Classic Diner with the classic quality Disney twist

Being a cast member definitely has its perks here and there. One of the main ones has to do with the enjoyment of the services that Disney actually offers. This includes access to all the resorts and all of their restaurants. The longer you work for Disney, the more secrets you discover. That being said, I am about to reveal two of among the greatest eating experiences in all of Central Florida---not just Disney. One involves the best burger in Disney World, and the other is one of the biggest desserts this side of the entire state.


In the Yacht and Beach Club is a restaurant that does not take discounts, does not accept the 50% coupons, and does not even accept reservations. That’s because they don’t want any more popularity on their extremely small eatery. Beaches and Cream is an extremely popular restaurant in the Boardwalk area that has developed a heavy reputation amongst the locals and frequent visitors. It has the pizzazz of a diner, and the food quality of the fanciest restaurants around.





The diner theme of this place is supported by its menu. It has your mix of soups, salads, and sandwiches, and they also add syrup to your sodas---ranging from chocolate to vanilla to even raspberry. Chocolate Fanta anyone? Actually, I had originally written that as a joke, now it doesn’t sound half bad. Chocolate orange. Hmmm. Now, the dessert menu is twice as big as the lunch/dinner menu, but we will get back to that later. Now, we shall discuss the burgers.






The cheeseburgers here are hands-down the best in Walt Disney, among the best in Central Florida, and just inches away from Five Guys quality. These burgers are thick, juicy, plentiful, and just oh so delicious. What makes these burgers different and superior to everything else is the quality of the meat. Don’t ask me why, don’t ask me how. The point is the burger itself is of a different meat from what you usually get in the parks, on the high end of the awesomeness Richter scale. Walt Disney World has its share of good burgers (Magic Kingdom), bad burgers (Animal Kingdom), and ugly burgers (Animal Kingdom), but Beaches n’ Cream makes up for all the mediocre burgers in the Central Florida area.

And then, the dessert. We can start with 8 different types of ice cream. They are your typical flavors, vanilla, chocolate, etc. And now we dwell a bit deeper. This place has ice cream sodas, floats, milkshakes, sundaes, cakes, mudslides, no way Joses (Peanut Butter and Hot Fudge delight featuring Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Morsels, Whipped Cream, and a Cherry ---in other words, amaaaaaazing), banana splits, brownies, and...........


(drumroll)


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The kitchen sink. The big, bad, furious, kitchen sink. Yes, the infamous kitchen sink. This piece of majestic awesomeness serves four people easily, and it contains every single topping that the staff has at that moment. You get 8 scoops of ice cream, and the toppings totally vary depending on when you arrive and what day. Trust me, I’ve fought this monster many times and the toppings vary quite a bit. Here are the toppings I’ve tackled over the years during my various battles against the Sink: whole can of whipped cream, cherries, strawberries, banana pieces, sprinkles, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, hot fudge, strawberry syrup, oreos, pound cake, brownies, waffle pieces, and more.


Now, there is a challenge involving the kitchen sink---for those heroic enough to confront it. With a failure rate of 75%, you better think twice before attempting this. If you can eat this monster (repeating: 8 scoops of ice cream, whole can of whipped cream, whatever other topping they can get their hands on) in under an hour by yourself without getting up, your dessert is free. Now, what totally kills most people in this challenge is the sheer richness of it all. None of the toppings or the ice cream are light, they all pack a major punch. The entire can of whipped cream does not help either. This mix of every dessert ever invented is a very tasty treat, but prepare to share because finishing this endless amount of sugar requires backup.


Bottom Line: Beaches n’ Cream is another hidden Disney gem that is more proof as to why Walt Disney World is the go-to place for great (and varied) food. In the midst of a beautiful resort area, this restaurant is full of quality food, quality atmosphere, and a slight spark of insanity that just doesn’t exist in your typical restaurant. You have your juicy burgers; you have vanilla Coke diner-style, and best of all, a great selection of desserts that ranges from nice sundaes to epic works of sugary art. This is a must visit if you are staying at Disney, or if you live in the Central
Florida area. Whether for lunch or dinner, you will walk away from this place full and satisfied.

Final Verdict: Strongly Recommend


P.S.
Me: 0
Kitchen Sink: 6

1700 Epcot Resorts Boulevard
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
(407) 934-7000

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The Good, the Not So Bad, and the Incredible

Every once in a while, there comes a restaurant that reexamines the way you look at institutions that serves food. Every once in a while you see a place that alters your stance on food. Manny’s Original Chophouse does just that. This place is an insane combination of success and quality that I seldom see. This place has so much good food that one visit is definitely, undoubtedly, unexpectedly, and overwhelmingly not enough. That last sentence didn’t make much sense, but it’s only to continue grabbing your attention as I announce this: Manny’s Original Chophouse is one of the best restaurants in all of central Florida.

