In My Copious Free Time

It just LOOKS like a small world

Tilt-shift photography is awesome. I don't know quite how it works to take life-size scenes and make them look as if they're the world's most detailed miniatures--it just does. I just came across a terrific example of tilt-shift video. In some places you can tell it's live action because of people's movement (long shots work better), but in many places you'll find yourself thinking, "That can't be real."

Maybe I'm just excited by this because I'll be there in 29 days, in the flesh--and in actual size.

Too excited to sleep

Tomorrow, on Mother's Day, we leave on a vacation to Walt Disney World that represents a lot of firsts. Our first official stay as Disney Vacation Club members. Joe's first vacation from his new job. When we planned this trip, we were really trying to fit it in between some other work events of mine (which later were rescheduled, naturally). But now that it's upon us, I'm delighted with how the scheduling has worked out. We're leaving on Sunday - this means that on Friday I just had to worry about wrapping things up at work. I didn't have to rush myself through knowing that I had to get home to finish packing, zip over for the traditional pre-vacation pedicure, etc. So Friday ended up being much calmer than I've ever experienced a last-day-of-work-before-vacation day being. That left me (and us) with a full day to wrap up whatever we needed to. We ran errands, finished up the laundry, finished packing at a leisurely pace. And we're returning home on Saturday evening at about 7:30. That gives us Sunday to recover. This couldn't have worked out better if I'd planned it myself. Except that I did plan it myself.

Needless to say, we're all excited. On the way to school earlier this week, Alex made a giddy little sound and said "Oh Mommy, I'm so excited! Four days until Disney!" I asked him what he was most excited about and he immeditaely responded, "The place with the fountains where I get to push the elevator button." Now, keep in mind that the child always gets to push the elevator button. I'm so fully trained on this matter that it isn't unusual for me to get in an elevator and then wait, forgetting that I am "allowed" to push the button. But what was this place he was so excited about? I asked a few questions to try to identify the spot and then he said something telling and (stifling the urge to giggle) I asked "Kiddo, do you mean the parking garage at the airport?"

"Yes!" came the resounding and enthusiastic response. All this effort and expense and the kid's favorite thing is a parking garage.

He then moved on, saying that the night before we left hewas going to say he's too excited to sleep. Of course, this is an inside joke with us - several years ago there was a commercial with two little kids, unable to sleep because they're so excited about their trip the next day to Walt Disney World. When the mom tells them it's bedtime, the little boy says....well, I'll let you see for yourselves...

So that's us. Except that, while I am excited, I am definitely going to sleep! This is another first! I can't remember the last time we went on vacation and I got more than 2 hours of sleep the night before. Sometimes I don't get any sleep given the early morning flights and my packing work.  But getting about 5 hours on vacation eve - that's a vacation in and of itself.

And now, excited or not, I'm off to bed!

Jiko

Apparently I'm only concerned with the portions of our trip that involved food. On with the report...

Jiko, Swahili for "the cooking place" is located at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. The atmosphere is very relaxed despite the fact that it is one a handful of truly upscale restaurants in terms of menu, attention to detail, dress code, etc.Jiko's menu can best be described as New African Fusion -- a lot of different tastes incorporated into some modern dishes. All four of us went to dinner (Joe, my mother-in-law, Alex and me), but Alex fell asleep on the way there and slept in his stroller through the entire 2-hour meal.

To begin we shared 2 selections from "The Cooking Place":
Lentil "Pastilla" - lentil-filled phyllo pockets with a sweet and sour sauce (this had sweet potato in it, too)
Kenyan Coffee Barbecued Chicken Flatbread -- with grilled onions, apple julienne, and four cheeses

After this course, we were served some wonderful bread -- very grainy, with sesame seeds and a distinct fennel flavor. With the bread came tandoori butter.

The appetizers all looked wonderful, and I was tempted by the Lemon-Cumin Marinated Ahi Tuna, but in the end I can't pass up a delicious sounding soup, so I had the Roasted Brentwood Corn Soup with spinach chiffanade, roasted corn kernels and sagh dhal cottage cheese. Everyone else had the same thing.  The presentation of this soup is both refined and comforting. The server placed a square bowl in front of each of us. Each bowl contained the spinach, roasted corn, and cheese. Then from a ceramic carafe he poured the soup into each bowl. And OMG, it was divine. I think the corn bisque at California Grill was better ("No, I mentioned the bisque.") but this was still a wonderful soup.

For the next course, we chose the following:
Tamarind Braised Beef Short Ribs - with white and sweet potato gratin and tamarind-onion-garlic sauce (Joe)
Seared Jumbo Scallops - with golden brown mealie pap and spicy tomato-onion Chaka-Laka (MIL)
Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon - with macaroni and cheese and red wine sauce (me)

Now, you might be thinking, "macaroni and cheese??" Let me assure you that this was like nothing you'd get out of a box. The cheeses were very creamy and it had just the right amount of flavor and was really a great compliment to the beef, which was excellent. Joe said his ribs were excellent and fall-off-the-bone tender. My MIL said the scallops were the best she'd ever had.

