Food Friday: Aloha Dogs Edition

This week we’re going to venture out to the islands. Oh yes the islands of Hawaii!

This Food Friday I’m showing you my newfound obsession: Kona Dog.

Kona Dog’s are  “Authentic Hawaiian-Style Hot Dogs”, I’ve never been to Hawaii, so in the mean time I’ll take the signs word for it. Why not right? Anyways there’s four steps to building, yes I said building, your dog.

Step 1: Picking the Dog

You have choices between a regular hot dog, spicy sausage, and a veggie dog. I’ve chosen the regular hot dog both times that I went. it’s not anything tiny either. It’s very juicy and is a large size.

Let me also note that all the dogs come in a sweet roll, but it’s more like a loaf of bread with a hole in the middle to place the dog. Believe me It’s great. Moving on….

Step 2: Pick a Kona sauce

This is just the sauce they use. It all has a garlic lemon base. So you can pick between Original (Garlic Lemon), Spicy (Jalepeno), or Hot (Chili Pepper). I’ve gotten the Spicy both times, it has a kick to it, but it’s not gonna burn your mouth.

Step 3: Pick a Fruit Sauce

Okay here’s where it gets weird, fruit on a hot dog? Don’t knock it till you try it guys! Choices here are coconut, mango, Pineapple, and Banana. I’ve tried the coconut and the pineapple one, both delish!

If you don’t want to go the whole fruity endevour, you can always get the traditional toppings, like ketchup and mustard. (BOOOORRRIIINNNGGGG)

Step 4: Pick a Mustard

You have another four choices here: pineapple mustard, mango mustard, spicy brown, and regular yellow. I’ve done the pineapple and mango mustards, they were both great.

The end result is in the picture below. A delicious dog ready for you to devour. Say that three times fast!

I also HIGHLY recommend the Maui Onion chips. They are addictive!!

I’ve tried two different combinations and they’ve both come out great. If you wanna try them out here they are:

1. Original Dog > Hot Sauce > Mango > Pineapple Mustard

2. Original Dog > Hot Sauce > Coconut > Mango Mustard

I really like this place. The atmosphere is relaxing. The staff is friendly. The food is great. I love to hit them up at the end of a night to just unwind and relax. So if you are in the area I really suggest you go try it out!!

Location:
6312 International Dr, Orlando FL 32819

Phone:
407-644-4444

Hours:
M-Th  11:30 AM – 2:30 PM and 6-10 PM
Fri-Sat  11:30 AM – Midnight
Sun  11:30 AM – 10 PM

Website

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival {Round 2}

I think I’m up WAY too early to write this post. But I’m sacrificing myself for you guys (the 3.5 people that probably read this. Thanks) But let’s move on! Yesterday was another Food and Wine day! And boy was it great!!

So Nicole and I decided to check out the Festival Center first before heading out to the food. It was cool. They had some demonstrations going on with real chefs from some Disney property restaurants. They also had all the merchandise avaliable for the event. Some really cool things there! We grabbed the passports which are really cool. You get a stamp in every country and there is all the foods and wines in all the booths. So you get to keep track of what you had!

One of the greatest things I think Is the reloadable Food and Wine gift cards. Basically you put as much money as you want and when you get to the booths you slide the card and don’t have to worry about dealing with cash or with credit cards. I absolutely love it! So we loaded up $20 each and went out to see how much food we could eat. (Well I had $1.85 left on my card so I had $21.85).

We’re going to call this the $21.85 challenge!

THE CHALLENGE FOOD 

Booth: Brazil
Item: Brazil’s National Dish – Feijoada ($2.75)
Review: This was a really great starting dish. It’s basically a stew of Black Beans and Pork. The Black beans were really good, seasoned well, and you got really big portions of a pork sausage chunk. I thought it was delicious.

Booth: China
Item: Black Pepper Shrimp with Sichuan Noodles ($4.50)
Review: I was really hesitant to pay 4 bucks for some noodles and shrimp but I stood by the booth and looked at the plates while other people bought and it was HUGE, so I was in. You got about 4 shrimp and a hunk load of noodles. Really good. The shrimp were seasoned good. They had a nice pepper spice to them, but it wasn’t overkill. The noodles were tender and were great too.

Booth: Poland
Item: Golabki ($2.75)
Review: This was a pork stuffed cabbage. This was a really good dish for cheap. The pork was really tender and was delicious. You could taste the cabbage but it wasn’t overpowering the pork. Really good.

