Since we didn't have a reservation, we decided to stop by. We were told a wait of almost an hour. As we had walked all the way there from BW, we decided we must have a drink and wait. The hostess told us to check back early though, as tables might open up. The restaurant is divided into two areas, bar and restaurant. As with many upscale Italian restaurants, the bar was huge. There were a number of comfy tables, both hightops and low. I was able to snag a hightop near the window. I ordered a glass of Italian red, though I don't recall the name, while DH went out for a smoke break. I ordered a Malbec for him. I don't remember which one, though. Sorry.

After about 40 minutes, I went up to the hostess to see about our table. Fortunately, a table was ready. She said that we lucked out, as the table we were getting was much better than the one we were scheduled for. It was a very nice table with a great waiter. He was a middle aged Italian, very experienced, great personality and very informative.

Shortly after being seated, we got the amuse busche, compliments of the chef. It was a plate of Italian sausages (think salami and pepperoni) and cheese (love cheese) with a few pickled veggies that I can't really remember except olives. I have never liked these types of sausage, until now! They were really tasty, not too salty, and just plain Yummy. We then ordered an appetizer of calamari to share. The calamari was sweet and tasty, lightly breaded and very tender. Not a single piece was tough. I liked the Maggiano's stuff, but this far outweighed it. The sauce for dipping was chunky and spicy, almost like it had a gardiniera in it. Heavenly.

Our waiter told us about some great specials and made great suggestions. DH had Linguini Frutti di Mare, linguini with mussels, claims, calamari, shrimp and some other shellfish, all tossed in a spicy wine sauce with tomatoes. I tasted it, as I had originally planned to order it. The most outstanding feature was the sauce, which was not tomato saucy (like made with tomato sauce or puree) and more like a wine sauce with big chunks of tomato. Really great.

For as much as I liked this I am so glad I followed the waiter's recommendations and got the daily fish special. It was a sea bass dish on a bed of orzo pasta with some spinach and a white broth type sauce. The filet was nice and firm, yet flaky, and cooked perfectly. The orzo was so good, I ate every single little morsel. I think it had some broccoli rabe or rapini or the like as well, but it was not the one on the online menu. Sorry I didn't pay attention too much. I was floating on with this dish. The flavorful bass was the best I have ever had. I still dream about it.

The best course was yet to come! My friend kept talking about Tartufo over and over again. He said it was a really great dessert. Imagine a large sweet juicy cherry soaked in brandy then frozen. Surround that cherry in a wonderful chocolate ice cream ball. The ball is then dipped in dark chocolate. This wonderful concoction is served with a bit of chocolate sauce on the plate and some zabaglione cream as a garnish. This was AWESOME!!!! Tartuffo is definately near the top of the list of all time tasty desserts. And I LOVE me some dessert.

The final suprise, the icing on the cake so to speak, was the Limoncello! Another freebie. The waiter came around with a brass bucket and a couple of glasses. This sweet little liquor was just wonderful.

So now I have a new Favorite Restaurant in WDW. In fact, this may be my favorite place anywhere. If you get a chance to try Il Mulino, do it.

JUST DO IT!!!!

 

[TigerKat]

We discovered Il Mulino a few years ago, LOVE it!!!!!!

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Hi all. Things have been a bit hectic, so I haven't had time to finish this report. I will try to get a bit of it done tonight.

Jake's American Bar & Grill is located in the Royal Pacific Resort at the Universal Studios Orlando resort. Although I love the Poly, the theming of this resort is far superior. The quiet garden directly behind the entrace to the resort is wonderful, with a little pool, fountains of elephants and asian/pacific island statues. Just gorgeous. We had originally gone to this beautiful resort looking for my favorite pool bar Bula's. Since our trip in 2009 I had been dreaming of the steak fajita wrap, the best sandwich ever. Worth the trip to the dark side. When I get there, the pool, and Bula's are closed! We went in search of alternative dining. As we have been to Emeril's Tchoup Chop several times, and we wanted to go a little cheaper that night (budget for Bula's) we decided on Jake's American Bar and Grill.

