Vacation & Restaurant Reviews: Walt Disney World Day 2

Our second day in Disney was spent at MGM, oh I guess I mean Hollywood Studios. I'll never get used to calling it that.  Breakfast was a quick stop at McDonalds. I love their oatmeal though I am sure it isn't as healthy as I think it is.

When we arrived at the park the guys headed towards the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and I headed towards Star Tours to get fast passes. I used to love riding roller coasters, but for some reason as I get older I the more subjectable I am to motion sickness.  Anyway, it was the last weekend of Star Wars Weekend and as I was walking towards Star Tours I saw Ray Park signing autographs. He played Darth Maul in Star Wars. He also played Snake Eyes in G. I. Joe and Toad in X-Men. Have I mentioned that I am a bit of a geek.  I was very excited to get some pictures of him. 

We left the park pretty early that day and spent the afternoon at the pool. I was perfectly content drinking a pina colada and reading a book.  For dinner we decided to head to Downtown Disney and eat at Gloria Estefan's restaurant Bongos Cuban Cafe.  I ordered an appetizer of stuffed plantains with Shrimp Cuban Creole and a side order of black beans and rice.  You really can't go wrong with anything you order from here. It is my favorite restaurant in Downtown Disney.  I don't usually enjoy plantains but I love the ones stuffed with the Shrimp Cuban Creole. It isn't too spicy but seasoned perfectly with just a hint of heat.

There were actually three plantains, but I ate one before I remembered I was supposed to be taking a picture.



After dinner we headed back to the hotel and Michael and I stopped by the Beech Bar and I was able to enjoy the highlight of my trip. A Frozen Hot Chocolate.  I have heard of frozen hot chocolate before, but have never tried it. There is a restaurant in New York called Serendipity 3 that is famous for it.  The descriptions I have read about it describe it as having the consistency of a frozen daiquiri.  The one at the Beech Bar was more like a milkshake, but it was delicious. It was almost like a frosty but more decadent. Michael and I shared it, but I completely hogged the drink and drank most of it. I can't wait to try and recreate it at home.

Vacation & Restaurant Reviews: Walt Disney World

This weekend we took a mini vacation to Orlando to use our annual passes to Walt Disney World. It was a very hot, but fun weekend. We ate mostly fast food this trip but there were a couple of restaurants that we ate at that were worth recommending.

Friday morning we woke up early to drive to Orlando, we only live about 2.5 hours away. Breakfast was a quick stop at Chick-Fil-A.  The first Disney park we visited was Epcot. If you're not familiar with the park, it is divided into two sections, Future World and World Showcase. After heading to Future World to get our fast passes for Soarin we decided to visit the World Showcase.  Michael decided that he wanted to eat lunch in France at Les Chefs de France.  Their menu was really limited and when I asked if something could be made without mushrooms, I was simply told no. That was bit of a disappointment, so I ended up just eating Lobster Bisque for lunch. The bisque was pretty tasty, but not the best I have ever had. For dessert the three of us split the sorbet trio. The flavors of the day were peach, kiwi and coconut. My favorite was the peach. No one cared for the kiwi flavor. The presentation of the dish was very appealing though.





For dinner that evening we went to the Rainforest Cafe.  My job gave me a gift certificate because I had good numbers one month and it came in handy because the prices can be a little expensive. Their website describes the restaurant as a part adventure, part restaurant and wholly entertaining for the whole family.

Everything we ordered was delicious and the portions were very generous.

Caleb ordered the Parmesan Chicken. It came with two large chicken cutlets, a side order of spaghetti and two pieces of crispy garlic bread. Caleb shared a bite with me and I enjoyed it. It was seasoned and breaded perfectly. Caleb says it was "muy bueno delicioso".



Michael ordered the BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger.  I didn't taste it, but Michael said it was average and overpriced. It was a pretty large burger though and it came with onion rings.




I ordered one of their specials, Primal Steak with Coconut Shrimp, Shrimp Scampi, and Mashed Potatoes.  I really enjoyed my meal. The portions were perfect. It was just enough to fill me up without over stuffing myself or having to take a to go box home.  My only complaint was the steak. I asked for it to be cooked medium well and it was closer to medium rare. I know the experts say that medium is the ideal for steaks but I prefer for my meat to not still be mooing.  Michael has a thing about not sending food back, so I let him finish the center of the steak.  The coconut shrimp was pretty good too. It was only my second time trying coconut shrimp so I didn't have much to compare it to. I wish they had a special dipping sauce to go with it. The shrimp scampi was perfect.



Now even though we were all full from dinner we had to order their signature dessert, the Volcano.  The Volcano is basically a Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae. The portion is huge, big enough for the three of us to share without fighting over it. They used to bring the Volcano out with a sparkler on top but this time it just had a silver streamer thingy on it. That was a bit of a let down. But the dessert was as delicious as always. The brownie was rich and moist. The hot fudge was smooth and decadent. If you are on a budget I would recommend ordering a couple of appetizers and the Volcano to share.





