Treats from The Ganachery

by Gaylin

One of the shops I was most looking forward to going to at Disney Springs was The Ganachery. I love well made chocolates and this shop has quickly gotten a reputation for having very good chocolate!

My first visit, I bought a small box of 6 chocolates. It was first thing in the morning and it also was a hot day. You can leave your chocolates in the shop, they put a tag with your name on the bag and you can pick it up on your way to the bus stop!

I chose 6 dark chocolates, since dark is my favourite! I saved them, waited until I really wanted a treat and had 2 chocolates, 3 days in a row. Isn't the packaging lovely! And that wee box, has a magnet in the flap so the box stays shut.

First up is the mint chocolate, this turned out to be my favourite. Good mint flavour with a touch of spearmint! Wonderful.

Second up was the Egyptian Sea Salt. This was good but it would turn out to be my third favourite.

Next . . . dark chocolate ganache. This was my second favourite, smooth, silky a lovely piece of chocolate.

I was a tiny bit disappointed in the Chipotle Pepper, it tasted good but had very little heat. If I buy a spiced chocolate, I do expect a bit of a kick.

I was sure this raspberry chocolate would have a real burst of berry flavour, with the freeze dried raspberry on top. Again, the flavour was quite mild. Good but mild.

Finally, the Orange. I enjoyed this but yet again, wanted a bigger burst of orange flavour. I would buy any of these again. Don't get me wrong, none of these is getting a bad review, just need a bit more flavour.

I was back at Disney Springs on my last morning at Walt Disney World. Of course, I went to The Ganachery. I picked up this little beauty to bring home. It is a dark chocolate salted caramel pop. I can't recommend this enough!!! Soft, smooth caramel with just a hint of salt, wrapped in good dark chocolate. I managed to get this home intact, not even a crack in the chocolate. I was going to make myself eat it 1/3 at a time (over 3 days). After I got that first taste, it was all gone that first day. I would definitely recommend this as a treat. Seriously. Good.

Disney Sweet Things – Animal Kingdom

by Gaylin

It is safe to say that I love chocolate, not just any chocolate, mind you – I love good, high quality chocolate. You can call me a chocolate snob, I won't mind.

I missed the opening of the Harambe Market area when I was at Walt Disney World in 2015 but I had heard of Zuri's Sweets and wasn't going to miss it this time. Especially since they had a chocolate that was calling out to me.

My first theme park visit, during this trip was to the Animal Kingdom. I admit, I zeroed in on Zuri's Sweets and had a great chat with the cast member. It was a hot day, I didn't want to carry chocolate in my backpack all day, she promised there would be lots available later in the day. (yes I know this is a bad photo of the shop but the only one I have)

What am I talking about? Dark chocolate chilli flavoured Mickey Mouse head!!! I bought 2 at the end of the day but didn't try them yet.

When I met up with Nick and Barbie later that week, I gifted a chocolate to Barbie. When we met at the Animal Kingdom the next day, it was reported to me that the chocolate was a big hit. Enough of a hit that Barbie bought another one for us to share. And she was right!

This is a good dark chocolate, nice snap when you bite it and the chilli isn't evident at first melt. Once the chocolate has really hit your palate, the heat shows up and stays. A very good treat, one I will definitely had again. In fact, I brought 3 of them home with me. Along with one of the milk chocolate Mickey heads for comparison. It has banana crisps in it.

The milk chocolate one is nothing special, no banana taste in evidence but if you like milk chocolate, go for it!

Both treats are worth one snack credit each. I do recommend the dark chocolate more than the milk but if you are not a spiced chocolate fan, the milk will do just fine! At 3 inches across, these are a good size of a treat for the price.

Jingle Smells : Series 1

In 2011 the Disney Store released a Vinlymation set that really stinks.

Vinylmation: Jingle Smells Series 1 comes in 4 designs, each with it's own special aroma. And these Vinyls double as ornaments if you are so inclined!

Gingerbread



Peppermint




Chocolate



This was the only one that really caught my fancy at first, for the figure design more for the scent, marshmallow.
The packaging is beautiful, and even comes with a little scratch and sniff patch.









I've since picked up Chocolate, and got him at the Columbus Flea Market.

I need a snack. For some reason I'm in the mood for S'mores.

Citricos at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort

by: Nick

On our recent trip to Walt Disney World, Barbie and I had a lovely evening at Citricos at Disney's Grand Floridian with a group of new friends.

