Fun, Sun & Strong Water Rum...*Yo-Ho*...23 Nights @ Sapphire Falls...A May 2022 TR

[schumigirl]

Thank you so much! Every single thing looks amazing, and I won’t hesitate to order any dish or ask for a recommendation as it seems I will be delighted by whatever appears on the table

I am ready for Jake’s! Bring on the goodness

You`re welcome! I found a few I had forgot we had eaten.......and individual cocktails too I had forgotten about, but as I took the pics, they`re a little blurry.....of course it could have been the cocktail effect with me trying to focus the camera.......lol......

Jake`s is another place we`ve eaten in so many times, and although we did feel it has changed a little on our last visit, we`ll give it another try for sure as the food had always been so good.

 

[schumigirl]

Excellent. My daughter and I plan to have dinner at Jake's in May. We've never been and it sounds great. We've done Islands (a long time ago before she went off to college) and met Dr. Voodoo or whatever his name was. We also did Tchoup Chop a couple of times because we really loved the atmosphere of the restaurant. But we've never eaten at Jake's and so many people really seem to enjoy it.

Tchoup Chop is missed by us a lot. It was a beautiful restaurant and had the nicest menu, it`s a shame they never utilised that space after it closed with a new restaurant.

Jake`s for us changed a little in December. A lot of the staff that had been there for many years had all gone and that "atmosphere" had changed and so many folks we know said the same thing. But, we have eaten there since 2009 regularly and until Strong Water opened it was always our regular first night eating choice. So, we`re looking forward to giving it another try next trip.

 

[schumigirl]

Carole, I am studying your food photos! The only two places I remember eating during our last trip were Tchoup Chop and Mythos, and I loved both. I know Tchoup Chop is no more, but we had such a lovely meal there. It looks like many of the offerings at Strong Water are spicy, and my post-chemo digestive system just cannot do spicy anymore. No raw onions, no hot peppers. Still, it looks like a place that would be fun to try!

I`m glad you`re enjoying the pictures! Again, I really shouldn`t post food pictures when I`m hungry........lol.....

I understand with the digestive issues. Strong Water do have a lot of options with spice and onions, but you could have the Beef Sliders without onion, the chicken tenders without the hot sauce and the Tequenos weren`t spicy. The Tequenos are ham and cheese in a puff pastry. It does come with cheese sauce and pepper sauce, but it`s not spicy and you could have it without the pepper sauce too, they are very accommodating for sure.

And desserts are soooooo good too. Even if you went for a drink and enjoyed the atmosphere you`d still have a nice time. Saturday evenings have a couple who sing and they are very good, not too loud either so you can still have conversations.

I can absolutely say you`d enjoy it!!

 

[schumigirl]

JAKE`S BAR​

We first experienced Jake`s in 2009 when we stayed at RP for the first time and it has been a regular option for us over the years on many, many occasions. It`s a casual place and food is always good, you know it`s not gourmet choices going in, but you know it`s going to be good.

It hasn`t changed much over the years decor wise or even menu style, there have been a few changes to some dishes but most of their basics have stayed. And it is due a facelift along with Islands, but when that will be announced publicly, I have no idea.

Whether they will change the theme will be an interesting one......Jake McNalley is the pilot of Royal Pacific Airways around the 1930`s era and the theme was once throughout the hotel, althought that seems to be changing as the hotel is evolving.

There are still images of this theme throughout the convention area of the hotel and you can see some interesting images for this Golden Age of travel being celebrated. You can also still see Jake`s abandoned plane in the lagoon. It has moved position from where it used to be due to the lagoon and waterway being expanded for the addition of Sapphire Falls so they could have a boat too.

The usual entrance is opposite Jakes, but you can come in through this door from the walkway, however you still have to go to the desk to check in with the hostess.

You can also sit at the bar for food and drinks too. It`s a spacious restaurant and quite a dark area, not dim, but can be quite cosy at times too. We actually don`t like it when it`s too busy as it can be incredibly noisy and usually it`s conference people who cause that rabble.

They used to have a late night menu and it was open till 2pm, but since Covid it closes earlier and food stops earlier too. Hopefully they`ll adjust that when HHN is back on as many folks used to come back after the event it if it finished at midnight and got food then.

Some of the early dishes we absolutely loved and ordered them repeatedly for the first few years......and some we really do wish they would bring them back every so often.