Driving down Haines City (Population: small, but expanding), further and further away from the Disneyesque atmosphere you’ll see several cars pulling up to the restaurant from a distance. This restaurant has been a smash hit ever since it’s opening a few years ago, and it’s apparent through its incredible influx of cars filling up the parking lot and taking the space in the vacant lot behind it. There were people waiting outside their cars, outside the building, inside the restaurant, and any other cranny and nook that was not occupied by tables and servers. Not saying this restaurant is slow, but it’s just so darn busy. While I am not a patient man usually, I was willing to wait the half an hour. The fact that this restaurant is crowded despite being virtually in the middle of nowhere is really saying something.



The hostesses were lovely, easy to talk to, and full of smiles despite a quarter of Haines City invading the place. After a little research (i.o.w., asking a few questions), I learned that thanks to word-of-mouth, this restaurant actually receives a slew of tourists from England and the Northeastern states, as well as visitors from neighboring cities Clermont and Plant City. After some waiting, subtle flirting, and just observing the chaos surrounding me, I was finally seated to my table. The menu was massive in terms of range of the prices, types of foods, and sheer amount of options.

The menu here was like a steroid-frenzied mix of TGI Fridays, Chilis, Applebees, and Ale House. So many items to pick from, its not every day you hear of a chophouse having seven different types of seafood. There were at least a dozen different options of steak, including one wrapped in bacon. Yes, I just said that there is a steak wrapped in bacon. Also unlike most restaurants I’ve visited, there’s a slew of specials every day and on different hours throughout the day. Stop drooling now, there’s more.



Almost every item on the menu is served with endless salad, endless bread, and also with the choice of potatoes. I ordered the Manny’s Sirloin Steak, which according to the menu was a favorite. Kyle orders the Bacon Big Cheeseburger, while Michael orders the Rib Eye Steak, which I learned later that it’s also one of the favorites. Christian (the pickiest of all) orders the in adult order of chicken strips. The salad arrived first, and it was quite possibly the most interesting blend of ingredients I’ve ever seen: lettuce, onions, eggs, peppers, croutons, cucumbers, cheese, carrots, dressing, and more dressing. You have the option of mixing all this together. While I am not a fan of over half the items in the salad, the healthy beginner was actually quite scrumptious. No ingredient overpowered the other, they all blended perfectly. And then…..the bread.





Holy mackerel (not one of the fish options). This bread is the best I’ve ever had in a restaurant with the lonestar exception of the Red Lobster on Crossroads in Lake Buena Vista. The bread in Manny’s is always fresh, always soft, always warm, and the major kicker is the cinnamon butter. Cinnamon and butter works so well together, I am shocked that I don’t see it more often in this world. It is amazing, creamy, rich, sweet, and oh-so-bad for you. I didn’t care though, as I drowned my already-great bread into a succulent blend of butter and sweet spice. As I was praising the angels over the starters, the coconut shrimp arrived. The taste of this shrimp was quite interesting, as it was a lot sweeter than your usual shrimp. But most of the flavoring came from the breaded coconut as opposed to the seafood. It was unique, but still satisfying. Their sweet-and-sour orange sauce was a nice touch too.








Kyle’s cheeseburger he claims was up there with Le Tub as among the best he’s ever had. I took a piece and tried it. The meat was juicy and thick, but he was exaggerating on the Le Tub part. Nonetheless, it’s up there on the level of a good Five Guys and a good Fuddruckers. Michael fell in love with his steak, just as much as Christian fell in love with his chicken. Michael claims it was easily the juiciest steak he’s ever had, and he even went to Charley’s Steakhouse, which was voted #1 in the country not too long ago in terms of steakhouses. Charley just may have to watch out for Manny. My sirloin was juicy, tender, nicely done. Easily among the best I've ever had. The mashed potatoes were typical, but a classy addition to the fantastic steak. The juices from the steak were nicely garnished underneath the food, enhancing the flavor of the potatoes.

On my second visit, I had to try the one item that had to be explored before completing my opinion about this restaurant. The bacon wrapped filet mignon. Bacon, steak; how can this combination possibly fail? There is just no way. I already enjoyed the mignon the first time, and bacon is enjoyable no matter what---so what happens when you mix them together? The potential would be more epic than a Chuck Norris/Jackie Chan/Christopher Walken/Cote de Pablo/Lucy Liu movie about ninjas engaging in war against samurai and zombie pirates in rural Asia. I ordered the steak while pounding my chest and proclaiming myself as the alpha male of blogspot (this statement is half-true). After the typical wait for good steak it arrived. Dear God it has arrived. My answer to all problems in life.