 Me, Barbie, Betsy, F.D., Blake, and Kim

Citricos is located on the second floor of the Grand, next to Victoria & Albert's.

A very nice bar is immediately to the left as you enter.

The kitchen is open and lovely to behold.

 Hidden Mickey?

The beautiful dining room. While this is a large upscale space, it manages to feel warm and cozy.

We didn't even realize we'd have a terrific view of Wishes, but...

On to dinner.

For an appetizer, I had the Lamb Albondiga. a lamb meatball cooked in curry tomato sauce over herb polenta with crumble Feta.

Unlike some meatballs which can be very dense, this was a light, flavorful start.

F.D. had the Sauteed Shrimp with lemon, white wine, tomatoes and Feta, which she said was delicious.

For our main courses F.D. had the Hardwood Grilled Bronzini, which is citrus marinated whole marinated sea bass, Israeli Couscous, herbed chick peas and cucumber relish, which she said was light and flaky, and she loved it.

Kim and Blake both had the Oak-grilled Filet of Beef with hominy-cheddar-potatoe puree, balsamic caramalized onions, peppadew peppers, arugala greens, and Cabernet demi-glace, which they both described as very good, though Blake thought the steak at Jiko at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge was better.

I had the Berkshire Pork Two Ways, which is Sumac rubbed tenderloin and slow braised belly accompanied by a shishito and and sunchoke hash with natural reduction.  

I'm going to admit, I have no idea what shishito and and sunchoke hash is, but I love pork. But I'm sorry to say, I thought this dish was somewhat uneven. I felt the tenderloin was somewhat lacking in flavor, though Barbie thought it was juicy and tasty. As for the pork belly, one piece was a bit dry and chewy, while the other piece was much more tender and savory.

Barbie liked my meal more than mine, which is good, because I preferred her Madeira Braised Short Ribs, Strozzapreti pasta with hand harvested mushroom ragout and Piccante Gorgonzola. This was much more flavorful than my selection, the short ribs moist, and the pasta perfectly cooked, and I would absolutely order this on a future visit.

I'll let our friend Betsy tell you her dining experience in her own words:

"This was my first time eating at Citricos. I have food allergies and the Chef came out to chat with me. We discussed several options. I chose the Pan Seared Florida Black Grouper with Butternut Squash Risotto, Tuscan Kale, Blue Crab Cream and Black Sturgeon Caviar. The Chef replaced the Blue Crab Cream with a Lemon sauce to fit my needs. The grouper was a nice size and cooked well. The lemon sauce was light and worked well with the risotto, kale and caviar."

Betsy goes on to describe her dessert.

"For dessert I chose the Granny Smith Green Apple Sorbet. This was something new for me. I love Granny Smith Apples and that is exactly what it tasted like. Everything was light enough I wasn’t left feeling overstuffed after the meal."

Barbie had the Lemon Scented Cheesecake. She would have preferred it to be more lemony, but she loved the overall combination of flavors.

The rest of the group had the Warm Chocolate-Banana Torte with vanilla ice cream and hancrafted Belgian couverture chocolate crown.

 

Was it as awesome as it looks? Yes! 

I love bananas. And, well, love isn't a strong enough word to describe how I feel about chocolate. I would return to Citricos JUST for this.

Overall, this meal was made by the combination of good food and better company. It isn't on my future must do list, but I would not hesitate to return if joining others, and would recommend it if you are looking for a lovely, but pricey, dining experience.

Ghirardelli at Epcot's International Food and Wine Festival Center

By:Nick

There are some sweet creations and free chocolate samples to be had at Epcot's International Food and Wine Festival Center.

The Chocolate Experience: From Bean to the Bar is presented by Ghirardelli Chocolate.

Here you can find the history of Ghirardelli...

...learn about how chocolate is made...

...and DRINK chocolate! No, it's not like drinking a hot chocolate. This is "Drinking Chocolate", and it is like sipping on an amazing chocolate bar! You can also buy wine, but I was just there for  the chocolate!

You can also buy chocolate bars of course.

Bags of the little sample sizes.

Build your own tin with whatever flavor you'd like.

There are even artistic creations created with the sweets on display.

 

If you look closely, you may spot a couple of hidden Mickey's in the display below.
 

For last years chocolate art creations, please check out this great article from our friend Gaylin. And did I mention the free samples? It's worth stopping by this wonderful spot if just for that!