This is a nice little sports bar on the lowest level of the RPR. The menu was very different than what is on allears. It was expanded quite a bit the night we were there. The drinks were really good. DH had something called the Hanger, which had a couple different types of rum and a tart liquor I believe was melon. I came there wanting a Mai Tai and was not disappointed. These drinks had alot of alcohol in them. After one we each had a pretty good buzz on. We started out with an appetizer of quesadilla. This was really good, filled with lotsa chicken, roasted peppers and onions. This was a big portion as well. DH got a seafood pasta dish. It was really good. The dish was almost like a cioppino in spice and taste, except it had a bit of a creamy texture and was served over pasta. I would get it again in a heartbeat. I was hankering for some meat. I ordered the ribs with potato salad and baked beans. These ribs were heavenly. I was served a really large rack of ribs. The sauce was spicy, chipotle tasting but sweet as well. I am not typically a potato salad person, but this was mighty tasty. It had large chunks of potatoes, celery, garlic powder and onion. Maybe some egg too. Really Yummy. The baked beans had a nice smokey flavor and were very hearty. A couple of different types of beans were used. Neither DH nor I could decide who had the better dish, so we shared them both. I had about four ribs left, as well as plenty of potato salad and beans to take home. We couldn't even make it to dessert. It was that large a serving.

This is a beautiful resort with really good food at every turn. Jake's is another new restaurant we tried that I will return to. I just might replace ESPN as my game time respite. Or maybe not, but it will be good to have another option.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Friday morning I awoke dreaming of Tonga Toast. We did not have a tee time until afternoon, so I wanted to have a good breakfast. I read that Tonga Toast was available at Captain Cooke's at the Poly, so we decided to try it.

The ordering system there was very confusing and crowded. You go to a POS touch screen system where you order. Tonga Toast was available with bacon or sausage. No ham was available, like it is at Kona. This was a bit disappointing, as I really like the flavor of the Kona ham with my banana stuffed toast. After ordering, I went searching for cups for some hot cocoa and coffee. This was the confusing part. There is a fridge filled with juice and milk, etc. The place was jam packed full of people. Two cashiers taking people from each side of the register, but the lines were still long. I could not find a cup anywhere. Finally, I realized that the cashiers have the cups and the place to fill them was after you had checked out. Captain Cooke's was the most disorganized place ever. After paying, then you could go pick up your food at another counter. Lotsa people were picking up Tonga Toast, and I had to fight my way through a bunch of people to get my Tonga Toast even though we had numbers for the order.

On to the food. Tonga Toast is, well, Tonga Toast. It is good no matter where you get it. The great thing is that it costs less than half the price at Captain Cooke's as it is if you had sat down at Kona Cafe. The toast is big and filled with sugary, banana goodness. The fruit is accented with just the right amount of cinnamon. DH and I shared it, along with some ordinary (but not as bad as I expected) bacon. Yummy breakfast. Certainly better than the microwaveable Jimmy Dean breakfast bowls our golfing buddies had back at the room. Although I make this at home, it is never as good as it is when you have it at the poly.

On a side note, it was freezing this morning. I took a photo of the lifeguard all bundled up like she was embarking on a mountain trek. If anyone can explain how I upload a photo from an email to photobucket I will post it.

 

[skunk]

We tried Il Mulino for the first time in November, and have an adr there for our first dinner, when we return in May. Need to try Kimono's real soon. Swan and Dolphin have the best restaurants. Thanks for the reviews!!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Glad you enjoyed your meal at Il Mulino! Sounds like they have a great selection there!

 

[TigerKat]

Have to agree with you on the RPR, we loved it! We never made it to Jake's though.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

O'Hana

On Friday before our departure we had another meal with our friends. This was only the second time they joined us for dinner; and they almost didn't stay that night. We had a 7:40 ADR at O'Hana, or so I thought.remember, my friends had me change ALL of our reservation times to include Jr. This one changed to 8:10 and I forgot. When the CM let me know DGBW was severely miffed. She said they needed to go to Walmart to buy T-shirts for Jr's friends. The late ADR would throw a kink in those plans. She decided that they would go on to Walmart and let us know if they felt like dinner after shopping or would get some fast food at a drive-through. We said fine, as I wanted to sit at the bar for my favorite mai tai. This drunk is a must do every trip. No sooner had we found a seat at the bar (did have a poor bartender so we switched sides) our friends were back. Apparently DGB and Jr rebelled and said hey were staying. Dh ordered a Backscratcher. I now make this for him at home. Pineapple-orange-guava juice with two types of rum, tipped off with a shot of Jack Daniels and served with a bamboo backscratcher. Awesome drink. DGB had both a Mai tai and a backscratcher. Note: drnking 3 Mai tais hike at a'Hana then eating yourself silly is never a good idea. I'm sure I will do it again. I never learn

