Tgoody
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2020
This is my third dining review/food report I have done. My previous report from Jan 2023 can be seen here: Jan 2023 30th Bday Trip
On this trip we drug along my wife's parents. I will refer to them as MIL and FIL. They have not been to Disney in close to 20 years and have not experienced a trip how my wife and I plan/execute. We let them choose restaurants and days based on our recommendations and this was our itinerary!
1/31: We traveled from Arkansas to Orlando after work.
2/1: Universal Studios and Jiko Dinner
2/2: Epcot Festival of The Arts Booths, Oga's Cantina and Toppolino's
2/3: Steakhouse 71 and Shiki Sai
2/4: Epcot Festival of The Arts Booths and Narcoosee's
2/5: Nomad Lounge and California Grill
2/6: Travel Day
We started the trip at Universal Studios to take advantage of comped park to park tickets and to see both Harry Potter sections. This was my MIL's one big request for the trip. She really wanted to experience both sections and ride all of the rides since this was all new to her. Within those parks, I believe we had a loaded jacket potato and a broccoli and cheese jacket potato, as well as a chicken pasty. The potatoes were both great and I would get them again as a snack to share amongst the group. Outside of those items, we did not really eat/drink within the parks at Universal as it wasn't a place I researched or cared much for.
Jiko Dinner
This was a repeat Dining Experience for the wife and I. We thoroughly enjoyed Jiko last year and the In Laws wanted to experience some of the African cuisine as well as see the Animal Kingdom Resort area. We had a dining reservation for 7pm but arrived much earlier. We were seated within 10 minutes of check in and our host was from Zimbabwe. He taught us a lot about his country as well as how special Jiko was with their attention to detail within the restaurant. For appetizers we ordered the braaied boar tenderloin to share, MIL ordered the scallop and FIL ordered the boar. The three of us that had the boar were amazed at how much flavor and how well cooked it was. It is one of those appetizers that should never leave the menu and is now on my short list for best items in all of WDW. MIL was happy with her scallop dish and was excited to see the accompaniment of snails with it. For dinner I had the Short Rib, the wife had the fish special which was grouper, MIL had the filet, and FIL had the venison. The short rib was fork tender and perfect. The grouper was the best fish dish we had on the trip. The venison, per my FIL, was "great but not as good as the boar.' The filet was good/average for Disney filet standards. The wine pairings and options to try things from South Africa are unique/awesome ways to try new wine options. Jiko remains high on our list for signature dining experiences.
Toppolino's Dinner
Another repeat dining experience for the wife and I. This was chosen again for proximity to Epcot and HS as well as a chance to show the In Laws one of the places we enjoyed staying on our prior trip. We arrived on time and were seated promptly for our 7:30pm reservation. We ordered the ricotta and gnocchi for appetizers. Both were table favorites. The lamb gnocchi is so rich though. We used the extra epi bread to soak up some of the leftover jus from the dish. For entrees the wife ordered the scallops with pumpkin risotto, I ordered the filet, FIL ordered the lamb shank and MIL ordered the sole meuniere. We also ordered the shrimp and scallop enhancements to share. Out of the four entrees, only one missed. The sole was recommended by our server and it was the driest piece of fish we ate all trip. The brown butter caper sauce had no flavor and overall just was not a well executed dish. Everyone else enjoyed their meals. My filet was cooked perfectly and the truffle potato puree was divine. Toppolinos remains on our signature list as well.
Steakhouse 71 Lunch
After a morning of rope dropping MK, the wife and I met the parents at the contemporary for lunch. Shoutout to Ruthie and Janet. Ruthie is a saint and made sure we could still be seated even though we were 20 minutes late for our reservation. Janet was an amazing server and her energy made everyone at the table in better moods. We booked SH71 primarily for my FIL to try the cheeseburger. He considers himself a cheeseburger connoisseur. The wife and I ordered a tequila sunrise fishbowl to share along with the bacon and eggs. I ordered the cheeseburger, the wife ordered the adult grilled cheese, MIL ordered the Club and FIL ordered the cheeseburger. The cheeseburger was just as good as I remembered and the FIL said it was very good. I will take that as a win for lunch. The wife's grilled cheese with pork belly was so rich and buttery that she could not finish it all. It was an amazing sandwich. The MIL was shocked by the size of the club and took half of it back home with her.
