So where are we eating next? A January 2017 Dining Report *Update 3/2 Nomad Lounge & Jiko

[keahgirl8]

*Arrival Day*
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The day to leave had finally arrived! I had a hard time getting to sleep, feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve. I tried to convince Rob to leave that night and get there early but since he had worked the whole day, that was a no go. We compromised by getting up very early Sunday morning. Rob is so not a morning person so this was a big deal! He told me I'd have to drive first. No problem! I bounced out of bed at 5 AM and got us on the road by 6. There was no one on the road at that time of the morning so the first half of our drive was smooth sailing. We ran into some rain crossing the Georgia/Florida line but that was not going to damper our Disney spirits!

We arrived at Beach Club around 1:30. Understandably, our room was not ready yet. We rented points for a studio in the Villas, which don't guarantee check in until 4 pm. We dropped our bags with bell services and headed to Epcot! Rob was already really excited to see how short the walk was to the park. We love exploring the World Showcase! We entered through the International Gateway and turned right in to France. And what do you need when you arrive in France? That's right, Grey Goose and Grand Marnier slushies!

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Thanks Disney Food Blog for the photo! I guess I was too excited about finally being there that I forgot to take a picture. These were delicious as usual.

We had some time to kill before our ADR at Teppan Edo so we continued around the World Showcase. The park wasn't really crowded at all. We had an easy time navigating through a few shops and discovering the nooks and crannies in the different pavilions. By the time we reached Mexico, it was time for a snack and, of course, margaritas! We headed into the pyramid to one of our favorite spots - La Cava del Tequila.

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It wasn't too busy so we grabbed a seat inside and perused the menu. I always have a hard time deciding what to get. Everything looks so good! I ended up going with the cucumber margarita and Rob chose the blood orange one. The cucumber margarita is so refreshing. I love that it's not overly sweet. Rob loved the blood orange. It's been his favorite since having it on our honeymoon. It's a bit sweet but still yummy. You can hardly taste the tequila in either so be careful. These can sneak up on you!

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We also ordered the Trio Combo, chips served with cheese dip, guacamole, and salsa. This was a perfect mid-afternoon snack. The cheese dip is your standard melted queso, always a crowd pleaser. The guacamole was very fresh and had a bit of a kick to it. Rob and I disagreed on the salsa. He loved it while I thought it was a little canned tasting. I like bigger tomato chunks while he likes his smoother. He's not a big fruit/veggie person so I think he likes to pretend salsa doesn't have tomatoes haha! The Trio is a great option as everyone can find something they like.

Next Up: Teppan Edo​

How were the chips? Were they just regular chips, or like homemade?

 

[Sailormoon2]

Ample Hills is definitely on my list for next visit, and Abracadabar seems really cool. Also Yacht Club is our favourite (right next door) so you can't beat the proximity to the Parks.

 

[TeresaNJ]

Enjoying your report! We tried Ample Hills on our trip this past November. Delicious! Looking forward to trying out the Abracadabar on our upcoming girls' only trip!

 

[wilma-bride]

Loving your reviews so far. Can't wait to try Ample Hills and Abracadabar on our visit in April.

 

[ShelbyWagon]

*Yak & Yeti*
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Monday morning - our first full day in Disney! Yay! Of course, my eyes popped open promptly at 6 am. I was ready to go! Thank goodness Animal Kingdom had AM Extra Magic Hours starting at 8 am. I dragged Rob out of bed and had us on the bus by 7:15. Guys are so lucky that it only takes them 15 minutes to get ready. He just rolls out of bed, shaves, and puts on clothes *grumble grumble* Anyway, we arrived at the park shortly and waited to be let in for the magic to start!

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It was a lovely morning, if a bit chilly. But I will take that over sweltering heat any day! If you haven't done AM EMH at AK, I'd highly recommend it. We were able to do Everest, Dinosaur, and the Safari in that hour with nary a 5 minute wait. Even if you aren't into the rides, it is really nice to be able to explore the park without the crowds. Rob and I agree that Animal Kingdom is the prettiest and most immersive park.

