WDW Destination Blog: WDW Cravings Countdown Days 9, 8 and 7

WDW Cravings Countdown

Day 9 - Sushi

I absolutely love sushi. I can't get enough of it, really. I eat it every other week at home, but sadly, all the sushi I eat here in Toronto absolutely pales in comparison to the sushi I eat in Florida.

At least once a week, someone in my house will say "You know what I'd really like to eat right now?" and the response is always "California Grill Sushi?"

That isn't to say that we ONLY eat sushi at the California Grill. We also love the Kona Island Sushi Bar and Tokyo Dining. On our trips to WDW, it isn't uncommon for us to eat sushi 3 or 4 times in the course of the week.

1. California Grill

The California Grill is sushi heaven for us. Yoshi is simply magical. Her flavor and texture combinations are out of this world. Her sushi rice is the best I've ever had. Even her accompaniments (sauces, pickled cucumbers, seaweed salad) are to die for!

We started dining at the California Grill in August 2007...and we ate there 3 times in that single trip. I have lost count of the number of meals we have enjoyed here,, but it is safely over a dozen.

Here are some of my favorite sushi items & pictures:

Place Setting

Custom Sushi Platter

Shrimp Tempura Roll & Hurricane Roll

Snake in the Grass, Spicy Kazan Roll, Shrimp Tempura Roll

Shrimp Tempura Roll, California Roll, Spicy Kazan Roll

Spicy Kazan Roll, Tempura Banzai Roll, Ahi Tuna Three Ways

As you can see, while we experiment occasionally, we have found our favorites! The group favorite is the Shrimp Tempura Roll. Technically, this isn't listed on the menu. However, it is an item made every night as it is part of Yoshi's Deluxe Sushi Platter. If you request it as a roll on it's own, the servers at the California Grill will gladly accommodate you. The price in May 2011 was $22/roll.

The roll itself is a tempura shrimp, with slivers of mango and watermelon, wrapped in a soy paper and served with an orange ginger dipping sauce. This is crunchy, cool, sweet and tangy.

My personal favorite, however, is the Spicy Kazan Roll. This roll is wrapped in traditional nori, and filled with crab, shrimp and tuna. While the crab and shrimp are cooked, the tuna is raw, for those of you that don't like raw sushi. On top of the sushi roll, Yoshi places a mixture of her fireball sauce (clearly this is spicy) and bay scallops. Then, everything is topped off with tempura crunch and slivers of nori.

This roll is so complex. You get tender crab, sweet shrimp and rich tuna, spicy sauce, perfectly cooked scallops and crunchy tempura. I nearly lick the plate clean each time.

2. Kona Island Sushi Bar

The Kona Island Sushi Bar was Walt Disney World's first experiment in "flex" dining. Pre-2008, the Kona Island Sushi Bar was simply the Kona Island Coffee Bar. In the mornings, guest could get yummy Kona coffee and a variety of pastries as they headed out to the parks.

Then, someone realized that the space could be used in the evenings. After some minor renovations (namely, adding a sushi counter), the bar reopened with a dual purpose. From 7am till 11am (I believe) it serves coffee and pastries. At 5pm, it reopens and serves sushi (as well as any item off the full Kona Cafe menu).

We tried the sushi bar for the first time in 2008 and fell in love. It has become a "first night" tradition on the majority of our trips since.

Our favorite rolls are:

Shrimp Tempura Roll and Cali Luau Roll

Volcano Roll

The Shrimp Tempura Roll here is a bit different than the California Grills. The shrimp are larger and are breaded in panko as opposed to a true, light and airy tempura batter. The roll has only mango slivers and the sauce is lilikoi, or passion fruit. It is very refreshing.

The Cali Luau Roll is Kona's take on a California Roll. In place of cucumber, they use pineapple. The tangy taste is unexpected, yet the texture is reminiscent of the cucumber it replaces.

