oh mickey you're so fine...

When one thinks of Disney, the first thing that doesn’t come to mind is the culinary experiences (I usually think amusement park hotdogs and hamburgers!).  Not almond crusted cheesecakes, Polynesian noodles, and chocolate mousse!

The variety of food available at Disney was better than expected (albeit, still on the salty side...my shoes didn't fit at the end of our trip!).  However since we have fantastic restaurants where we live, we chose places that would give us the most experiences for the kids.  So every single meal we had was part of a character dining, or an experience in itself.


We ate with almost every Mickey Mouse friend, Princesses, Alice in Wonderland and other Disney characters (Princesses at "Akershaus Storybook" , more princesses at "Cinderella's Royal Table", Alice in Wonderland's Mad Hatter breakfast at "1900 Park Fare" in the Grand Floridian, breakfast with Lilo & Stitch at "Ohana" and Winnie the Pooh and friends at "Crystal Palace").

We also enjoyed places where the ambience was the entertainment.  The Polynesian family style dinner with fireworks view at "Ohana" was our favourite.  We also ate at a fun drive in style diner "The Sci-Fi Dine In", and took in a western show at "Hoop de Doo Revue (our least favourite show).

For the foodies in us, there were so many international restaurant options at the World Showcase at Epcot...some of the best (and least amount of salt/fried food...i.e. NOT hamburgers and fries) were found here.

Right before the Illuminations exhibit at Epcot (the fireworks and light show over the World Showcase), we went to the "San Angel Inn", the most  "adult" restaurant we ate at, that was founded in Mexico and was so popular, it was brought to Disney.

The replica of the Mayan ruins and volcano was interesting enough for the kids, and the setting was romantic enough for the adults to enjoy some peace and quiet from the Mickey Mouse crowd.

Although there were many "sophisticated establishments" to eat at, we chose restaurants that had more "character", so we didn't have to line up to see them at the parks (some of the line ups for the "meet and greets were astonishingly 90 minutes long!).  And after seeing the smiles on the kids faces...

...I think Mickey (and his crew) were just fine.

Mickey Mouse Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I used this recipe from a previous post {here}, and just added banana slices and chocolate chips.  Because this pancake recipe makes thick fluffy pancakes, the batter is thick enough to slowly pour onto the hot skillet.  Just make one large circle for the face, then slowly spoon a small amount of batter to make the ears.

taking a bite out of the big apple

My husband and I visited many wonderful places to enjoy the culinary delights of NYC. There is no shortage of fabulous, award winning restaurants.  We walked a lot to take in all the culture, and let our noses (and stomachs) guide us.


When we arrived in New York, for lunch, we enjoyed  La Gazzetta (the cafe that's part of the famed Villa Pacri), where we enjoyed home made panini's, local beers and great conversation with a friendly New York couple who sat next to us on the patio.  It was a great time to meet the locals, providing advice on interesting off the beaten path places in New York, and they were equally intrigued with our own view as visitors.

For dinner, we had pre-reserved our seats at Gotham Bar and Grill. (it's advisable to reserve on Open Table at least a few weeks in advance). This restaurant is considered a staple to visit...it's been around for years (I'd almost equate this to the old Rainbow Room), and had elegance and incredible culinary offerings . Not as "hip and young" as other choices we were considering, however, the excellent service and the feeling of being treated very very well was something the more "hip" offerings seemed to lack.  And the food was unquestionably delicious.  In particular, the Roasted Muscovy Duck (one of their signature dishes) was spectacular! 

The next morning, we ate at The Standard Grill for a light breakfast.  This outdoor/indoor schoolhouse themed cafe (the staff wore school-like uniforms), and the interiors had beautiful old schoolhouse pendant lamps and checkered floors.  They served mostly organic fare, and their variations on anything with eggs provided lots of protein for the day.  We ate outdoors, and enjoyed our eggs with the birds in the trees surrounding us.

Before heading home, we were taking a leisurely walk in Greenwich village, where a quaint little restaurant caught our eye. We had a late brunch at  The Little Owl, a casual and quaint spot popular with the locals (the exterior of this building was used for the opening sequence of the Friends television series.).  The meatball sliders (their signature at brunch) were incredible, but what was amazing was the friendly service. Although we were visitors, we felt like locals here.

It was hard to leave without wanting to continue our gastronomical journey through the villages, the city and side streets, discovering unique little spots and enjoying all the various tastes of New York.  I think we definitely took our share of "bites" of The Big Apple.