The Food Was Not Undelicious: May 25-June 1, 2007!! Completed - Post #794

[disneyjunebug]

Cheese is awesome...I love it...certain types that is. And Marscapone...I love that stuff smeared on pears. That's usually what I have for dinner on the night that Jay works late...pear, marscapone cheese, wine...rinse and repeat!

Oooooh, one of the local little "bistros" (which means its a little place in Nashville where they DON'T have country music playing 24/7 and they have sandwiches, soups, etc.) has a panini with turkey, brie and pears, with a raspberry chutney. It is totally awesome. Try that some night with a good wine..... or even a mediocre wine.... or a box of wine.... or just whine while eating it!

Enjoying the read as usual! waiting patiently for more....

 

[zweihund]

I was very VERY tempted by that tea booth in China on our last visit, but I opted to limit my alcoholic slushie to one and chose France.

The China booth reminds me a little of those weird little slushie teas you can get with the boba in them. The are usually decorated with frightening anime-style characters and come with a giant hose of a straw. Know the ones I mean?

I'm more the hot tea sort. Especially if it involves scones.

Keep it coming!

 

[DisneyLaura]

First of all the cheese looked so yummy I almost ate my computer screen. I LOVE and LIVE for cheese. Secondly, the balloons, the picture - how cool is that. That was very nice, whoever did that. What a nice suprise.

 

[BriarRosie]

I'm with you - I'll stick with the plum wine because I have no desire to find a glob of gunk in the bottom of my tea when I'm finished drinking it. That would throw my gag reflex into overdrive!

Sheesh, there's nothing to be afraid of, here. The "bubbles" aka "gunk" in Bubble Tea is nothing more than.....tapioca. You slurp the tapioca "bubble" up with the straw, chewing on what I can compare to a softer version of a gummi bear. Harder than Jello, softer than Gummi. It's not terrible, really. Unless you don't like tapioca.

Did you go to the Publix near the Mary Queen of the Universe church? I like that one. I wonder what Stereotypes you'd find lurking there, if that's the one.

 

[whogirl'smom]

So glad to read the latest post tonight, Brenda. I really needed a laugh here as I sit steaming about an ex-business partner and the lastest shifty things he has done to us this week! You are a lifesaver so I won't spit green pea soup on my monitor!

Chefs looked very yummy; we have not eaten there yet, but the menu is very appealling and what's not to love about cheese!

Keep the good times rolling, cause Lord knows I need a laugh! Thanks!
Jamie

 

[Mic_n_Min]

Another TR from Brenda!!

Great job so far! Can't wait to read more!

 

[oybolshoi]

It was Handsome Pete- I simply translated his request into Human language. (WDW really drops the ball when it comes to dealing with the special needs of those who only speak cat!)

Well thank you for being so thoughtful! Handsome Pete asked me to give you this:

yay!!!!!! i love hearing the good things people have to say about it b/c it gets me all excited about our trip! 10 months is too long to wait!

you may have already said this in your TR and if so, i apologize. but what building were you guys in? i requested congress park so we'd be close to the walkways to DTD.

We were in The Springs this time. I didn't talk about it here since I was leaving it for the trip report, but we requested Congress Park because that's where we had stayed on a previous visit and it is super-convenient to DTD. Obviously we didn't get our request this time

The Springs was just as convenient, though - a little longer walk to DTD (maybe 15 minutes) but it's actually a more convenient resort location overall because it's just across the street from the Carriage House (check-in) and the High-Rock Pool, and Artists Palette. Also...when you stay in The Springs you are very close to the boat dock and can catch a boat ride to DTD, which we did one night and it was great!

Love this last update.

Thanks!

Love the banana story And the lush photo what can I say

I'm still irked at those bananas! As for the picture...sheesh, I looked awful in almost every shot we took this trip. I guess the month of May doesn't capture my "Good" side.

