Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House & Animal Kingdom Kidani Village Villas

Every year my entire family goes to Walt Disney World in Orlando for a family vacation. Growing up in Florida, I went to Disney often. But seeing it now through the eyes of my niece and nephew is quite a treat – and worth the endless days of screaming children and grumpy parents.
The resort sits on a 43-acre wildlife preserve featuring 30 species of wildlife. Looking out your window and seeing giraffe and zebra is quite a unique and special experience. Part of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the hotel offers quick access to the pack and busses to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios & Blizzard Beach.

The Kidani Village is the newer of the two Animal Kingdom Lodge hotels. The rooms are African themed with a touch of Disney thrown in. We had a 2-bedroom, 3-bathroom suite. The suite ranges in price from $800 – $1300 per night depending on the day and season. They say the suite sleeps 9, but that would be extremely uncomfortable. The master suite has a king size bed with a very large bathroom featuring a spa tub and shower (pictured below.) The living area has a full kitchen, dining table that can sit 6 comfortably (if you had 9 people someone would be eating on the floor!) a queen size sofa bed and twin size sofa chair. The living room also had a full bathroom, which was for a large group. The second bedroom had one queen size bed and one queen size sofa with a small bathroom.

The beds are the most uncomfortable beds of any hotel I’ve ever stayed in (and in 2011 I had over 200 nights in hotels). The sofa beds were like planks. I would never sleep on one of them again…I would rather pay for an extra room or bring an air mattress. On the flip side, they pillows were very comfy.

The reason to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge is for the view of the animals and proximity to the parks. I’ve stayed at the Contemporary Bay Lake Villas (in 2010) and Suite at The Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel (run by Starwood) (in 2009) and the Animal Kingdom lodge was the least comfortable, but one of the most exciting & kid friendly hotels. The Contemporary Bay Lake Villas are more comfortable and closest to the Magic Kingdom and the Dolphin is the most comfortable and closest to Epcot.

The Animal Kingdom Villas offer a massage and fitness center, Samawati Springs Pool, a 4,700 square-foot, zero-depth entry pool with a 128-foot long slide, Uwanja Camp, located near Samawati Springs Pool, a water playground that the kids fell in love with, tennis courts, and other recreation areas. Of course, there’s the animal observation area with a camp fire.

The restaurant choices in the Kidani Village are limited – there’s only one and it’s not cheap. The Jambo House has the majority of the restaurants including Jiko – The Cooking Place a highly rated and highly priced restaurant, Boma – Flavors of Africa a very busy buffet (also pricy) and the Mara – a quick service African inspired restaurant which also features standard American fare like burgers and kids choices.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village has been designated by the Florida Green Lodging Program, recognizing the Resort’s environmentally responsible practices. They changed the linens and towels one time during a 5 night stay. There are ample recycling options but I didn’t see any other visible “green” practices.

Next year when we make our annual trek to Disney I don’t think we’ll be staying at the Animal Kingdom, but I would recommend anyone experience it at least one time. Unless you have a trip to Africa planned, the chances of seeing these types of animals up close is highly unlikely and worth the trip.

View of the Savannah at the Animal Kingdom Kidani Villas

Villa Living Room

Villa Master Bedroom

Villa Master bathroom

Let’s got to Next Door. Where? Next Door. Seems to be a circular conversation I’m having more often these days. The restaurant, named Next Door, is next to (or a few doors down) Red Drum in Mt Pleasant.

I always loved the interior of Samos, and the owners of Next Door left it mainly intact. They’ve added some new touches and improved on some of what existed. Next Door offers a great bar and outdoor seating area. The restaurant is perfect for a date or dinner with friends. Large booths offer ample seating and tables are cozy.

Our group started with the Thai Coconut Soup with Kaffir Lime, Salmon Belly Crudo, Risotto of Sea Scallops and Local Shrimp with Tomatoes, Citrus, Mint and Parsley and Stracci with Smoked Lamb, Root Vegetables, Swiss Chard and Ricotta Salata. The Salmon Crudo was delicious. It was cut perfectly, had a great rich, buttery flavor, and was beautifully presented. The group thought the Stracci pasta was cut a bit thick, and it was our least favorite appetizer. The Risotto and the soup were big hits.

For dinner, I had the Mustard Roasted Cornish Hen with Papardelle, Mushrooms and Little Onions. The Hen was cooked impecibally. It was moist and flavorful. I had a hard time tasting the mustard, but the preparation was excellent and I loved the dish. I also thought that the papardelle was thick but the taste was wonderful. The others ordered Pan Seared Pork Chops with Bacon Confit and Braised Beef Short Ribs. Everyone loved their meals. The portion sizes are very generous.

Dessert at Next Door is from Wildflour Bakery – a reason in and of itself to visit Next Door. Wildflour makes some of the most amazing desserts. We had the Pumpkin Goat Cheese Cake with a ginger snap crust and maple glaze and the Chocolate Trio Tart with dark chocolate ganache, dark chocolate crip and white chocolate sauce. The cheesecake was amazing. The ginger snap crust and maple glaze was a great addition to the sweet and savory combination of pumpkin and goat cheese. The Chocolate Trio was sinful. A classic combination of chocolate flavors. The meal was capped with French Press coffee.