Shiki Sai Dinner
We went back into MK after SH71 to ride TRON, Spoilers.... it was not a great ride IMO, then we park hopped to Epcot to do some art shopping. After finding a few pieces and getting them shipped home we headed to the Japan pavilion. We had a dining reservation for Shiki Sai at 6:30pm but we showed up quite early and were seated within 10mins. The host walked us through the entire restaurant and then to the main dining room. We noticed only one table was available and were surprised to be seated in the corner over looking World Showcase and the rest of the Japan pavilion. These were the best seats in the house and we got to see the sunset along with the various lights come on across the water. The wife and I enjoy Asian cuisine and were excited to try the newest dining spot in Epcot. Our sever struggled a little and missed a few items on our order, but we enjoyed everything we tried. From takoyaki to karage and then two pieces of the fattiest tuna nigiri I have ever had. We shared the Ishiyaki Skiyaki Rice bowl which was recommended by our server. Everything was great and exactly what we expected. This will most likely replace or be interchangeable with Morimoto Asia for us on future trips.
Narcoosee's Dinner
Ah Narcoosee's. The last two trips we have taken to Disney this restaurant was closed, either for covid restrictions or for remodeling. Like some of the other choices above, we wanted the In Laws to see Grand Floridian and the options it had. We also wanted to try the food because it was rated highly by many vloggers and people on these boards. So our dining reservation was for 8:45pm. Plenty of time to get from the middle of main street after viewing Happily Ever After at 8pm to the Grand Floridian lobby. Well mother nature and Florida rain delayed the fireworks 20mins. Along with the delay I guided our party to the resort monorail line instead of the boats... We arrived at the Grand Floridian monorail station at 8:56. Past our 10 minute window and I honestly didn't know which way to go to get to Narcoosee's. I walked out the back of the resort and saw a path leading to what I thought was the restaurant. When I approached the host was outside talking to customers and saw me in a hurry. He already had the iPad out and checked us in by the time I got there. He told me to relax and to always blame Disney transportation if you are late for something
. We sat down for our meal at 9pm and we were immediately greeted by our server, Kirsten. Throughout the entire night she did an amazing job. We ordered drinks and the calamari to start. The wife and I shared an order of the lobster bisque and the MIL had an order as well. I would return to Narcoosee's just for those two items and the bread they give. Both were perfect and table favorites. For dinner, I ordered the blackened redfish, wife ordered the scallops and gnocchi, MIL ordered the scallops and FIL ordered the Pork Chop. My redfish dish with the chorizo and corn hash was my favorite meal of the trip. It had so much flavor and the fish was cooked perfectly. FIL said it was one of the best pork chops he had ever had and the ladies (who are considered connoisseurs of scallops) really enjoyed the richness of the gnocchi and sauce for the scallops. Kirsten recommended the almond cheesecake for dessert and we obliged. This also was the best dessert we had all trip. It was super marzipan-y and the cherries added just the right level of tartness. This meal was a consensus best for the trip for everyone. We will be back to Narcoosee's even if it means being late/soaked by the rain.
Nomad Lounge
From previous reports you may notice overall trends to our trips. Every time we go to Animal Kingdom, we go to Nomad Lounge. Whether it is for a singular drink or a full meal. Nomad Lounge opened at 10:30 this day and I left our group on one of the animal trails to high tail it over to Nomads. I arrived at 10:15 and there was no one there. I stood around and waited. Within a few minutes two families came by and started queuing along the side. These people were Nomads regulars like us and knew the routine. We started to talk about our trips and favorites. The father of the party mentioned his favorite drink and items, and I too shared mine. We were seated promptly at 10:30 near each other and by this time my group showed up. Our sever took our drinks order and they came out very quick. Strangely an extra drink was delivered as well. Turns out the father that I was talking to sent me over his favorite drink, because I told him that I had not tried that one yet. The tempting tigress is my favorite drink on property. His was the lamu libation. I enjoyed both of these. To return the favor, I sent their table an order of churros because both the father and the son of that party stated they hadn't tried them. they were shocked to receive them, just how I was shocked to receive the extra drink. Now on to the food. We ordered the lobster mac and cheese ( secret menu item available through Tiffin's ), the chicken wings, chicken satay and the pork belly. To start, the mac and cheese is the richest, cheesiest and loaded mac we have had. Large chunks of lobster make this dish worth it. The chicken wings were some of the best as well. The pork belly had good flavor, but was not a stand out item. It was worth trying though. Similarly the chicken satay had great flavor, but was nothing amazing. We also ended with an order of churros to wrap up or time at Animal Kingdom and our last bit of park time. Nomad Lounge remains the king of all lounges for us.