Oooooh, one of the local little "bistros" (which means its a little place in Nashville where they DON'T have country music playing 24/7 and they have sandwiches, soups, etc.) has a panini with turkey, brie and pears, with a raspberry chutney. It is totally awesome. Try that some night with a good wine..... or even a mediocre wine.... or a box of wine.... or just whine while eating it!

Enjoying the read as usual! waiting patiently for more....

Hi June, nice to see you again and thanks for reading! That sandwich sounds yummy...as long as I don't have to order it with chutney (that's right, add it to the list!). I'd whine right now because I want something to drink but I don't know what something is. And...my bartender is working late which means I'd have to make my own drink or chill and pop the cork on a fresh bottle of wine. That all sounds too much like work to me.

"It smacks of effort."

I was very VERY tempted by that tea booth in China on our last visit, but I opted to limit my alcoholic slushie to one and chose France.

I wish I'd gone back to France too, after trying this.

The China booth reminds me a little of those weird little slushie teas you can get with the boba in them. The are usually decorated with frightening anime-style characters and come with a giant hose of a straw. Know the ones I mean?

Errrr...no I don't know. And if it's scary I think I'm glad I don't know. My nephew is a huge anime fan - I bet he would know exactly what you're referring to and could point his doddering Auntie Crohn in the right direction.

I'm more the hot tea sort. Especially if it involves scones.

Keep it coming!

I too am a bigger fan of hot teas lately... kinda runs in phases. But oh yeah...the scones! Are you going to do afternoon tea in October? We're going on the afternoon of the 18th (I think) because I didn't get my tea fix on this trip.

Thanks for checking in - always a pleasure to hear from you!

First of all the cheese looked so yummy I almost ate my computer screen. I LOVE and LIVE for cheese. Secondly, the balloons, the picture - how cool is that. That was very nice, whoever did that. What a nice suprise.

Every time I look at that picture my stomach grumbles... I want cheese and I want it now! I bought some Swiss at the store this weekend and it was a dismal disappoinment.

And the balloons and pictures were awesome!

Sheesh, there's nothing to be afraid of, here. The "bubbles" aka "gunk" in Bubble Tea is nothing more than.....tapioca. You slurp the tapioca "bubble" up with the straw, chewing on what I can compare to a softer version of a gummi bear. Harder than Jello, softer than Gummi. It's not terrible, really. Unless you don't like tapioca.

Lori wins the $62 prize! Or she would if I actually were awarding a $62 prize. I don't like tapioca either (add it to the list!!).

If I don't like "stuff" in my food I definitely am not going to like it in my beverage.

Did you go to the Publix near the Mary Queen of the Universe church? I like that one. I wonder what Stereotypes you'd find lurking there, if that's the one.

I don't remember where we were...I wish we'd paid a little more attention. It was just a small, rather dingy store in a sad looking strip mall.

So glad to read the latest post tonight, Brenda. I really needed a laugh here as I sit steaming about an ex-business partner and the lastest shifty things he has done to us this week! You are a lifesaver so I won't spit green pea soup on my monitor!

Chefs looked very yummy; we have not eaten there yet, but the menu is very appealling and what's not to love about cheese!

Keep the good times rolling, cause Lord knows I need a laugh! Thanks!
Jamie

Jamie I'm sorry to hear about your troubles; hope everything works out OK. Thanks for reading and if our goofiness helps you feel a little better well, then I'm happy.

I give a strong recommendation based on our past experiences to the following restaurants which have passed the DWDJx with flying colors:

Chefs de France
Rose & Crown
Kona Cafe (breakfast)
Yacht Club Galley (breakfast)
Raglan Road
California Grill
Gardenview Lounge (Afternoon Tea at the GF)
House of Blues

Another TR from Brenda!! Great job so far! Can't wait to read more!

Thank you so much for reading - glad to have you here!

 

[zweihund]

Here's a link to Lollicup, which has some fascinating and simultaneously disturbing beverages for sale.

Actually, I really like their lavender milk tea. Sans boba.

