Tiffins, a Wonderful Meal

by Gaylin

One of the great things to do on a vacation, is have a special meal. I was able to get an ADR at Tiffins for my first day at the Animal Kingdom and had a long time from booking the reservation to the actual meal to look forward to eating there.

I was not let down! The restaurant is lovely, the cast members terrific and the food!!! As I sat down, I was handed an official, leather-bound allergy menu. I was thrilled, I had a choice of entrees.

I chose this:

Excuse the fact that I have taken a forkful from this photo but I was very hungry and took  a bite before I took a photo . . .

The pork was perfectly cooked and wonderfully seasoned, by the time I was finished, I had used the bites of pork to wipe all the mole sauce off the plate. So very good. This was the first tamale I had ever had, the flavour was really good but it needed a bit more seasoning or a bit of some sauce inside it to bring out the flavour. There was pork in the tamale but it was lacking in salt. The hominy succotash, another first for me, was also flavourful but needed just a bit more something to round out the taste. Minor problems, believe me, I ate it all!

Again, I was thrilled that I had more than one choice for dessert. With food allergies, I am used to getting told, I am sorry - we having nothing you can eat . . . would you like ice cream. (No)

This was my dessert:

I made the right choice, see . . .

This dessert was the perfect balance of sweet, with the ganache and banana, tart, with the raspberry sauce and pomegranate seeds and savoury - Egyptian sea salt on the ganache. The cocoa nib tulle - slightly bitter and a great crunch. This is possibly the best dessert I have had in my life. 

Would I go back to Tiffins. Yes, absolutely.

Not just wonderful food. The decor in the restaurant is beautiful and after a hectic theme park day, lovely and quiet as well. As I was eating my meal and reading on my Kindle, the manager of the restaurant came by, after asking if I was enjoying my meal, he mentioned that the restaurant wasn't busy that night and if I wanted, I could stay and read as long as I wanted to. My kind of restaurant.

If you are thinking of going to Tiffins, please look at the menu online and pay attention to the prices. This is not a restaurant to go to if you are on a budget. A definite splurge. Hopefully, it is a splurge I can afford every time I go to Walt Disney World!

Best Walt Disney World Dining Day

By Nick

Recently, my friend Dave Tupper suggested a show topic for The Disney Exchange Podcast, which I co-host with Lisa Green and Dave Hodges.

"Best Disney Dining Day"

There were some rules: Stay on property. No budget. All food from waking up to bed time. It has to be possible, the time between establishments has to make sense.

Okay. That seemed easy, but when I started to think about it... not as simple as I originally thought!

I decided breakfast would be at a resort I love, which is The Wilderness Lodge, at a restaurant I know has a pretty terrific breakfast, Whispering Canyon. The All-You-Care-to-Enjoy Breakfast Skillet consists of Scrambled Eggs, Western Home Fries, Bacon, Sausage, Waffles, Buttermilk Biscuits, and Sausage Gravy for $17. Coffee, well, couldn't find the price. With that, tax and tip, let's call this meal $27.

I'm going to get a boat over to the Magic Kingdom and waddle around the park digesting the large breakfast before having lunch at Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen.

I'm starting with House-made Arepas, "a trip down the Amazon with Slow-cooked Beef, Black Beans, Tostones, and Queso Fresco" for $9.50, followed by the Grilled Lamb Chops seasoned with a North African Berber Spice Blend served with Green Lentil Stew for $25. For my drink, I'm going to have a Coca Cola product from Brazil which I know to be tasty called Guarana Kuat. Like the coffee at breakfast, the price is elusive. Let's say it's $4 since it's exotic.
 For dessert I'm going with the Kungaloosh! Fans of the late great Adventurers Club at the also late great Pleasure Island will get the reference. The Kungaloosh! is an African-inspired Chocolate Cake with Caramelized Bananas served with Cashew-Caramel Ice Cream topped with Coffee Dust. $8.00.
And a coffee, why not. With tax and tip, $60.
Please don't check the math. I'm really bad at math.