It was a smaller sirloin steak with an outer ring of bacon. I was about ready to cry in happiness when I took the first bite. Heaven. The second bite. More heaven. Third bite with more bacon attached to the fork. Spiritual Nirvana. The only gripe that I had with this steak was that it was much too small. If you are already going to do the best idea since Salma Hayek dancing with a snake, might as well go the whole nine yards and apply this masterful plan involving bacon to larger steak. They have steak in 16, 20, and 24 oz, so why is my amazing mignon in such a decent-but-still-not-enough-because-its-so-good 7 oz.? Why? Porque? Doushite? Pourquoi?


Bottom Line: Manny’s Original Chophouse is one of the best restaurants I’ve ever visited, and contained one of the best dinners I’ve ever experienced. The fact that their wonderful salad and bread is endless was enough to warrant this place a good score. Now add the sheer amount of items to order, the amazing service, the excellent steak, and you have yourself a place you are willing visit multiple times---by any means necessary. One last thing to point out, the prices are incredibly reasonable, and with the specials lurking everywhere, you can easily be fully satisfied at less than $20 bucks…and I am including good steak to that equation.

With the only drawbacks being the fries and the distance from my house, I will definitely give this place the highest recognition and honor imaginable, as this is grade-A quality stuff, from the presentation to the execution. If you enjoy a very good steak, come here. If you enjoy good food, come here. If you enjoy reasonable prices…never mind, I’ll stop repeating. Come here, enjoy, and thank me later.

DIAC's Verdict: Strongly Recommend

Manny's Original Chophouse
35496 Hwy 27
Haines City, FL 33844
(863) 422-3910

P.S. i.o.w: in other words

P.P.S. The movie will be simply called “Epic”

P.P.P.S. Award yourself 15 points if you caught the “From Dusk Till’ Dawn reference


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Disney's best hidden cuisine gem

My love towards the Polynesian Resort should not be a secret. Of all the resorts in the Walt Disney World, I strongly believe that with Poly, it is as good as it gets. The ambiance, the view of the castle, and especially (especially), the food. Ohanas to this day has the best food I’ve ever had in Walt Disney World. But, the menu extends farther than that in the tropical resort. There’s a luau, a sushi bar, a second neighboring sit-down restaurant, and the eatery I am about to discuss.

Now, the point of this blog is to not only visit the entire expansive state of Florida, but to also discover hidden treasures amongst the 65,755 square miles. Captain Cooks is the quick-service cornerstone of the Polynesian Resort, and the best quick-service location in all of Disney. After 7 years of work for the Mouse, I have yet to find a single quick-bite eatery that comes even close to the quality this place. Whomever came up with the menu is a genius, and whomever are the cooks maintaining the place are amazing at what they do.




There are four main reasons why this place is the pinnacle of good fast Disney food---these are not in any order. The first reason is their chicken salad. Saying this now, I am not a salad person in the least bit. However, my two favorite salads are from the Polynesian Resort. First place is the salad in Ohanas, and the chicken salad from Captain Cooks is a close second place. Despite the heftier price, this salad is heavy on the quantity, and the quality. You get a massive bowl full of fresh greens, chicken, and just the right amount of dressing and cheese. The chicken was heavy enough to turn this from a healthyish appetizer into a heck of a dinner. But if greens aren’t your cup of tea, then we have the spectacular turkey club.





While the cheeseburger and the aloha pork sandwich are also very good, the turkey club is a superb work of art. In between pieces of great multi-grain bread is fresh turkey, honey-dijon mayonnaise, bacon, and fresh lettuce. They come in multiple little sandwich pieces, and always leave you asking for more. Every time I order this, it always tastes fresh, always tastes top-notch, and never feels like they just threw the meal together. Joining the club is whether a small salad, cole slaw, or the third reason why Captain Cooks is the best of the best in quick service-----the Polynesian chips.


My first time in Ohanas, their starter wasn’t the sweet bread, it used to be the chips. These spectacular chips introduced me to the world of Polynesian cuisine. While the chips (and potatoes and chimichurri sauce, but that’s another story) no longer exist in Ohanas, they still have life in the food place downstairs. These chips come in many different types, styles, and sizes, and they are all tasty to the absolute core. They are some of the only chips that work well by themselves, and taste good with nearly any type of dip you have for them. These chips have just the right amount of salt and oil to maximize the flavor, without making you think of the calories. To make an extremely long story short, these chips rock your socks off.


Then there is the dessert. While Captain Cooks does offer some of your usual ice cream that you can find in the parks, they do have the spiritual nirvana known as the pineapple dole whip. While this masterpiece of a dessert is available in the Magic Kingdom, the fact that this ice cream can be found outside the hustle and bustle of the Kingdom is something worth cheering about. The pineapple ice cream is among the best desserts you’ll ever have in your life. The ice cream is very creamy, very rich in flavor, and just a pure delight from start to finish. Existence of a higher being makes sense, because there’s no way us simple humans created such a delight. I can’t describe it better. You just have to come down to taste it. There should be poetry made about this ice cream.