This was a spicy and crispy shrimp dish.......lordy it was good!!! And it lived up to having the name spicy in the title as I`m often disappointed by what some restaurants consider spicy, but this was lovely.

Crab cakes and calamari were staples in our early visits and they were delicious, I love calamari, Tom not so much, so I got this dish all to myself as Kyle hated it too......lol......

Breaded chicken sliders........

And yes, they even did ribs once upon a time........and they were amazing!! Folks used to say they were too expensive for Jake`s, I can`t remember what they were but they were worth every cent.

Although you still get fish and chips, it does look slightly different now generally with much smaller pieces of fish, but still as tasty.

After Sal`s at Portofino Bay, I think Jake`s has one of the best onsite pizza`s there is and we have had many varieties of it over the years. We add jalapenos to everything and pizza is no exception.

One of the waitresses years ago named it after us, off the record of course.....as we had a bbq sauce base, chicken, pineapple and jalapenos....she had never tasted one like that and tried it, told us later she loved it.

My Italian relatives however would spin if they knew!!!

This was Tom`s one night with pepperoni chicken and jalapenos with the tomato sauce base as is his preference.

They also do excellent flatbreads and this was a proscuitto and peach one from a few years back....it was very tasty.

And Kyle with his favourite cheese pizza but with BBQ sauce on the base.......one chef years ago did ask where we first tasted that......we don`t know......but it`s tasty!!

Classic burgers are excellent here too......we have had the odd miss with how they are cooked over the years, but generally they are spot on and very tasty.

Wings are also unbeatable.......they are among some of the nicest we`ve had in America and despite hating blue cheese, both of us love the house made blue cheese they have in both Jake`s and the Club Lounge.......

This wasn`t the best charcuterie plate we have had, but it was ok, we wouldn`t order it again.

Chicken and mozzarella sandwich with sweet potato fries, our friend had this dish and said it was lovely. I have to say their sweet potato fries are amazing!!

This for us is the star of Jakes.......Crawfish Chowder.

We never ordered this until maybe 2018??? Something like that anyway, and my goodness me....it is one of the nicest crawfish chowders we have ever tasted. One night after HHN we ordered one bowl each, waitress asked us if we had room for dessert and we said no, but we`ll take another bowl each of the chowder.....it is that good! And bless her, she gave us the second bowl on the house......

We never made it back to Jake`s after our one visit in December, but we`ll plan to have a bowl on our next trip for sure.

I will say however, the Crawfish Chowder at McCoy`s in the Hyatt at MCO blows them all out of the water......we really have found the best around in there, but Jake`s is still up there among the nicest.

And my all time favourite pizza from Jake`s.......

One thing we have never tried as we aren`t really fans of pretzels, but everyone raves about the pretzel rods in here. I think it might be Keishashadow that was the first to mention how good they were, maybe one day we`ll get round to it, but it is one of their more popular items on the menu.

We don`t often get desserts in here, but Kyle always orders the flourless chocolate cake and it`s different every time, I guess some chefs serve it differently. But, this is one of Kyle`s favourite things......it`s a close second to Linda`s chocolate fudge cake from the Cheesecake Factory.......

It is dense beyond belief and so rich, but he can usually eat two of them....although not after a pizza we have discovered!!

They have a fabulous bar and can concoct most things if you ask......we used to love the sharing cocktails.......well, I`m told they are supposed to be shared......

These were very nice and they had a few you could choose from.

They used to have regular beer flight nights and food was on offer too on the beer festival events, hopefully they`ll come back full time as they were very popular.

Sitting outside is an option for Jake`s and the tables are set under the bridge where you enter RP.......it is beautiful and quite serene for being on a walkway, you really don`t get a lot of traffic passing by.

Jake`s is such a good option for food whether it be for lunch, dinner or just drinks anytime of the day.

One of the quirks of Jake`s are the name tags of the staff.......if you haven`t noticed, next time you`re in have a look at some of the names they opt for.......Wheels and Bubbles were favourites of ours!!!

 

[schumigirl]

Yep, 7 weeks today till we fly.......and yes, it is too long!!! How on earth we managed to not travel for 2 years I`ll never know........

Won`t be updating for a few days, we have had to head up to Scotland quite suddenly, so as soon as I`m back.....I`ll have another update looking forward to somewhere else that we enjoy a lot......

Will still be able to log in hopefully......but failing that, will see you when I get back.......