One day, I will go to GF for afternoon tea. In the meantime, I hit up Infusion Tea as often as possible for some wonderful beverage choices and the best chocolate biscotti EV-AR!

 

[oybolshoi]

Saturday, May 26th - And Now For Something Completely New...Dinner at Jiko!!

When it comes to dining Jason is Captain Adventure, seeking spices and seasonings that would reduce a mere mortal to a quivering mass of steaming jelly. Me...I'm the pasty sidekick: Timid Tastebud Girl!

Jiko was a bold step for Timid Tastebud Girl, but I knew that Captain Adventure would love their food. I'd also read a lot of positive things about the restaurant and its cuisine, so that made me feel a little better about booking a table. Neither one of us had ever been to the Animal Kingdom Lodge and we were really looking forward to exploring the hotel property. The plan, prior to my getting sick before leaving home, was to get to the AKL with enough time to enjoy a tasty libation in Victoria Falls. If nothing else, I figured that being slightly tipsy would help me enjoy what could be an intestinally-unfriendly meal.

Unfortunately the drugs I started taking Thursday night before leaving for Florida were making me feel kinda yucky (I don't think that Chinese slushie helped). I could tell before we even left the villa that there would be little or no imbibing on my part this evening.

We take the dress code seriously...kind of.

Getting to the AKL from Saratoga Springs presents something of a challenge. After thinking it through we decided that the best course of action would be to walk over to DTD from our villa and catch a bus directly to the AKL from the main bus stop. This worked pretty well, all things considered, but I know people had to be questioning my fashion sense. I wore my tennis shoes until we checked in at the podium and then I changed into a cute little pair of strappy silver heels. I'm as vain as the next woman but I'm not crazy enough to do all that walking in a pair of heels. Timid Tastebud Girl is also a tenderfoot.

I won't spend much time here talking about the AKL - you can read all about it some day when I update the Shrubbery. But I will say this: wow! We thought the hotel was incredible and actually went back later in the week just to do some more exploring.

I'm not sure that I agree completely with the floorplan, however. I think it was a mistake to have Boma and Jiko located right next to each other just inside the doors that lead to the resort's pool. Talk about a high traffic area -very noisy and not a lot of space to share with the rest of the world while you wait for your pager to begin buzzing with excitement. Captain Adventure had a really good idea. He said that AKL should have taken a page out of California Grill's playbook and placed the restaurant in an area that overlooked the Savannah, providing guests with a panoramic view while enjoying their meals.

I think he's on to something.

Here's the restaurant signage. We tried to take some interior restaurant shots but continue to have issues with indoor and evening photography and none of those shots turned out very well.

Dramatic lighting means one of two things: Please have a little mood with your meal; or, It's for the best if you can't see your plate.

We had a terrific server who took a ton of time explaining the menu and the overall restaurant theme to us. She was really helpful, especially for being as busy as she was - Jiko was a happenin' place that night! We decided to order an appetizer...the question was which one would satisfy Captain Adventure's spicy craving while not landing Timid Tastebud Girl in the hospital with an acute IBD flare-up?

Kenyan Coffee Barbecued Chicken Flatbread with grilled onions, apple julienne, and four cheeses.

This was pretty good, although in a perfect world it would have been served with no onions and the sauce on the side. Actually, I'm feeling really stupid right now for not asking them to serve it with the sauce on the side. I plead medicinal density.

Sauces like this really upset my Crohns so I had to be careful about eating too much. Overall I thought it had a nice flavor, and I really liked the apples and the cheese paired together. But the sauce didn't do it for me - too sweet and too much of it. Captain Adventure gave this appetizer choice two thumbs up!

He also ordered a glass of red wine - a Malbec bottled by Anura Wineries located in South Africa. This was a very strong, dark, red wine with a potent, fruity aroma. Just the kind of wine that a man who has no fear of spicy-butt should drink!

I ordered Pellegrino with lime and received a round of applause from our server, who said that she and others on the staff had been baffled by recent guest requests for lemon with Pellegrino. We've tried that before, but we think mineral water tastes better with lime.

