>A Japanese Place where they cook in front of you.

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I usually interview John (my 15 year old son) after dinner on Mondays that way we have some time to sit and discuss his answers. Last night, John was looking forward to getting back to X-Box after his homework and his friends were calling to get him moving. So getting his mind with me was a chore in the beginning, but like usual, John got his mind wrapped around Disney and gave some good answers. Here is our conversation about his Thoughts on something in Disney World.

John tell me something that you would like everyone to know about in Walt Disney World. Put down the phone please. What is something people should know about?

Um.

Maybe something that you like doing, or going to or eating at?

Get the phone later. Please

A Japanese Place where they cook in front of you.

Ah, the one track fifteen year old mind. I could have predicted this; he was just saying during dinner that the guys on his tennis team are going to go to the Hibachi Grille for dinner later this week.

Teppan Edo?

Yeah, the place in Epcot.

Why should people know about this?

Because it is an exquisite dining experience, I enjoyed it when we went there.

 I love when he uses words like exquisite, it makes me smile. I mean how many teenagers use words like this?
 What made it exquisite?

The food was rather good and them cooking in front of you is pretty cool.

It is pretty neat experiences having the chef cook your food in front of you on the big grill table.

Do you remember what you ate?
Some Sushi, assorted meats and vegetables that were cooked, (I think he means as compared to the sushi which wasn’t) steak Shrimp and rice and veggies.

Would this have been as special if it weren’t in Disney?

Uh, I don’t think so. The chefs have a personality and they are from Japan and they were really good at what they do.

What was the neatest part?

The onion volcano- the guy made. He stacked onions and made them steam and it looked like a volcano.

His Mother said this was her favorite part as we started talking about Teppan Edo and he told her that she wasn’t being interviewed. Funny how this was his favorite part too!

Was there any bad part?

Probably the wait to get in. even with reservations you have to wait a while.

The other problem my wife and I had was that we didn’t get to talk to each other through dinner because the seating around the table makes it difficult to talk to anyone but the person right next to you.

Can you describe the dining room to us?

It was Japanese Décor, (imagine a Japanese steak house with Japanese Décor.) It had a stove, with a counter around it and you sat at stools with another group. We were with a pretty cool family.

There are actually two large grill tables in each dining area and the “counter” surrounds three sides of the table, so that the chef doesn’t have his back to anyone while he is cooking.

Is the chef the only person serving you?

No, they have waitresses filling your drink order and taking other requests.

Like what? Karaoke numbers? (Yes, I was the one being goofy.)

NO, it’s not that type of Japanese club.

What other types of requests did they take?

Special food requests.

Do you remember what they asked?

Something about the food.

(Between the three of us, we remebered them asking if anyone had any food allergies and if anyone was a vegetarian.)

So, where did the food rank in all of the places we have eaten in Disney?

Probably 2 or 3 it was very good food.

And how about ranking the experience?

Probably one of the best.

Is there anything else you want people to know about Teppan Edo?

Get reservations, because you will not get a seat if you just walk up. And there is a restaurant part if you don’t want the whole in your face experience.

Even Advanced Dining Reservations for Teppan Edo are hard to come by. I recommend trying to get this as one of your reservations at the 180th Day before your arrival. (This is the window at which Disney allows you to start making reservations).

Thank You John, you can answer your phone now.

You’re welcome… Yeah? (into the phone).

>Food, Food, Food!

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This is the first Tips from a Teenager Tuesday. My son John, is helping me with my Tuesday articles, so I figured what I would do is ask him some questions and then tell you about the things he mentions. For those of you that have a 15 year old, you will understand some of the answers, those of you that don’t; I will say these are his real answers.

The question I will pose every week is,“Tell me something you like about Disney World that everyone needs to know about.”

The answer this week was, “Food, Food, and Food!”

“What exactly do you like about the food?”

“It’s amazing. What more can I say?”

(At this point I tried a different tactic knowing it wasn’t going to get much better)

“What are your favorite places to eat in Disney World?”

“Le Cellier, ‘Ohana, and the Pepper Market.”

Le Cellier is the steak house in the Canada Pavilion in Epcot, ‘Ohana is in the Polynesian Resort and the Pepper Market is a quick serve/sit down place in the Coronado Springs Resort.

“What makes them your favorite?”

“The quality of the food and the atmosphere.”

“Of the three of them which would you choose if you could only go to one?”

“Le Cellier.”

“Why?”

“I love a good steak every now and then.”

“It had nothing to do with the fact the waitress we had knew Marc Andre Fleury?”

“Yes, that does have something to do with it.”

Let me fill in some background John’s favorite hockey team is the Pittsburgh Penguins and he really likes Sidney Crosby. The one time we ate at Le Cellier, the Waitress mentioned she was from Nova Scotia, which is where Sidney Crosby is from. When John made a comment about him, she asked if John only liked Crosby of did he also like the Penguins, when he told her the Penguins too, she told him about knowing Marc Andre Fluery, the goaltender for the Penguins. She told us all about how she was a friend and how when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup earlier that year she and her mom were in tears for “Marky”. I think it is still one of John’s favorite Disney memories.

