The Incredible Expanding Women - 14 days on the DxDP ~ COMPLETE!

[emmysmommy]

Hey everyone, I'm sorry for the lack of updates. My daughter was admitted to hospital on November 8th as she was pregnant with her first child (our first grandchild) and was being induced. Long story short, her son Lincoln was born on November 9th but the delivery was very difficult, resulting in him being rushed to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto within hours of his birth. He was in serious but stable condition and the next few days were uncertain and terrifying. On Monday afternoon, we received the happy news that his condition was improving and that he would fully recover. He's still got a long road ahead of him and will be in hospital for a while yet. We've been driving back and forth to the city every day to be with this dear little man. My dining report will remain on the back burner for a while yet but if anyone is still interested, I will continue when life returns to normal. Many thanks to all who have been reading and commenting, I hope you'll stick with me when I'm able to return.

Carol I'm so glad to hear that your grandbaby is doing better. No worries about your DR, you are attending to the important things in life.

Wishing you and your family all the best in the days/weeks ahead.

 

[tybrilinja]

First off, Congratulations on your new little grandbaby. They are truly a blessing from God. My heart goes out to you during those scary days, so glad to hear hes doing better now.

I am loving reading your DR but family comes first. When all is settled down and you are able to return to the DIS we will be here to continue reading and eating with our eyes!

Take Care and hugs to you and your family.

 

[tweetylori]

Loving this...can't wait for more!

 

[MrsB1228]

Oh my! What a scary thing to have to go through! Love, hugs and prayers to you, you're family and your new grandson! Congratulations, and I hope everything is better soon!!! We will be here for you anytime you need us. Let us know if there is anything we can do!

Thank you so much for your lovely post, I really appreciate your concern and support. Lincoln is doing really well and Christmas was just amazing this year with a new little person to share it with.

That little guy is your priority we will wait !!!

Thank you so much!

How scary, I'm so pleased he's on the mend though and congratulations

Thank you so much, he's doing really well now.

Carol I'm so glad to hear that your grandbaby is doing better. No worries about your DR, you are attending to the important things in life.

Wishing you and your family all the best in the days/weeks ahead.

Thanks Brenda! Lincoln was hospitalized for over three weeks, but is doing well now and growing like a weed.

First off, Congratulations on your new little grandbaby. They are truly a blessing from God. My heart goes out to you during those scary days, so glad to hear hes doing better now.

I am loving reading your DR but family comes first. When all is settled down and you are able to return to the DIS we will be here to continue reading and eating with our eyes!

Take Care and hugs to you and your family.

Thank you so much for your lovely post! He's doing really well thanks to the prayers of many wonderful people and the amazing caregivers at the Hospital For Sick Children. I can't say enough good things about that hospital!

Loving this...can't wait for more!

Thanks for reading, I'm looking forward to resuming my DR now that my grandson is home, the holidays are over and life is returning to normal.

 

[englishrose47]

Glad Lincoln is better and the Holidays were magical !!! Looking forward to the expanding woman when you get time !!!

 

[MrsB1228]

I thought you'd maybe like to see the newest addition to our family. This little fellow gave us quite a scare when he arrived, but he's doing great now, thank the good Lord. This is Lincoln, our new grandson, born on November 9/13. The photo was taken on November 25, while he was still in the hospital.

Love that little man so much!

All righty, time to get this DR moving again! Thanks for your patience everyone, and I hope there are some still interested in this review, lol.

Day 4 found us at Animal Kingdom. After spending the morning touring the park, we were ready to cool off in some A/C and enjoy lunch at Yak & Yeti. Y&Y is home to my all-time favourite dessert in WDW, which you'll see in all its glory shortly.

Before I continue, I must first apologize for the blurry photos in this post. My camera settings kept getting messed up and I often didn't notice until later. I carried my camera in my purse and I think I would sometimes accidentally change the settings when pulling it out.

