~We seldom report of having eaten too little~ Updated 07/14 - Jiko!

[TinkerBelle_325]

Weird question for ya...How do you think the Spicy Kazan would be in that new paper? I had planned to ask and see if they could use that instead of the regular.

Oh my goodness! It is too funny that you would ask that because we ordered our Spicy Kazan with the new paper!! My parents hate traditional nori so they wanted to try the spicy kazan with the white nori.

It tasted great! I didn't notice any major difference in taste from the spicy kazan made with traditional nori. The only real difference is texture as the white nori is a bit less chewy.

 

[livinlife25]

Oh my goodness! It is too funny that you would ask that because we ordered our Spicy Kazan with the new paper!! My parents hate traditional nori so they wanted to try the spicy kazan with the white nori.

It tasted great! I didn't notice any major difference in taste from the spicy kazan made with traditional nori. The only real difference is texture as the white nori is a bit less chewy.

Oh my gosh that is crazy! Thank you so much, I had wondered if they would even let me do it.

 

[PrincessBetsy]

It's always hard to leave Disney, but I'm lucky enough to be returning in 4 months. And the most exciting part is that it is for my best friend (Belle_373's) wedding!!

Wow, that's so exciting!! I'm sure you will have an amazing time! Is she getting married right there at WDW?

Also, your meal at California Grill looks simily divine. I would love love love to go here someday! Every time I read your reviews I always seem to find a restaurant I want to go to. I feel like I need the Deluxe Dining Plan, haha!

 

[lizzyb]

Great review of CG! I have read a few of your review from there and you convinced me to try that on our next trip. We will have a evening sans kids and thats where we are going

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

I'm back...​

...and I'm sooo sorry that I haven't updated until now! I have been sick for the past week and a half and it has taken all my energy just to drag myself into work each day.

Today is the first day that I'm feeling semi-normal again! And good thing too, my best friend and I are going to see the Backstreet Boys and the New Kids on the Block in concert on Thursday night!!!

You see, she and I have been Backstreet Boys fans since we were 12 (1997). We have been to 10 concerts together and our dream is finally coming true.....we get to MEET the Backstreet Boys on Thursday at the VIP Soundcheck party!

Anyways, I have been killing myself at work the past two days because I have Thursday and Friday off.

As a result, I have finished up the majority of my projects for the week and can finally take the time to update here!

Liberty Tree Tavern - May 18th​

Our traditional lunch at the Magic Kingdom is Liberty Tree Tavern. We adore the atmosphere, the detailing and most of all...the food! Typically, we share an appetizer or two and proceed to one of Liberty Tree's gigantic entrees. However, as this was the beginning of our trip, and we had not yet adjusted to "Disney food" as my friend Jaclyn (Belle_373) and I call it, we were not prepared to stuff ourselves quite so much. You see, I've noticed that as our trips progress, and as we adjust to larger portions and snacking more frequently than we would at home, that we become more comfortable with large meals.

We also wanted to see if we would enjoy our entrees more having not filled up on appetizers. This isn't to say that Liberty Tree's appetizers aren't good. In fact, we returned for a 2nd lunch towards the end of our trip and devoured the Tavern Fried Cheese quite happily

Our reservation was for 11:30, and we checked in about 15 minutes early. Much to my surprise, the Cast Member at the check-in desk asked if our family would like to open Liberty Tree Tavern for the day! I accepted immediately. How cool!

So at 11:30, we were escorted to the top of the stairs leading towards the Betsy Ross room. We were given this massive bell and I was instructed to ring it three times and proclaim "Here ye, Here ye, Let Freedom Ring!" or something like that and then the Tavern was open for lunch.

It was a very cute and magical moment!

Once we were seated we didn't even need to look at the menus. DDad and I had coke to drink and DMom had Pomegranate Lemonade, and we ordered three Pilgrim's Feasts!

You just can't go wrong with this meal. It is familiar and comforting, but entirely different from our family's thanksgiving meal! You see, we do a brown gravy and a sage & onion stuffing, so to have poultry gravy and cornbread stuffing is a treat!

Our plan of not ordering appetizers definitely helped us to enjoy this meal more. I even came close to finishing, which I never ever do!

We enjoyed this meal so much that we returned for lunch later in the week

Raglan Road - May 20th​

The evening of May 20th, we had decided to go and see Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides at the recently opened AMC Dine In Theater.