 

[KathyM2]

Florida has so much to offer and I wouldn`t want to spend all my time in the parks.....but again, that works for some too.......I`m a huge believer in each to their own....

Can`t be too long till your Florida trip??? I think it was March you were going.......or have I missed it and you`re already back......lol......

When I have time on trips I like to do a mix of old favourites and a few new places thrown in. Sometimes it's a regret when you try something new that isn't great and you wish you'd stuck to what you know....but then...sometimes you also discover something great lol so it's a tough call!

Yes, I am in Florida now actually. We ended up leaving earlier than expected and driving from Toronto to South Florida very slowly...as in ...over 4 days lol My daughter did online school in hotels and partially in the car lol but we made it!! Now we are enjoying some sun and a few patio meals but still trying to stay away from the crowds...as much as I'd love to stop in Orlando...I am still nervous. But also...we had our dog with us so...would not get to do any parks on this trip!! I contemplated doing a stop on the way back, but I think I'm gonna wait it out a bit more. I have an Disney AP burning a hole but it's only good for a year from when I activate it....so I want to wait until I'm fully ready to enjoy it when I do!!

Florida has been fun with family though...we have had a bit of colder gloomier weather for a few days...but I think tomorrow it's supposed to get sunny again! Hoping!

Love your restaurant reviews as usual!! I love that you have tried all (or most) of the menu items at so many places!! It's good you have your TR's to keep track of it all lol

 

[wdwrule]

Oh the food pics are divine! Drooling over that tres leche cake which we finally had for the first time recently. Strong Water has quickly become a favorite for us. I can’t wait to try more of their food. Such a lovely atmosphere and Lenny is top-notch.

We were so disappointed that Jake’s discontinued their late night menu. We’ve ordered off that menu on several occasions recently but as of a few weeks ago they said they discontinued it. Hopefully they’ll bring it back.

Enjoying your report! So excited for you!

 

[musika]

I know exactly what you mean about spicy foods. I am consistently disappointed in ordering something that is spicy (or should be) and it just tastes a bit bland. All of the choices look delish!

 

[schumigirl]

When I have time on trips I like to do a mix of old favourites and a few new places thrown in. Sometimes it's a regret when you try something new that isn't great and you wish you'd stuck to what you know....but then...sometimes you also discover something great lol so it's a tough call!

Yes, I am in Florida now actually. We ended up leaving earlier than expected and driving from Toronto to South Florida very slowly...as in ...over 4 days lol My daughter did online school in hotels and partially in the car lol but we made it!! Now we are enjoying some sun and a few patio meals but still trying to stay away from the crowds...as much as I'd love to stop in Orlando...I am still nervous. But also...we had our dog with us so...would not get to do any parks on this trip!! I contemplated doing a stop on the way back, but I think I'm gonna wait it out a bit more. I have an Disney AP burning a hole but it's only good for a year from when I activate it....so I want to wait until I'm fully ready to enjoy it when I do!!

Florida has been fun with family though...we have had a bit of colder gloomier weather for a few days...but I think tomorrow it's supposed to get sunny again! Hoping!

Love your restaurant reviews as usual!! I love that you have tried all (or most) of the menu items at so many places!! It's good you have your TR's to keep track of it all lol

Glad to hear you made it safe and sound…..and hope by now the nicer weather has come back for you…..yes, you’ll enjoy everything again when you’re ready, it’ll all still be there.

We do like a mix of familiar and new places. There are only a couple of times we’ve thought we wasted an evening going somewhere, usually it’s a good experience.

Glad you enjoyed the pics…..yes, notes, pictures and TR keep it all alive…..

Hope you are still having a wonderful time…….

 

[schumigirl]

Oh the food pics are divine! Drooling over that tres leche cake which we finally had for the first time recently. Strong Water has quickly become a favorite for us. I can’t wait to try more of their food. Such a lovely atmosphere and Lenny is top-notch.

We were so disappointed that Jake’s discontinued their late night menu. We’ve ordered off that menu on several occasions recently but as of a few weeks ago they said they discontinued it. Hopefully they’ll bring it back.

Enjoying your report! So excited for you!

The Tres Leche is beautiful. It’s always such a huge portion they give us, but we can’t resist!

They don’t seem to have any plans to extend late hours again, but who knows in the future.

And glad you’re enjoying this one too……

 

[schumigirl]

I know exactly what you mean about spicy foods. I am consistently disappointed in ordering something that is spicy (or should be) and it just tastes a bit bland. All of the choices look delish!