Next Door, owned by Ben Barryhill is a great addition to Mt Pleasant. In addition to great food, the service was outstanding and atmosphere inviting. I highly recommend a trip Next Door.

Mustard Roasted Cornish Game Hen

Pork Chop

Chocolate Trio Torte

Pumpkin Goat Cheese Cake

My last visit to Chef Marc Collins Circa 1886 was almost 6 years ago and I had fond memories of that visit. The restaurant is located on the grounds of the historic and impressive Wentworth Mansion in downtown Charleston. The grounds are beautiful and transport you into another century and another place. Circa 1886 is a beautiful and quaint restaurant. It’s warm and welcoming.

We were promptly greeted and welcomed and offered a seat at the bar until the rest of our party arrived. The restaurant was offering their fall menu, but didn’t fall its fall drink menu available during our visit and offered the old spring drink menu. Circa offers an extensive wine list.

We sat in one of the restaurants private dining rooms which made us feel like we were in someone’s living room or cozy dining room. The room was drafty on a cold Charleston night (a rare one) but the staff turned on the heat for us and it became cozy and comfortable. Circa is known for its service and attention to detail, however, on this visit, our server was less than attentive and didn’t make us feel like part of the family – as their website asserts.

The table ordered two bottles of wine and I ordered an iced tea. My glass sat empty almost all night except when I requested a refill from someone other than our waiter.

The meal started with an amuse-bouche of roasted pumpkin bisque. It was delicious and left me excited for the meal. I started with the Poached Garlic and Wild Mushroom Custard served with truffle powder, Banyuls Emulsion (Banyuls is a French fortified aperitif and tasted similar to a sweet white balsamic vinegar), Celery Espuma and Carrot Puree. I was very disappointed with the appetizer. The presentation was off-putting and the flavors were not balanced. The actual mushrooms on the plate were good, but the custard was not enjoyable.

I followed the appetizer with the Broken Arrow Ranch Antelope Loin Au Poivre (Au Poivre – with peppercorns) served with a French Onion Sauce, Whipped Brie, a toasted Baguette, Haricot Verts and Burgundy Braised Vegetables. The Antelope was cooked extremely well and was not at all gamey. I ordered it cooked medium-rare and it was a little pinker than I preferred. The meat was not tough and very flavorful. The sauce was rich and delicious, but a bit on the heavy side. I enjoyed the Haricot Verts but the flavor of the Burgundy braised vegies was a bit too tart for the dish overall. While I liked the Antelope, I am not sure I would order this preparation again.

I capped the meal with the Pistachio Crème Brulee and Orange Brown Butter Financier (picture below). Dessert was definitely a highlight of the meal. The Pistachio Crème Brulee was a little too thick, but the flavor was exceptional. The Orange Brown Butter Financier (Financier is a small French Tea Cake) was delicious and perhaps my favorite part of the entire meal – it was a close call between the Financier and the Amuse-Bouche.

Dessert was served and almost everyone had finished their desserts before the waiter came back to offer coffee or after dinner drinks. Overall, the service was disappointing and our waiter left us with a very poor impression of the restaurant overall.

After this visit, I’m not sure I will return to Circa 1886 with so many other amazing restaurants in Charleston, SC. Charleston locals are spoiled when it comes to fabulous food and visitors have a plethora of choices, given this experience, it’s surprising Circa 1886 maintains its reputation.

Pistachio Crème Brulee and Orange Brown Butter Financier

Last week I did some hotel hopping in Parsippany NJ because I’m trying to rack up the USAir Grand Slam points before the promotion ends. It gave me a great opportunity to check out 3 local hotels.

Hampton Inn and Suites Parsippany North
3737 Route 46 East, Parsippany, New Jersey, USA 0705

Don’t let the façade of the Hampton Inn and Suites Parsippany North scare you away. The hotel interior is modern, clean, and comfortable. The Hampton Inn on Route 46 East has 87 rooms, all of which have been somewhat recently renovated. They offer the standard Hampton Inn breakfast and free wifi. The breakfast left me a little disappointed, not much variety, but they did have the breakfast to go bags (a nice touch.) The rooms are clean and nicely decorated. The bathrooms have also been redone and are bright and fresh.

As a Silver Hilton Honors Member, I was offered absolutely no benefits at the hotel. Not even a free bottle of water. In fact, at check-in my HHonors membership wasn’t even mentioned.

The wireless connection was very, very slow in the rooms, but okay in the lobby. If you have any chance of being productive in your room, it’s going to mean going hard wired. My only complaint was the lack of plugs in the room near the beds and desk. I unplugged the bedside lamp to get my iPad plugged in. I would have needed an extension cord (and who travels with that) to get everything plugged in.

Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Parsippany
3535 US Highway 46 East at Cherry Hill Road, Parsippany, New Jersey 07054

From the exterior, the Fairfield Inn and Suites look like an old hotel. The interior on the lobby level is updated and offers areas to work, eat and meet others. The hotel offers breakfast and it the variety was very impressive. I preferred the Fairfield breakfast to the Hampton Inn Breakfast. The hotel offers free wifi in the rooms and lobby. I found the wifi connection to be very fast and reliable even in my room! I never had to try the wired room connection and I watched live streaming video for over 4 hours that night.

I am a gold member of Marriott Rewards and at check-in was thanked for my membership and offered two bottles of water and a full size candy bar.

The room didn’t look like it had been renovated recently. It had dark carpet that looked like it needed some TLC and the bathroom was clean, but run down. The layout of the room was convenient for working, but the lack of plugs made it a challenge to get my iPad, iPhone, Blackberry and laptop charged for the next day. I use my iPad as my alarm clock and there wasn’t an outlet anywhere near the bed that I could access.

Sheraton Parsippany
199 Smith Road, Parsippany NJ 07054

I have a love hate relationship with the Sheraton Parsippany. I’ve spent over 6 weeks at the Sheraton this year alone and sometimes feel like I’m a glutton for punishment. The hotel is finally undergoing an very long overdue $15 million dollar renovation. Until the renovation of the guest rooms is complete, the hotel will be at a disadvantage to any other hotel in the area. The lobby and gym have been revamped and look great.

The hotel offers a full service restaurant and bar serving breakfast, lunch and dinner – a huge advantage over Hampton and Fairfield Inns. However, there’s no free breakfast unless you have Club Lounge Access. The hotel offers wifi in the rooms and lobby and wired access in the rooms. The wifi works well, but there are certainly times when it slows down.

I am a Platinum Starwood Preferred Guest and was recognized as one at check-in. I was offered my choice of check-in amenities and of course, I chose points because the rooms offer free water.

I’m not going to comment on the rooms again until the renovation is complete. My previous two posts about the rooms at the Sheraton Parsippany were enough. However, I will say that even in their current state, there are plenty of plugs in the room and they are conveniently located near the bed and desk.

Very Good Points –
If I was to return to the area, I would definitely stay at the Hampton Inn again. Once the renovations are done at the Sheraton, I will go back. The Fairfield would be my third choice when returning to the area.

Have you heard of GigWalk? If you travel, or live in a major city, you might want to check it out. Business sign up and offer paid gigs to members of GigWalk. Gigs include things like taking picture of a competitors store, or taking pictures of the company’s store, and you get paid between $3 and $30 per gig. You must have a paypal account to accept payment and registering with GigWalk is free. Currently there are gigs in California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington (state). There seems to be no shortage of gigs. In California there are 6475 paid gigs, in New York, there are 4,127 paid gigs available at the time of this blog post. Check them out at www.gigwalk.com but the best way to get started is by downloading the app on your iPhone! It’s free.

Harvest, a St Louis institution, features seasonal, market fresh food. My first visit to Harvest was in 2000 and over 10 years later I couldn’t resist taking a walk down memory lane. Thankfully, Harvest was as good as I remembered.

When we arrived and I saw an empty dining room, I was surprised. Historically, you would have needed a reservation to dine at Harvest. I have since confirmed with several sources that it’s still true, however, game four of the Cardinals playoff run left Harvest relatively empty on this Wednesday night.

The restaurant was appropriately decorated for autumn and the dining room was welcoming and comfortable. We were quickly greeted by the bartender and offered a table near the fireplace. Our server was very knowledgeable and provided great suggestions about the menu. She was prompt and came by often to ensure we had everything we needed.

We started with the Pan Seared Foie Gras with molasses plum chutney, brioche toast and plum wood smoke. It was rich and delicious. I had a Caesar salad with fresh shaved Wisconsin parmesan and garlic croutons. It was a great Caesar salad (just like I remembered.) For dinner, I had the pan roasted Alaskan Wild Salmon with roasted cauliflower risotto, Swiss chard and rosemary pancetta brown butter. I love wild salmon. I will order it any chance I get. The salmon was flaky and cooked well – I requested medium well temperature. It was perfect for my taste. My friend also ordered the salmon as well, and got it cooked medium rare, and it was incredibly rare – too rare. The cauliflower risotto was wonderful; and the rosemary brown butter sauce complimented the dish perfectly.

Harvest is known for its bread pudding and it just so happened that I saw on twitter that they were offering bread pudding for $4 on any night the Cardinals were playing in the playoffs. Of course, we ordered the bread pudding and it lived up to its reputation. The warm brioche bread pudding with currant bourbon sauce was not too sweet, moist and delightful for dessert. We also tried the flourless chocolate cake with coconut ice cream. The cake was good, but not exceptional. However, I loved the contrast of the cake with the coconut ice cream. The desserts were beautifully presented.

Ten years later, Harvest is as good as I remembered. This was a great trip down memory lane and one worth making again. I highly recommend Harvest.

Pan Seared Foie Gras

Salmon

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Bread Pudding