Silent Saturday - Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow (May 2013)

Exotic Flavor Adventures

When it comes to the Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen, not everything tastes like chicken, which I am personally thankful for since today we’re reviewing a pair of desserts. What they like in chicken flavoring, however, they make up for in exclamation marks. No joke, the menu listing for these two sweet dishes include no less than four exclamation points, and that’s just in their names! So buckle up your taste buds for this tour of the Kungaloosh! and Quick Sand!!!

Let’s start with the Quick Sand!!! This dish is a jasmine rice pudding with a mango sauce, lemon curd, hibiscus meringue, and pineapple. It also comes adorned with a crispy cookie.

The rice pudding base of this dessert is not the typical mush you think of when you think of rice pudding. It was firm with a creamy texture, with pieces of rice that were definitely still present throughout each bite. It was sweet, but mildly so, allowing the other flavors on the plate to shine through. The bright flavors of the lemon and mango were accented by the underlying floral notes from the hibiscus meringue. This is a much more tropical feeling dessert than you would think first looking at it. The waffle cone-esque cookie perched atop the whole dessert was, again, not too sweet, but added that little bit of crunch that was wonderful and was perfect for scooping up loose bits of curd and pudding.

On to the Kungaloosh! While this dessert may only have one exclamation point in its name, which has a historical pedigree all to itself, it is no less exciting. This offering is an African-inspired chocolate cake that comes with caramelized bananas, cashew-caramel ice cream and is topped with coffee dust. Full disclosure, as I am not a coffee fan, I opt to have the coffee dust left off.

This cake was rich and dense and wonderful, think of it like the best brownie you’ve ever had and you’re getting close to the texture and richness of the dish. The nuttiness and sweetness in the ice cream brings out the best of the chocolate cake and the caramelized bananas are just, well, bananas! I mean that in the best way possible of course. For those of you who grew up on peanut butter and banana sandwiches, this dessert takes all the best of those memories and adds chocolate and ice cream to it. What more could you ask for!

The sweet course at Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen is filled with desserts that look almost too good to eat. They are honestly some of my favorite photos to take when I can grab a seat in the old mess hall. But no one is going to order a dessert and not eat it; that would just be silly. Luckily for guests, these dishes are a good as they look and deserve every exclamation point you can put in their names!

We're Almost Back From the Future

Today, rather than dig into depth too deeply on a single image or topic, let’s venture back to EPCOT Center in 1984 and take a brief glimpse at three beloved attractions: World of Motion, Listen to the Land, and Horizons. From thundering full speed into the twentieth century and plants that are on their way up, to materials from space that are also lovely, there was a lot to love and to hold dear from those early attractions. Nothing else to say, but I hope you take some time today and just enjoy looking back.

Rabbit Treats

The classic imagery of a magician, in full tuxedo and cape, pulling a rabbit out of a hat is a bit outdated. These days some of the best magic happens right in front of you, so close that you can’t help but become a believer. However, the old top hat and rabbit trick is still a good gag when you can reference it, which is precisely what happens on the Boardwalk at magicians’ lounge, AbracadaBar.

Tucked high upon a shelf are three jars labeled as Alec Azam Rabbit Treats. Alec Azam, aside from having a wonderfully magical name, is the rabbit featured in the 2008 Pixar animated short, Presto. In the short Alec is willing to sabotage the act and magician, Presto DiGiotagione, in order to get some food. Barely escaping with his life, Presto clearly learns the lesson that splitting hairs (hares?) over food and the act is a bad way to go, and keeps Alec well feed going forward.

Clearly, the pair have figured out not only that working together is better than not, but that there is also a marketing angle to be had. The Alec Azam Rabbit Treats appear, by the three jars atop a suitcase on the shelf, to be good sellers. At the very least they are a clever gimmick that a visiting magician has brought with them.

Alec is one of the lesser known magical beings in Disney cannon, but he is also one of the few the references magical vaudeville. His likeness can even be seen in the wallpaper of AbracaBar, if you’re watching closely. And really, what would a lounge for magicians be without a callback or two to a rabbit?

