Sci-Fi Diner: Wacky but Ho-Hum

I have been working for the Hollywood Studios for almost a year but I have yet to experience any of their table-service restaurants. While the Hollywood Brown Derby remains by far their most prestigious, arguably their most popular is the always-bopping Sci-Fi Diner. This spot pits you back into the 1950s as it resembles a drive-in theater complete with a movie screen full of campy horror/sci-fi films of the Eisenhower era. While everyone knows my disdain towards Hollywood Studios’ lack of a consistent theme, this restaurant is definitely an exception to the rule with its movie set-up, 1950s presentation, and overall fun campy low-budget look. But can the food live up to the hype? This place boasts incredible burgers and excellent desserts, so I decided to visit to try them both.









Sci-Fi Diner doesn’t look like much from the outside and on the inside when you are confirming the reservation (hint-hint, you’ll need it). But after a short trip around the backdrop you’ll see a plethora of tables shaped like 50s vehicles and a massive movie screen in the background. The best part of the dining experience here is all the silliness, campiness, craziness, and hilarity of the 50s and 60s commercials, cartoons, movie trailers, and other random moments. We were seated and immediately you can tell from looking at the menu that you have a wide variety of foods to choose from—they range from pasta to ribs to burgers.








I decided to start the lunch with some tortilla chips and a spinach and artichoke dip. I also went with a Space Monkey: a mix of chocolate milkshake, coconut rum, and banana liquor. For the lunch itself I went with their cheeseburger, which I had been told is big and delicious. One final note, its mildly odd that such a cheesy place like this offers a diverse set of wines. After a short wait I get the drink and the chips. The appetizer is of a decent portion, not too big. The dip itself wasn’t too strong, matched well with the chips by combining a creamy and cheesy taste. The drink was phenomenal though, albeit not strong in the least bit. Maybe it’s my high tolerance, or maybe its that the thickness of the delightful milkshake offsets any potential strong punch of alcohol. Think of a deliciously mildly spiked milkshake, and you have the Space Monkey. That was the best part of my meal.





Here comes the disappointment. The cheeseburger, which usually is made with onions, mushrooms and the usual works, doesn’t deliver. The burger didn’t come out as hot as I am used to, and the added ingredients didn’t enhance the burger much. It isn’t a bad burger, but it’s definitely nowhere near the best I’ve had in Walt Disney World (Beaches n’ Cream holds the honor). Even the burgers in Magic Kingdom’s Starlight Café give it some competition. The portion was a little underwhelming as they gave me a small bit of fries—also failing in comparison to the excellent burger/fries duo in Beaches.

Needing a way to wipe off some disappointment, I decided to give dessert a shot. While this spot is known for the sundaes, I went with the peanut butter chocolate cake—which is a chocolate cake with pure peanut butter in the middle. As I waited, I noticed that the plethora of movies and trailers runs at around 45-50 minutes before looping again. Personally I think they should add another half-hour of footage could prevent us consumers from seeing the same thing twice. The atmosphere and the service however were definitely preventing this place from being a total bust.





The cake was decent, albeit suffering from odd texture. The exterior was very hard and quite tough, while the inside practically melts in your mouth. The pure peanut butter might be a factor, but the inside of the cake was the best part, while the outside was an adventure to maneuver through. The recurring theme of the food here is that it’s decent, but there’s much better out there….all within the grounds of Walt Disney World. The prices aren’t too crazy, but you can get better food at larger portions in more reasonable prices. But you can’t find the trailer to the Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman anywhere…

Bottom Line: Sci-Fi Diner was a quirky presentation (that the kids will love I might add) unfortunately served with a side of disappointing food. Like I said before, none of the food is deplorable, but none of it is also worthy of bragging about. There are better burgers, better appetizers, and better desserts out there in Central Florida, better yet Disney. However if you are willing to put up with mild mediocrity, then get ready for a wild time back to the 1950s inside a nice car watching some vintage horror and science fiction—with even a cameo by Walt Disney himself. This is like 2001: A Space Odyssey---worthy of at least one experience, one viewing, but anything further would be a questionable call.

Verdict: Mildly, Loosely Recommend



P.S. Yes, I am calling 2001: A Space Odyssey overrated.