In to the food. The chef came out to go over DGBW shellfish allergy. She was suprised that the chef did that, but not really impressed. I was, though. We were brought great sticky wings, steamed veggies, wontons and noodles. I recall potstickers too. Oh and that great salad too. It was all very good. Next came the meat. I am so happy they brought the shrimp back from the grill. I just love these, and ate at least a dozen. I had a piece of turkey, and pork. The latter was a bit dry. The first piece of steak was a bit well done. Jr then got some that was really medium-rare. He likes well done so he gave me the red one. This steak had a awesome flavor. Soy based I believe. I was suprised at the differences in the doneness of steak. This is a nice thing but they should let you know ahead how done your meat is and give you the option to wait. I would have waited for a rarer piece. I ate like a little piggy. The meat was so good.

Finally dessert. I used to ask for the old fashion pineapple with caramel, as I only like my own bread pudding. This time I decided to give O'Hanas another try. Boy I am glad I did. The chef must have changed it because it was really very good. The bread had a nice firm consistency, without being heavy. The ice cream was a great contrast to the warm pudding. The best part was the banana foster sauce. Yummy yummy.

I was way too full at the end of this meal. Everyone

 

[nigel-bigel]

Thanks so much for sharing. I am headed to WDW in about 10 days and you have me seriously thinking I should change from Kouzzina to Il Millino.

Excellent reviews, BTW. I feel like there is so much backstory here with GB Wife that it would make a hilarious trip report. You seemed to take her all in stride, however. If it were me, I would be b*#$%ing up a storm. You must be a saint. (Or a a heavy drinker!)

Nicole

 

[Niki Andiokno]

It is much easier to be a saint when you are a heavy drinker, LOL. There are so many great alcoholic libations at WDW that I stay intoxicated most of the vacation. All joking aside, DGBW is a very nice person. She doesn't like food, nor does she vacation the same way I like to. It was a bit disappointing that the vacation didn't work out like I had thought it would. I doubt we vacation with them again.

The best part about the change in plans was trying new restaurants on an impromptu basis. I usually make ADR s at 7am on the 180th day. I now know that isn't necessary as long as I am not on DDP.

I would definately change Kouzzina to Il Mulino. Speaking of drunkeness, the limoncello is such a wonderful touch. Make time for it. You will not be disappointed.

 

[KandD]

I can't believe she tried to cook the roast in the oven at such a high temp for so long! I'm a pretty bad cook and even I wouldn't do that!!

Great reviews, thanks for sharing!!

 

[Niki Andiokno]

I can't believe she tried to cook the roast in the oven at such a high temp for so long! I'm a pretty bad cook and even I wouldn't do that!!

I totally agree. It wouldn't have been so bad if she just didn't know how to cook. But to have help, ME, tell her that she shouldn't do that, and I turned down the heat for her, it was so irritating to find she had turned the heat back up and Jr. had let it burn and stink up our villa.

Our last day, we couldn't decide where to go. I still wanted Puck or EoS. DH wanted sit down. We had never gone to Olivia's. DH loves this resort. Old Key West is his favorite. Why not try it? We will go back here. For some reason, this place gave me the same feel as an old fashioned ice cream parlor, only without the ice cream bar. There are comfy boothes and tables in the center. The emphasis seemed to be on American comfort foods. I got a combo of a bowl of chicken noodle soup and half a turkey club. The soup was just like home made, with big pieces of chicken, carrots, celery, onions and egg noodles. The club had plenty of turkey and really good (non-Disney) bacon. DH had what the server suggested, Key West Burger - topped with Grilled Shrimp, Pepper Jack Cheese, and Pico de Gallo and French Fries. This was a tough decision for him as he loves a good shrimp po'boy. He was so glad he did. This was one of the best burgers he has had. I was a little hesitant about shrimp on a burger, but he tried it and loved it. I almost forgot, we started with some onion rings. Both DH and I love good onion rings. These were excellent. Large slices of onion. The light and crispy batter tasted like it had beer or something in it. There were three sauces. I'm not sure what they were. They were all good, I just can't recall. I mostly remember how good my soup was; and how everything we had was great comfort food.

This is the end of my food report. We had great meals all around. Besides O'Hana we did everything on the fly. This was a relaxing vacation with some really great impromptu eats. I even found some new favorites. The biggest thing I learned on this trip, other than not everyone vacations even remotely the same way I do, is that I can take a chill pill when planning. If I don't get my adr where I want when I want, NO PROBLEMO. I can easily find great eats anyway.

Thanks for following along, those of you that did. I hope that next time I can add my own food porn.