Booth: Singapore
Item: Beef Rendang with Jasmine Rice ($3.25)
Review: I love this dish. I had it last year. The beef is really spicy but sweet at the same time (I know because of the coconut), but its amazing. I do have to warn you it is SPICY. So if you love that, I recommend this  to you!

Booth: Portugal
Item: Calamari Salad with Fennel, Smoked Paprika and Olive Oil ($2.75)
Review: I absolutely loved this dish as well (then again, I didn’t meet a plate of food I didn’t like) I have to say. The calamari was fresh and delicious. Everything else on the plate was just adding to how great it was. I would get it again.

Booth: Belgium
Item: Guylian Belgian Chocolate Seashell Truffles ($1.75)
Review: These are little Belgian chocolates they give you in a box. I really have to say there were amazing. Really rich in flavor. They had a hint of hazelnut which was an amazing addition.

Booth: Canada
Item: Canadian Chedder Cheese Soup ($3.75)
Review: FAVORITE! It was absolutely amazing. We really passed the booth 3 times and were SO CLOSE to buying it again. It was a thick soup that was just awesome. This was the last thing we ate so it was a great wrap up to the night. Plus it was a little chilly out so the soup was perfect.

Booth: Desserts & Champagne
Item: White Chocolate Macadamia Mousse with Dark Chocolate Pearls ($1.50)
Review: This was also really great. I didn’t want it to end at all. The dark chocolate pearls were crunchy so it was a real great contrast. It worked amazing together.

Everything I wrote about above was purchased with my gift card and I didn’t reload it again. The only thing was I paid $1.90 at the last booth because we ran out of money. But if you think about the amount of food that was purchased with only 20 bucks it was great!

Now There are a couple of things Nicole bought differently that I tried as well so I’m going to write about those next.

NICOLE’S DISHES

Booth: Caribbean
Item: Ropa Vieja ($3.50)
Review: Really good dish. The beef was seasoned really well and was very tender.

Booth: Italy
Item: Ravioli di formaggio all’Emiliana ($4.50)
Review: Baked cheese ravioli with creamy beef bolognese, parmesan, and Mozarella. The portion is HUGE. So if you wanna get full go for this one. It was an amazing dish. Everything tasted really great together.

Booth: Belgium
Item: Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream ($3.00)
Review: This is one of her favorite things here. She didn’t get the berry’s like always (but always asks for extra whipped cream LOL). This is amazing. They make the waffles right there in front of you and it’s just wonderful and fluffy and just all around amazing!

THE CONCERT

Sugar Ray was the show yesterday. It was awesome. We sang and danced along to all our favorite songs.

Food Friday: 24 Hours of Tacos Edition

Got out of work late? Went downtown to party? Just up late at night for no reason at all? And you start to get these grumbles in your stomach. Oh yes, those are the signs that your tummy wants to party as well.

That reminds me of this clip….also very unrelated, but my favorite episode of Adventure Time.

(Video is thanks to CartoonNetwork on Youtube)

Anyways. Back to the food part.
You are hungry and want some food. What sounds better than Mexican food at all hours of the night? I can’t think of anything else really.

The spot: Beto’s. Once in a galaxy long long ago, it was probably a Taco Bell, or some other fast food place that later shut down, and this 24 hour gem came in. Yes, I said it’s 24 hours. So no matter what time of day. Morning, noon, night, or very LATE night, you can satisfy your cravings for glorious mexican food.

Now what food you say? Read on my young padawans, read on.

{Don’t Overlook} Universal Orlando Edition

This week we are going to take a hop, skip, and a jump away from Walt Disney World over to Universal.
I sometimes think that as a whole Universal is the underdog park, overshadowed by it’s little brother Islands of Adventure. In my heart, since it was the original I love it, I remember when even Citywalk didn’t exist and you parked right in front of the arches. And though I do have a couple of bones to pick with them (*cough* replacing Back to the Future with The Simpsons COME ON! *cough), it’s still a

But we aren’t here to walk down memory lane. We will leave that for another time. Let’s get down to business!

Universal has only a handful of attractions, so seeing the majority of it in one day is mostly possible. I think this makes it most difficult to make this list up for this park. But I’m going to go with what I think.

Food Friday: Gas Station Edition

Another weekly post I’m adding! I introduce to you: Food Fridays!
I think its self explanatory….it involves food in some way/shape/form.

This week I was going to write about something totally different. But due to unforeseen circumstances (read: I fell asleep) I got another idea.

When you think of good food you often don’t think of a convenience store do you? Yeah, me neither. BUT I did find something that has changed my opinion on that in a certain way. This, ladies and gents, is the ‘Smoked Turkey & Jack Cheese’ sandwich from 7-11.