Our ADR was for 11:30, and we were seated right on time. Our server checked in within a few minutes and took our beverage orders. Nancy and I both wanted ice water with our meal and coffee with dessert.

After looking over the menu, we made our selections. For appetizers, I decided on:

Wok Fried Green Beans: battered green beans, sweet Thai chili dipping sauce.

These were awesome! Fresh, crisp-tender greens covered in a delicious crispy coating. Nancy and I both really enjoyed them. It's a very large serving however, and we only ate about half between the two of us. We both give these 4.5 out of 5.

Nancy chose:

Pork Egg Rolls: with chili plum dipping sauce.

These were also very good. We each had one, but sadly the third went untouched. 4 out of 5.

For her entree, Nancy chose:

(Apologies once again for the super blurry photo)

Crispy Mahi Mahi: filet of mahi mahi, Japanese bread crumbs, Cantonese sweet and sour sauce, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables.

Nancy had this the last time we visited and it didn't disappoint. The delicate fish was enhanced by the light coating and the sweet and sour sauce wasn't overly sweet so it added a nice dimension to the dish. Nancy gave it 4/5.

I had:

Baby Back Ribs: slow-roasted ribs, hoisin BBQ sauce, chicken fried rice, sweet chili slaw.

I often choose this entree as the ribs are always fall-off-the-bone tender and the hoisen BBQ sauce adds a wonderful smoky flavour that is truly delicious and very different from any other ribs I've tried. The chicken fried rice and slaw are both ok, but nothing special. Still, it deserves 4/5 because those ribs are just so darned good!

We didn't bother to consult the menu again as dessert was a no-brainer:

Fried Wontons: Skewers of fresh pineapple and cream cheese wontons, vanilla ice cream, honey vanilla drizzle.

Oh. My. God. This is hands down my favourite dessert, and I believe my sister is in agreement. This is soooo good! The combination of the rich, creamy warm cream cheese wontons, the fresh, juicy pineapple, perfectly ripe strawberries and decadent vanilla sauce is just too good to adequately describe. If you like these components separately, do yourself a favour and try this dessert. You'll be very glad you did! Definitely 5/5.

Overall, Yak & Yeti gets 4/5 from us. We really enjoyed everything, it was a welcome respite from the heat and humidity and the theming is fabulous. In our experience, service here can be hit or miss. Our service this time was only ok, we had to wait a long time between courses and it was tough to flag him down for water refills. We had coffee with dessert and he never came back to offer refills of that at all. Regardless, we would definitely return!

Up Next: Dinner at Jiko.​

 

[RGirl]

Oh wow! I can’t believe I missed your initial update about Lincoln. Congratulations on your beautiful grandson! I’m so happy that he is now doing so well. He is absolutely beautiful.

Y&Y always looks so good! Someday we will try it. The mahi-mahi looks fantastic, and the ribs look pretty darn good too! I knew what your dessert would be just from reading DRs! Everyone raves about that one!

Oh, I can’t wait to read about your Jiko dinner! I posted our Jiko review recently - we really enjoyed that place. Mmmmmm

 

[emmysmommy]

Oh my gosh that photo of Lincoln is precious! He's so tiny. Oh that look... I can see how you would be completely in love with that little guy. I'm glad to hear that he is doing well.

Ahhhh Yak & Yeti one of my favorites. Those egg rolls are on my plate every time and they have never failed to be delicious. The perfect rating for the fried wontons is well deserved. They are a not to be missed dessert for us. I will give up an entrée or appetizer to have those. Oh so good. Glad you enjoyed them.

Overall we had the same observation about the service there. It's never been spectacular (at least not the last time we went a few weeks ago) but the food has been good enough that we have been forgiving.

Wishing you all the best and have a Happy New Year!

 

[chocolateMinnie]

Congratulations on the birth of your grandson - glad he has made a good recovery - looks so tiny at birth!

 

[MrsB1228]

Glad Lincoln is better and the Holidays were magical !!! Looking forward to the expanding woman when you get time !!!

