Going to Disney World!

The day is finally here! Yay! We're off to Walt Disney World this evening!

Okay, so I didn't get to finish the "Disney World Countdown" thing this past month (I know some of you are grateful for that). But it is completely okay considering the thing that distracted us was the news of our pregnancy!

We're obviously very excited about the news, but it changes some things. If you've got a trip planned to a theme park, then stuff like roller coasters and other thrill rides are immediately out of the question. So what takes the place of coasters? Looking at our itinerary, apparently eating is the thrill for this trip!

We were planning on going down this weekend mostly because Disney is putting on the 13th Annual International Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. There you can try foods from around the world, as well as view culinary demonstrations all around World Showcase Lagoon. Jen and I downloaded a copy of the Festival Guide and put together a list of things we want to try. Here's what's on our "check list":

ARGENTINA: Grilled Beef with Chimichurri Sauce

CHILE: Spicy Beef Empanada

SPAIN: Seared Tuna Loin with Spicy Red Pepper Coulis and Garlic-Herb Ciabatta

SAN FRANSISCO, USA: Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Seared Beef Medallion with Cheddar Cheese Polenta

INDIA: Samosa with Tamarind Sauce, Mango Mousse

SOUTH AFRICA: Durban Spiced Chicken with Coconut Milk-infused Root Vegetables, Bobotie with Mango Chutney

GERMANY: Regensburger Sausage with Sauerkraut in a Pretzel Roll

NEW ORLEANS, USA: Crawfish Etouffée

FRANCE: Goat Cheese and Leek Quiche, Milk Chocolate Crème Brûlée

TURKEY: Meze, Manti with Yogurt Sauce

CANADA: Cheddar Cheese Soup, Maple Glazed Salmon with Arugula and Roasted Corn

POLAND: Kielbasa and Potato Pierogies with Caramelized Onions and Sour Cream

PUERTO RICO: Plantain and Beef Casserole

The portions you get to try are small, but so is the price. And you can make a meal (or two) of wandering around the mile-long promenade and noshing on whatever you wish, until you run out of money in your wallet or room in your stomach. If you want to get a better look at what's going on down there, here's a link to the Festival Guide that Disney hands out at the front gate. Take a look and if there's any food you are interested in, email us and I'll try it (yeah, that's not as good as YOU eating it, but it's the best I can do)!

But I'm getting ahead of myself. The first day we're there, after a trip to show Jen the planned community of Celebration that Disney designed (and the TV show "The Office" mocked), we are going to Girodano's pizza in Kissimmee. This is a first for me, but I'm very much looking forward to it. I've heard lots of great things about their Chicago-style pizza and I can't wait to try it.

On our trip to Animal Kingdom, we're dining at "Yak & Yeti" (yeah, I know... why would anyone put the word "yak" in the name of a restaurant). It's a "Pan-Asian" restaurant with Thai, Indian, Chinese dishes. This is also a new one for me, and I'm interested in seeing what it's all about. As far as locale, it's actually IN the Animal Kingdom park, appropriately in the Asian section, overlooking the lake with the Everest coaster on the opposite shore.

The last night of our trip, we're dining at the California Grille, which is on the 13th floor of the Contemporary Resort. The view of the dining room overlooks the Magic Kingdom next door, and I've timed our reservations so (hopefully) we can see the fireworks over Cinderella Castle while we eat. There's also an observation platform where you can go outside and take in the view. As far as the food goes, the chef there is the chef who was formerly at Jiko, the African-inspired restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge that we enjoyed so much from our last trip. It's been years since I've eaten at the California Grille and I am very much looking forward to sharing the experience with Jen.

So wish us safe travels and I'm going to try to upload pictures to the site as often as I can, with an extensive "trip report" when we return.

Later!

-chadley