Silent Saturday - Flaska Reclinata (May 2018)

Silent Saturday - Main St. Cinema (April 2017)

First-Class Fine Dining

It’s Magical Dining Month in Orlando, and Walt Disney World is getting in on the charity dining adventure again this year. The event is put on by Visit Orlando and offers diners a chance to have a three course meal for $35 at select restaurants, with a dollar from each meal going to support local charities. This year’s charities are Best Buddies Central Florida and the Down Syndrome Association of Central Florida. I highly recommend checking the Magical Dining Month website to learn more about the charities and to get a full listing of restaurants.

Last year, several resorts at Walt Disney World took part in the event, but for this iteration the Disney participants are all from Disney Springs. These include such locations as Morimoto Asia, Paddlefish, STK, and many others. We hadn’t had the chance to try out Maria & Enzo’s yet, and as they were taking part, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to sample something new. While the portions are never huge, you definitely get your money’s worth and will definitely not be hungry at the end of your meal.

The first course is appetizers and, as with all of the categories from Maria & Enzo’s Magical Dining menu, there were three selections to choose from. We opted for the Fontina en Carozza and Salumi Misti. The Fontina en Carozza is three pieces of marinated fortina cheese that has been lightly breaded then fried and it comes with a side of spicy Pomodoro sauce. The Salumi Misti is charcuterie that features two meats, salame finnocchiona and prosciutto di Parma, along with two cheeses, grana Padano, giardiniere vegetables, and grissini.

The fontina cheese may sound like it’s just a variation on fried mozzarella sticks, but trust me when I say that would be woefully undervaluing this appetizer. The creaminess of the cheese, crunch of the fresh fried breading, and tasty Pomodoro sauce make this arguable some of the best fried cheese you’ve ever put in your mouth. The Salumi Misti could have used larger portions of the vegetables and preserves that come as accompaniments, as well as both of the cheeses, but everything was top notch and delicious. I regularly see meat and cheese boards as never seeming large enough, and as this was just a small plate, which may have contributed to my desire for more here.

The second course features entrees, and we selected the Hanger Steak and Sea Bass. The Sea Bass is listed on the website as coming with cherry tomatoes, green beans, taggiasca olives, and watermelon radish, but that appears to be an outdated listing as the menu we received at our table showed it actually comes with cauliflower, green beans, lemon, and roasted grape agro dolce. For the Grilled Hanger Steak, the sides include roasted garlic smashed potatoes, broccolini, and pizzaiola sauce.

The steak was well seasoned and cooked to perfection, with the pizzaiola sauce adding a unique Italian flavor I don’t commonly associated with steak, but that was delicious all the same. The broccolini and smashed potatoes were both tender, yet not overly soft and smushy the way potatoes and green vegetables can sometimes be overcooked. They were also incredibly buttery, probably due to ridiculous amounts of delicious butter they were cooked in. The Sea Bass’ dolce, green beans, and rainbow cauliflower were equally delightful and highlighted the flavors of the sea bass well. The cut of sea bass was small, giving it a firm and flakey, but not tough, texture. Overall, both entrees highlighted a kitchen that knows how to prepare proteins and how to bring out their flavors in the best possible way.

For dessert, our final course, we picked the traditional Tiramisu and the Pistachio Olive Oil Cake. The Tiramisu comes with a salted caramel sauce and a dollop of whipped cream and on the side. Meanwhile, the olive oil cake is served in halves and covered in a roasted strawberry jam. The Tiramisu was a wonderful example of how to handle a classic dessert, meeting and exceeding every expectation we had of it. The Pistachio Olive Oil Cake is a twist on the traditional, but was no less enjoyable. The cake was dense and moist, with a mild flavor of pistachio shining through. While the strawberries could be overpowering at times, it reminded me of pound cake and strawberries I had as a child just down the street from Orlando in Plant City, so it was a welcome taste of childhood for me.

There are only two and a half weeks left of Magical Dining Month, with it concluding on September 30th, but this is always an event that I recommend. Particularly as an entryway to trying new restaurants that you either hadn’t gotten around to yet or that may have a menu you may find a little discomforting. The small portions and small number of selections make it easy to approach and to gather whether or not a restaurant could make it into your regular rotation. For Maria & Enzo’s part, they have definitely given me a go-to Italian restaurant to add to my list. Plus, there is the charity aspect of the event, and we could all do a bit more to lift each other up, especially when you get such a wonderful meal out of the bargain.