Sci-Fi Diner
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Lake Buena Vista, Fl

Twisted Burger: High-Class Burgers in a High-Class Area

In the higher-class cuisine corners of the Dr. Phillips area lies a brand new burger joint with a new way of preparing burgers. Being the counterculture to all the fancy cuisine bursting everywhere, Twisted Burger is a very small low-key spot that has a nice little secret. I was told that they have a burger that rocks the calorie scale and will test your health. Sounds like my kind of meal. Something along the lines of a fried burger. Fried? Burger? Together? I have to give this place a shot.




Officially part of Restaurant’s Row, an extremely popular stretch of restaurants on Sand Lake Road, Twisted Burger is quietly nestled in between other small eateries. Inside, the place was shockingly empty. It’s not like the area is an economic black hole, you can definitely find success as long as you find your niche and audience. But Twisted Burger has been around only 6 months, and every restaurant owner can tell you the first year is always the hardest. I ordered their signature Twisted Burger ($5.99)---1/2 pound burger pressed with cheddar cheese. And for some added potential goodness: The Guilty Pleasure ($7.99).


The Guilty Pleasure consists of (please brace yourself): 1/2 pound burger with sliced turkey pressed with two types of cheese, twisted sauce, and all this is fried in tempura batter and sprinkled with sugar on top. Yes my friends, this does sound amazing. And yes, this sounds potentially deadly. The burgers actually don’t come with fries, just giving you that heads-up. But I was only focused on the burger, which sounds like it comes off as a Floridian version of Minneapolis’ Juicy Lucy (cheeseburger having the cheese inside the meat patty rather than on top).








After a short wait the Twisted Burger arrives. My first bite was quite impressive, albeit quite juicy. Burger juice poured out from the meat as the quality of the meat kicked the taste buds into high gear. While it’s not the biggest burger out there, in terms of pure content and quality per ounce, it’s one of the thickest and freshest-tasting burgers I’ve had in a very long time. The meat tastes different from the norm, and I found out later that night that the burger patty consists of a variety of different cuts and meats. The cheese plastered in the middle of the meat gives the entire burger an entirely unique kick that makes it gooier, softer, and much more pleasing to the senses.




And dear Lord, here comes the Guilty Pleasure. This totally appropriately-named calorie monstrosity looks like a giant ball of fried food and once you cut it halfway you'll see all the awesome packed inside. About an inch of fried batter surrounds the burger and turkey, while the cheeses and sauces ooze in between the insanity. This barely passes off as an official burger, because there are so many different flavors bursting with every bite. It comes off more as just a massive sandwich that poses as both a hefty lunch and a crazy dessert. It has the sweetness of a powdered doughnut, the creaminess of a good warm sandwich, and its all topped off with the deliciously juicy burger. Basically, this is an expanded and vastly improved version of a Monte Cristo sandwich.


Bottom Line: Measuring about a 9.9 on the calorie richter scale and the quality richter scale, Twisted Burger is a definite departure from your more expensive and healthy-laden choices in the same area. This place is like the restaurant version of Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack. You just don't have regular burgers here, but also fried burgers, burgers embedded with cheddar cheese and for dessert your good ol' all-American fried Twinkie. Unlike most of your pretentious and fancy spots in Dr. Phillips, Twisted Burger runs purely on the quality of its food offerings. Like I always say, sometimes in life you just need a good, juicy burger. And Twisted Burger offers that, and then some.

Verdict: Highly Recommend



Twisted Burger
7563 W Sand Lake Rd
Orlando, FL 32819

Jikos: Upscale Dining with an African Twist

So I had some extra money ($30 Disney Dollars, yes Disney has its own money too) to spend on account of winning an award at work. So I decided to expand my cuisine boundaries, expand my wallet, and take on African-style cuisine in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. The beauty of living in Central Florida is that with the access to Disney, you can engage yourself on all types of food—not just American or pseudo-Chinese. Disney is arguably one of the only spots in Orlando in which you can find African-influenced cuisine. The Animal Kingdom Lodge is a resort that actually has a couple spots with foods and wines that originate in Africa. Jikos is arguably their flagship restaurant as it offers high-quality fancy African cuisine at mammoth prices but with high value. Despite the rather intimidating prices and menu, I decided to give it a shot.









