Prawn Heads & Cupcakes & Soups, Oh My! 10/5 Complete (now with my Dining Wish List)!

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Love the cupcake reviews!!

Thanks so much! I'm glad you like seeing the cupcakes, and there are still some really good ones coming up.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Originally, today was supposed to be my lunch at either Hollywood Brown Derby or Le Cellier. At HBD, I wanted to try the pan-seared coriander-dusted grouper with haricot verts, goat cheese, and watermelon Salad with a balsamic reduction and fennel oil (it just sounds so interesting, even with the goat cheese ), while at LC I would've gone for the house burger.

That said, neither one ended up making the cut, and instead I headed back to WL for a break. After discussing it with my mom, we decided we missed AKL and felt like having lunch there. And between Sanaa and the Mara, the choice was clear to us, since the Mara is a solid value with some unique quick service options.

My lunch choice was the Mara salad with chicken: a blend of euro greens with chicken breast, lentils, chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, and chile-cilantro dressing (I asked for it on the side). This was an enjoyable salad with some interesting components in it, such as the lentils and salty feta. The dressing had a pleasant tanginess.

I also had the soup of the day, which was a coconut curry chicken stew. The soup was nice and thick, with some large chunks of chicken hidden underneath, and it wasn't very spicy.

My mom picked the African stew, which includes a wide variety of ingredients: beef, ham, turkey, raisins, mixed green and red peppers, onions, green peas, and potatoes. It's flavored with ingredients such as curry paste, ground coriander, coconut milk, and bay leaf, and it's normally served with basmati rice (my mom asked for a non-carb on the side; the friendly CM arranged for a side of vegetables).

She loved this dish, and she could've easily eaten it again for another meal.

Finally, we also shared a side of kalamata olive hummus - it's made with garbanzo beans, kalamata olives, tahini (a paste made with ground sesame seeds), lemon juice, and other ingredients. This was absolutely delicious - thick, creamy, and with a wonderfully briny flavor from the olives.

I'm so glad we made the trek back to AKL to have this meal. The Mara is currently my favorite quick service at a deluxe resort (just ahead of Contempo Cafe), and it's just another example of how awesome AKL's restaurants are. Of the four restaurants at AKL, three of them are among my favorites within their respective categories.

 

[sushi candy]

Your excellent review of Mara makes me regret that I didn't schedule any meals at all at the AKL. I definitely will do so the next time.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Your excellent review of Mara makes me regret that I didn't schedule any meals at all at the AKL. I definitely will do so the next time.

Don't worry about it - there are so many great options at WDW, it would be impossible to try everything in one trip.

 

[vettegirl]

Good choice on The Mara, I love the African Stew there and make it at home from allears.net recipes. Good Stuff!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Good choice on The Mara, I love the African Stew there and make it at home from allears.net recipes. Good Stuff!

Brilliant idea! Cooking some of these dishes at home would be a great way to relive the magic of Disney dining.

 

[BlovesC]

Wow, another drool-worthy Mara review!! I don't think we're going to get to stay at our beloved AKL in January as I expected so I'm kind of sad to think of not getting my butternut squash soup, or a chance to try the entree offerings you've highlighted recently. That salad looks AMAZING. Feta, chicken, chickpeas, and chile-cilantro dressing?! What a great combination!

 

[krhst25]

Thanks for the AoA advice( staying for breakfast or not). Mara is looking better and better. I am going to try to get over to AKL for lunch.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Wow, another drool-worthy Mara review!! I don't think we're going to get to stay at our beloved AKL in January as I expected so I'm kind of sad to think of not getting my butternut squash soup, or a chance to try the entree offerings you've highlighted recently. That salad looks AMAZING. Feta, chicken, chickpeas, and chile-cilantro dressing?! What a great combination!

Aw, that's okay. Visiting the Mara (as well as Boma and Jiko) every trip would be nice, but sometimes convenience has to win out. You'll make it back there eventually.

Thanks for the AoA advice( staying for breakfast or not). Mara is looking better and better. I am going to try to get over to AKL for lunch.

No problem! And visiting the Mara for a lunch could be a very fun experience. AKL is such a beautiful resort, and I love checking out the grounds there.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Looks like you made a much better lunch choice at Mara than I did! Will have to get back there & try something else some day. I love, love olive hummus. Don't even remember seeing that there.

 

[auntfrannie]

The Mara salad looks so good! I love feta cheese and the cilantro dressing is something I've never tried before (love cilantro). Is it just me or are salads always better when someone else makes them?

And olive hummus? Yum! I love olives; all kinds of olives!

AKL has some of the best food options. I would stay there more often if it weren't so far out from everything.

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Excellent Mara review! I was looking at their menu yesterday and the African stew sounded intriguing, but potentially too adventurous for me. Glad your mom liked it.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Looks like you made a much better lunch choice at Mara than I did! Will have to get back there & try something else some day. I love, love olive hummus. Don't even remember seeing that there.

The olive hummus was in the refrigerated section, and it was really good. If you ever make it back to the Mara, I highly recommend it.

The Mara salad looks so good! I love feta cheese and the cilantro dressing is something I've never tried before (love cilantro). Is it just me or are salads always better when someone else makes them?

And olive hummus? Yum! I love olives; all kinds of olives!

AKL has some of the best food options. I would stay there more often if it weren't so far out from everything.

I know what you mean about AKL - the location is a pretty big disadvantage, especially if you're reliant on Disney transportation. The rental car definitely allowed us to have some meals we would've otherwise skipped!

Excellent Mara review! I was looking at their menu yesterday and the African stew sounded intriguing, but potentially too adventurous for me. Glad your mom liked it.

