- Cleanliness: 5 out of 5
- Service: 5 out of 5
- Food: 5 out of 5
- Experience: 4.5 out of 5
- Overall Score: 19.5, which gives Emeril's Tchoup Chop five plates on SK8's plate rate!
I was really looking forward to eating at Emeril's Tchoup Chop when we stayed at the Royal Pacific Resort this summer. The restaurant was easy to get to as it was in our resort. The decor is water-inspired and has a Mediterranean feel to it. There is a lot of colorful glass, bamboo, and a water wall feature.
For my drink, I chose a non-alcoholic strawberry colada which was very yummy! There were fried wonton chips with a sesame peanut dipping sauce instead of a bread basket that most restaurants serve. These were delicious!
We chose to have the Chef's Tasting Menu for our dinner.
The first course, fried soft shell crab was good in flavor but kind of creepy to be eating an entire crab deep fried. This was my first soft shell crab experience. The flavor was really nice though the portion was a little too big for me.
The second course, prosciutto wrapped scallops was delicious, but I didn't care for the soy bean reduction. Since there wasn't much of this on my plate, it didn't detract from the delicious and delicate flavor of the scallops.
The third course was my favorite! The presentation was exquisite and the taste matched it bite for bite. My steak was cooked to perfection and the spices used to crust the steak were perfectly balanced to bring out the flavor. The veggies were nicely grilled, soft but still crisp, and the spices used were a good counterpoint to the steak.
The final course, coconut tapioca pudding was a light finish and just the right amount of sweetness and tropical flavor to top off the savory courses. All of the courses were small in size, but that enabled me to actually get to the dessert! Each course was different in flavor and presentation, but they complimented each other. I really enjoyed my meal at Emeril's Tchoup Chop, and I will definitely look forward to eating there again!
To see the menu for Emeril's Tchoup Chop and to find out more information, please click on this link:
Via Napoli at Italy pavilion in Disney World's Epcot
- Cleanliness: 5 out of 5
- Service: 5 out of 5 (authentic Italian wait staff)
- Food: 5 out of 5
- Experience: 5 out of 5
- Overall Score: 20, which gives Via Napoli five plates on SK8's plate rate!
On this particular visit, I had the blood orange aqua fresca to drink. It is so refreshing and unfortunately does not qualify for a free refill. My parents had the white wine sangria which they said was delicious.
We had the sampler platter for an appetizer. It had fried calamari and fried veggies with marinara. It was really large and a lot of fried foods, but very tasty.
We ordered the metro sized margherita pizza, with proscuitto on half of it. This pizza size is GIGANTIC. Seriously though, LOOK AT IT.
The secret to the flavor of this pizza is in the water that they use for the dough. The restaurant chefs and owners searched for a water that had the same chemical makeup as water in Naples, Italy and found that water in Pennsylvania. They have this special water shipped to them expressly for making the pizza dough. The sauce is not too sweet or too thick, and the cheese is of the highest quality. The basil is fresh and not burnt. The proscuitto is not too crispy and perfectly salted. Of course with a pizza of this caliber, we can not let ANY go to waste!
Unfortunately, we rarely get to dessert at Via Napoli and this time was no different. I know we will be back at Via Napoli the next time we are at Disney World.
To see the menu for Via Napoli, and find out more information, please click on this link:
Nick's Pizza, New York City, New York
- Cleanliness: 3 out of 5 (The bathroom is what brings this score down)
- Service: 4 out of 5
- Food: 3.5 out of 5
- Experience: 5 out of 5
- Overall Score: 15.5, which gives Nick's Pizza three and a half plates on SK8's plate rate.
I visited NYC this summer during a heat wave. This is not recommended. We chose to go to Nick's Pizza because it was right across the street from our hotel and therefore we would only be out of air conditioning for a short amount of time! We did read the reviews and check out the menu beforehand though. The restaurant is small but cozy, with interior brick-lined walls. We were seated in the corner table by the windows so we had a view of the bustling NYC streets.
I chose water for my drink, and the bread service was tasty but not anything spectacular. I ordered the lemon artichoke chicken entree which was on special that evening. It was really delicious and a unique flavor combination. The chicken was moist, and the lemon artichoke sauce was so yummy. The vegetables on the side were nicely cooked but a little ordinary, except for the zucchini which was quite tasty.
Once again, we didn't have room for dessert. I think Nick's Pizza fit our appetites and convenience requirements for that evening.
This wraps up my summer travel edition. I'm looking forward to reviewing more local restaurants in the coming months.