Lastly, the Volcano Roll. This is easily the most interesting variation on a Spicy Tuna Roll that I've ever tried. The roll itself is simply fresh tuna and pickled vegetables. All the spice comes from the spicy mayo and the shrimp salad scattered around the plate. The pleasant acidity from the vegetables helps balance the spicy sauce. The shrimp salad is addictive and is topped off with tempura crunch and edible flower petals.

Day 8 - Snacks

There are so many amazing snacks to partake in at Walt Disney World! As I sit at my desk, eating a boring granola bar, I can't help but think of all the yummy calorie-worthy treats that I get to have in 8 days!

1. Sleepy Hollow (Liberty Square), Magic Kingdom

Now, I know that the majority of you just went "Mmmm...funnel cake!" in your heads. Nope, that's not the snack that I'm thinking of. Sorry, I'm just not a big funnel cake fan... blasphemous you say? Well...not when my snack is:

Mickey Waffle

I recently discovered that they sell these at Sleepy Hollow! You see, I far prefer the big Mickey waffles to the mini ones (in a pinch, I'll eat either...come on, it's a mickey waffle!). During my March 2010 birthday trip, Mom and I were wandering Liberty Square mid-morning and we saw someone walk away from Sleepy Hollow with one of these icing sugar coated beauties!

I'm not a huge syrup fan either. Give me simple powdered sugar (or powdered sugar and cinnamon blended) and I'm happy!

2. Aloha Isle (Adventureland), Magic Kingdom OR Captain Cook's, Polynesian

What would a WDW snack post be without:

Dole Whip Pineapple Soft Serve

Dole Whip Pineapple Soft serve is easily my favorite snack at WDW. It is cool, tangy, light and refreshing. The Poly is our favorite resort for many reasons, one of which is the fact that you can get a dole whip pretty much any time you want. I am a bit ashamed to admit that I've never tried the pineapple float! Maybe this coming trip!

3. Make Your Own Treats, Goofy's Candy Company

While I haven't made one of these in years...I still think they are among the coolest snacks at WDW. What kid doesn't want the opportunity to pile chocolate, caramel and like 5 types of candy onto a rice crispy treat or pretzel rods?

My personal favorite was a rice crispy, dipped in chocolate, covered in butterfinger and drizzled with caramel. But I think they did away with the caramel drizzle.

4. Boulangerie Patisserie (France Pavilion), Epcot

There is a reason that this bakery ALWAYS has a line: Everything in this adorable little shop is heavenly.

A tip for those going for the first time - both counters have the exact same offerings.

Our favorites tend to be the creme brulee, chocolate mousse, chocolate filled eclair and the palmier (or elephant ear cookie).

Lastly, some honourable mentions (of which I cannot find photos)
- School Bread, Waffles and Rice Cream from Kringla Bakeri in Norway
- Pecan Chocolate Caramel Cluster from Karamel Kuche in Germany
- Churros with Milk Caramel from Cantina de San Angel in Mexico
- Carrot Cake Cookie from The Writer's Stop at Disney's Hollywood Studios
- Popcorn from the Magic Kingdom (it tastes best there!)
- and many many more!

Day 7 - Signature Dining

With a week to go the meals that I am most looking forward to are the signature dining experiences, in particular Victoria & Albert's but I'll save that to do a full post on.

So, while I wait for the next 6 days to pass, I'm going to reminisce about my favorite signature dining experiences.

1. California Grill

This is easily our favorite restaurant at Walt Disney World. Since 2007 we have dined her dozens of times. In fact, we even have a regular server when we go now.

Here are some of my favorite shots:

Place Setting at Sunset

Firecracker Peach Salad

Spicy Kazan Roll

Shrimp Tempura Roll

Sourdough Bread with Sea Salt Butter

Glass of Conundrum

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Goat Cheese Polenta

Amuse Bouche - Pumpkin Soup

Cheese Plate

Amazing Dessert Platter!

2. Jiko

While some have had hit and miss experiences with Jiko, every time we have dined there it has been fantastic. This coming visit in October will mark our 6th meal at the restaurant and we are looking forward to it.