The Best Anniversary Dinner Ever

It was definitely time for a vacation, even if only for a short weekend!

What can I say – life has been kinda busy this year, between scads of writing, moving to a new house, getting a puppy, and all sorts of other stuff that has been combinations of fun and crazy and stressful all rolled into one, so in addition to celebrating our 4th anniversary last weekend, frankly this little mini-vacation was also just as much about getting to take a break and relax with one another as it was actually celebrating another year of surviving the sanctity of marriage…

A Damp & Dreary Kind of Start
To say that “it rained” during this particular excursion would be somewhat of an understatement.  In reality, I would estimate that it was not raining for maybe a good hour and a half the entire time we were there … which was probably most unfortunate when we first arrived at our resort (Animal Kingdom Lodge/Villas) because it quickly became clear that their valet/unloading area under the canopy out front becomes a gigantic mess of confusion when people are trying to avoid the torrential downpour around them!  I ended up getting kind of soaked due to some misdirection from the valet attendant, and then waited longer than I ever have before for online check-in pick-up due to more mishaps at the front desk (for other guests).  Needless to say, it wasn’t the smoothest arrival that I’ve ever enjoyed, but as they say, even a wet and mildly cranky day at Disney World is still better than a good day pretty much anywhere else… 

The Best Meal We’ve Ever Had
It all took a turn from the water-logged to the amazing, however, once we got cleaned up and made our way downstairs to Jiko for our anniversary dinner.  I had picked the place on rumor that it was one of the best places to eat around Walt Disney World, but now after dining there we’re both happy to confirm that this is not only the best restaurant on property but also probably the best meal we’ve ever eaten!

They sat us in the wine room, which is an intimate area off the main dining room with only a handful of tables in it – the perfect ambiance for a nice, romantic dinner for two.  We mentioned to our server that we were interested in wine, although we know absolutely nothing about it, and he did a great job of letting us try a couple of different wines from South Africa based on flavors that we like to help us choose a bottle to enjoy with our meal.  The appetizer, a tasting plate of five cheeses from around Europe, definitely had its hits and misses, but was fun and gave us something light to explore while they prepared the highlight of the meal – our main courses.  My wife had the chicken, I the fish, and both of them were just an incredible blend of distinct flavors that had you savoring new discoveries with every bite!  Her chicken, I swear, was probably the most moist chicken I’ve ever tasted in my life – never before have I had chicken actually melt in my mouth before like a good steak does, and the “toasted couscous” that came with my fish … I don’t really know what couscous even is, but it was delicious!

Dessert was an intriguing Coconut Bread Pudding with Coconut Sorbet, which my wife enjoyed alongside a chocolate martini-ish thing that I ended up having to help her finish, so from start to finish it’s safe to say that the entire meal ended up being exactly what one hopes for when they set out to plan a nice, romantic anniversary dinner such as this…

(don’t worry – even more details to come about this awesome restaurant when I write my dining review for Jiko next month!)

Making Do with What You’ve Got…
Often times vacations don’t exactly go as you’d prefer – in our case, we certainly could’ve done with a lot less water falling from the sky, and I’m not going to lie that there were several instances where I was kind of kicking myself for booking the fancy room at Animal Kingdom Villas when the only animals outside our room were the ones who weren’t quick enough to get the more sheltered areas around the savanna!  But at the same time, you never really know what the weather is going to do here in Central Florida and no doubt if we had instead picked one of the less attractive parking lot view rooms, the sun would’ve been shining beautifully outside and the animals would’ve been out in hordes doing back flips in front of the guest rooms in celebration of such a glorious day!

It’s all just a luck of the draw, and just like in a marriage, sometimes you’ve just got to take what you’re given and make the best of it.  During our short weekend getaway, I saw both kinds of families – those just moping around, cranky about being cooped up while it was raining outside, and others who were quick to don ponchos and head out to enjoy the parks that were likely all but vacant due to the weather!  And of course, it’s great when you’re lucky enough to be blessed with wonderful weather and friendly cast members and just nothing but sunshine throughout your entire Disney dream vacation, but even when things aren’t going your way and the grass seems a little drier on the other side of that little, black rain cloud, at least you’re still at Disney World…

To my beautiful partner in crime – Happy Anniversary #4, Sara!  Rain or shine, may our time together always be filled with adventure and romance, laughter and fun…