Foodie Friday: Boma - Flavors of Africa

I'm reviewing

Boma - Flavors of Africa

in Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Photo Credit: Disney.com

Boma - Flavors of Africa is a buffet restaurant in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. The food includes cuisine from over 50 African countries and some American classics. They have something for everyone- the advanced palate and the picky eater.

On the last day of a trip last September I realized I had a table service credit left and decided on a whim to try Boma. I went as a walk-up and was told there would be a 25 minute wait. I wasn't surprised. It smelled fabulous, and there was a decent crowd hanging around the check-in area. Luckily, I was seated about 12 minutes later. Nice!

I was seated near the window that looks outside. Boma is on the bottom floor, so it looks out to the shrubbery around the walkway. Not a bad view. I was immediately greeted by my server who brought me some water and a delicious tropical juice (which reminded me a lot of the "Stitch juice" from 'Ohana).

Photo Credit: Disney.com

I made my way to the buffet. It appeared breakfast was pretty typical fare- though there were some foods out that I wouldn't normally have for breakfast. I'm not a super adventurous eater though, so maybe I just gravitated toward the normal food. I did really like the selections though. There were a lot of warm dishes and plenty of pastries and lighter options as well.

I really liked the "on-stage" kitchen. You could see the chefs at work. I imagine at dinner this would be even more cool since they prepare "grilled seafood, roasted meats, vegetarian specialties, fresh salads and house-baked pastries". I can only imagine how this place would smell in the evenings... (pardon me while I wipe the drool from my lip).

I thought it was really neat how all of the food labels showed the African translation as well!

My apologies that the photos aren't that great. I was tired and my battery was dying. Hopefully I can go again soon and get some better ones. (If anyone would like to share some I'd be happy to give you credit!) So, here are my photos.

To recap, this was a great meal. As I mentioned above, I would gladly go back. I'd even like to try dinner. While I'm not an adventurous eater, I think I'd be very willing to try some things here, especially knowing they'd have plenty tasty of options for me that I know I'd be comfortable with. 

If you're staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, I'd say this isn't to be missed. Even if you're not, I'd say it's worth a visit. This would be great for an "off-day" from the parks. Do some resort hopping and come check out the Animal Kingdom Lodge. See the animals and this beautiful resort. It'll be worth it!

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Foodie Friday: Tony's Town Square Restaurant

This Friday's review covers
Tony's Town Square Restaurant

in Magic Kingdom.

Tony's, the restaurant from one of the most classic, romantic scenes in a Disney movie, is themed, as you can imagine, after said movie- Lady & the Tramp. It's located in Town Square, to the right, as you enter under the train station. Their menu is, of course, Italian. This is considered a Table Service meal on the Disney Dining Plan.

I wouldn't call it the real-deal, but it runs along the lines of Olive Garden (which I happen to like). They serve all the classics- lasagna, spaghetti, chicken parm, etc... This certainly works for my picky family.

The interior looks a little dated, but I think it's part of the ambiance of an old Italian restaurant. I love all the decor, as Lady & the Tramp is one of my faves.

Here's a copy of the menu from our last visit:

And some photos of the good stuff- the food!

Zucchini Fries

Shrimp Scampi

 The chicken parm is my fave. Like I honestly crave this stuff.

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan, sauce on the side

Spaghetti and Meatballs

 The lasagna was good, but I'm pretty spoiled to my mother-in-law's fabulous recipe (so I probably wouldn't order again)

Lasagna

While Tony's sometimes gets a bad rap, we've been three times with no issue. The food and service have always been great. When staying in park for a table service restaurant Tony's is our choice.

Fellow agent, Sarah and her family are also fans. They enjoyed the wait staff so much they got a photo to cherish the experience. (Thanks for letting me share, Sarah!)

This is a wonderful location for parade viewing, too! If you get the right reservation time you could watch the parades (afternoon or evening Electrical Parade) while you wait for your table. Or if you're lucky enough you could be seated outside or in the room looking out into Town Square as we've been lucky enough to experience our last two trips.

 Oh, and just so you know, if someone orders spaghetti, it's kind of a requirement that you re-enact that famous scene...

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Epcot's 2016 Eat to the Beat Concert Series Lineup

The lineup for the 2016 Eat to the Beat Concert Series has been announced! These concerts are performed daily at 5:30pm, 6:45pm, and 8:00pm at the America Garden Theatre during Epcot's International Food & Wine Festival (Sept.14-Nov. 14, 2016). The best part? These concerts are included in your Epcot admission!