Bottom Line: If you are vacationing in Disney (or living closeby), you must give this place at least one visit. It is not just a great assortment of Disney food, it has become the best of the quick-service locations in all of Walt Disney World---and I am indeed including the quick service spots in the theme parks themselves. While the Sunshine Seasons and Casey's Corner are classics and cornerstones of Disney, Captain Cooks is a hidden gem of pure quality that is supported by a beautiful atmosphere and close distance to the beach. Not only can you enjoy a great dinner, but you can take some delicious ice cream with you a mere few feet to the shorelines of the resort, where you can get a great view of the fireworks in Magic Kingdom. Captain Cooks is as good as it gets for fast Disney food.

Happy Thanksgiving! Have some videos. On me.

903 Mills Market: featuring the Thanksgiving-in-your-hand sandwich



Thanksgiving Special



Thanksgiving Special Part 2



Happy Thanksgiving!

"I'll have the $hrimp and the lob$ter"

Somewhere in the midst of the Little Havana scene lies a place known for its extensive and expansive selection of delicious seafood. Open since the early 1960s, La Camaronera has become a staple to the Miami area since its opening, starting as a fish market and rising into a popular restaurant. While I am a huge fan of seafood, I have never had Southeast Florida seafood. If anyone says that there is no difference, stop reading now. West coast seafood has quickly become my favorite type, with places like Whiskey Joes and Crabby Bills in the Tampa/Clearwater zone. Now, seeing that I am in a hotel that charges 20 bucks for parking a day, I decided to walk there instead. Three miles of walking is very different from three miles of driving, by the way. Nonetheless, after about an hour of walk, I found the spot. Like Viva Chile before it, its a very small location tucked in the corner of a plaza. That corner also was the only part of the plaza with cars parked.





Inside, its an interesting scene. Let's just say bringing a date here is not the best idea, unless you've known her for a while. This place lacks tables, and lacks chairs. This place consists of a very long counter, an area to buy fresh fish, a massive mirror, and an ATM machine (they only take cash). The locals that visit here often are known as "Los Paraditos" because of their constant standing while devouring their lunch. At least the food can now digest faster. Their most popular items include the fried shrimp, the fried lobster, and also their seafood sandwiches. I ordered the fried lobster (which is market price) and the fried shrimp, skipping out on the sandwiches. The staff was very nice and patient with me, as the locals noticed it was my first time and offered their tidbits.



The fried shrimp was delivered first. This was very good, although it wasn't as filling as the shrimp in the west coast. It was nicely breaded, did pack plenty of shrimp meat, but the portion (and the pieces themselves) were a lot smaller than I've had recently. At 6.50, its not a bad price for the amount given. Their tartar sauce was also very good. And then came the fried lobster. This was a tougher one to chew, literally and figuratively. The plate was $17, and offered the same amount as the fried shrimp. I know that lobster is always more expensive, but the portion definitely did not match the price tag, I personally thought it wasn't enough. The meat itself was quite good, but also not very filling. The crust conquered the flavor, as the lobster was quite tough to chew. It was good, but hard to swallow because of how much it was. Now, while some places charge a little more for presentation, the lack of tables and chairs definitely disproves that potential theory.




Was I disappointed? No, not at all, this seafood was good, it definitely was fresh. But once you've gone to the Tampa area and sampled their inexpesive yet incredible seafood, then it will be hard for these places to truly stand out. For example: I had a meal called a Key West Platter in a seafood place in Clearwater: This dish had mahi-mahi, shrimp, mashed potatoes, hush puppies, and fritters. All this, and it was a cent cheaper than one order of fried lobster. Nowadays, you strive to get as much as you can for each buck you spend. That Key West Platter was not only filing and good, but at a mere $17 I was full to the brim. Then there's the masterpiece seafood pizza in Ricky T's Bar and Grill---which was a $17 pizza with lobster AND crab AND shrimp. I spent nearly $30 at La Camaronera (after tip) and I wasn't really full. If they reduce some of their prices, then it would have been a more satisfying experience. Nonetheless, its good Miami seafood. Now that I think about it, yea, I was slightly disappointed.


Bottom Line: La Camaronera deserves its local underground success, because of its offering of fresh seafood amongst its diverse menu. But as someone who has traveled a lot and has seen/tasted it all, I've had better, and I've seen better-priced. I recommend it as long as you have plenty of cash, but it definitely lags when going up against the Tampa seafood joints. The shrimp was good, but it was much better in Whiskey Joes. The fried lobster was good, but was nasty on the price tag. La Camaronera I am sure can receive better acclaim if one of three things happen: they drop some of their prices, increase their portions, or if the economy explodes and all of a sudden Little Havana has Las Vegas money.

Until then, it hurts to pay, no matter how good it might be.

La Camaronera
1952 West Flagler Street
Miami, FL 33135
(305) 642-3322

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