karin, Author at Small Barrels Magazine

Disney World Vacation: Five Helpful Tips for Couples

October 10, 2019 By karin Leave a Comment

Flowers for the Easter season — Flowers in the Grand Floridian Lobby for the Easter season

If you’re a couple and you’ve chosen Walt Disney World for your vacation destination, you’ve probably already embraced the prospect of big crowds, long lines, and a family-focused vibe. And that’s good because you won’t ever entirely avoid these things, even armed with all the best tips for jumping ride queues and finding little pockets of quiet(er) in the park.

Incidentally, this article is not about queue-jumping or scheduling your rides to beat the crowds. These resources exist and we’d encourage you to seek them out. What we’d like to instead is give you a few concrete things to do while at Disney that will help you to still feel like a couple on vacation, and not two overgrown eight-year-olds (at least, not the whole time). This is possible by making a few tweaks to your Disney day — and your Disney mindset.

Grand Floridian's elegant lobby — Grand Floridian’s elegant lobby

Tip #1: Bliss out at a deluxe Disney resort.

This is obviously not a tip for saving money, but it may help to save you some sanity. If you’re going to travel all the way to Walt Disney World and are planning to stay on the premises (highly recommended), consider booking a room at one of their several deluxe resorts. You’ll enjoy spacious and lovely grounds, decor that’s ‘still Disney’ – but more restrained than the bright, fantastical stuff at the theme parks – and a greater selection of upscale places to eat and drink when you’re not at the park. In other words, you have a place to truly escape the roller coasters, character greetings, and stroller dodging of the day (and be ready for more the next day!)

We recently stayed at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. In addition to it being lovely all around, I appreciated the perk of the short stroll from my room to Senses, the resort’s on-site luxury spa at. I had one of the best massage appointments (ever), ending with a complimentary glass of wine. (Yes, there is more to Disney than Mickey and Space Mountain.)

Other deluxe resort advantages: booking a room on a concierge floor is often an option at the upscale hotels; that can mean perks like continental breakfast, hot pre-dinner appetizers, and wine/aperitifs for a night cap.

Gorgeous grounds at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

Tip #2: At a theme park? Linger over lunch.

Instead of go, go, go from the moment you arrive at a theme park, plan to linger over lunch. Sure, you can wolf down your fifth hot dog of the week and press on. But there are lots of table service dining options – many even licensed – where you can enjoy being waited on and take things a little slower (ideally while sipping a restorative beverage).

As with all Walt Disney World table-service restaurants, be sure to book well in advance (yes, even for lunch). It takes a little pre-trip planning, but your body and brain will thank you after a morning packed with rides and stimulation. Consider doing this daily as a mini ‘couples retreat’ in the middle of your day.

Disney’s EPCOT theme park has lots of interesting table service dining options. On our recent trip, we enjoyed a lovely, leisurely British pub lunch on the patio of the United Kingdom Pavillion’s Rose and Crown Dining Room. On our ‘Magic Kingdom’ day we lunched at the elegant The Plaza Restaurant, enjoying its very tasty fare. (The Plaza was exceptionally small, and even with a booking we waited a good 20 minutes – a reminder to always book ahead!!)

The art of the leisurely lunch at the Rose and Crown Dining Room

A tasty Reuben Sandwich Platter at the Plaza Restaurant

Tip #3: Call a cab or car ride service

Disney has terrific public transportation for guests staying on the premises. It’s often a great option – and sometimes your only option – for navigating the massive Disney grounds. But it is also public transportation. That means dealing with preset bus, monorail and boat schedules. It also means fighting for space during heavy crowd times like park openings and closings. That can translate to hot, humid journeys while sandwiched between strollers, tired parents and kids. Just saying.