Thank you so much! I've posted my review of Yak and Yeti and am working on Jiko now. Thanks for reading!

Oh wow! I can’t believe I missed your initial update about Lincoln. Congratulations on your beautiful grandson! I’m so happy that he is now doing so well. He is absolutely beautiful.

Thanks so much! We think he's adorable but I admit we're a bit biased.

Y&Y always looks so good! Someday we will try it. The mahi-mahi looks fantastic, and the ribs look pretty darn good too! I knew what your dessert would be just from reading DRs! Everyone raves about that one!

I've had both the ribs and the mahi mahi and I can confirm both are very tasty. I was planning on trying the seafood curry this time but found myself ordering the ribs instead. One day I'm going to try something different, just not for dessert. Yep, I'm definitely in the Fried Wonton Fan Club, lol!

Oh, I can’t wait to read about your Jiko dinner! I posted our Jiko review recently - we really enjoyed that place. Mmmmmm

I'm trying to get caught up on all the awesome DR's and TR's I was following and will be reading yours shortly. I can't wait to catch up on your and Willow's adventures!

Oh my gosh that photo of Lincoln is precious! He's so tiny. Oh that look... I can see how you would be completely in love with that little guy. I'm glad to hear that he is doing well.

Thanks so much Brenda! He's a little sweetheart, that's for sure. He actually wasn't too small, he weighed 7lb, 13oz when he was born and then definitely worked in his favour regarding his recovery. I'm so looking forward to introducing him to WDW in the near future!!

Ahhhh Yak & Yeti one of my favorites. Those egg rolls are on my plate every time and they have never failed to be delicious. The perfect rating for the fried wontons is well deserved. They are a not to be missed dessert for us. I will give up an entrée or appetizer to have those. Oh so good. Glad you enjoyed them.

I couldn't agree more! I would happily skip the rest of the meal if I had to, but I wouldn't give those up. Nancy loves them too and couldn't wait to enjoy them again.

Overall we had the same observation about the service there. It's never been spectacular (at least not the last time we went a few weeks ago) but the food has been good enough that we have been forgiving.

That's exactly how we feel. They're lucky the food is good because the service certainly doesn't stand out. If they ever stopped serving those wontons I'd probably take it out of the rotation, lol. Until then, it's still a must-do.

Wishing you all the best and have a Happy New Year!

Thank you Brenda, I wish the same for you and your family!

Congratulations on the birth of your grandson - glad he has made a good recovery - looks so tiny at birth!

Thank you and thanks for reading along!

 

[MrsB1228]

After leaving Y&Y, we caught the next showing of Flights of Wonder, and then watched both Finding Nemo, The Musical and Legend of the Lion King. On the way out of the park, we caught the last bit of the Jammin' Jungle Parade.

We said goodbye to Animal Kingdom, as this would be our only visit this trip.

After a short wait, we boarded a bus bound for Animal Kingdom Lodge. We were both really looking forward to tonight's dinner as the restaurant was a first for both of us. We had a 7:15 pm ADR at Jiko.

We were very impressed by the decor, it's very subdued and quiet for a Disney restaurant.

After we were seated (right on time), a lovely lady came over with warm towels for us to clean our hands. It's a very thoughtful and welcome gesture that I wish more restaurants would adopt.

Our server came over and introduced himself and he turned out to be very personable, had a great understanding of the menu and took excellent care of us. I failed to note the names of any of our servers and I'm kicking myself for that oversight as there are a few I would love to recommend. Next time ...

He left us with the menus and a runner soon appeared with the bread service.

Complimentary bread service consisting of Dabo Bread, an Ethipian honey-wheat bread served with tandoori butter. It was delicious!

Our server returned and asked if we had any questions regarding the menu and I asked if it was still possible to get the filet with mac and cheese. He smiled and said "of course"! I was so happy to hear that because I've always wanted to try this legendary dish!