Whether you go for the African stew or not, I'm sure you'd find something really good at the Mara. It has a lot of unique options, as well as some more standard dishes.

 

[AvasMommy526]

Yum! That salad and hummus look delicious! I love salads, when we go out my friends will always say, youre so good but truthfully I just realllyyy enjoy a good salad with different components! I am hoping to make it over to AKL for some lunch or dinner but our trip is so crazy already, I may have to make next time!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Yum! That salad and hummus look delicious! I love salads, when we go out my friends will always say, youre so good but truthfully I just realllyyy enjoy a good salad with different components! I am hoping to make it over to AKL for some lunch or dinner but our trip is so crazy already, I may have to make next time!

I completely understand what you're saying about salads - a lot of the time, salads appeal to me more than anything else on the menu, and this was a very nice one! Hopefully you'll be able to stop by AKL eventually for some great food.

 

[Linda67]

Mr Dole Whip
I can only apologise for my late arrival but I'm here now and will be getting through tonight's jet-lag by reading your amazing (as always) reviews

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Mr Dole Whip
I can only apologise for my late arrival but I'm here now and will be getting through tonight's jet-lag by reading your amazing (as always) reviews

Yay, you're home! I hope you had an incredible trip, and it was so cool seeing your live updates (such as the Texas margarita).

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I know this is completely irrelevant from my dining reviews, so I apologize in advance. But now that I've been back at school for a few weeks, I wanted to take a break from WDW food and share some pics from the real world. Philly is currently my home, and I've really enjoyed getting to explore the food scene here - it's so much more than cheesesteaks and pretzels! (All of these pictures are from my phone, so I apologize for the quality)

My favorite restaurant in the city is currently Talula's Garden. It features seasonal, farm-inspired food, and when the weather is nice you can sit outside in a pleasant garden area.

This 'strawberry shortcake' dessert from the summer was so, so good - honestly the best take on strawberry shortcake I've ever had.

Another nice restaurant in the city is Parc. It's inspired by a casual Parisian brasserie, and it overlooks the beautiful Rittenhouse Square - perfect for people watching. Parc is owned by Stephen Starr, who owns and co-owns some of the most popular restaurants in the city (like Buddakan, Alma de Cuba, Morimoto, and even Talula's Garden).

A lot of great food can be found at more casual spots. I recently tried a new eatery called Pure Tacos, which features gluten free tacos, nachos, and salads. This salad contains achiote-marinated braised chicken, cilantro, onion, citrus guacamole, and a peach & habanero salsa.

I'm a huge fan of bibimbap (a Korean dish), and I recently found a restaurant that serves an awesome version of it. This dish is brown rice topped with beef, fresh and sauteed vegetables, and a fried egg.

Even the food trucks around here are awesome! I especially love this lunch option: Tunisian tuna salad with hard-boiled egg, green pepper, cucumber, olives, radishes, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and spicy harissa.

Of course, I always have room for dessert (such as frozen yogurt, which is wildly popular nowadays), and one of my favorite frozen yogurt places in the city is Yogorino. Yogorino is an Italian chain that happens to have two outposts in Philly. Even though they only offer one yogurt flavor, it's absolutely delicious - creamier and slightly less 'tart' than other plain frozen yogurt around here. With some toppings added (such as dark chocolate sauce, strawberry sauce, and kiwi), the stuff is addicting.

There's actually a food truck here that specializes in upscale desserts, such as French-style macarons. Here's a blackberry one:

The flavors rotate, but they're usually delicious, such as chocolate ganache, salted caramel, and milk & honey.

Finally, the food encounter that inspired me to share some of my Philly pictures - today I sampled the best ice pops I've ever had. The flavors were all so good - I might need to stop there every single day!

The ice pops are pretty small, and they're $3 each. That said, they packed a lot of flavor, and I'm craving them again.

My 'safe' pick was a watermelon and rhubarb pop - it was refreshing and perfect for a warm summer day.

Next up was a mango sriracha pop. Immediately, I could detect the heat from the sriracha - this was a fun combo of sweet and spicy.

The last pop was the wild card, but I wanted to face my biggest food fear (at the moment, anyway): goat cheese in a dessert. As such, I chose the goat cheese and wine-soaked fig pop.

This was easily my favorite one of the bunch! The 'goat' flavor was barely noticeable at all, the pop had a thick, creamy texture, and the figs added a rich, powerful flavor. There was also some honey in there, for some extra sweetness. This pop proved to me that goat cheese can definitely work in a dessert.

Overall, I love the food in Philly. Just like WDW, there's always something new to discover, and it would be impossible to try everything the city has to offer. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go to the dining hall and have a salad (to make up for those popsicles ).

 

[ThePrincess&TheJohn]

Hello from a native Philadelphian! So great to see your Philly food pics (although being known for cheese steaks isn't the worst city reputation)!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Hello from a native Philadelphian! So great to see your Philly food pics (although being known for cheese steaks isn't the worst city reputation)!

Very cool - I didn't notice that you were a native Philadelphian! As someone who grew up in the suburbs of New York (and often took trips to Boston and New England, but never down to Philly), I really had no idea what to expect when I came here. I have to say, I love this city! It's a lot cozier than Manhattan, it's much more walkable, it's full of cute little park areas (while Manhattan has the massive Central Park, and not much else), and I really like the neighborhood feel. For a city with such a small 'downtown' area, it's impressive how many cuisines are represented here. And finally, I don't eat cheesesteaks very often, but I used to think I would hate them. They're actually not that bad.