Suppose you’re a couple staying at the Grand Floridian which is located near the Magic Kingdom. You have dinner reservations at Disney’s Dolphin Resort, which borders on EPCOT – a decent journey. Rather than getting all fancied up only to have to figure out (and fight) the public options, deal with transferring and waiting around, why not order a ride? We used LYFT on a couple of occasions and were happy to pay the reasonable fare for the quick, direct and private ride to our dinner destinations. Worth it!

Manhattan — Couples’ cocktail time at Bluezoo (Dolphin Resort)

Tip #4: Think ‘proximity’ when booking your resort.

This is a variation on Tip #1 (i.e., stay at a deluxe resort). It also has the advantage of lessening your need to exercise Tip #3 (booking cabs and rides to get around):

When choosing your deluxe resort, take into the account the park you’ll be at most often, and the location of the restaurants where you’ve made the most reservations. The resort that is closest to the most of these things is your winner. You can flip this and do it the other way — let your resort choice dictate your ‘main park’ and the bulk of your dining options. Either way, the more these things are connected, the less time you’re going to be worrying about making connections.

We chose the Grand Floridian because: a) it’s one stop away from Magic Kingdom, the park we knew we’d be visiting more than the rest, and b) we knew we wanted to dine at three Grand Floridian restaurants: Citricos, Narcoossee’s, and Victoria and Albert during our 7-night stay. All in all, it meant way less time travel fuss to and fro. We basically had to get dressed and go, and knew we’d arrive at MK or a dinner within 15 minutes.

Exclusive dining, adults only — Exclusive dining adults only) at the Grand Floridian’s Victoria and Albert

Having stayed at the Disney’s Beach Club and Yacht Club luxury resorts in the past, I can also highly recommend either of these resort choices. Right on the doorstep of EPCOT (just a short walk away) and a quick boat ride or walk to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, it makes sense to stay at Beach Club or Yacht Club if you’re keen on these parks. There’s also an impressive number of more upscale table service/finer dining options to choose from all within walking distance in the EPCOT/Disney’s Boardwalk area.

Shula's 22 oz. "Cowboy" Ribeye — Shula’s – an upscale steak house in the EPCOT area

Tip #5: Embrace the fact that you won’t do it all.

This is a tip we’d offer to anyone traveling to Disney – kids in tow or otherwise. There is just too much to do, see, hear, taste and experience at Walt Disney World to do it all, or even close to it all. If you try – even if you think you can try – you will run yourself ragged by day two at the latest. So, burst that bubble right now and you will be happier for it.

Instead, spend a morning at your park of choice and ride the attractions that intrigue you most. Linger over that lunch. Maybe do one last ride or two as you make your way back to your deluxe resort for a restful afternoon, then go somewhere great for dinner (maybe cab it or use LYFT). Maybe you’re refreshed enough for fireworks or other evening show. If not, what’s the harm in seeking out your resort’s lounge and enjoying a night cap, just the two of you? A pretty good day, even if you only saw a fraction of Disney. (There’s always next time, right?)

Night cap in the lobby — Night cap in the Grand Floridian lobby

Review of Todd English’s bluezoo at Walt Disney World

August 29, 2019 By karin Leave a Comment

Todd English's Bluezoo Menu — Todd English’s Bluezoo Menu

Todd English’s bluezoo, an upscale seafood restaurant, is located at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel. It has a hip, sophisticated vibe from its ‘blue-lit’ decor, creative menu, and excellent service. Dare I say it even has a somewhat ‘un-Disney’ like quality to it, making for refreshing change from days spent park hopping. You’re still going to see some families and groups, but in our experience, this is one of the more ‘hip date-night’ locations to eat at when doing Disney.

Bluezoo has a really great cocktail list. I was drawn to the concoction aptly named ‘serenity’, and it was fantastic. It’s as cool and refreshing as it sounds made with cucumber vodka, elderflower liqueur, a pleasing mix of muddled strawberries, basil, rosemary, and spiked with some lime and pineapple juice. Sooooo good and tastes rather like the grown up, fruitier cocktail cousin of spa cucumber water. For him – something a little more classic, but no less tasty – a Manhattan made with specialty bourbon and garnished with brandied cherries.

