OfCourseTheresAlwaysMyWay
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2017
Just finished a food centric, mostly solo trip. I love the Deluxe Dining Plan. Prepaying for food gives me the freedom and the permission to order whatever I want.
I am an adventurous eater living in NYC who prefers a diverse set of cuisines and prizes unique or unusual menu items. I am one of those people who is constantly complaining about how the menus at Disney World are being dumbed down for the lowest common denominator. Sorry about that. Just because it’s true doesn’t make me complaining about it any less annoying.
Here's where I ate, from best to worst:
1. Dinner at SEBASTIAN’S BISTRO at Caribbean Beach Resort
I hesitate to put this at the top of my list because I want this place to remain a secret, but I feel like I had to spread the good news. This place is crazy good. Wonderful design with great views of the resort. Pretty affordable for out of pocket.
The best appetizer I had during my trip was the jerk chicken wings. The best entrée I had during my trip was the goat curry. Normally when you eat goat it has a ton of bones in it and just tastes weird and fatty. This was like a pulled pork or a pulled chicken, but with so much more flavor. This is my new must visit restaurant on every trip.
2. Dinner at JIKO at Animal Kingdom Lodge
I’m gonna skip straight to dessert because the African Drum Beets was the best dessert during my trip. I hate desserts that are super sweet and that’s like 95% of the desserts at Disney. This was a beet and strawberry mousse with a thin chocolate cake bottom and a crispy coconut shell top served with candied beets. If you’ve never had beets in a dessert before, it might sound gross, but they’re actually super delicious.
I also tried some of the South African wines for the first time. Let’s just say it was a good thing I was taking Disney transportation back to Pop Century. They were all so incredible and I couldn't try just one.
3. Dinner at JALEO at Disney Springs
The hype is real, people. Yes, it’s expensive. But yes, it’s also to die for. My only complaint is that they still seem very unsure about what is and what isn’t on the Dining Plan. Three people had to be called over.
Each plate was more enticing than the last. The octopus was delicious if you’re not squeamish about eating a giant tentacle. And the chorizo had a great depth of flavor.
A dozen of the Basque-style goat cheese cheesecakes can be mailed to my apartment immediately.
4. Lunch at TIFFINS at Animal Kingdom
Tiffins is my favorite restaurant inside a park, but every time I’m there it’s half empty. During my lunch there was an insane thunderstorm and even that couldn’t fill the place. It’s always solid, terrific food. Even if you’re not using the Dining Plan, the $35 two-course lunch is a good deal for a Signature Restaurant experience.
This is where I had the whole fish pictured above. At first I felt bad for the little guy, but he was just so delicious. Glad I tried it. The mushroom soup was also excellent and made for a nice, light pairing with the heavy, fried entrée. Their take on halo halo was also surprisingly restrained and refreshing.
5. Dinner at LE CELLIER at Epcot
I had the filet on my last visit and decided to try the ribeye this time. I should’ve stuck with the filet. The ribeye wasn’t bad, but it just doesn’t compare.
Props to Le Cellier for being one of the few restaurants with a handful of featured cocktails that aren’t super sweet (another Disney World complaint of mine). I tried the new appetizer, which is basically Clams Casino but with oysters, and it was good.
I really love the atmosphere here. I know a constant complaint is that the tables are too close together, which really makes me laugh coming from NYC. I think the setting is just perfect.
Second half of the list coming shortly…
I am an adventurous eater living in NYC who prefers a diverse set of cuisines and prizes unique or unusual menu items. I am one of those people who is constantly complaining about how the menus at Disney World are being dumbed down for the lowest common denominator. Sorry about that. Just because it’s true doesn’t make me complaining about it any less annoying.
Here's where I ate, from best to worst:
1. Dinner at SEBASTIAN’S BISTRO at Caribbean Beach Resort
I hesitate to put this at the top of my list because I want this place to remain a secret, but I feel like I had to spread the good news. This place is crazy good. Wonderful design with great views of the resort. Pretty affordable for out of pocket.
The best appetizer I had during my trip was the jerk chicken wings. The best entrée I had during my trip was the goat curry. Normally when you eat goat it has a ton of bones in it and just tastes weird and fatty. This was like a pulled pork or a pulled chicken, but with so much more flavor. This is my new must visit restaurant on every trip.
2. Dinner at JIKO at Animal Kingdom Lodge
I’m gonna skip straight to dessert because the African Drum Beets was the best dessert during my trip. I hate desserts that are super sweet and that’s like 95% of the desserts at Disney. This was a beet and strawberry mousse with a thin chocolate cake bottom and a crispy coconut shell top served with candied beets. If you’ve never had beets in a dessert before, it might sound gross, but they’re actually super delicious.
I also tried some of the South African wines for the first time. Let’s just say it was a good thing I was taking Disney transportation back to Pop Century. They were all so incredible and I couldn't try just one.
3. Dinner at JALEO at Disney Springs
The hype is real, people. Yes, it’s expensive. But yes, it’s also to die for. My only complaint is that they still seem very unsure about what is and what isn’t on the Dining Plan. Three people had to be called over.
Each plate was more enticing than the last. The octopus was delicious if you’re not squeamish about eating a giant tentacle. And the chorizo had a great depth of flavor.
A dozen of the Basque-style goat cheese cheesecakes can be mailed to my apartment immediately.
4. Lunch at TIFFINS at Animal Kingdom
Tiffins is my favorite restaurant inside a park, but every time I’m there it’s half empty. During my lunch there was an insane thunderstorm and even that couldn’t fill the place. It’s always solid, terrific food. Even if you’re not using the Dining Plan, the $35 two-course lunch is a good deal for a Signature Restaurant experience.
This is where I had the whole fish pictured above. At first I felt bad for the little guy, but he was just so delicious. Glad I tried it. The mushroom soup was also excellent and made for a nice, light pairing with the heavy, fried entrée. Their take on halo halo was also surprisingly restrained and refreshing.
5. Dinner at LE CELLIER at Epcot
I had the filet on my last visit and decided to try the ribeye this time. I should’ve stuck with the filet. The ribeye wasn’t bad, but it just doesn’t compare.
Props to Le Cellier for being one of the few restaurants with a handful of featured cocktails that aren’t super sweet (another Disney World complaint of mine). I tried the new appetizer, which is basically Clams Casino but with oysters, and it was good.
I really love the atmosphere here. I know a constant complaint is that the tables are too close together, which really makes me laugh coming from NYC. I think the setting is just perfect.
Second half of the list coming shortly…