California Grill Dinner
To wrap up our trip I chose California Grill hoping it lived up to my birthday dinner from last year. We arrived early for our 8pm reservation hoping to be sat earlier. We underestimated the lolligagging that goes on here for people wanting to watch the fireworks at the end of their meal. We were not seated until 8:20 and HEA was still going due to a rain delay. We had a window seat to view HEA and we could see Epcots show. Our server, Becky, was good but did not help to create a memorable experience at this meal. Everyone had a cocktail before dinner. I chose the goat cheese raviolo, wife chose the sushi sampler, FIL and MIl chose the Surf and Turf rolls. The goat cheese raviolo was amazing, almost as good as the braised short rib wonton (RIP). Everyone else enjoyed their sushi items. For dinner both the FIL and I had the wagyu strip, wife had the red snapper and MIL had the grouper. We enjoyed the strip loin, fried rice and dumplings that came with our dish. My wife enjoyed her snapper, to me it was on the dry side but the sauce that came with it made up for it. MIL really enjoyed her grouper dish. For dessert the FIL and I each had the peanut butter torte ( amazing ), wife had the panna cotta and MIL had the chocolate ganache torte. Overall the meal was good. A few stand out flavors and items. We discussed our meal on the way back to the resort and all agreed it was not worth the price and did not compare to our experience at Narcoosee's the night prior. The In Laws enjoyed seeing the restaurant and were glad they went, but it was a one and done experience for them and most likely the last time the wife and I go as well.
Epcot Food Booths
We tried quite a few things this year. Some repeats. Some new. I will just list individual favorites.
My Favorites:
On this trip we drug along my wife's parents. I will refer to them as MIL and FIL. They have not been to Disney in close to 20 years and have not experienced a trip how my wife and I plan/execute. We let them choose restaurants and days based on our recommendations and this was our itinerary!
1/31: We traveled from Arkansas to Orlando after work.
2/1: Universal Studios and Jiko Dinner
2/2: Epcot Festival of The Arts Booths, Oga's Cantina and Toppolino's
2/3: Steakhouse 71 and Shiki Sai
2/4: Epcot Festival of The Arts Booths and Narcoosee's
2/5: Nomad Lounge and California Grill
2/6: Travel Day
We started the trip at Universal Studios to take advantage of comped park to park tickets and to see both Harry Potter sections. This was my MIL's one big request for the trip. She really wanted to experience both sections and ride all of the rides since this was all new to her. Within those parks, I believe we had a loaded jacket potato and a broccoli and cheese jacket potato, as well as a chicken pasty. The potatoes were both great and I would get them again as a snack to share amongst the group. Outside of those items, we did not really eat/drink within the parks at Universal as it wasn't a place I researched or cared much for.
Jiko Dinner
This was a repeat Dining Experience for the wife and I. We thoroughly enjoyed Jiko last year and the In Laws wanted to experience some of the African cuisine as well as see the Animal Kingdom Resort area. We had a dining reservation for 7pm but arrived much earlier. We were seated within 10 minutes of check in and our host was from Zimbabwe. He taught us a lot about his country as well as how special Jiko was with their attention to detail within the restaurant. For appetizers we ordered the braaied boar tenderloin to share, MIL ordered the scallop and FIL ordered the boar. The three of us that had the boar were amazed at how much flavor and how well cooked it was. It is one of those appetizers that should never leave the menu and is now on my short list for best items in all of WDW. MIL was happy with her scallop dish and was excited to see the accompaniment of snails with it. For dinner I had the Short Rib, the wife had the fish special which was grouper, MIL had the filet, and FIL had the venison. The short rib was fork tender and perfect. The grouper was the best fish dish we had on the trip. The venison, per my FIL, was "great but not as good as the boar.' The filet was good/average for Disney filet standards. The wine pairings and options to try things from South Africa are unique/awesome ways to try new wine options. Jiko remains high on our list for signature dining experiences.
