Dining in Theme Parks
Ken and I are big fans of amusement theme parks, especially roller coasters. Need proof? Try this video from last year, showing our visit to Cedar Point. So when Ken was booked for work in Orlando, we planned for me to join him and have some fun. It was a whirlwind two and a half days of rides and food. Thankfully, very little of it was branded with Mickey ears.
We started at Disney’s Boardwalk Kouzzina It’s a slightly newer restaurant, started by Iron Chef Cat Cora. Kouzzina means kitchen in Greek and I was excited for some tasty Greek eats. The “kitchen” did not disappoint. We started with a heavenly clam appetizer, drenched in a white wine, garlic butter. I was using the spoon to be able to ladle every drop of the sauce right into my mouth.
Then it was on to the entrees. We both had sampler platters and had bites from each other’s plates. (My favorite way to dine.) I loved the smaller portion sizes, because it allowed us to finish the meal and not feel totally stuffed. We enjoyed lamb meatballs & burger, shrimp, hummus, dolmades, pastitsio and cinnamon stewed chicken. And don’t forget lovely cocktails with pomegranate juice and sangria.
Yiamas!
After dinner, we walked Downtown Disney and found some friends.
Of course the cook loves Mr Potato Head!
From there, the food really just becomes average. And that is okay, as we were focused on taking in all the rides and not fantastic food. We did find a few gems along the way…like:
S’Mores on a stick-it was actually a Mickey ears straw. Which I loved. I enjoy all things marshmallow and in the heat, it was a light dessert and a DEAL at only $2.25. Delicious and a little souvenir to boot. Found it at Hollywood Studios.
Then at Epcot, the Canada section-of course, we found this delightful apron. Not only do I love cooking, I love Moose-both chocolate and the giant, fuzzy kind.
Our first full day was a whirlwind of hopping to three Disney World parks in 14 hours, so much eating was done on the run. I failed to photograph another nice treat, the Dole Pineapple Float. Located in Magic Kingdom’s FantasyLand, this little stand offered lots of real pineapple juice and orange juice treats. Our float had pineapple juice on the bottom and was topped with pineapple flavored soft serve.
After a short night’s rest, we were back at it again, this time to visit Universal’s Islands of Adventure. It was all about seeing the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter . Being told of lines 4 hours long, we rushed to get there early. Well, so did everyone else. Overall it was easy to manage the new area and our waits never went over 30-40 minutes.
One of the best parts of the Wizarding world, beside Hogwarts castle, the rides, Diagon Alley and the engine of the Hogwarts express, was the food! They took great care to bring some of the foods from the Harry Potter books into the world. We waited in line for at least a half hour just to drink Butterbeer!
It was an overly sweet, frozen root beer concoction, topped with a thick, butterscotch cream. And it was so good. I am scared to think how many cups some individuals drank in just one day. I need to bring this drink to a Milwaukee bar. Add some booze and it should sell well.
For dinner we stopped at the Three Broomsticks and enjoyed a theme park favorite, the turkey leg! We even drank it down with some pumpkin juice. Turkey legs have a ton of meat and with it being smoked, it’s fairly salty tasting. Be sure to find a friend or two to share your leg, as Ken and I could not finish ours.
Thankfully we passed on anything food related at the joke shop. Didn’t want to be slipped a puking patilles.
Of course, Orlando in August is very hot for us Northerners, so got ourselves wet on the On Fish, Two Fish ride and met another theme pal.
And from the inside, we cooled ourselves down with some frozen lemonade.
When you push yourselves as hard as we do, to see all the theme park sites, be sure to drink TONS of water. If you are not peeing every hour or so, you are not drinking enough. The parks let you bring in your own water bottle, so do it. (Just note that Orlando’s water has a slightly musty taste to it.) Share sweets drinks here and there and stay away from alcohol.
It was a great little get-away, with a few tasty eats. Now….