Now before you all click the search bar because you think I’ve gone batty for glorifying a turkey sandwich, hear me out. This thing has become a morning staple for school or work bound breakfasts. Its turkey, cheese, lettuce, and southwest mayo in between cracked wheat bread. It’s part of 7-11’s Fresh To Go selection. And to be honest it really is a great refreshing start to a day.

So if you are at a 7-11 and having hunger pains…I can suggest you one item at least!

-Sakina

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival {Round 1}

I had the opportunity to attend the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival this past week. It’s something I look forward to every year. So much food (and now since I’m old enough so much wine) to try out. Although the weather was still too a little hot during they afternoon hours it’s starting to finally feel like Fall in central Florida. Hallelujah! Hiding in pavilions between eats because of the heat is not a good look!

Last year was probably the first time that I was able to take in the Food and Wine Festival for all the amazingness that it is. And yes, amazingness is a word. Okay maybe just in my mind, but I’m ranting. So anyways, I really tried to go for so many different things and I really enjoyed it so much. This year I plan on going multiple times, and trying things I’ve never had. Isn’t that the whole point? To expand one’s palette?

I plan on going a couple of times, so I didn’t try to overdose myself this one go-around. Our “theme” this year is kind of a vintage travel. But let’s get down to the real business here:

THE FOOD 

Booth: Australia
Item: Shrimp on the Barbie w/ Pepper Berry Citrus Glaze ($4.50)
Review: I thought it tasted really good. It was a mix of spicy and sweet at the same time. A little more on the spicy side though, but I love spices so I found it great!

*No Picture*

Booth: China
Item: Pork Pot Stickers ($3.50)
Review: I didn’t really like them. I found them kind of hard. And I couldn’t taste the pork so much. Eh?

Booth: Germany
Item: Nürnberger Sausage in a Pretzel Roll ($4.50)
Review: I really enjoyed this one! I might do a repeat on this in my next round. The sausage tasted amazing, not spicy though but very good. And the pretzel roll was just right. And all that mustard all together, it was great! Loved it!

 

Booth: Hawaii
Item: Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise ($3.00)
Review: This one was also very good. I thought that it was going to be doused in sauce, but it wasn’t. The pork wasn’t dry either. Just the right mix of everything! Very good!

Booth: Mexico
Item: Flan ($3.00)
Review: This one might be a bit biased because I love flan. But this one was REALLY good! It was very moist and the flavors was awesome…I didn’t want to share this one! Great last dish for the night!

I went late in the afternoon so I didn’t get a chance to try a whole lot, plus I wanted to leave some things for the next couple of rounds. I also didn’t try any of the wine. I plan on doing that in a week or so.

Also if you weren’t aware there is also a concert series that takes place during the Food and Wine Festival. “Eat to the Beat” shows are 5:15, 6:30, 7:45 , at the American Gardens theater in the America pavilion.

The official schedule of artists are as follows:

• Taylor Dayne: 9/30-10/2/11
• 38 Special: 10/3-5/11
• Jon Secada: 10/6-7/11
• Roger Hodgson formerly of Supertramp: 10/8-9/11
• Billy Ocean: 10/10-12/11
• Starship starring Mickey Thomas: 10/13-16/11
• Sugar Ray: 10/17-19/11
• The Orchestra starring former members of ELO: 10/20-21/11
• Howard Jones: 10/22-23/11
• Boyz II Men: 10/24-26/11
• Gin Blossoms: 10/27-28/11
• Sister Hazel: 10/29-30/11
• Hanson: 10/31-11/1/11
• The Pointer Sisters: 11/2-3/11
• Night Ranger: 11/4-6/11
• Air Supply: 11/7-8/11
• Richard Marx: 11/9-10/11
• Big Bad Voodoo Daddy: 11/11-13/11

*Bold artists are the ones I plan on seeing.

That’s about it for the first round of the Food & Wine festival over at Epcot. There’s more to come as the fun unfolds.

What foods do you want to try??

Sweet Dreams

It’s Tuesday night, and I’m craving dessert. There isn’t a sweet within a mile radius of my kitchen, and I’m not making a mess. So instead, I will blog about something delicious.

Talk about living in a fantasy world.

This my friends, is the Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcake. Let me just say, it is amazing.
I’m not somebody who is fond of cheesecake and the cheesecake frosting was PERFECT with the red velvet cake. And the little crunchy pieces, I don’t even know what they were, but they were awesome too!

Want to try it for yourself??

You can find it at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Starring Rolls Cafe.
If you are heading out there note that the cafe closes way earlier than the park does, usually at 4pm.

-Sakina