After running around riding our favorite attractions for an hour, it was time for a snack. We had just gotten off the Safari, which was filled with active animals enjoying the cool morning, and headed over to Kusafiri Coffee Shop & Bakery. We decided to split the Warm Colossal Cinnamon Roll.

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This was absolutely wonderful. It is more like a croissant than the dense bread you get with the cinnamon rolls over at Gaston's Tavern. I personally loved how flaky and light it was. This thing is huge though! We both felt like we got enough to hold us over until lunch.

Next up was the Festival of the Lion King. Rob had never seen the show so I was excited to see his reaction. We both loved it! I'm always amazed by the talent that Disney finds. The singers' voices were phenomenal. And the dancers and performers are just amazing. This is a show I can watch over and over. It's just that good. After that, we used our FPs to ride Everest and Dinosaur again. Got some fun ride photos

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As you can see, we probably didn't need the FP for Dinosaur as there was no one in line to fill up the rest of the car! Oh well, our small group still managed to bring back the right dino.

My tummy started rumbling about this time so we headed over to check in for our lunch ADR at Yak & Yeti. This was a first time for both of us. Of course, I'd seen so many good reviews on this board that I couldn't resist trying it out. With it closing in on 12:00, we decided there was too much blood in our alcohol system I ordered the Pink Himalayan and Rob chose the Emperor Margarita.

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Rob declared the margarita quite tasty and only let me have a sip. I think the ones in La Cava are better but this one was still good. My Pink Himalayan started out good but the more I drank, the sweeter it got. I couldn't have more than one without going into sugar overload. Fortunately, Yak & Yeti score some points by having one of my favorite beers available - Victory's Golden Monkey

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This was great as usual. I definitely needed the bitterness of a beer to balance the sweetness of the Pink Himalayan. On to the food! We started out with some pot stickers.

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As you can see, I wasn't able to get my photo fast enough. Rob snagged a pot sticker as soon as they were set on the table. These were very yummy! The standout was the dipping sauce that accompanied them. The menu described it as a soy lime sauce. You could definitely taste the lime in there. I ended up pouring some of it on my jasmine rice with my entree. Speaking of entrees, Rob surprised me here. I expected him to order the burger since he is a burger aficionado, but he went with the Korean Beef.

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Of course, he pushed all the veggies aside and just ate the meat and rice but he really enjoyed it. The BBQ sauce was savory with a definite Asian spin. The beef was tender and flavorful.

I chose the Crispy Honey Chicken.

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This was good but really no different than what you would get at PF Chang's. The chicken was juicy and the sauce was the right balance of sweet and savory. The vegetables were just the way I like them, al dente. I enjoyed the dish but next time I would probably branch out and try a different entree that couldn't be found on your average Chinese restaurant menu.

Unfortunately, at this point we were too full for dessert. Next time I may go the appetizer and dessert route so I can try the fried wontons everyone is always raving about. They look delicious!

Next up: Flying Fish - spoiler alert! This was our favorite meal of the trip. Stay tuned!

 

[ShelbyWagon]

How were the chips? Were they just regular chips, or like homemade?

They tasted homemade to me. Much thicker than regular chips you would get at the store or your everyday Mexican place. You could pile a good bit of guacamole on them and not worry about them breaking, not that I experimented with how much guac I could fit in my mouth or anything

 

[ariane37]

We tried Ample Hills in Nov and thought it was good, DH and I both had the Ooey Gooey Butter Cake but now that I see yours, I may have to trythe Baked/Unbaked next time We haven't been in Abracadabar yet but interestingly enough, I found out yesterday a guy I went to elementary school with is a bartender there! So next month on our trip we're going to try stopping in to say hi and try it out. Very cool the BW magician was in there during the rain!
Glad you enjoyed Y&Y but sorry you missed the wontons. I had them in Nov for the second time, the first time having been about 4 years prior, and man they were better than I remembered

 

[wilma-bride]

Oh I love Yak and Yeti. The duck was my favourite dish there, although I didn't see it on the menu recently.