Appetizers are creative, varied (though lots of seafood, of course), and generous. We shared two: the jumbo shrimp cocktail and the scrumptious teppan seared jumbo sea scallops. Unfortunately, I have only a blurry photo of the scallops, unworthy of posting, but it was pretty — to look at, and to eat with tender and tasty morsels of seafood and beef both beautifully set off by a cauliflower purée.

The jumbo shrimp cocktail was really delish, served with interesting handcrafted sauces. The ‘bloody mary’ sauce was the most traditional of the bunch, and the avocado purée was my favourite: velvety and lovely. There was also a nice garlic aioli and a honey mustard sauce, and lots of fennel salt to tie together. A nice twist on the usual!

Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail with a selection of creative sauces

Both of our entrées were superb. I had the Simply Fish: corvina on that particular evening served with roasted zucchini couscous, corn purée, and a caper beurre blanc sauce. The fish was out of this world, delicately crisped on the outside, and flaky and beautiful on the inside. I was more impressed than I thought I’d be with the zucchini couscous – so delicate and tender, with the zucchini adding that subtle bit of green flavor to freshen it up. Great dish!

For him – what is probably the most outstanding item on the bluezoo menu bar none: the two-pound cantonese lobster. The tender lobster meat is fried and then tossed in a sweet, sticky, earthy/spicy glaze whose flavour you won’t forget. I can literally taste it as I look at the picture below. Spectacular — I really can’t say enough about this dish, and words are not going to capture it. If you go, just get it.

Bluezoo's signature dish: Two-Pound Maine Cantonese Lobster — Bluezoo’s signature dish: Two-Pound Maine Cantonese Lobster

To accompany our fabulous entrées we selected a chardonnay from bluezoo’s lovely wine list. We greatly enjoyed our bottle of Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay (Napa Valley, 2014). It was crisp and rich at the same time, especially perfect for drinking with the robust, ‘sweet and sticky’ flavors of the cantonese lobster.

We highly recommended bluezoo. First, there’s its grown-up ambiance roviding a little date-night oasis within the family-centered context of most Disney dining experiences. But mostly it’s the wonderful service and outstanding dishes, cocktails, and wines that makes bluezoo top our list as a favorite on our Disney holiday.

For more information or to make reservations, visit https://www.swandolphinrestaurants.com/bluezoo/

Review of Citricos at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

August 21, 2019 By karin Leave a Comment

Citricos at Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa is a fine dining/signature restaurant, and it won’t disappoint. Airy and comfortably elegant with large windows, it’s a welcoming environment whether it’s a date night or a family affair. We found the service to be exceptionally attentive and friendly, and the American/Mediterranean influenced menu with entrees in the $35-$50 USD range is definitely diverse enough to please a range of palettes.

In fact, after dining here on the first evening of our trip, we made a second reservation here to replace an evening at EPCOT a few days later we decided to skip. Not only was it a convenient choice for us as we were staying at the Grand Floridian, there were other dishes and wines that we knew we’d like to sample.

So…we dove right in with a martini with blue chesse-stuffed olives to toast and kick off our Disney vacation! Then we were ready to order some appetizers…

Lots of intriguing, tasty options to start a meal. At our first meal, we began by sharing two appetizers: Florida Shrimp with pasta and a bright and briny puttanesca sauce, and a delectable Tuna Tartare. Both were very tasty and generous enough to share – two appetizers between us proved to be quite filling.

Florida Shrimp with Pasta and Puttanesca Sauce Appetizer

Tuna Tartare and Shrimp with Pasta and Puttanesca (Appetizers)

(Allergy sufferers – take note of the little wooden ‘flags’ in the dishes marking an allergy-awareness request in the prep; an elegant way to indicate that the kitchen prepared an item with a stated allergy in mind, in this case tree nuts and peanuts. We noticed this particular protocol at most of our table service meals at Disney.)