For our appetizer, Nancy and I both selected:

"Mozambique-style" Tomato Salad: Heirloom Tomatoes, Peaches, Avocado, Mâche, Arugula and Feta Cheese.

This was absolutely delicious!! Everything worked together so perfectly. The peaches and tomatoes were at their peak ripeness, and mixed with the peppery arugula, salty feta and creamy avocado it was absolutely incredible! I thought this was going to be my favourite salad ever, but I actually had another salad later in the trip that edged past it. But only just. Nancy and I both give it 5/5.

For her entree, Nancy ordered:

Spicy Botswana-style "Seswaa" Beef Short Rib: Cassava-Potato Puree, Sambal, Mushrooms and Fava Beans.

Nancy loved this. The short ribs were "cut with your fork" tender and the sambal added a wonderful spicy depth without adding a lot of heat. The accompaniments were delicious and Nancy thoroughly enjoyed every bite of this. She gave it 5/5.

You already know what I ordered:

Oak-grilled Filet Mignon: served with that incredible mac and cheese! When we were there, this dish was listed in the menu as being served with "Local Pole Beans, Spoon Bread, and South African Red Wine Sauce". The red wine sauce is still there, but I'm so glad I subbed the mac and cheese because it was seriously one of the best mac and cheese dishes I've ever had. Absolutely wonderful! 5/5

After a superb appetizer and entree, we were brought the dessert menu. Nancy chose:

White Chocolate Cheesecake: this consisted of white chocolate, mango sauce, toasted coconut and was served with pineapple chile sorbet.

This was amazing and was wonderfully smooth and rich. The pineapple chile sorbet was a light, refreshing accompaniment. Nancy gave it 5/5.

I selected:

Chocolate and Tea Safari: Vanilla rooibos - Tanzanian chocolate cake, free form "kit kat" and green tea ice cream

I had mixed feelings about this dessert. The cake was quite nice, but the "kit kat" was a bit of a disappointment. I didn't think it had much flavour at all and wasn't really sweet. The green tea ice cream was just nasty, I wasn't a fan at all. Nancy definitely made the better dessert choice. 3/5

We decided to have a specialty coffee with our dessert.

Nutty African: Amarula, Frangelico and Coffee topped with whipped cream. YUM!!

Overall, Jiko gets a solid 4.5/5 from us. Everything was delicious, but my dessert was a bit of a let down. However, the overall experience was wonderful and the service was outstanding. We would definitely return!

Up Next: Sunday Brunch at Raglan Road, dinner at Citricos.​

 

[RGirl]

Really enjoyed your Jiko review! This was definitely one of our favorite signatures.

I am not a big fan of raw tomatoes, but even I think your salad looks delicious!

Both entrees look very tasty too! (I am pretty sure that the mac and cheese is now featured on the kids’ menu - it looks a lot like what DD received; at first, she wouldn’t eat it , but she warmed up to it and put away a pretty good bit of it.)

That cheesecake is beautiful! I’m always intrigued by desserts like the one you ordered, but I guess they can be a bit gimmicky. Too bad it wasn’t better. The coffee drink looks fab though!

 

[emmysmommy]

I love Jiko! It is one of my favorites.

I completely forgot about their legendary mac and cheese when I ordered the filet before. I do adore the short ribs there so the choices are hard to make.

Any place that has a peach salad makes me extremely interested. Glad it got such a high rating. I can't wait to see what salad edged out this one.

They changed the menu the last time we were there so I didn't try any new apps since the bobotie was gone. Not sure if it is back now.

 

[grandmasterB]

Thx for the Jiko review! We went for the first time last trip and it is currently our fave restaurant. Going back in 2 weeks!

 

[DisneyJo]

Your Grandson is absolutely adorable and I'm so pleased he's doing so well!