Even the three of us couldn't clean the plate and we tried.


Well that was day one of our trip. I'll be back tomorrow with Day two. Do you have a favorite place to eat when you visit Walt Disney World?

Restaurant Review: Relish

I recently surprised my husband with a weekend getaway to see Jimmy Buffett in West Palm Beach, FL.  It was my first trip to WPB and I hope it won't be my last. The beaches there are beautiful and more importantly I found a place that serves the best tasting burgers.  Relish is located in the historic Northwood Village neighborhood of WPB and they have been opened for a little over a year.  The first decision you have to make when you arrive, is what you would like your burger to be made out of. You can choose from beef, black beans, mahi mahi, turkey and even lobster to name a few. After you decide on the type and how you want it cooked, you get to choose your "relish". Their menu offers many delectable toppings to choose from. 

When Michael and  I arrived, we knew we both wanted a beef burger. Michael wasn't sure what relish he wanted so he asked the lady working the counter to surprise him.  She picked the sweet and smokey bacon relish for him. A perfect choice for  Michael. I chose the scotch bonnet mango relish. We shared an order of fries with the sea salt topping and I ordered a chocolate covered cherry milk shake.

Michael adored his burger. My burger was amazing. The burger itself was cooked perfectly and it was well seasoned.  I could have just eaten the burger on its own, but I made the very wise choice to have scotch bonnet mango relish. it was the perfect combination of sweet and spicy.  I was actually a little worried when I first saw it because I usually don't like mangoes and I wasn't sure how it would be on a burger, but I am glad I took the chance. It was probably one of the best decisions I have made in a long time. It truly was the best burger I have ever eaten.  I can not stop raving or thinking about that burger. It was my cheeseburger in paradise.

Now I also have to praise the milkshake.  I think chocolate covered cherries are one of my favorite candies, so I couldn't resist trying their interpretation in a milkshake and it didn't disappoint.  It was the perfect combination of chocolate and cherry topped off with fresh whipped cream and a chocolate covered cherry.  It was delish!

We enjoyed it so much we went back on our way home. This time I ordered the fried macaroni cheese for an appetizer. I heard angels sing with my first bite. I told Michael I would have to divorce him so I could marry the fried mac & cheese

I am  trying my best to find a reason to go back. Michael wasn't too keen on the idea of a 4 hour drive just to get lunch. I don't see anything wrong with it.

I highly recommend visiting Relish the next time you are in WPB or just taking a trip to WPB to visit Relish

Vacation & Restaurant Reviews

My hubby, Michael and I just celebrated our second wedding anniversary. We decided to spend a week in Key West just like our honeymoon.  I love vacationing even though I do miss cooking. I decided to add a new segment to my blog, restaurant reviews. You will have to let me know is this should be a regular feature. We love trying out new places to eat and it would give me an excuse to do it more often.

We tried out a lot of places while on vacation, but since my mom always taught me that if I couldn't say anything nice to not say anything at all, I will only be writing about the places we enjoyed.

One of the first places we tried was a Cuban cafe off the beaten path, called Essy's Cafe.  Michael and I both tried the pressed egg sandwich.  It was simply fried eggs on Cuban bread with cheese and pressed like a panini.  Simple but delicious. The meal  for both with drinks cost us about $10.00, both excluding the tips.  If you are in Key West, you should definitely check it out. It's located at 1908 Flagler Avenue.





One of my favorite places to eat and drink in Key West is Sloppy Joe's. The best dish to get is the namesake, the Sloppy Joe sandwich.  It seems strange that a Sloppy Joe sandwich would be so delicious, but it is.  I always get mine with cheese.  They do live up to their name and are extremely messy, so be prepared to use lots of napkins.  Now I didn't get picture of one this time because I ate it too fast. But I did manage to get a picture of my pina colada. They make my second favorite pina coloda on the island.  They are located at 201 Duval Street and you can check out their website here.  Sloppy Joe's.  They recently opened a second location in Daytona and that is much closer to home.  They also have live music which adds to the ambiance.



Part of our vacation was camping on Stock Island, which is just outside Key West. Camping was not so much fun, but we did find this out of the way bar and grill that the locals go to called Hogfish Bar.  According to their website they are "tucked away in Safe Harbor, Stock Island, the Hogfish Bar and Grill is a true "locals” spot that avoids the pretension and hype of more touristy areas."  I tried their lobster bisque and and Baja Fish tacos. They bisque was very tasty and each spoonful contained a pieces of lobster.  The Baja fish tacos were pretty yummy too. Next time I will order without the jalapenos though.  The bite size pieces of fish were fried to a perfect crispiness, the shredded cabbage was crisp and it had the right amount of tarter sauce.





There are a few other restaurants I want to share with you, but I will save them for another entry.