For those unfamiliar with AMC Dine In, the concept is that you pay a bit more per ticket to receive perks such as reserved seating, in recliner style chais. In front of each chair is a table, with a call button. You are assigned a server and they will bring you soda, popcorn and a wide range of bar food items that are available. You can also order alcoholic beverages!

The issue was that we didn't really want to eat dinner in the theater! So instead, we had dinner at Raglan Road and figured we would just have the server bring us traditional movie snacks, but still try out the new concept!

We arrived at Raglan at 8pm and it was BUSY! We requested a table in the main room and were told that we might have a slightly longer wait. We were fine with that as the movie wasn't starting until 10:30.

After about 15 minutes our pager went off. We were escorted into the restaurant, right past an open table in the main room and into one of the side rooms. We politely stopped the hostess and requested that she reconfirm with her manager as we had requested the main room.

When she returned, they tried to place us in another side room. Once again, we politely pointed out that there was an open table in the main room.

The manager came over and explained that we would have to wait another 15 minutes for a table in the main room. At this point, we were getting a bit irritated. We could see the available table. Clearly it had not been assigned to anyone else because we stood within sight of it for 10 minutes as the hostess and the manager discussed where to put us.

A friend of ours owns a restaurant and one of his rules, a very smart one, is that you never walk a customer past a good table to seat them at a bad table

Another 5 minutes and we were given the empty table that we had pointed out 15 minutes ago Ah well, lets have some beer and enjoy ourselves!

Our server was fantastic! She was funny and personable and very prompt.

We ordered two custom flights of beer. Each came with four choices so we went for:
Blonde Ale
Pale Ale
Orange Blossom (local)
Sam Adam's Seasonal
Karlsberg
Harp
Smithwicks
and of course...
Guinness!

I have pictures of the flights, but as they are on my iphone and I haven't uploaded them to photo bucket yet, I'll have to add them later.

My favorites were the Orange Blossom and the Sam Adam's Seasonal!

Our server brought us Irish Soda Bread with Guinness Reduction to dip it in.

We must have gotten a batch straight out of the oven because this was BY FAR the best soda bread we have had a Raglan Road. We often find it too hard or too doughy. This was perfectly baked, still warm and pleasantly dense.

We saw a steak go out with these amazing looking onion strings on top, so when we saw onion rings as a side order we figured they would be the same thing...

WRONG. These were...ok. They weren't what we were expecting, so they were bound to be a bit of a let down.

Now, were quite boring when it came to entrees. We all ordered Sod the Stew with a side of mash.

We were of different opinion on the stew this time. DDad thought it has been better in the past, whereas DMom & I preferred it this time. There was tons of meat, it was tender and pulled apart with a fork. There weren't too many carrots or potatoes, but I prefer my stews to have more meat. My only complaint is that I prefer a more thickened broth, but regardless, we all licked our plates...err....our little cast iron pots...clean!

We passed on dessert, but not without hesitation. The bread and butter pudding is to die for, but we had a movie to see and snacks to be consumed, so off we went.

We will most definitely return to Raglan Road on upcoming trips. It is a fun environment with solid food.

 

[Shleedogg]

Loving your reviews, looking forward to hearing about your AMC experience, it sounds like fun! Glad to hear you liked the stew at RR, I think that's what DH will be ordering when we go there. I'm dying to try the bread pudding.

I'm very jealous that you're going to the NKOTB & BB concert! I'm 2 yrs older than you and was a huge NKOTB fan in the late 80s, early 90s. I also liked BB, but not as much as NKOTB. It seemed like all my friends were going to the concert in Buffalo last week (I think it was last week). While thrilled to have a new little one, I was bummed that I wouldn't be able to go to the concert. My first serious crush was on Joey. He was such a dreamboat.

Have fun!!!

 

[sahm2two]

we ate at Liberty Tree Tavern on this trip for dinner and it's SOOOO good!!!! It's one that DH and I agreed we'd go back to next trip.

 

[PrincessBetsy]

First off, I'm glad you are feeling better! And to finishing work projects.

OH MY GOSH! I can't believe you are going to meet the Backstreet Boys!!!! That's so very exciting! I'm sure that is going to be epic indeed. Please tell us all about it when you return!

Now onto the reviews! I absolutely love LTT. We make sure to eat here every trip and we are never disappointed. The Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake is so good! Also, so awesome that you got to open it for the day! Quite the magical moment indeed!

Ah, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides... such a good decision

 

[lizzyb]

I am a huge BSB fan also! You are soo lucky!