Your Y&Y food looks delicious especially the dessert, I so wish I wasn't allergic to pineapple as it really does look yummy

I love the ambiance at Jiko, it's such a nice break from the parks. It's so good to know you can still order the Filet Mignon with the Mac & Cheese

 

[MrsB1228]

Really enjoyed your Jiko review! This was definitely one of our favorite signatures.

Nancy and I both rated Jiko as one of our favourite signatures. Our whole experience here was top notch!

I am not a big fan of raw tomatoes, but even I think your salad looks delicious!

It was seriously amazing, I'd love to have it right now, lol!

Both entrees look very tasty too! (I am pretty sure that the mac and cheese is now featured on the kids’ menu - it looks a lot like what DD received; at first, she wouldn’t eat it , but she warmed up to it and put away a pretty good bit of it.)

Maybe the white colour put her off? My kids would have been put off too if they were presented with white mac and cheese when they were little. They wouldn't have believed it was actually mac and cheese. Good for Willow for trying it!

That cheesecake is beautiful! I’m always intrigued by desserts like the one you ordered, but I guess they can be a bit gimmicky. Too bad it wasn’t better. The coffee drink looks fab though!

I had a taste of the cheesecake and can confirm it was delicious. I'm not a big cheesecake fan, which is why I didn't order it as well, but was seriously regretting it afterward. You're right about it being gimmicky, I should have stuck with the tried and true. The Nutty African made up for it though, it was wonderful!

I love Jiko! It is one of my favorites.

Ours too! I can now understand why so many people love this restaurant.

I completely forgot about their legendary mac and cheese when I ordered the filet before. I do adore the short ribs there so the choices are hard to make.

Nancy also loved the short ribs and was very happy with her choice.

Any place that has a peach salad makes me extremely interested. Glad it got such a high rating. I can't wait to see what salad edged out this one.

It was sooo good!! I didn't think anything could top it until later in the trip. As I said though, they're very close!

They changed the menu the last time we were there so I didn't try any new apps since the bobotie was gone. Not sure if it is back now.

I just checked the menu on the Disney website and I don't see any bobotie listed. Maybe it'll be back in time for your next trip? Crossing fingers for you!

Thx for the Jiko review! We went for the first time last trip and it is currently our fave restaurant. Going back in 2 weeks!

Thanks for commenting! I wish I could go with you in two weeks! Enjoy your holiday and I know you'll enjoy Jiko, have a great trip!

 

[MrsB1228]

Your Grandson is absolutely adorable and I'm so pleased he's doing so well!

Thank you so much, we're so blessed to have him!

Your Y&Y food looks delicious especially the dessert, I so wish I wasn't allergic to pineapple as it really does look yummy

The fried wontons are amazing, but they do have other desserts that are quite nice. When we were there two years ago, one of our party tried the mango pie and said it was awesome. If you like (and can eat) mango, that might be a good one to try.

I love the ambiance at Jiko, it's such a nice break from the parks. It's so good to know you can still order the Filet Mignon with the Mac & Cheese

Jiko was wonderful, the whole experience was terrific. I was so happy to hear you could still get the filet with the mac and cheese as I'd been wanting to try it for so long. It certainly didn't disappoint.

Thanks for reading!

 

[MrsB1228]

Day 5 was a no-park day so Nancy and I indulged in a lazy morning with no alarm clocks or rope drops. We slept in and took our time getting ready. We also used the in-room Cuisinart coffee maker with the supplied coffee for the first time and were pleasantly surprised. Definitely an improvement (for us) from the barely drinkable brew that used to be provided. We caught the boat to DTD around 10:30 and had a leisurely walk from Marketplace to Pleasure Island. It was a beautiful day and we were enjoying the weather and each other's company.

We arrived at Raglan Road around 11:20 and we had a brunch reservation for 11:30. We were really looking forward to trying it as Sunday Brunch here was still relatively new.

We were seated right on time and I was pleasantly surprised when we were led to the table with the gorgeous wingback chairs beside the fireplace.

Brunch was off to a great start!