From the getgo when you walk in, you can tell this spot is meant to be for couples and higher-caliber cuisine consumers. Since I was eating by myself, they had me sit in front of where the chefs were prepping some of the food. They have these massive wood-fire ovens that (of course) formed a hidden mickey on the ceiling. Their dinner menu is small, but very varied. The wine menu however is where it’s at. The wine menu was more like a Winery Bible, as it had page after page of wines from all over the world, mostly Africa of course. But, not being a drinker of wines, I couldn’t tell you how impressive the listing is. Nonetheless, if you drink wine, head over here, as you not only see it all over the menu, but also throughout the restaurant hanging on the walls.




After some careful consideration, I went with the flatbread that had African chicken, bacon, and an assortment of other ingredients. One thing about Jikos, there’s a lot of ingredients in all of their items—no simple recipes allowed here. For the entrée, I decided to try this Egyptian dish called kushari—which is a mix of sweet corn cream with peas, tomatoes, and topped with their seasonal fish—which in my case is gulf grouper. Another thing you must mentally prepare for: waiting. Whether their items are made to order or they like to heighten the anticipation of your food, the wait for the appetizer and the entrée is a bit higher than your average place. I guess this is the part where you talk to your significant other. I was alone so I talked to myse---the chefs.



The flatbread arrives and it was delicious in a variety of ways. It was a crazy mix of savory, sweet, with a hickory taste attached. Picture a small pizza caught in a whirlwind with fresh chicken and vegetables lightly drenched in truffle oil. The bread was soft and fresh, while all the toppings were fantastic and individually stood out in the taste buds in different intervals. This was also the best deal of the night, with a small $10 price tag attached. This will not fill you up, but will give a nice kick. They also top the flatbread with some greens, which was odd but strangely worked.



The kushari is a very unique dish that was a mix of good and not-so-good. My ho-hum reaction to this dish has nothing to do with the restaurant and has everything to do with my pickiness. Like I said, it was my first time trying an almost-authentic African dish, so I can’t compare this meal to anything else I’ve ever had. That being said, the grouper was fantastic. This fish was never flaky, never had that fishy taste, as it was thick, juicy, and very filling. The cream sauce on the bottom of the dish and the crispy onions were perfect compliments to the grouper.


The peas that come with the grouper however were a bit underwhelming. They look like they are there more for presentation than for complimenting the meal since it didn’t have much flavor attached. And with it being over $35, it’s a tougher pricing pill to swallow. The entrée prices range from $25 to nearly $50, so whatever you pick it won’t be cheap. Luckily the service more than made up for the slight shortcoming that was the kushari dish. The chefs, servers, managers, and seaters were all very wonderful and delightful.





Now, for dessert I was about to tackle the Madagascar cheesecake and take in a Zebratini (Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur, Frangelico, Amarula, and a shot of Espresso---doesn’t that sound amazing?) but one of the chefs took the menu away and told me “We already took care of it.” In a mix of fear and excitement, I eagerly anticipated what they meant. Because I mentioned my winning of the quarterly awards (and them believing me, I honestly did win it, but I wonder if they even checked for proof) they actually gave me three small samples of dessert. The first was a bit of the cheesecake, which was incredibly rich and packed with fresh flavor. The second was my personal favorite, which was the Tanzanian chocolate creamux. In simpler terms, it was a very rich and powerful chocolate mousse with a nice kick of coffee flavor. Last but not least was their crème brulee, which was very crispy on top, but had a sweet taste with a dainty white chocolate kick.


Bottom Line: Jikos is pricy, very upscale, and perhaps too adventurous for the average eater. That being said, the experience was quite a good one and very unique from your average restaurant. This is the perfect romantic spot as the pacing is calm, the atmosphere is relaxed, and there’s enough wine plastered all over the walls in case your date is going awry. But yes there’s also some good food, even if it’s different from the usual steak or chicken. The price is up, but so is the quality of their food and the quality of the service, in which the latter was phenomenal to the core. There’s better Disney dining options out there, but the uniqueness and style of this African-flavored culinary journey deserves at least one visit.

Final Verdict: Lightly Recommend

Jikos
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
2901 Osceola Parkway, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

(407) 938-7149