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Mmmmmm....we LOVE LTT!

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

I'm back...again...​

Once again, I'm so sorry that life has pulled me away from my review. Nevertheless, I am determined to finish it!

For anyone interested, my best friend and I met the Backstreet Boys on June 9th and it was absolutely beyond our expectations. They are all very friendly and appreciative of their fans.

In fact, we loved the experience (and the concert) so much that we are meeting them AGAIN on August 6th.

Anyways, back on topic.

My next WDW vacation is a mere 79 days away and I won't allow myself to post a Pre-Dining Review before I finish this one!

So without much further adieu...

Jiko - May 23rd​

Jiko is one of my favorite restaurants at Walt Disney World. I think it is a combination of the decor/ambiance and the food which is a mix of familiar dishes with subtle exotic touches.

We arrived at the Animal Kingdom Lodge early, and I am a bit ashamed to say this is the very first time that we have seen AKL in the daylight!! Our Jiko reservations have always been later in the evening. We were delighted as we wandered out to the pool area. We are actually quite tempted to stay here in May 2012.

The Lobby

We checked in at the podium and requested a table by the window. After a brief wait in the adjacent bar area our pager went off and we were escorted to a lovely table by the windows. This particular table is my favorite in the whole restaurant as you can see out the window, back to the sunset wall and across to the cooking place

Much to our surprise we were greeted by a server we have had previously at Jiko, Dawn. She is attentive, likes to joke a bit and paces the meal perfectly. She also makes outstanding wine suggestions.

Place Setting

DMom & DDad selected a bottle of wine. I believe it is a Rudi Schultz Shiraz or Syrah. They adore this wine and sadly we cannot get it in Canada.

I had a glass of Riesling. It was crisp, acidic and had mild apple & pear notes.

Shortly after our drink orders were placed, Dawn dropped off some of Jiko's sinfully good bread. The bread itself is light and airy with a delicate texture and subtle sweet wheat flavor. It pairs perfectly with what I believe is the best butter on the face of the earth: Tandoori Butter.

I would kill to know the exact blend of spices. This butter is spicey (in a flavourful way as opposed to adding heat), warming, tangy and sweet. There is definitely cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg etc... but I can't get the blend and the combination right.

The bread was so good that we asked for more midway through the meal! Funny side story: The last time I went to Jiko it was just my best friend and I. Well, I brought my parents back an order of this bread and butter and you'd have thought I brought them foie gras and caviar

We shared three appetizers to start:

Grilled Wild Boar Tenderloin - with Mealie Pap, Chakalaka, White Truffle Oil and Micro Cilantro

WOW! This was delicious. The boar was very tender and not gamey at all. It was like a very intense pork flavor with some richer fattier undertones. Maelie Pap is a variation on a polenta and Chakalaka is similar to a spicy Ratatouille.

Close up of Wild Boar

Next up was:

Crispy Beef "Bobotie" Roll - with Cucumber Raita, Green Mango Atjar, and Honey-roasted Groundnuts

So good! Bobotie is a spiced meat and in this case it was wrapped in what resembled spring rolls but the wrappers were thicker and sturdier than your typical spring roll wrapper. The tender meat is spiced to perfection and the slight heat is cooled by the cucumber raita and balanced by the sweet and tart mango atjar. The groundnuts add a lovely crunch and are quite similar to peanuts.

Lastly we have:

A wonderful cheese selection.

Unfortunately I don't have my cheese menu handy. I will come back and update this later tonight.

For entrees, DMom had:

Sikhumbuzo's Peri Peri Chicken - with Herb-Crushed Potatoes, French Beans, Mango Sambal, and Onion Jus

Dawn explained that Sikhumbuzo is one of the chefs from Africa, and that this dish was the winner of a contest amongst the chefs. DMom loved it and said it took chicken to a whole new level.

DDad & I each had:

Braised Beef Short Rib - Truffled Potato Puree, Pearl Onions, Baby Carrots, and Cabernet-Tamarind Sauce

Holy mother of god! This may be the best beef dish I have ever tasted. Now, I am partial to braised beef so that could be influencing my opinion. This was gloriously rich and the tamarind added an unexpected sweetness to the red wine reduction. The sweetness of the carrots and onion paired well with the rich cut of beef and the star was the julienne of green apple. So unexpected and so perfect.