“Favorite thing about Ohana?”

“All you can eat. There is a Lot to choose from- chicken, steak, veggies, and Polynesian noodles.”

‘Ohana is a family style restaurant, where they bring out long skewers with beef, chicken, shrimp and pork, which are cooked over an 18 foot oak fire pit. (‘Ohana is also home of the Best Friends Breakfast with Lilo & Stitch, a character breakfast.)

“What is it about the Pepper Market that you like?”

“The many different cultures represented there.”

The Pepper Market is a food court kind of eatery, where when you first walk in, you get a ticket. You walk around to the different areas, and choose your food. The servers then stamp your ticket and you pay for all of them as you are leaving. The food choices range from Mexican, to American with Pasta, Pizza and Stir-Fry as options. There is also a Bakery and Beverage area. It is a place where the whole family can aget something they like.

“What else would you like to tell anyone about the food in Disney World?”

“That there is a place for everyone and any taste; it’s nice to know that you will always find what you are craving no matter what. Since there is so much, there is always something new to try and experience.”

“What was your favorite new experience with food in Disney?”

“The Japanese place.”

The “Japanese Place” is Teppan Edo the Japanese restaurant in the Japan Pavilion, in Epcot. At this restaurant, the food is prepared for you on a stovetop table that you sit at. It is a really neat dining experience and I think this is where John tried Sushi for the first time.


So, what else would a 15 year old boy say everyone needs to know about in Walt Disney World, FOOD! Next week, I’ll try to feed him before I ask the question, and maybe we’ll hear about something that won’t add to our waistlines. We hope you enjoyed today’s tips.

“Thank you, John.”

“Sure Dad.”

>There’s a First Time for Everything

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The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is still going on for another couple of weeks. I wish I was there. I’d love to try some of the different foods that they are offering. My problem though is that I’m a little picky when it comes to food. I really have to be in the mood to try something new. So, with my luck, I’d go and the weekend I was there I’d be in a non-trying mood. But this is the great thing about Walt Disney World, even without the Food and Wine Festival, between Epcot and Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney and other places around the Walt Disney World Resort you have such a great chance to try so many new things. Many people don’t realize this, and don’t take the time to search for or even see the experiences that can be had. So, today I offer to you, the Unknown Magic of Trying Something New.

Of course Epcot is great for trying new things. There are so many foods and drinks that you can try from all 11 different countries around the World Showcase. I remember my first Boddingtons Ale at the Rose and Crown and also my first 12 year old scotch at the Coral Reef restaurant connected to the Seas. We also ate at our first Japanese Steak House in Epcot, at Teppan Edo. It was a wonderful meal and sitting around the grill was a very neat experience. Of course we ended up talking to the people sitting next to us that were from California and enjoyed the company as much as the meal. Our Chef for the night was very talented and personable also.

One of the things we didn’t try that night, but probably should have, was sushi. We did try it in Walt Disney World for the first time though, when we were at the Kona Café one night for dinner. My son decided he wanted to try it and our waitress was wonderful about helping him pick out something to try for the first time. My wife and I tried a little of it that night also and it was pretty good. He still talks about this Magical Experience.

Another first time thing that we experienced was driving a speed boat, okay maybe not a full size speed boat, but the little motorboats called Sea Raycers. These boats are small personal speed boats, which you can rent at different resorts throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. We rented ours at the Beach Club and took the boats out for ½ hour. We sped around Crescent Lake near the Boardwalk and made our way toward Disney Hollywood Studios. It was a different kind of experience, because my son’s boat stalled out on him and we had a couple of the Friendship Launches coming toward us. He actually drifted into the rocks and the Water Patrol had to come over and help us get him off the rocks. My wife won’t go near these boats again, because of what happen that time.

Another thing that my son has tried, that I still haven’t, but maybe the next time we’re there is a Virtual Reality Experience. In DisneyQuest in Downtown Disney, they offer many different types of video and interactive games and experiences. One of them is a Virtual Reality Simulator. My son played it a few years ago and said it was pretty neat. Even if you are not playing, it is fun to watch the people do this, because they are swinging swords and moving around to participate in the action. All the while the objects they are holding are just imagined, so they are just waving their arms around.

One of the things I have done for the first time in Disney and probably won’t do anywhere else is felt the force of twice the Earth’s gravitational pull. Actually it was 2.4 g’s. This of course was felt on Mission Space. The first time I did this was last year when we were down and my son had gone on it with a friend of his. After that he said he wanted me to go on it with him. I did and it wasn’t too bad, except that after we got off the ride, I thought I was going to throw-up. What a Magical Experience!

All of these Magical Experiences we have had are just examples of ones that you and your family can have. But maybe yours will be experiencing your first set of Mouse Ears or having your first real French pastry. You might also see things that you have never seen before or experience things you never dreamed of like holding a butterfly.

So, now you know, Walt Disney World holds an Unknown Magic that many people don’t think about. It’s the Unknown Magic of experiencing something for the first time. There are so many chances to experience something new in Walt Disney World, if only you take the time to do them.