Laying out the Tea Leaves

The story of Expedition Everest is not easy to describe and is as long and winding as its queue. It is layered in daily life of the Himalayan region, tourism, culture, agriculture, history, and mythology. The interplay between these elements is at times bold and in your face, while at other times the story takes a little scratching beneath the surface to get to the heart of the matter. As with all great stories, repeated interaction is crucial to uncovering nuances and finding something new you never noticed before.

The offices and tea trains of the Himalayan Escapes Tour Company once belonged to the Royal Anandapur Tea Co. The historical value of the company has not been lost on Himalayan Escapes, as remnants from the tea purveyors and nods toward their work are scattered throughout the Expedition Everest queue. Some of this is for ease of business, if it doesn’t need to be changed, why change it? Still, other instances give Himalayan Escapes a chance to play up the history or to pay respect to what has come before. One such instance of this nod to history is the inclusion of photographs showing glimpses into the past of the Royal Anandapur Tea Co., framed and mounted on the walls in Himalayan Escapes office.

Modern transportation comes to the Himalayas. c 1922 (File photo, The Anandapur Reporter)

In the first photo, we see a hint of what is to come for guests. Listed as modern transportation and coming from The Anandapur Reporter, this is the guests’ first glimpse of the tea trains, depending on where guests have approached the queue from. While not listed directly, it is safe to assume that these tea trains belonged to the Royal Anandapur Tea Co. as a way to carry their tea more easily. Also, this isn’t the only time that The Anandapur Reporter is present in the office, as there are article clippings from some of the newspapers more noteworthy stories as they relate to the Forbidden Mountain.

Industrious pickers pause in their labors for a photograph. (Royal Anandapur Tea Co.)

Laying out the tea leaves to dry before fermentation. (Royal Anandapur Tea Co.)

The next two photographs feature the actual work of tea production and come directly from the archives of the Royal Anandapur Tea Co. The first is a group of workers picking the tea leaves. They’ve stopped momentarily to have their picture taken. It is a great study in contrast between the white garments that they are clothed in and the dark, meticulously lined tea bushes that they are working through. The second photo shows a drying room where the tea leaves are being laid out to dry before they are to become tea.

In this handful of photographs we can learn a great deal about how tea is made and transported, and are given a time-capsule into industry of Anandapur. Nothing in these photos references the mythical yeti, they serve only as setting the foundation for what has come before and how that collective history has made the expeditions of Himalayan Escapes possible today. They aren’t crucial to the storytelling of Expedition Everest, but they provide a small reward for those looking to delve into the story of the attraction just a bit more.

Join Cherished Toys

The world of Toy Story has never had a larger presence in the parks and resorts of Walt Disney World than they have today. An attraction in Tomorrowland, a section of All-Star Movies, and an entire land in Disney’s Hollywood Studios are all part of the guests ability to live like, and play with, some of their favorite toys. In the beginning, however, Andy’s toys first appeared on the theme park scene in a parade at Disney-MGM Studios.

Toy Story – The Parade debuted on November 22, 1995, coincidentally the same date that the original Toy Story was released theatrically. It is clear from the preparation that it would take to create such a production ahead of a general release that Disney knew the movie would have universal appeal and garner the attention of audiences. Their foresight was proved correct as moviegoers and guests alike definitely wanted more from their new favorite toys and flocked to the parade.

The procession started off with Sarge and the green army menu at the front of the parade, but everyone would get in on the act. The parade featured Buzz, Mr. Potato Head, Hamm, Bo Peep, barrels full of monkeys, RC, Lenny, board games, hot wheels, Slinky, and many others, all while set to You’ve Got A Friend in Me, Strange Things, and other musical cues from the movie. The final float of Toy Story – The Parade featured Rex, Mr. Mike, and Woody, ending on a high note.

On June 8, 1997, just shy of two years in operation, the parade made one last pass down Hollywood Boulevard. Parts of the parade would make their way into a mobile meet and greet for Buzz and Woody, while other floats would go on to be utilized for new productions, including the Festival of the Lion King in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Toy Story – The Parade would be gone, but the longevity of Andy’s toys ensured that they found new corners of Walt Disney World to live and play in.

Silent Saturday - Old Key West Sandcastle Pool (April 2016)

Silent Saturday - Figment Marionettes (May 2018)