So, I clearly need to walk this off, so I'm going to lap the Magic Kingdom before hopping the monorail to Epcot. I'll take a walk through World Showcase, stopping at the United Kingdom Pavilion on the way for a refreshing Innis & Gunn Draft for $9.75.

I'm continuing on through the International Gateway and heading for dinner at a restaurant I've never eaten at, but always wanted to try, Yachtsman Steakhouse at the Yacht Club.
Starting with the Artisanal Cheeses, $15, and a Scotch. What Scotch? Not sure what they have, but it's a good one, so $27.
My 10oz Black Angus Filet Mignon with Mashed Potatoes and Cabernet Wine Sauce is $54, and I will need another $27 Scotch to go with. And a side of Sauteed Mushrooms please. $9.
Desert. I just couldn't. Okay. I'll look. The Yachtsman Sundae, Trio of Gelato and Amarena Cherries sounds great though, soooo, why not?! $10. And a water. Tax and tip, and, $190.

Wow. Please charge that to Dave Tupper. Thank you.

To hear me, Lisa Green and Dave Hodges discuss this topic in full detail, please check out Episode 70 of The Disney Exchange.

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.

Napa Rose at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel

Last Friday I shared an excellent dining experience at the Carthay Circle Restaurant in Disney California Adventure. Today I'd like to share what was arguably an even better meal at Napa Rose at the Disneyland Resort.

I say arguably because our dining party, consisting of Barbie, her cousin Jill, Jill's husband Zach and me, literally couldn't agree on which meal was superior.

Let's look at this lovely establishment located at the equally beautiful Disney Grand Californian Hotel. As you enter, there is a lounge to the right.

 The dining room is warm and inviting, featuring an open kitchen.

 

 Barbie

There is a great wine selection, and Jill and Zach picked an excellent bottle for the table, Foxen Pinot Noir 2010.

For an appetizer, I had the Crepe Filled with Duck Confit and Swiss Chard, Carrot Puree and Pinot Noir Essence, $17.

Barbie had the Bellwether Farms Ricotta "Malfatti" Dumplings, Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Tuscan Kale and Blood Orange Vinaigrette.

Zach had the Slowly Braised Kobe Beef Cheeks, with Parsnip Ravioli and Cabernet Broth.

All of us loved our appetizers. As I was in a ducky mood, I continued with that theme with my even more wonderful entree, the Cedar Roasted Maple Leaf Duck Breast, Truffle Pumpkin Puree, Tree Mushrooms and Brown Butter Vinaigrette.

Barbie and Zach had the  Sauteed Sustainable Fish of the Day - Roasted Golden Cauliflower Couscous and Cranberry-Walnut Pesto, the fish that evening was Swordfish. This was Barbie's favorite dish of the entire trip, and that is saying something!

Zach also ordered the Truffled "Mac & Cheese" Orecchiette Pasta, with Parmigiano-Reggiano, which was delicious, which he was kind enough to share, and it was delicious.

Jill had the Herb Roasted Colorado Rack of Lamb, Jalapeno Cheddar Pop-over, Roasted Root Vegetables and Sangiovese Jus.

This was all outstanding. And I thought, "How could it get better?" Then, came the desserts!

Our Signature "Best Ever Hot Chocolate", Rich Scharffen Berger and Valrhona Manjari Chocolates with Fresh Doughnuts. They even wrote Happy Anniversary on it, as Barbie and I were celebrating our wedding anniversary early. 3 months early, but still, celebrating none the less!

And yes, this may have been the best hot chocolate ever!

Warm Butterscotch Bread Pudding, Caramel Praline Ice Cream, Butterscotch Creme Anglaise.

They also brought this dessert out for our anniversary, a lovely surprise.

And speaking of lovely surprises, Jill and Zach surprised us by picking up the tab! Thank you again Jill and Zach!

Barbie, me, Jill, and Zach

Okay, I think looking back, and recalling the absolutely wonderful experience this was, I am going to give this the edge over Carthay Circle as best meal of the trip.

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