For dinner I played it safe and ordered:

Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon with macaroni and cheese and red wine sauce.

This was very good; I especially liked the fillet, which melted in my mouth, and the wine sauce. The macaroni and cheese was OK - I actually thought it was too rich and proved something of a distraction from the meat and wine sauce. I would definitely recommend this to anyone else out there like me who may be pickier about their food...for whatever reason. You can't go wrong with this selection.

For his meal Captain Adventure ordered:

Pan Roasted Jumbo Scallops with golden brown mealie pap and spicy tomato-onion Chaka-Laka.

Although Captain Adventure's personal dining motto is: It's not a good meal if it doesn't make you cry; he was quite satisfied with this selection even though he didn't shed a tear. He said the scallops were cooked to perfection and the entire dish gave off a strong initial heat as well as a secondary wave of spiciness near the back of the tongue and the throat. He highly recommends this dish for anyone who enjoys a meal with a "kick" to it.

You wanna know what I liked best about his selection... the words Chaka-Laka!! I love the way they sound!!

For dessert we each ordered a specialty coffee...

I had the Keoke Coffee which is Brandy, Kaluha, Dark Creme de Cacao, and coffee topped with whipped cream.

Jason ordered the Cape Town Coffee which is Kaluha, Van Der Hum Liqueur, and coffee topped with whipped cream.

These were both very tasty, especially mine! Jiko has a very nice dessert menu with some great dessert drinks. They also had a terrific looking cheese plate but we passed on it since we'd already had one at lunch. Next time we go back to Jiko I'm ensuring that we save room for that cheese plate!

And then we ordered second dessert...

Flourless Chocolate-Mocha Cake Stack with lavender-vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate caramel sauce.

The stack was actually four really thick, dense squares of dark chocolate cake - reminded me of a super-chewy brownie and I was a little surprised that there was icing on top of each square. This wasn't bad but I thought it was too rich - I've had flourless chocolate cake that's much better, quite frankly. And the lavender-vanilla ice cream tasted only of lavender...gack!!

I love the scent of lavender but I really don't want to taste it in my dairy products. Jason actually liked it, although he also said that the lavender was pretty strong. I think it would have worked better, at least for me, had the lavender been more subtle.

So there you have it! Jiko...pretty darn good. I'd say it lived up to the hype and quite honestly I'd like to go back and try it again when I'm feeling better. How shocking is that?

Thanks for reading!!

 

[rentayenta]

Love the dress, hate lavender too, and I am PIMP at Timid Tastebud Girl.

 

[oybolshoi]

Here's a link to Lollicup, which has some fascinating and simultaneously disturbing beverages for sale.

Actually, I really like their lavender milk tea. Sans boba.

Thanks for the link... it was informative and yes, disturbing. I think I'm going to lodge a complaint because I didn't see Tart Gooseberry Tea, Huckleberry Tea, or Twinberry Tea.

Not that I would drink any of those, but they're the only other berries I could think of right now that aren't on the list.

One day, I will go to GF for afternoon tea. In the meantime, I hit up Infusion Tea as often as possible for some wonderful beverage choices and the best chocolate biscotti EV-AR!

Why don't you and your SIL have tea one afternoon before or after your cruise? Then it could just be a "girl" thing and you could meet up with the boys later? Just throwin' it out there for consideration...

Love the dress, hate lavender too, and I am PIMP at Timid Tastebud Girl.

Thanks for the "thumb" of approval! It took me a minute to figure out what you meant by PIMP... I read that and thought, "Timid Tastebud Girl isn't that kind of girl."

And then my brain kicked in... and then I was PIMP.

 

[cmp1111]

When it comes to dining Jason is Captain Adventure, seeking spices and seasonings that would reduce a mere mortal to a quivering mass of steaming jelly. Me...I'm the pasty sidekick: Timid Tastebud Girl!

You are too funny!