I should add that this restaurant has the largest South African wine selection in North America. I counted 68 wines, with 35 offered by the glass. I had the Rudera Syrah (Deep, intense ruby with violet rim. Whiffs of spice - hints of leafy forest floor on the nose. Gentle and soft entry on to the palate gives way to rich, ripe, concentrated berry fruit flavours. Elegant and aproachable but doesn't dominate. Lingering aftertaste.)  I'm not much of a wine drinker, but this wine was superb. Joe had beer Windhoek Lager, a beer from Namibia.

For dessert, we chose the following:

Pistachio Creme Brulee - with layered chocolate bottom (MIL)

And here's where I run into a problem. I didn't get a copy of the dessert menu, and in checking the versions of the menu I can find online, I see that what I had must be a newer dish as it's not on the menu. But it was a tart granny smith apple sorbet paired with a buttermilk ice cream (which was also tart, as if it had lemon in it), served over a bed of cinnamon-dusted julienne apples. Joe had a glass of port. I might have the name of it at home, but I do recall it was a tawny.

As we ordered dessert, Alex began to stir, so we ordered a grilled cheese to go. He ended up sleeping until we got in the car, then devoured the grilled cheese like it was the best one he'd ever had.

So now California Grill has a very, very close runner up for the coveted spot of Tara's Favorite WDW Restaurant.

California Grill food report

Okay, so the WDW trip report is starting off slowly. So far, all I've done is one dining report. I don't intend to report on every meal in such detail. There are a few that deserve this level of detail, however.

On Tuesday night (26 September), my mother-in-law watched Alex so that Joe and I could have dinner by ourselves. We took the monorail from the Grand Floridian to the Contemporary Resort for our 8:00 reservation. (Okay, okay, I have to mention that I wore a swishy black skirt, a low cut black top and my new leopard-print high heel slingbacks.) I love this restaurant -- it's very lively and the view is something else. And the food is positively divine.

Course 1: Cheese Selections

You can choose either any three or all five. We chose all five. The cheeses are served with sourdough baguette and fruit paste (cranberry and apricot).

Nancy and Tom's Hudson Valley Camembert
Sheeps and cows milk are used to produce this creamy, smooth, and mild Camembert, which was named Best of Class at the World Cheese Championships in 2003. If you have always disliked camembert, this cheese will change your mind.

Mezzo Secco
Vella Dairy in California produces this cows' milk aged Monterey Jack. The cheese ages in half the time of their other well-known Sonoma Dry Jack, denoting the name Mezzo Secco, which means “half-dry.” This peppered-rind cheese is nutty with a slightly sharp finish.

San Joaquin Gold Cheddar
Fiscallini Farmstead is the producer of this traditional English-style cheddar. Sixteen months of aging help develop this wonderful cheese. Nutty and creamy, with a developed tang make this cheddar as fine as any.

Sweet Clover
Bingham Hill Cheese Company in Fort Collins, Colorado produces this wonderful sheeps’ milk cheese. Gently pasteurized, this cheese is flipped several times daily while the curds are forming to enhance its texture. Slightly salty and nutty with hints of sage and mountain grass.

Cypress Grove Farms Humboldt Fog
Cypress Grove Farms uses a central layer of ash in this aged goat cheese. Once cut, it resembles the early morning fog that covers the farm daily. A semi-soft and creamy texture.

Course Two
Flatbread: roasted chicken with grilled corn salsa, Fiscalini Farms cheddar, and chipotle aioli (we shared this)

*Our server was very considerate about the timing of the courses and asked if we'd be staying at our table to view the 9:00 fireworks show or if we would be going out onto the observation deck. Since we planned to go outside, she made sure our flatbread course came early enough so that we could enjoy it, then go out for the fireworks, then return just in time for our next course to be served.

Course Three
Sweet corn bisque with roasted poblano-corn fritters and red pepper drizzle (me)
Heirloom tomato “extravaganza” with tomato vinaigrette, Hudson Valley camembert, and basil oil (Joe)

Course Four
Halibut steamed with banana leaf, basmati, macadamia nuts, cucumbers, and Hong Kong vinaigrette (Joe)
Grilled pork tenderloin with creamy goat cheese polenta, cremini mushrooms, zinfandel glaze, and sage (me – this is one of their signature dishes)

Course Five
Exotic Pearls: Pearl tapioca with tropical fruit salad, exotic fruit sorbet, and candied coconut (Joe -- he actually ordered the tapioca without everything else, preferring not to have his tapioca all tarted up)
Chocolate and Berries: warm Valrhona chocolate cake with molten center on a bed of berry caramel and shaved chocolate with berry ice cream (me)