 

[Finkerfell]

Loving your pictures and reviews!!

 

[keahgirl8]

They tasted homemade to me. Much thicker than regular chips you would get at the store or your everyday Mexican place. You could pile a good bit of guacamole on them and not worry about them breaking, not that I experimented with how much guac I could fit in my mouth or anything

Good to know! I may have to stop by there. I love homemade tortilla chips.

 

[pepperandchips]

Here and loving the reviews so far! LOL at "too much blood in our alcohol system"... totally true at Disney. Most of the time my family institutes a two drink minimum. Victory Golden Monkey is one of my absolute favorites - they have it on draft at the bar by Everest too!! (Thirsty River). Animal Kingdom is not only my favorite park but my favorite park to drink around.

Rob missed out on that burger at Y&Y - it is SO GOOD!!!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

The won ton dessert is simply to die for...

 

[sunshinetree]

Following along! Love your reviews so far. Your morning at DAK sounds perfect!! I know it wasn't the main point of your post but that cinnamon roll though.... yes yes yes

 

[ShelbyWagon]

*Flying Fish*
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After our big morning at Animal Kingdom, we headed back to the resort for a much needed nap. The beds at Beach Club are soooo comfortable! Before we knew it, it was time to get ready for dinner. I'd been wanting to try Flying Fish since before it closed for the refurb, just hadn't gotten around to it. This trip was the perfect time: we could walk over from Beach Club AND it had recently gotten a glowing review from the guys on DisUnplugged!

We ended up getting ready faster than expected. No clue how that happened. We are normally rushing out the door pulling on shoes and forgetting purses LOL! Since we had a bit of time to kill, we stopped in Martha's Vineyard for a drink. I got a glass of Dr Loosen's Riesling (the name made me laugh) and Rob got a Kentucky mule. He talked about that mule for the rest of the trip. Once we remembered Disney would let you get drinks to go, he stopped in there most nights to grab one on the way back to the room. Apparently, I need to learn to make them at home. The Riesling was good also, smooth, not too sweet with a citrus undertone. If I see it at Total Wine, I'll definitely pick up a bottle.

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We finished our drinks and ambled over to the Boardwalk. It was a lovely evening, if a bit chilly, and a good number of families were out enjoying the entertainment. We checked in at Flying Fish and were promptly seated. We had a table near the back of the restaurant, right beside one of their huge wine displays. I enjoyed seeing what different wines they had available. The whole restaurant is beautiful! Very upscale with an ocean theme. I snagged this photo from WDWInfo to show you my favorite part of the decor, the flying fish hanging from the ceiling. So cool!

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Once we were settle at our table, our server JR came over to introduce us to the restaurant and get our drink order. If you go to Flying Fish, try to get JR. He was wonderful. Very knowledgeable about everything the restaurant offers. He made some great recommendations for us. We were very impressed with the service.

Anyway, we both ordered cocktails. Apparently I was too busy taking in the atmosphere and forgot pictures Rob kept up his mule kick and ordered the Harvest Mule - Tito's Vodka, Fever Tree Ginger Beer, Pear Nectar, fresh Lime Juice. Yum! I got the Cucumber Martini - Hendrick's Gin, St. Germain, House-made Cucumber Water fresh from the Epcot Land Pavilion. I thought it was really cool to have something with ingredients from the Land! Also delicious. For those of you who value bang for your buck, definitely get the martinis here. I was brought a full shaker with my glass. It was easily 3 drinks worth, which lasted me until our entrees came out

We started out with the cheese plate and the Kurobuta Pork Belly - Shank Croquette, Royal Gala Apple Slaw, Bing Cherry Gastique, Shirred Quail Egg. The cheese plate came out right away. You can tell the staff at Flying Fish are well-versed in pacing a meal as the Pork Belly made its appearance shortly after we finished picking at the cheese plate. We enjoyed all the cheeses and accompaniments. I love tasting the cheese by itself and then with a bit of whatever is paired with it to see how the taste changes. I'm always blown away by the difference! I wish I had the talent to figure out how to pair things like that.