We went in another direction with appetizers on our second visit: for him – a rich, smokey arancini dish with smoked tomatoes, mozzarella and an herb aioli. I chose a simple Salade Verte; it was generous and very fresh, a lovely salad.

As mentioned, there’s a nice variety of dishes on the Citricos menu, so hard to go wrong no matter your mood or desired wine pairing. If you’re like us, quite often the wine you’re craving dictates your choice of meal. On our first visit, we were in the mood for a Chardonnay, and the Chateau Montelena 2015 caught our eye.

Citricos' Wine List — Citricos’ Wine List

To pair with our fantastic wine: for him – the Oak-grilled tuna with a cannellini bean ragout, ham hock and vegetable pistou. I had the ‘Chicken Mediterranean’ served with yummy, creamy polenta, and bright, flavorful tomato fondue. The chicken itself was very tender – an excellent dish. And of the two, I’d say the chicken was the winner – we would have preferred the tuna to be paired with simpler ingredients to let it’s own fresh taste shine through (we found that the beans and ham hock overwhelmed it just a tad.)

On our second evening, once again wine choice preceded choice of entrees. This time, we went bold and red, delighted to find the hard to get and very well-reviewed Justin Isosceles Reserve (2014).

The huge wine lived up to the big expectations, with a deep, rich color, dark/black fruit flavors, with some warm spicy notes. Really enjoyed this bottle!

We needed some bold food flavours to go with such a powerhouse of a wine. For him – the oak-grilled beef filet with a rich potato purée, bordelaise sauce and asparagus.

I chose the beef short ribs with Pappardelle. The meat absolutely fell off the bone. I don’t believe I used a knife at all – great dish!

To this already very complete and hearty meal we added a treat to share: Truffle Fries with shaved black truffle and parmesan. You could smell that earthy, buttery warm truffle scent from yards away as our server carried it toward us. Under his breath he announced: “Your plate of awesomeness” which it really was. It didn’t matter how much else we had consumed – this plate was going to be conquered! 🙂

Truffle fries - spectacular! — Truffle fries – spectacular!

Citricos does a fine job of beginnings, main courses and sides – and also has some very pleasing dessert options.

On our first visit, we finished the evening with a cheese course. A lovely cheese menu was brought out describing the evening’s selection: a blue cheese, a soft-ripened cheese, and a goat’s cheese with a memorable lavendar/fennel flavour.

Having been seated near the open kitchen, on our first visit we spotted waiter after waiter delivering a chocolate concoction that we knew we’d have to try if we returned (the exquisitely handcrafted chocolate tiara sells it, whether you’re a princess or not!). We were back a few days later and eagerly ordered the Warm Chocolate-Banana Torte to share. Yes, it’s as good and chocolatey as it looks.!

Warm chocolate banana torte - a Citricos signature dessert! — Warm chocolate banana torte – a Citricos signature dessert

Gorgeous dessert with handcrafted Belgian chocolate crown

A final surprise capped the evening – a window view right from our table of Magic Kingdom’s stunning Happily Ever After fireworks show. This photo gives you a mere hint — believe me when I say it really looked terrific in person. An unexpected perk of being at Citricos at the right time (fireworks began at 9pm) and in the right ‘wing’ of the restaurant – near the back by the large windows facing in the direction of Lake Buena Vista.

Magic Kingdom Fireworks from Windows at Citricos

To view the Citricos menu, check availability and make reservations visit www.disneyworld.disney.go.com

Review of Black Tap Craft Burgers and Beer – Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas

July 5, 2019 By karin Leave a Comment

Craving caft beer, piled-high burgers, and monster milkshakes? Black Tap at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas has your back. This was our second Black Tap experience, the first being in Manhattan in a funkier, more hole-in-the-wall location. In Vegas, not surprisingly, you’ll find a more spacious venue. As in New York, the restaurant has a laid back atmosphere, great service, and very generous portions. Extremely generous. Great spot for a casual burger lunch on the strip!

