The Greasy Five: Dining Like a King in the Magic Kingdom

Disney World isn't my ideal vacation destination. I gravitate to National Parks and off-the-beaten-path locales. I like to gradually immerse myself into the culture of the locals. My wife understands this, and usually caters to my vagabond nature, but sometimes we take trips that appeal to other family members. This trip wasn't about me. It was about my daughter and wife, so I tried to be a good team player.

On this trip, my wife delivered the following edict: We would only eat on Disney property. I struggled with this. About twice a day, I thought about commandeering our rental car and racing off to find a fried grouper sandwich, stone crabs, boiled peanuts, or some other local delicacy that wouldn't be found on Disney property. After some slight crankiness, I played by the rules, and I ended up being pleasantly surprised by some of the food. The following were five favorite things I ate at Disney World:

• The grapefruit cake at the Brown Derby.

• The blackened grouper sandwich with avocado ranch dressing at Olivia's.

• The Pineapple Dole Whip at the Magic Kingdom. I know I shouldn't like this lab-created foodstuff, but it was tasty and unique. This summer you'll see me attempt to make a more natural Pineapple Dole Whip.
  
  

• The Tomato Stack with carmelized onions, cucumbers, crumbled blue cheese, and yuzu vinaigrette at Le Cellier. The picture doesn't do this appetizer justice. When tomatoes are in season, I'll attempt to replicate this recipe.

• The spaetzel at the Biergarten
• The Barvarian cheesecake at the Biergarten and the upside-down pineapple cheesecake at Boma.

play by the rules,

muddywaters