I always feel so cheated when someone promises me Spicy……and it’s not!

Once a waiter asked if I was sure I wanted to order a dish as it was so hot……I assured him I’d be fine and looked forward to some heat…….well, what a let down…….barely a tingle on the tongue……

He checked on us as was shocked I found it bland as he couldn’t finish it due to it being too hot…….lol……wimp! There should be a refund policy for folks like us that want some heat…….lol….

Glad you’re enjoying it……..

 

[NancyLuvsMickey]

Yep, 7 weeks today till we fly.......and yes, it is too long!!! How on earth we managed to not travel for 2 years I`ll never know........

Won`t be updating for a few days, we have had to head up to Scotland quite suddenly, so as soon as I`m back.....I`ll have another update looking forward to somewhere else that we enjoy a lot......

Will still be able to log in hopefully......but failing that, will see you when I get back.......

It's now closer to 6 weeks than 7... Goodness, time is flying by!!! It'll be here before you know it!!!

 

[schumigirl]

It's now closer to 6 weeks than 7... Goodness, time is flying by!!! It'll be here before you know it!!!

lol……you’re spot on!

Getting closer by the day…….

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Love, love, love your summary and spectacular photos of Jake’s! It’s starting to become a tradition that we have our first meal here. No reservations needed and also not a long wait to be seated. It’s nice to sit for a minute and contemplate our trip. Mr. Worfiedoodles loves the burgers, and the sweet potato fries are such a treat

Have you ever sat outside here? It’s not something we would usually do — I’m wondering if it might be a bit buggy with all the lush vegetation nearby? In any case I do plan to wander that walkway as I’ve never managed it. Where do you access it other than the Jake’s entrance and where does it lead?

I’m full of questions tonight

 

[schumigirl]

Love, love, love your summary and spectacular photos of Jake’s! It’s starting to become a tradition that we have our first meal here. No reservations needed and also not a long wait to be seated. It’s nice to sit for a minute and contemplate our trip. Mr. Worfiedoodles loves the burgers, and the sweet potato fries are such a treat

Have you ever sat outside here? It’s not something we would usually do — I’m wondering if it might be a bit buggy with all the lush vegetation nearby? In any case I do plan to wander that walkway as I’ve never managed it. Where do you access it other than the Jake’s entrance and where does it lead?

I’m full of questions tonight

lol.....

We very rarely sit outside to eat Maria, anywhere, much prefer the cool comfort of the air conditioning. But we haven`t see any bugs as such out there when we`ve gone to take pictures.....I had never really thought about it till you mentioned it.

You can walk around from the pool rather than actually go through Jake`s.

It is a wonderful way to start a trip and yes, burger and sweet potato fries are a firm favourite of mine there. Tom doesn`t like sweet potato anything so I get them all to myself......lol.....oh that might be a nice idea to meet up there for food one day in May Maria since we all like it so much.....???

I was thinking of park places for us to eat, but Jake`s is a good idea now.

Heading home today

 

[houseofthrees]

Glad to see you are finally making it back! I see we are still on the same vacation schedule as we have May, Sept, and Dec booked as well.

I was just thinking today about how I hoped this year would bring back Jake's beer festivals.

 

[schumigirl]

Glad to see you are finally making it back! I see we are still on the same vacation schedule as we have May, Sept, and Dec booked as well.

I was just thinking today about how I hoped this year would bring back Jake's beer festivals.

back houseofthrees…….it’s good to see you!

And glad you have your trips booked too…….such a good feeling to have things in place.

We never made it to any of the beer festivals, but we kept saying we would, and yes they were so popular.

Glad to see you here again too…….

 

[Raeven]

Our favourite is the Tres Leche cake......this is Chef Carlos own recipe and although this one is almost double the size of the regular slice, it`s still a large dessert.

Ooo that looks so good! We've been meaning to go to Strongwater but haven't made it there yet. I'm hoping on one of the trips we go on this year.

One thing we have never tried as we aren`t really fans of pretzels, but everyone raves about the pretzel rods in here.

I've never tried the pretzel rods either. That's definitely something I'll have to try next time we go there.

 

[schumigirl]

Ooo that looks so good! We've been meaning to go to Strongwater but haven't made it there yet. I'm hoping on one of the trips we go on this year.



I've never tried the pretzel rods either. That's definitely something I'll have to try next time we go there.

You haven`t been to Strong Water yet????? I always think you have been already.......you will love it.......