Plain White T's

Wilson Phillips

• Sept. 14-15 – Wang Chung NEW! “Everybody Have Fun Tonight”
• Sept. 16-18 – STARSHIP featuring Mickey Thomas “We Built This City”
• Sept. 19-20 – Air Supply “All Out of Love”
• Sept. 21-23 – BoDeans NEW! “Closer to Free”
• Sept. 24-25 – Fuel “Hemorrhage (In My Hands)”
• Sept. 26-28 – Sugar Ray “Fly”
• Sept. 29-30 – Los Lobos “La Bamba”
• Oct. 1-2 – David Cook “Light On”
• Oct. 3-4 – Wilson Phillips “Hold On”
• Oct. 5-6 – Blues Traveler “Run-Around”
• Oct. 7-9 – Plain White T’s NEW! “Hey There Delilah”
• Oct. 10-11 – 38 Special “Hold On Loosely”
• Oct. 12-13 – Jeffrey Osborne NEW! “On the Wings of Love”
• Oct. 14-16 – Tiffany “I Think We’re Alone Now”
• Oct. 17-19 – Dennis DeYoung: The Music of Styx “Lady”
• Oct. 20-21 – Christopher Cross “Sailing”
• Oct. 22-23 – Toad The Wet Sprocket NEW! “Walk on the Ocean”
• Oct. 24-25 – Chaka Khan “I Feel for You”
• Oct. 26-27 – Billy Ocean “Caribbean Queen”
• Oct. 28-29 – Living Colour NEW! “Cult of Personality”
• Oct. 30-Nov. 1 – Hanson “Get the Girl Back”
• Nov. 2-3 – Soul Asylum NEW! “Runaway Train”
• Nov. 4-6 – Delta Rae NEW! “Bottom of the River”
• Nov. 7-9 – Boyz II Men “Motownphilly”
• Nov. 10-11 – Sister Hazel “All For You”
• Nov. 12-14 – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy “Go Daddy-O”

The schedule is subject to change. "Songs listed are for artist recognition only and may not be included in the concert play list"

Boyz II Men

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Foodie Friday: 'Ohana Dinner Review

This Friday's review is dedicated to the 

'Ohana dinner at the Polynesian Resort.

This happens to be one of my family's favorite restaurants (both for dinner and breakfast, but that's a different review). It's located on the second floor of the Polynesian Resort. Because it's on the monorail line, it makes this a nice option for days in the Magic Kingdom or Epcot as well as days not spent in the parks. 'Ohana is considered a Table Service meal if you're using the Disney Dining Plan. I highly recommend making a reservation for this as soon as possible.

'Ohana is a popular dining destination, so we arrived early. It was nice to go outside and snap some photos on the beach of the lagoon. My daughter also loved getting pictures of the beautiful flowers around the resort.

Again, it's a busy place, so there was a little bit of a wait for our table. Luckily they have a full bar there for drinks while you wait. Feel free to walk up or a server will make their way around to you if you're seated in the waiting area. The kids enjoyed their "Stitch Juice" and Shirley Temple, while mama and daddy had some drinks of the adult nature.

We didn't have to wait too long though before they took us in, grabbed our delicious pineapple-coconut bread, and took us by the grills as we made our way to the table.

It's a set menu and is served family style at your table. It's all-you-can-eat, so don't be afraid to ask for more! They start with a great mixed salad with Lilikoi dressing.

Next comes the wok full of some delicious appetizers- pot-stickers tossed in garlic-ginger sauce and honey-coriander wings (served with peanut and sweet-n-sour sauces).

After that they bring this pan of incredible lo mein noodles and stir-fry veggies. Hopefully you've saved some of those sauces because they're fabulous poured over these noodles and veggies!

Finally we're getting to the meat of the meal, literally. Servers will make their rounds carrying large skewers of oak fire-grilled sweet-n-sour chicken, spicy peel-n-eat shrimp, and szechuan sirloin steak. Oh. Em. Gee. These are soooo good!! I can honestly say one of the pieces of steak I had was easily the best steak I've ever had. Ever. And while I'm not a seafood fan, my little guy is. He was tearing those shrimp up! I literally couldn't get him to stop for a photo.

Oh, and if you have room, and you're going to want to save room, there's bread pudding a la mode with bananas-caramel sauce. I'm not even a bread pudding fan, and I loved this!

The food is obviously the star here, but there's actually entertainment to accompany the meal. Someone is singing and playing some island music on a ukulele. She leads hula lessons and coconut races throughout the evening as well. And if you're lucky, and things are timed right, you can see Wishes at Magic Kingdom. They'll lower the lights and pipe the music into restaurant. The whole back wall is made up of windows, so they can be seen pretty easily through the restaurant. It's pretty neat.

So, to recap, this meal is fabulous! You're going to want to make this a must on your next trip! And make sure you go hungry!!

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