I won't spend much time here talking about the AKL - you can read all about it some day when I update the Shrubbery. But I will say this: wow! We thought the hotel was incredible and actually went back later in the week just to do some more exploring.

Cool place, no?

I'm not sure that I agree completely with the floorplan, however. I think it was a mistake to have Boma and Jiko located right next to each other just inside the doors that lead to the resort's pool. Talk about a high traffic area -very noisy and not a lot of space to share with the rest of the world while you wait for your pager to begin buzzing with excitement.

Since the boys wanted to go swimming first, this was one of the first things I noticed, and continued to feel weird about the whole time we were there. The fancy folk dressed up for Jiko probably didn't want to see flabby, wet me in a swim suit trying to get back to my room! And our Boma night wait was very crowded and confused...

The dinner sounds awesome! My DH also loves the spicy stuff, and I like it well enough. Your steak looked like it was to die for... Mmmm, steak.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[burly]

Hmnm maybe i will rethink Jiko? thanks for the update. Lovin your trippie. and all the pics. Kim

 

[wilma-bride]

My, don't you scrub up well

From one TTG to another, I am thanking you for showing me that it is possible for a gastronomically-challenged World goer (i.e. fussy eater ) to enjoy places like Jiko. It's somewhere that I would have never considered, choosing to stick to 'safe' restaurants. Who know, maybe one day I'll be cured and branch out. Your reviews are certainly helping to sway me in that direction.

By the way, where is poor Plankton - are you starving him of late

 

[BriarRosie]

Saturday, May 26th - And Now For Something Completely New...Dinner at Jiko!!

When it comes to dining Jason is Captain Adventure, seeking spices and seasonings that would reduce a mere mortal to a quivering mass of steaming jelly. Me...I'm the pasty sidekick: Timid Tastebud Girl!

Bring on the tights! What? No tights?

Getting to the AKL from Saratoga Springs presents something of a challenge. After thinking it through we decided that the best course of action would be to walk over to DTD from our villa and catch a bus directly to the AKL from the main bus stop. This worked pretty well, all things considered, but I know people had to be questioning my fashion sense. I wore my tennis shoes until we checked in at the podium and then I changed into a cute little pair of strappy silver heels. I'm as vain as the next woman but I'm not crazy enough to do all that walking in a pair of heels. Timid Tastebud Girl is also a tenderfoot.

I'm dumb enough to walk in heels. You get brownie points for that.
I'd rather have the $62 you "owe" me.

I won't spend much time here talking about the AKL - you can read all about it some day when I update the Shrubbery. But I will say this: wow! We thought the hotel was incredible and actually went back later in the week just to do some more exploring.

It really is that fabulous of a resort. I loved AKL before I joined DVC, and
I am glad I have the option to stay there on points in the future, too.

I'm not sure that I agree completely with the floorplan, however. I think it was a mistake to have Boma and Jiko located right next to each other just inside the doors that lead to the resort's pool. Talk about a high traffic area -very noisy and not a lot of space to share with the rest of the world while you wait for your pager to begin buzzing with excitement. Captain Adventure had a really good idea. He said that AKL should have taken a page out of California Grill's playbook and placed the restaurant in an area that overlooked the Savannah, providing guests with a panoramic view while enjoying their meals.

There's a bar inside Jiko, too. It's much nicer to wait inside than in the
staging area between restaurants. Unless the bar is claustrophically
crowded. And many of my friends and I who have discussed AKL have
mentioned the view while dining. One friend morbidly suggested it would
be like picking a lobster out of a tank. "I'll have that wildebeest, medium-rare,
please." (Well, he phrased it differently, but I had the lobster analogy run
through my own sicko mind.)

This was very good; I especially liked the fillet, which melted in my mouth, and the wine sauce. The macaroni and cheese was OK - I actually thought it was too rich and proved something of a distraction from the meat and wine sauce. I would definitely recommend this to anyone else out there like me who may be pickier about their food...for whatever reason. You can't go wrong with this selection.