I think if I liked pretzels, we`d try it.....but, just not a fan of them in general.......

 

[schumigirl]

One of the things we love about Orlando/Florida are the delightful melange of restaurants to eat in so many places around us.

Local friends are always helpful in suggesting places to go that are not quite as popular with tourists.....yes, I get the irony of us avoiding tourist places, but we do like to try some options that are not as populated by folks like us.......finding special places frequented by locals seems to be one of our favourite things to do.

One of the cutest places that is relatively new to us is Nagoya Sushi, which is situated in the Dr Phillips area and tucked away in a little set of stores, so not the most obvious of eateries to find if you didn`t know it was there. There are several sushi options along Restaurant row, and we were told ignore the others, go to Nagoya........so we did.

Right at the rear of the stores, it is a busy little place and the first time we went it was deserted, so we were a little concerned, but we had only been seated a few minutes when it began to fill up rapidly.

It`s a fairly large menu and has some very unique options to choose from.....I do like a sushi menu that has variety and they certainly have an imagination with some of the titles they came up with.

All meals come with Miso soup or salad and we always opt for the soup.....it always feels so cleansing as you eat it somehow.......not something I ever have at home, but when out for Sushi, it`s essential.

The first time we went we decided to choose some sushi and a Bento Box to give us an idea of what both were like.....and we weren`t disappointed. The sushi was tasty and incredibly fresh as it should be.

Tom got the spicy chicken Bento Box, and I ordered it in our latest visit, it is delicious and doesn`t have the filler items that Cowfish have with theirs........never heard of fries being served like that before in a Bento Box, not very authentic. So this was the real deal.

Everything was fresh and tasty and the deep fried tempura batter for the veg was not in the least bit greasy......

This last visit when I got the Spicy Chicken, Tom got Teriyaki Beef and he loved it.......I did take the pickled ginger as he doesn`t care for it....works out well for me all the time!! Both the chicken and beef were tender and well cooked, the batter on my chicken was the lightest I had tasted outside of tempura. Very good quality produce.

They do have a few tables outside beside the little water feature and it is a pretty little area with not too many folks passing by.

Yep, this is one place we will look forward to visiting again this year.

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HOT N JUICY CRAWFISH

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Another place that is new to us in the last few years is also on Restaurant Row and we notice there are a thousand imitations of this kind of place now.

Hot n Juicy Crawfish is one of the most casual places you`ll find......it almost looks like a cafeteria, no frills, basic look, but you get a nice welcome and if you like shrimp/lobster/crawfish type dishes......you`ll love it.

You simply select your seafood, I have to admit to only having had the shrimp on the times we have visited, Tom had the Crawfish and Snow Crab on other visits.....then you choose your spice and the strength of the spice.......and it`s all steamed in a bag.

We do like it spicy, but sometimes think it`s a waste of good seafood to spice it up beyond belief. I`d never do it to lobster as it is beautiful on it`s own with some drawn butter and lemon. But, shrimp somehow I don`t mind.

If you don`t enjoy tearing the heads and tails off your food to eat it, this is not the place for you. We however, love it.......growing up in a seaside fishing area, we are used to tearing seafood to eat it, but, I do get it`s not for everyone.

I believe we ordered a pound of each and that was a decent amount for a meal......I think you can add up in half pounds as much as you want.

It is quite messy, you do get given plastic gloves, which to be honest, I think we do better with bare hands, you also have a plastic bib which I`d recommend you take, paper towels and a bucket to put all your heads and shells in.

The shrimp are plump and delicious.......I have to admit the crawfish below were an awful lot of work for not very much reward. Crawfish were tasty, but so small, Tom enjoyed them though.

The crab again was beautiful, but I prefer my snow crab clean and without spice.

On our first visit, we looked through the menu and noticed they did cajun fries.....I cannot resist them anywhere.......so we did order them, but it was too much to eat everything we had ordered that day....but we did make a good attempt as those fries were perfect.

They also serve selected Po Boys which we haven`t tried but they did look good on a table near us, also baskets like catfish, soft shell crab, shrimp and chicken tenders......I think they do cater to many, but maybe not everyone.

This again is in a very nice little area, it`s quite a busy place and at night there is always a line whenever we have passed by. Lunchtimes are slightly better but by 1pm the whole place was filled and not a table to be had.

We didn`t manage to get there in December, but we will make sure we drop in here again on our next visit.

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