Toppolino's Dinner
Another repeat dining experience for the wife and I. This was chosen again for proximity to Epcot and HS as well as a chance to show the In Laws one of the places we enjoyed staying on our prior trip. We arrived on time and were seated promptly for our 7:30pm reservation. We ordered the ricotta and gnocchi for appetizers. Both were table favorites. The lamb gnocchi is so rich though. We used the extra epi bread to soak up some of the leftover jus from the dish. For entrees the wife ordered the scallops with pumpkin risotto, I ordered the filet, FIL ordered the lamb shank and MIL ordered the sole meuniere. We also ordered the shrimp and scallop enhancements to share. Out of the four entrees, only one missed. The sole was recommended by our server and it was the driest piece of fish we ate all trip. The brown butter caper sauce had no flavor and overall just was not a well executed dish. Everyone else enjoyed their meals. My filet was cooked perfectly and the truffle potato puree was divine. Toppolinos remains on our signature list as well.
Steakhouse 71 Lunch
After a morning of rope dropping MK, the wife and I met the parents at the contemporary for lunch. Shoutout to Ruthie and Janet. Ruthie is a saint and made sure we could still be seated even though we were 20 minutes late for our reservation. Janet was an amazing server and her energy made everyone at the table in better moods. We booked SH71 primarily for my FIL to try the cheeseburger. He considers himself a cheeseburger connoisseur. The wife and I ordered a tequila sunrise fishbowl to share along with the bacon and eggs. I ordered the cheeseburger, the wife ordered the adult grilled cheese, MIL ordered the Club and FIL ordered the cheeseburger. The cheeseburger was just as good as I remembered and the FIL said it was very good. I will take that as a win for lunch. The wife's grilled cheese with pork belly was so rich and buttery that she could not finish it all. It was an amazing sandwich. The MIL was shocked by the size of the club and took half of it back home with her.
Shiki Sai Dinner
We went back into MK after SH71 to ride TRON, Spoilers.... it was not a great ride IMO, then we park hopped to Epcot to do some art shopping. After finding a few pieces and getting them shipped home we headed to the Japan pavilion. We had a dining reservation for Shiki Sai at 6:30pm but we showed up quite early and were seated within 10mins. The host walked us through the entire restaurant and then to the main dining room. We noticed only one table was available and were surprised to be seated in the corner over looking World Showcase and the rest of the Japan pavilion. These were the best seats in the house and we got to see the sunset along with the various lights come on across the water. The wife and I enjoy Asian cuisine and were excited to try the newest dining spot in Epcot. Our sever struggled a little and missed a few items on our order, but we enjoyed everything we tried. From takoyaki to karage and then two pieces of the fattiest tuna nigiri I have ever had. We shared the Ishiyaki Skiyaki Rice bowl which was recommended by our server. Everything was great and exactly what we expected. This will most likely replace or be interchangeable with Morimoto Asia for us on future trips.
Narcoosee's Dinner
Ah Narcoosee's. The last two trips we have taken to Disney this restaurant was closed, either for covid restrictions or for remodeling. Like some of the other choices above, we wanted the In Laws to see Grand Floridian and the options it had. We also wanted to try the food because it was rated highly by many vloggers and people on these boards. So our dining reservation was for 8:45pm. Plenty of time to get from the middle of main street after viewing Happily Ever After at 8pm to the Grand Floridian lobby. Well mother nature and Florida rain delayed the fireworks 20mins. Along with the delay I guided our party to the resort monorail line instead of the boats... We arrived at the Grand Floridian monorail station at 8:56. Past our 10 minute window and I honestly didn't know which way to go to get to Narcoosee's. I walked out the back of the resort and saw a path leading to what I thought was the restaurant. When I approached the host was outside talking to customers and saw me in a hurry. He already had the iPad out and checked us in by the time I got there. He told me to relax and to always blame Disney transportation if you are late for something
