T-Rex Café!

Imagine. You walk into a restaurant buzzing with excitement. Not just from the little kids running around holding their dinosaur plushies, but from the adults alike filled with the awe and joy from what they’re seeing. You proceed forward towards a jungle of dinosaur animatronics while “roars” fill the room. You have just entered into the one (and only), T-Rex Cafe in Orlando, Florida.

Located in Disney Springs at the Disney World Resort, T-Rex Café is a fun-filled restaurant where the atmosphere gives you there feeling that you just walked onto a Dinosaur themed movie. Due to limited capacity (due to Covid), my family and I made sure to make reservations a month in advance.

After we entered, we waited in line for the hostess to take down our names and a cell phone number to let us know when our table would be ready. We waited about 10 minutes before being called back to the hostess table and to our table. It was really cool looking at all of the dinosaurs, giant bugs (fake of course), and ice age sections of the restaurant.

Our waiter came to the table and placed QR codes on the table for us to scan to access to the menu. The menu had a wide range of choices from pastas, burgers, ribs, and more! T-Rex Cafe is owned by the Landry’s company and is known to be the “prehistoric” version of The Rainforest Cafe (also a Landry’s owned restaurant).

I ordered one of their special themed alcoholic drinks, the Raptor Rita which was contained Corazón Blanco Tequila, sweet & sour, and Patrón Citrónge Orange Liqueur. It was a really tasty margarita! Very yummy! I tried a bit of my mom’s drink of choice, the “Lava Flow” which was a delicious strawberry Pina colada slush! The Lava Flow contained Don Q Coconut Rum, Tropics Piña Colada, and Tropics Strawberry Purée.

As for the taste of the food, we were very satisfied with the dishes we ordered. My sister, mom, and I ordered the Prehistoric Pasta made with alfredo sauce, fettuccine pasta, sautéed mushrooms, Roma tomatoes. This was a perfect option for my sister Madison who is a vegetarian. I ordered mine with shrimp (because I love shrimp)! Although I wouldn’t call it a five star dish, it was still pleasantly delicious and I would definitely order it again. My other siblings and dad truly enjoyed their dishes overall even my brother Kellan who ordered the Boneyard Buffet which consisted of Fire-Roasted Rotisserie Chicken, slow roasted St. Louis style pork spareribs, seasoned fries, and coleslaw!

Although we were full, we knew we had to try their famous dessert, the Chocolate Extinction. This out of the world dessert had four full slices of chocolate brownies along with vanilla ice cream and your own personal volcano (for show).

The dessert was delicious and both pleasing to the eye and to the palate. The overall experience of the restaurant was fun and I would definitely go back because of the amazing atmosphere. The coolest part was the “meteor shower” that occurred from time-to-time. The ceiling would turn red and the dinosaurs would begin to ROAR in fear which really played into the feel of the atmosphere.

If you’re in the Orlando area and want to check out T-Rex Cafe, I linked the website down below! Feel free to leave me a comment, subscribe to my Food Blog for updates, and donate to my “Buy me a pretzel” fund so that I can continue exploring new eateries!

Website Link: https://www.trexcafe.com/

Buy Me A Pretzel Link: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/izzyscope

Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen: Downtown Disney District

Jambalaya. Gumbo. Shrimp and Grits. Warm and soft Beignets.

All of these amazing Cajun dishes and more can be found right in the heart of the Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, California. Featuring a trumpet-player statue and chef out front, the atmosphere of the exterior really brought the New Orleans theme come to life. The atmosphere on the inside was no exception. I truly felt as if I was eating right in the center of Bourbon street, Louisiana.

The first thing my family and I did before eating here was to ask if they could make a vegetarian version of the Pastalaya (the pasta version of traditional Jambalaya) for my sister Madison. We were informed that they could and in a matter of a couple of minutes, took us to our table. Just like the exterior, the inside matched the Louisiana style ambiance with perfect precision.

We were greeted by our waitress who gave us plastic bags for our face masks and hand sanitizer wipes. I ordered the non-alcoholic mint-julep which tasted like a slightly minty Sprite (the one inside Disneyland is a lot more minty).

As for their food, I ordered their most popular dish, the Pasta Jambalaya which states, “A New Orleans favorite and Jazz Kitchen signature dish! Gulf shrimp, andouille sausage, roasted chicken, Creole seasoning with spinach fettuccine.” I split my dish with my mom (Julia) and she split hers with me (that way we could try more than one dish). She ordered the NOLA BBQ Shrimp and Grits which is a dish I had never tried before at any Cajun-style restaurant.