An excellent selection of craft beers on top and cocktails, too – so if you’re just in the mood for a drink or a pint, this is good option. We dined inside, but outdoor seating overlooking the hotel’s ‘canal’ would make a fine afternoon beverage break option.

Burger are in the $15-22 (USD) range and are served with fries, which can be swapped out for salad, onion rings or sweet potato fries for an additional $2. Below is the delicious Chili Cheeseburger, topped with ‘frizzled’ onions and paired with an order of (massive) house-made onion rings. Other intriguing choices on the menu (for ‘next times’) include the The Truffle Burger with wagyu beef, gouda, black truffle mayo and a truffle vinaigrette and The Greg Norman, also with wagyu and blue cheese.

For a lower carb (but certainly not low-cal) option, there’s a great selection of burger salads. I chose the Black Tap Burger Salad, basically an old-school deluxe undone bacon cheeseburger with a thousand island type dressing, and scrumptious pickled onions. Other burger/salad options include: a turkey burger, vegan burger (black bean patty), and even a falafel burger salad.

Black Tap Burger Salad

On to Black Tap’s signature “CrazyShakes” (~$15-17) – basically hybrid shake-sundae-cakes-candy concoctions (on steroids). Below is the Cookie Shake made with vanilla ice cream, crumbled cookies, chocolate drizzle, and whipped cream…

…oh — and note the whole ice cream sandwich stuck to the side of the shakes’ topping.

Yes. That's an ice cream sandwich stuck to the glass. — Yes. That’s an ice cream sandwich stuck to the glass.

Guests from another table literally came over to snap a photo of this showstopper.

Other crazy/creative shake ‘themes’ include: Churro, Fruity Pebbles, Cake (slice of cake artfully included ‘on’ the shake) and more…

Black Tap is a smart addition to the Venetian – casual atmosphere, food with wide appeal — unfussy, good quality ingredients — and some over-the-top sweet treat options if you’re in the mood.

For more information or to view the menu, visit www.venetian.com/restaurants

Review of Costa di Mare – Wynn, Las Vegas

June 24, 2019 By karin Leave a Comment

Costa di Mare – a gorgeous, elegant, but also friendly and vibrant Italian restaurant in the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel. Our experience from start to finish tops the list of our dining adventures in my books. From the coastal Mediterranean cuisine, to the stylish decor, and to the excellent – even exuberant – service, our evening at Costa di Mare was one to remember. First of all – what an entrance!

Curving lines, domed ceiling, and a circular balcony overlooking the main dining area give the restaurant an open feel and make it particularly inviting. The wall of windows overlooking the lagoon adds to the restaurant’s sense of glamour and beauty.

Starting with a terrific vodka martini, it was time to peruse the menu. At first glance, it was somewhat overwhelming: the sheer number of dishes to choose from, the parade of dishes offered even in the curated tasting menus….I was hoping for expert guidance, and everyone delivered. All or our servers were attentive and extremely knowledgeable, demystifying the process but more than that, setting the tone that made us feel like welcomed guests for a refined family feast. This is exactly how I would characterize our dinner – elegant enough for a couples evening, but with the warmth of being taken care of like family members.

In the end, we went for it all – the Gran Menu di Mare tasting menu. An example of the sort of guidance we received from our wonderful servers: we had a discussion right at the outset about what sort of wine could (possibly) pair with the variety of foods we were about to sample. The sommelier was immediately dispatched to our table, selecting gorgeous Italian wines – white and red – that we are likely never to find again, but that we enjoyed immensely. To ensure seamless blending of food and wine, the sommelier arranged to have certain dishes from the tasting menu modified or altered once we’d made our selections to keep things on point. This attention to detail was characteristic of everything that happened during our meal.