. We sat down for our meal at 9pm and we were immediately greeted by our server, Kirsten. Throughout the entire night she did an amazing job. We ordered drinks and the calamari to start. The wife and I shared an order of the lobster bisque and the MIL had an order as well. I would return to Narcoosee's just for those two items and the bread they give. Both were perfect and table favorites. For dinner, I ordered the blackened redfish, wife ordered the scallops and gnocchi, MIL ordered the scallops and FIL ordered the Pork Chop. My redfish dish with the chorizo and corn hash was my favorite meal of the trip. It had so much flavor and the fish was cooked perfectly. FIL said it was one of the best pork chops he had ever had and the ladies (who are considered connoisseurs of scallops) really enjoyed the richness of the gnocchi and sauce for the scallops. Kirsten recommended the almond cheesecake for dessert and we obliged. This also was the best dessert we had all trip. It was super marzipan-y and the cherries added just the right level of tartness. This meal was a consensus best for the trip for everyone. We will be back to Narcoosee's even if it means being late/soaked by the rain.Nomad Lounge
From previous reports you may notice overall trends to our trips. Every time we go to Animal Kingdom, we go to Nomad Lounge. Whether it is for a singular drink or a full meal. Nomad Lounge opened at 10:30 this day and I left our group on one of the animal trails to high tail it over to Nomads. I arrived at 10:15 and there was no one there. I stood around and waited. Within a few minutes two families came by and started queuing along the side. These people were Nomads regulars like us and knew the routine. We started to talk about our trips and favorites. The father of the party mentioned his favorite drink and items, and I too shared mine. We were seated promptly at 10:30 near each other and by this time my group showed up. Our sever took our drinks order and they came out very quick. Strangely an extra drink was delivered as well. Turns out the father that I was talking to sent me over his favorite drink, because I told him that I had not tried that one yet. The tempting tigress is my favorite drink on property. His was the lamu libation. I enjoyed both of these. To return the favor, I sent their table an order of churros because both the father and the son of that party stated they hadn't tried them. they were shocked to receive them, just how I was shocked to receive the extra drink. Now on to the food. We ordered the lobster mac and cheese ( secret menu item available through Tiffin's ), the chicken wings, chicken satay and the pork belly. To start, the mac and cheese is the richest, cheesiest and loaded mac we have had. Large chunks of lobster make this dish worth it. The chicken wings were some of the best as well. The pork belly had good flavor, but was not a stand out item. It was worth trying though. Similarly the chicken satay had great flavor, but was nothing amazing. We also ended with an order of churros to wrap up or time at Animal Kingdom and our last bit of park time. Nomad Lounge remains the king of all lounges for us.
California Grill Dinner
To wrap up our trip I chose California Grill hoping it lived up to my birthday dinner from last year. We arrived early for our 8pm reservation hoping to be sat earlier. We underestimated the lolligagging that goes on here for people wanting to watch the fireworks at the end of their meal. We were not seated until 8:20 and HEA was still going due to a rain delay. We had a window seat to view HEA and we could see Epcots show. Our server, Becky, was good but did not help to create a memorable experience at this meal. Everyone had a cocktail before dinner. I chose the goat cheese raviolo, wife chose the sushi sampler, FIL and MIl chose the Surf and Turf rolls. The goat cheese raviolo was amazing, almost as good as the braised short rib wonton (RIP). Everyone else enjoyed their sushi items. For dinner both the FIL and I had the wagyu strip, wife had the red snapper and MIL had the grouper. We enjoyed the strip loin, fried rice and dumplings that came with our dish. My wife enjoyed her snapper, to me it was on the dry side but the sauce that came with it made up for it. MIL really enjoyed her grouper dish. For dessert the FIL and I each had the peanut butter torte ( amazing ), wife had the panna cotta and MIL had the chocolate ganache torte. Overall the meal was good. A few stand out flavors and items. We discussed our meal on the way back to the resort and all agreed it was not worth the price and did not compare to our experience at Narcoosee's the night prior. The In Laws enjoyed seeing the restaurant and were glad they went, but it was a one and done experience for them and most likely the last time the wife and I go as well.
Epcot Food Booths
We tried quite a few things this year. Some repeats. Some new. I will just list individual favorites.
My Favorites:
- Braised Beef Short Rib - Germany
- Tostado Langosta - Mexico
- Wagyu Bun - Japan
- Fancy Grilled Cheese - Pop Eats
- BLT - Deconstructed Dish
- Fancy Grilled Cheese - Pop Eats
- Empanada - Vibrante and Vivido
- Duck Dumplings - America
- Braised Beef Short Rib - Germany
- Brie Bread Bowl - France
It is always so much fun to share the magic with other people. I’ve gone with friends who typically do just one park day with no TS during their annual trips and it was really cool to share a more relaxed weeklong trip with a lot of TS food. Sounds like your inlaws really enjoyed themselves and all the fabulous food!