Our server checked in right away and brought us some ice water and coffee. He was another excellent server whose name I didn't note. He had a large party of 12 he was also looking after. They were obviously celebrating a wedding and an anniversary and were in the mood to party. Regardless, he gave as much time and care to us as he did them.

We had been studying the menu and had a few questions before we made our decision. I took a picture of the brunch portion of the menu, the rest is exactly the same as their lunch/dinner menu.

While we were looking over the menu, the complimentary bread service arrived, which consists of a hearty Irish Soda Bread served with a Guinness reduction. The reduction has a sweet, honey-like flavour that both Nancy and I really enjoy.

Because we were on the deluxe plan, we were entitled to an appetizer at brunch as well, so we chose one that serves two people.

Scallop Forest: Georges Bank scallops in a golden batter served with citrus lime dipping sauce and sweet chili jam.

These were amazing! Tender, perfectly cooked scallops in a light, crispy batter. Both dips were delicious, but we both preferred the sweet chili jam as it had a bit more zip. Nancy and I both rate this 5/5.

For our entrees, we both chose the same thing.

Three Times a Boxty: Sliced gammon topped with Dubliner cheddar sandwiched between two pan seared boxty potato cakes and topped with a fried egg.

Boxty is an Irish version of a potato pancake. There's an old Irish rhyme that goes "Boxty on the griddle, boxty in the pan. If you can't make boxty, you'll never get a man." Seriously though, this was really good, although it would have been great if the egg had not been overcooked. It was cooked well, so the yoke was hard. If the yolk had been soft, it would have added a level of richness and complexity to the dish that would have put it over the top. It was still very good, but I was a bit disappointed about that. Nancy's egg was also hard. This is a huge portion and I felt a bit overwhelmed by potato, lol. There were two large boxtys, plus a side of fries. Nancy and I could have split this and still would have had more than enough food. We give it 3.5/5. It lost points because the eggs were not properly cooked when we had specifically requested soft yolks. Maybe I'm being a bit too critical, but I think if you're going to serve breakfast foods, you should know how to cook them.

On to dessert ... yes, dessert. Because we still weren't comatose yet.

We decided to share a couple of things:

Moore Street Market: fresh fruit served with natural yogurt and honey drizzle.

We were seriously craving something a bit healthier and this really fit the bill! The fruit was outstanding, perfectly sweet, ripe and the yogurt with the honey was seriously delicious. Here's a close up:

We loved it and almost cleaned the plate. 5/5

Then we had to go and ruin our healthy streak by also ordering this:

Ger's Bread and Butter Pudding: served with crème anglaise and warm butterscotch sauce.

Raglan Road is famous for this dessert and rightly so, because it's seriously addictive! I'm not a big fan of bread pudding generally, but this stuff is amazing. We scooped it out onto the dish and poured the two sauces over it. Heaven! We were too full to make much of a dent in it because it's a huge portion, but it's just too good to pass up. If you decide to try it, make sure you bring an appetite ... and a friend! 5/5

Overall, Raglan Road Sunday Brunch gets a solid 4/5 from both Nancy and I. We enjoyed every aspect of this experience. They have entertainment during the brunch period in the form of an Irish band and step dancers. The atmosphere isn't nearly as loud or chaotic as it is during dinner, so it was a bit more relaxing. Our server was wonderful and on top of everything, despite having a number of tables to look after which included one very large party. We left happy and sure that we will return again!

Next up: Dinner at Citricos.​

 

[englishrose47]

Great Reviews , I have to agree with the Fired Wontons and pineapple dessert at Y & Y, it was delish when I had it . Those ribs looked pretty good too, I have to give it another try sometime !!

 

[englishrose47]

Now Raglan Road is my MUST do every trip !!! I absolutely love the place !!! Have never had a bad meal or service there !! My favorite dessert there is the Raspberry Pavlova !! I have tried so many dishes and all have been great !! I had the Ham Scnitzel last time and it was SOOOOO huge I couldn't eat half of it !!!