After dinner, Dawn twisted our arm into ordering three desserts

We started with cappuccinos for DMom & DDad and Vanilla Rooibos Tea for me. I am not a big tea drinker but this was delicious. It was soothing and sweet and warm after a large, heavy meal. I have to make a mental note to order it at the Garden View Tea in October.

My dessert selection was:

Coffee & Chocolate - Tanzanian Chocolate Mocha Mousse with a Hazelnut Crunch Base, Hot Chocolate sauce and ganache sugar cubes.

Isn't that the most adorable dessert you've ever seen?? They even have little chocolate details that look like steam rising out of the coffee!

It was sensationally good too! The mousse was rich with a slight hint of bitterness, the crunch base provided texture, the white & milk chocolate ganache sugar cubes added lightness and the sauce was so good I wanted to lick the plate clean

Close up

DMom's selection was:

Cheesecake, Caramel and Toffee Creamy Madagascar Vanilla Cheesecake with Salted Caramel, Macadamia-Almond Toffee, Whipped Cream, and Chocolate-covered Coffee Beans

This was the lightest and most wonderful cheesecake. It wasn't dense and heavy like a New York style (which is fantastic in its own right). The salted caramel played well off the savoury notes in the cheesecake and the toffee....oh the toffee. We practically fought over it! In fact, Dawn noticed how much we enjoyed it and brought us this:

Lastly, DDad's selection was:

Amarula Crème Brûlée with a Spiced Chocolate-layered Bottom, and White Chocolate, Cranberry, and Pistachio Biscotti

This was a very well executed creme brulee. Often I find that the sugar crust isn't thick enough. We likened this to a new take on the pairing of orange and chocolate as amurula liqueur has a fruity almost orange-like flavor and the addition of the chocolate bottom really made this creme brulee unique.

Just as we were ready to be rolled out the door after consuming far more food than we typically would, Dawn brought these:

They were a delicate butter cookie topped with shavings of dark chocolate. Delicious, but anything else and I would have exploded at that point.

We adored Jiko this trip and are eagerly awaiting our return. We decided to have dinner at Jiko on Oct 3rd. You see, my best friend is having her Disney Fairytale Wedding at WDW on Oct 3rd (Ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion and the a brunch reception at the Boardwalk). My parents thought a dinner at Jiko would be a lovely way for me to decompress after my exciting day.

 

[Disneyshosh]

Love the reviews and the Ratatouille rating system!!

 

[John's Mom]

Great reviews!

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Sounds like Jiko was a great meal!

It is #1 on my list of Signatures to try!

 

[franandaj]

I think I've been in all your other reviews since I joined the DIS, I can't believe I'm so late to this party!

I love the way you all dine, no Dining Plan, just order what you want, that's exactly how we do it too and as far as I'm concerned the only way to go. That way no one is dictating how many appetizers, entrees and desserts you can have, you just order what you want.

I was so glad to see your Via Napoli Review. We had already decided on it for next May but your pics totally cemented our choices. Who knows what we will get, but it will certainly include at least one pizza and possibly that yummy looking candle pasta!

I can't wait to get back to CG in November when we are WL. I think we had Ron the last time we were there and he was awesome! I totally understand why you waited for him. Looking forward to the rest of your review and you will be there a couple weeks before us so I will be happy to hear your reviews of anything you might do that I plan on enjoying.

Do you mind if I steal some of your pictures from the Grand Mariner tasting for my PTR? I'm really hoping that we get into that event, in fact it is the one that I am most hoping that I can secure come August 16 and the booking date!

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

With only 72 days until my next WDW vacation, I have started a Pre-Trip Report (yup, I'm going to do BOTH a trip report AND a dining report this time )

Here is the link for anyone interested:

Adventure is out there! A Food & Wine Festival, Poly CL, DFTW Pre-Trip Report Oct 1-9

This will be my last post in this review but fear not! A new review has been started and is located here:

~If you are what you eat, then I only want to eat the good stuff~ F&W 2011 LIVE Oct 1-9

ESPN Club - May 21st​

This wasn't exactly my choice. Don't get me wrong, sports bars are fine, but not exactly exciting to me when I'm surrounded by other Disney dining options. But, as DDad indulges me in EVERY OTHER restaurant I want, we went to ESPN for him

We started off with some nice cold drinks:

Samuel Adams Imperial White for DMom & DDad and a Margarita for me

I love the Samuel Adams booth at the F&W festival because I like beer but can never finish a full glass. So those tiny 6oz ones are perfect for me! I had a sip and this was a lovely summery beer. My margarita was good, but not great. I've had better ones by the pool to be honest.