Fresh from the sea

Everything on the tasting menu is served family style and it all sounded – and was – delectable. Seafood was at the heart of nearly every dish, and yet the preparation in the fine Italian coastal style was not something we’ve experienced often. Not only was there fish flown in fresh from the Mediterranean that we had never tasted before, the combination with San Marzano tomatoes, olives, and pasta made for bright and surprising combinations.

The ricciola cruda con limone was a simple dish, but utterly delicate and sumptuous. We were off to a marvelous start.

Saute di vongole, Cappesante dorate con mostarda di rabarbaro e gremolata di noci, Polipo Ligure alla grigilia

The festival of food continued with a trio of dishes: clams with tomato sauce, seared sea-scallops with a fennel and endive salad (refreshing!), and a heartier dish of grilled octopus with olives, potatoes and pepper sauce.

We added the grigliata, grabbing the chance to enjoy the fresh shrimp, spiny lobster, and langoustine. The preparation was simple so that the beautiful flavor of the grilled seafood took centre stage.

Griiled shellfish - grigliata mista di gamberi, scampi, aragosta — Griiled shellfish – grigliata mista di gamberi,
scampi, aragosta

Primi - including: Calamarata pasta rings, scopion fish, and risotto with seafood — Primi – including: Calamarata pasta rings, scopion fish, and risotto with seafood

The main course consisted of a number of seafood dishes – a beautiful, velvety risotto with scallops, cuttlefish, lobster, and more (above right). The center dish in the photo above was a rich seafood, pasta and tomato sauce concoction, a substitution to pair with the red wine we were enjoying at this stage of the meal. On the left was a flavor party: calamarata pasta rings, scorpion fish, eggplant and San Marzano tomato sauce – of all the dishes we enjoyed that night, this is the one that stands out in my memory, summing up the spirit and style of this exciting cuisine.

Closer look at the velvety seafood risotto

Tagliatelle di seppia with cuttlefish and shellfish

Shown above was the fourth dish in this course – an incredibly tasty combination of cuttlefish ink ribbon pasta, shrimp, and lobster.

Seafood feast assembled on the plate - lobster with pasta and San Marzano sauce — Seafood feast assembled on the plate – lobster with pasta and San Marzano sauce

Calamarata con scorfano, melanzane e pomodoro

Unfortunately, we neglected to snap a photo of the impressive next course, pescato d’amo al forno – a whole-roasted Mediterranean fish. It was brought out to the table gleaming and whole, then expertly filleted and presented on our plates. The fish was paired with tomato and olive sauce absolutely bursting with flavor – another dish that stands out in my memory as emblematic of our Costa di Mare experience.

Whole roasted fish - Pescato d'amo al forno — Whole roasted fish – Pescato d’amo al forno

Here is where things began to drift into the unbelievable. We had already enjoyed copious flavors and textures. But dessert was still to come. And not just a small slice of tiramisu as you will see below.

The course is called sinfonia di dolci – symphony of desserts – and it was most certainly that. Sugared ‘fritters’ on apples and caramel with gelato, tiramisu, and a flight of half a dozen sorbets, all looking too pretty to eat. It was all incredible even though at this point we were reduced to a bite of this and a bite of that.

Heavenly 'fritters' and rich gelato — Heavenly ‘fritters’ and rich gelato

One final but important note – as someone who suffers from severe food allergies (tree nuts/peanuts) it can be a challenge (to say the least) to dine outside the home; for a dinner where there is this much food, with so many ingredients, and where a foreign language (to me) is used to describe the dishes, the challenge becomes even greater. But every single one of the many servers who attended to our table knew my concerns, and intimately knew every ingredient in each dish. Modifications were made for me as necessary. I felt perfectly comfortable, once again like an honored guest in someone’s home who had bothered to prepare the finest dishes with me in mind.

This was a delicious meal in beautiful surroundings with genuinely friendly and attentive service. I recommend it to you and am counting the days until my next visit.

For more information on Costa di Mare or to make reservations, visit www.wynnlasvegas.com/dining