All work and no play? Not quite…

I was on a business trip in Orlando all last week. It was a long week, Sunday through Saturday, with several, extremely long 12-14 hour days. Despite the busyness, I was able to work in some fun too. Art came along to be a pool bum all week because the hotel we stayed at was quite the impressive resort with plenty of amenities. She enjoyed herself very much, and I even had a day off mid-week, which we took great advantage of at Discovery Cove. What a blast!

Anyways, I was able to partake in some incredible food while in the land of "the" mouse. Not only did I get wined and dined with my clients on the company’s dime, but I ventured into some unknown culinary territory at Moonfish. Just from the name one can tell what kind of place it is. Well, I don’t like seafood or fish. At all. I can handle a tuna melt or maybe a bite of salmon, but that’s even pushing it. However, Moonfish came highly recommended so I knew this would be a good place to try some fruit of the sea because it would be done right. 

Gotta love the Fla. palm trees

Our private room, aquarium on right!

I tried crab cakes (not bad), coconut shrimp (can’t go wrong with deep fried), and calamari (again, fried and amazing!). I rarely have anything deep fried, so this was a special treat. The calamari, surprisingly, was my favorite. It had an excellent citrus-chili dipping sauce and the octopus itself was tender and flavorful. Sadly, it was a formal business dinner, so I wasn’t about to try to take any food pics. Let me assure you, everything was delicious.

We had so much food, it was crazy. While there were still several other apps on the table I didn’t try (various sushi, crab legs, shrimp, tuna tartar), I am still quite proud of myself. However, I must admit, I stayed safe with the chicken as my entrée!

On another night, I took everyone out to a less formal establishment, Boma, in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. First of all, the restaurant is in the huge lodge which is right next to animals like emu, antelope, and giraffe. Second, it’s a buffet, and third, it’s an excellent buffet. 

Giraffe and antelope

Zebra and emu

From waiting area: buffet on left - dining room on right

I’m typically not a fan of mass production in the kitchen (and the feeding frenzies that follow), but this place has it down and does it right. They feature African cuisine and I had some delightful dishes. 

Plate 1 of 64 or so...

Starting at 8 o’clock on the plate with what looks like mashed sweet potatoes – well that’s mainly what it was. It’s called fufu, mashed sweet potato mixed with white potatoes. Yum! Next at 11 o’clock is the spinach quinoa salad. There’s also sliced matchstick apples in there and a tasty champagne vinaigrette. At 2 o’clock is the couscous salad. There is an African name for it but I forget. It had nuts and dried fruits in there and I loved it. It was very similar to my quinoa crockpot casserole! Finally at 5 o’clock is the marinated artichoke salad. I don’t eat much artichoke, but when I get the chance, I love to do so. There is an endless amount of other delicacies at Boma, and the all-you-can-eat offerings change daily. Their soups are another highlight, and while I didn’t have any meat, I heard wonderful things about it.

The week was an absolute success in every way – business and pleasure. I will be back to Orlando in February and March, so I’ll be sure to check out some other well-reviewed restaurants and see what else the area has to offer besides overly crowded amusement parks!