DMom had the Turkey Sandwich. If I recall it was on seven grain bread with a cranberry mayo? She loved it!

DDad and I each had the Pulled Pork Sandwich. This was very tasty, but WAY too big for me. I barely got through half. I also prefer Flame Tree BBQ's sauce

Overall, ESPN was good. Satisfying but nothing super special.

Chefs de France - May 22nd​

As I have mentioned, Chefs is the ultimate comfort food place for my family. On this hot sunday afternoon nothing was better than a yummy french lunch.

We each had the French Menu, which was $23 each? Something like that. It is also VERY french! Every cafe we went to in Paris had a prix fixe menu at lunch.

We all started with the French Onion Soup. No matter how hot it is outside I just can' resist this soup.

This baguette really is quite close to a real french one. We gobbled it up in no time.

DMom had the Quiche Lorraine with Green Salad. She said it was delicious.

DDad and I each had the Croque Monsieur with Green Salad. I am a croque monsieur aficionado as it was what I had for lunch nearly every day in France. This is a good attempt, but the bread is a bit too thick and it is WAY larger than the average size you would get in europe.

DMom had the Creme Brulee for dessert. We were shocked...they actually bruleed the top properly! The last time we had creme brulee at Chefs de France is was....well just creme! LOL They were very stingy with the bruleed top previously, so this was a nice surprise.

DDad and I each had the Profiteroles au Chocolat for dessert (which I can't find the picture of). As always, a lovely end to a meal at Chefs.

Liberty Tree Tavern - May 24th​

Earlier in the week we had lunch with our CM friend and when we mentioned Liberty Tree she said "Mmmm...pot roast!" to which we all went "Pot roast?"

You see, Liberty Tree is "Mmmm...turkey!" to us, so we had never really looked beyond that. Being the curious foodies that we are, we had to try it out!

We also gave in to temptation and had the Tavern Fried Cheese. You seriously can't go wrong with fried cheese lol.

OMG...the Pot Roast...IS...AMAZING! This may be my new favorite item at Liberty Tree Tavern. It is so rich and so delicious that I'll be hard pressed not to order it in place of the turkey!

Well, this brings us to the end of my May Dining review, but fear not, my Food & Wine Festival review is only 72 days away!

If you want to hop over to that thread, it is located right here:

~If you are what you eat, then I only want to eat the good stuff~ F&W LIVE Oct 1-9

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Hi!

Thanks for reading again

We really can't imagine dining any other way. By picking and choosing regardless of appetizer or entree we get the benefit of trying everything we want, but not being so uncomfortably full that you can't enjoy your meal.

We have had generally good experiences with Via Napoli and our last experience was particularly good! My one piece of advice would be this: if you order two different pizzas ask the server to deliver one as a first course and the other as a second course. Those pizzas are meant to be eaten instantly and the crust can get a little soggy if you try to sample two pizzas at once.

We love CG and Ron is fantastic. He is well worth the wait!

Of course you can use my pictures! feel free to take any that you'd like.

I think I've been in all your other reviews since I joined the DIS, I can't believe I'm so late to this party!

I love the way you all dine, no Dining Plan, just order what you want, that's exactly how we do it too and as far as I'm concerned the only way to go. That way no one is dictating how many appetizers, entrees and desserts you can have, you just order what you want.

I was so glad to see your Via Napoli Review. We had already decided on it for next May but your pics totally cemented our choices. Who knows what we will get, but it will certainly include at least one pizza and possibly that yummy looking candle pasta!

I can't wait to get back to CG in November when we are WL. I think we had Ron the last time we were there and he was awesome! I totally understand why you waited for him. Looking forward to the rest of your review and you will be there a couple weeks before us so I will be happy to hear your reviews of anything you might do that I plan on enjoying.

Do you mind if I steal some of your pictures from the Grand Mariner tasting for my PTR? I'm really hoping that we get into that event, in fact it is the one that I am most hoping that I can secure come August 16 and the booking date!

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Wow! Everything looks so delicious! I LOVE Les Chefs but I've never been to LTT for lunch, only dinner. I really want to try it!

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Mmmmmm.... All that food looks wonderful!!! I love LTT for lunch. I will have to check out the pot roast next time, as my family always associates LTT with turkey too!

I'm sad this report is over, but I will definitely be checking out your other one!