I agree about the filet w/mac and cheese. The steak was good, but the
mac didn't live up to what I expected. It was good, but it didn't knock my
socks off. It's wildly popular, though. Captain Adventure's meal looked
like it was served with a fire extinguisher.

You wanna know what I liked best about his selection... the words Chaka-Laka!! I love the way they sound!!

YES!! BOOM Chaka-Laka! Or maybe it was meant
for Chaka Khan. My mind went on the same bus tour as your mind there.

I've shared the cheese plate there a few years ago. It was tasty!
Next time, get yourself some cheese!

Now about your dessert:

The stack was actually four really thick, dense squares of dark chocolate cake - reminded me of a super-chewy brownie and I was a little surprised that there was icing on top of each square. This wasn't bad but I thought it was too rich - I've had flourless chocolate cake that's much better, quite frankly. And the lavender-vanilla ice cream tasted only of lavender...gack!!

I love the scent of lavender but I really don't want to taste it in my dairy products. Jason actually liked it, although he also said that the lavender was pretty strong. I think it would have worked better, at least for me, had the lavender been more subtle.

I'm so with you on that lavender thing, sister! I did a Sweet Sunday
(the first year it was offered) with Keegan Gerhard as the celebrity chef.
He made one of his desserts with lavender, and all I thought when I tasted
it was, "I just ate perfume."

I am surprised I didn't see you having a bit of the Amarula cream liqueur.
Next time put THAT in your coffee.

 

[DISNEYDUET]

Saturday, May 26th - And Now For Something Completely New...Dinner at Jiko!!


We take the dress code seriously...kind of.

You look lovely! Even if you only have one leg!

 

[DISNEYDUET]

Saturday, May 26th - And Now For Something Completely New...Dinner at Jiko!!


I'm not sure that I agree completely with the floorplan, however. I think it was a mistake to have Boma and Jiko located right next to each other just inside the doors that lead to the resort's pool. Talk about a high traffic area -very noisy and not a lot of space to share with the rest of the world while you wait for your pager to begin buzzing with excitement. Captain Adventure had a really good idea. He said that AKL should have taken a page out of California Grill's playbook and placed the restaurant in an area that overlooked the Savannah, providing guests with a panoramic view while enjoying their meals.

I do believe the table service in the new DVC building will have a view if the savannah. I read that somewhere around here....

I ordered Pellegrino with lime and received a round of applause from our server, who said that she and others on the staff had been baffled by recent guest requests for lemon with Pellegrino. We've tried that before, but we think mineral water tastes better with lime.

Well, I never! Who in there right mind would drink Pellegrino with a lemon. Tres Trashy!

Loved the review! We ate there when it first opened a couple of years ago. We have not been back since. Not our thing. But glad that you enjoyed it!!

 

[cntkg1]

You look lovely! Even if you only have one leg!

(Sorry to laugh B, but THAT was funny!!)

 

[Disneyolic]

We take the dress code seriously...kind of.

This worked pretty well, all things considered, but I know people had to be questioning my fashion sense. I wore my tennis shoes until we checked in at the podium and then I changed into a cute little pair of strappy silver heels. I'm as vain as the next woman but I'm not crazy enough to do all that walking in a pair of heels. Timid Tastebud Girl is also a tenderfoot.

You both looking smashing! It brings back memories of our honeymoon and our dinner at V&A. We stayed at CBR and took the bus to MK then tramped it over to the monorail and over to the GF, all while I was dressed in my pretty salmon colored chiffon dress and DH was in long slacks, button up shirt, and suit coat. He did have the sense to take off the suit coat during transport. I was dumb enough to wear the high heels. And all of this was in the hot humid July weather!!! Wish we called a taxi...

Jiko looks scrumptious. Someday we'll get there!

 

[punkin413]

i had been wondering about the lavender ice cream. somewhere i'm considering for our april 2008 trip (spoodles maybe?) has lavender ice cream and i've never had it before. i love the scent of lavender and i have some in my garden, but i don't know about the *taste* of lavender. thanks for the warning!