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The plate matches up with the card going top to bottom. I wish I could remember a favorite but they were all good. I just noticed you can see a bit of my cucumber martini in the picture too! On to the pork belly. The server that brought it out commented that this was her favorite appetizer. She was not wrong! The pork belly was so tender and melted in your mouth. Everything on the plate just worked together beautifully. The apple slaw provided a bit of sweetness to cut the saltiness of the meat, the croquette added a nice crunch, and the quail egg brought a bit more savory flavors to the mix.

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Next up were the entrees. Again, perfectly paced. They gave us a bit of time after finishing the pork belly, enough to order another round of drinks of course! Rob got another mule and I asked JR for a wine recommendation. He asked me a few questions about the wines I normally like and recommended the Cakebread Chardonnay. I was. blown. away. Chardonnay is not one of my go-to wines but this was phenomenal. It wasn't bitter like a lot of chardonnays I've had. It had citrus flavors with a hint of green apple. It was so good, I'm looking into ordering a case directly from the winery as it is unavailable at our local wine stores. On to the food! We both stepped out of our normal food box (steak people normally) here and went with seafood dishes. I ordered the Plancha-seared Hokkaido Scallops - Antebellum Grits, English Peas, Peppadew Emulsion. Rob chose the Ora King New Zealand Salmon - Pancetta-laced Ivory Lentils, Wilted Varietal Kale, Meyer Lemon, Garden Vinaigrette.

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I could wax poetic about these dishes all day. My scallops were just perfect. Great flavor and just the right texture. Tender enough to cut with a fork but still firm enough not to feel mushy. Probably one of the best scallop dishes I've ever had. Rob equally enjoyed the salmon. Flaky and delicious! It may look like a small portion but he was full after finishing it. He's not much of a veggie person so I snagged most of the lentils and kale.

You'll probably start to see a trend here - we were too full for dessert. Neither of us are huge sweets people anyway so we tend to fill up on appetizers and entrees that are more savory. The dessert menu looked very interesting so we may make a trip back for dessert some time. Overall, we were extremely happy with this meal. Flying Fish is now on our list of must-return places. It is perfect for a romantic evening at Disney!

One last thing, I do have to give a shout out to the server at a nearby table, Brian. He was waiting on a family with two younger boys. A little after we sat down, the two boys started getting a bit restless and making a good bit of noise, whining and banging on the table with their silverware. Unfortunately, it looked like they had just sat down as they only had bread and still had their menus. I'll be honest, Rob and I rolled our eyes at each other and sighed that we had hoped for a quiet, nice meal. Brian sprung to our rescue though! He brought out two glowing ice cubes and spent a good deal of time explaining how they work to the boys. We didn't hear another peep out of them! This is the level of service you can expect at Flying Fish. It surprised and pleased me so much that I made a point of emailing guest services to compliment both our server JR and Brian for making our meal so wonderful. Hopefully they will keep it up because I will happily drop $200+ every trip at a restaurant that cares so much about every guests' experience!

Next up: Sleepy Hollow and Crew's Cup!

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[Sailormoon2]

Well you've convinced me! Flying Fish=post Dopey meal in January!!

 

[auntfrannie]

Glad you had a wonderful time! Flying Fish has always been one of my favorites!

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Wow, your dinner sounds amazing! I really want to try Flying Fish. Maybe next time we're staying at the Beach Club

Glad you had such great food AND service!

 

[ariane37]

The beds at Beach Club are soooo comfortable!

Aren't they?? So are the beds at WL!
Wow I just read @pepperandchips FF review, so different from yours! It stinks her experience wasn't good but I'm glad yours was. However I don't understand your "not huge sweets people" comment since I could eat sweets all day lol!!!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Your tastes seem similar to mine! All about the alcohol and the good food! Glad you loved Flying Fish! Its one of our favorites as well! The pork belly dish is my fav!

 

[PrincessK]

Great review! I love seeing all your drink pictures!
Taking notes for my trip next month!