Let me just say, WOW. Both of these dishes were absolutely amazing! I could not get enough of either dish and finished my half of each dish with perfect ease. Each dish had the perfect amount of flavor and was cooked to the right temperature. I was in shock at how much I loved the Shrimp and Grits. These are made of, “Gulf shrimp simmered in a “New Orleans” barbecue sauce with roasted garlic, lemon served over andouille sausage-parmesan grits.” I am a big shrimp fan however I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the “grits” portion. The grits exploded with flavor and to me tasted like perfectly cooked crab meat (even though it was not made out of crab). I would recommend either dish to anyone who is interested in eating at Ralph Brennan’s.

The rest of my family equally enjoyed their dishes which included my brother’s, Gumbo Ya-ya made of, “Andouille sausage, roasted chicken, holy trinity, simmered with Creole seasonings in a rich dark roux thickened broth, served over green onion rice,” and my dad’s Fried Chicken B.L.T. Po-Boy which is a, “Cajun spiced fried chicken, applewood smoked bacon, Romaine lettuce, Roma tomatoes, Creole mustard aioli, served with fries.” Just like my mom’s and my dishes, they devoured them down to each and every bite.

Last but certainly not least were my other three siblings dishes (including my sister’s vegetarian dish). All three of them ordered the pasta Jambalaya and subbed the pasta for Cajun-style rice. Madison ordered the vegetarian version of the rice Jambalaya. Just like the rest of us, they could not get enough of their dishes and were highly satisfied with the flavors of the Jambalaya.

Although we were all stuffed, we couldn’t leave without ordering their famous Beignets. We were each able to order our own sweet sauce to dip our beignets in which included white chocolate, blueberry, and caramel (I ordered the white chocolate). The beignets were soft, warm, and mouthwatering. They were a perfect end to a perfect meal. If you’re not looking at eating an entire meal while visiting the Downtown Disney District, you can visit Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen Express where you can pick up a to-go order of these delicious beignets.

My overall score for Ralph Brennan’s would be a solid 10/10. It was a splendid meal filled with an amazing atmosphere and delicious food. If you’re interested in trying Ralph Brennan’s I put the link to their website down below.

https://www.rbjazzkitchen.com/

Benihana- Fun Teppanyaki!

What’s better than a delicious dinner? A dinner and a show! Benihana is a popular Japanese teppanyaki restaurant found all around the United States. What is teppanyaki? Teppanyaki is a way of cooking using an iron griddle to cook, and usually in front of the hungry guests.

Last week for my brother, Kellan’s, 14th birthday, my family and I headed to the Benihana location in Anaheim, CA, just a few blocks away from the Disneyland Resort. In total there were 8 of us, my family, me, and our grandfather which was perfect since each table holds up to 8 people. We made reservations online which made the check-in process easy and a very short 5-minute wait. We were led to our table which was situated separate from the rest of the dining room which made things feel really peaceful and intimate.

Once seated, our server, Sophia, came and explained the process of ordering since the pandemic. We were told to scan the barcode on the table to pull up the menu on to our phones. Soon after, she took our drink and food orders. She was very enthusiastic and helpful with any questions we had. I ordered a drink called the ‘Benihana Punch’ which consisted of, “Myers’s Platinum Rum, Bols strawberry and peach liqueurs and tropical fruit juices.” The drink was delicious and I even got it in a souvenir cup shaped like a KOI fish.

Each dinner entrée comes in a 5 or 6 course plan. The first two courses include a bowl of green onion soup and a bowl of Benihana salad. Both of the soup and salad were delicious and they complimented each other perfectly. Kellan (the birthday boy), and my sister each ordered additional appetizer plates of sushi rolls which they both they would definitely order again.

Our personal Teppanyaki chef came to our table with a cart filled with all of the ingredients needed for our dishes and that was where the real fun began. He began by making our final appetizers: fried rice and hibachi shrimp. For my sister Madison who is a vegetarian, he made her fried rice without the egg and chicken. Our chef didn’t just cook for us but he entertained us with little food acts such as making an onion train and a rice heart.

The fried rice and shrimp were definitely some of the best I had ever tasted. My whole family couldn’t wait for the rest of our meal which he cooked next.

From my siblings Yakisoba noodle dish, to the rest of our dishes, we were all highly satisfied in taste and quality. There wasn’t one thing we didn’t like. It was that good!

Lastly, our server came to our table and sang happy birthday to Kellan with a tambourine accompanied with our dessert bowl or ice cream or sherbet. It was the cherry on top to a perfect meal.

If you’re looking for a nice, fun, family friendly, and mouthwatering meal, then Benihana is the place to eat! I attached the link below so that you can find a restaurant near you!

https://www.benihana.com/