October 2026 – The Saboscrivner

Jiko – The Cooking Place

To celebrate our 17th anniversary, my wife and I finally made it to a restaurant we had always wanted to try: Jiko – The Cooking Place (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/animal-kingdom-lodge/jiko-the-cooking-place/menus/dinner/). Jiko is a high-end African restaurant located inside the sumptuous Animal Kingdom Lodge hotel at Walt Disney World, so you don’t need to pay admission to enter the Animal Kingdom theme park to eat there. I strongly encourage diners to make a reservation, though. I’ve been to this hotel once before, to eat at a different restaurant, Sanaa (home of the epic bread service).

Jiko turned out to be a real splurge meal, with each of us ordering an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert, and it wasn’t even Magical Dining! We don’t do that very often, but anniversaries only come once a year, and we had a lot to celebrate, including my wife surviving a near-death experience (with an extended hospitalization) this past summer.

I’ll never turn down bread being delivered to our table, and Jiko specliazes in giraffe bread, soft and fluffy and slightly chewy on the inside, but the exterior has these beautiful crispy, crunchy patterns that make it delightful and fun to eat. The soft whipped butter is blended with baobab, a gourd-like fruit that naturally dries on the branches of gigantic African trees known as the “tree of life.” It gives the butter a tangy, slightly sour taste, which I thought was yogurt at first.

For her appetizer, my wife chose this duck confit and honey-raisin flatbread, not that dissimilar from a small, thin-crust pizza, topped with preserved duck, arugula (it’s a veg-e-table!), toasted chickpeas, mozzarella cheese, raisins, harissa (the Moroccan spice that explains it all), and spiced honey.

I almost didn’t order an app for myself, but we both had our eyes on the braai’d wild boar tenderloin, so I’m really glad I splurged just a little bit more than I intended at first. (A braai is a South African wood or charcoal grill, or the style of grilling meats, comparable to how Americans barbecue meats at low heat for a long time, using smoke.) We both love game meats, which will be a trend throughout this sumptuous feast. The wild boar was extremely tender, and it was served on top of creamy pap (very similar to grits or polenta, but with a smoother, creamier consistency), tomato chakalaka (a South African relish made with tomatoes, onions, carrots, garlic, and ginger), and drizzled with herb-smoked oil. That intriguing bubbly thing on the left was a crispy pork rind, but more cracker-like than super-crunchy and hard like some chicharrones.

The game meats continued. My deer… um, dear wife ordered seared venison loin, which the chef at Jiko cooks to medium rare. It was so tender, and she has a happy childhood memory of trying venison in her kindergarten class when a kid’s father, a hunter, brought some in for the kids to sample, and she loved it. This venison was served over herbed goat cheese pap (again, similar to grits or polenta), topped with chermoula, a North African marinade or relish similar to Latin chimichurri. The menu said it was supposed to come with petite mustard greens, but I’m not sure if that was the bit of green on top, or if that was the chermoula.

One thing the venison loin dish included that the menu did not mention was a whole pile of mushrooms, on the left side of the plate, next to the frizzy, leafy garnish. I’m glad I didn’t spear one of those when she invited me to try anything on her plate, or it would have cut our lovely date night tragically short!

I ordered her second choice of entrees, but these two were my top two as well. This was oak-grilled braai bison strip, which I requested rare. I love making little sliders out of ground bison, and I always cook it rare at home. It has such a rich, beefy taste, but I had never had actual bison steak before, until this dish. It was delicious, especially topped with chocolate-red wine demi-glace, but it wasn’t as tender as the venison loin she ordered.

It came with four-cheese macaroni that I had been excited about, since I usually love mac and cheese, but that was a letdown for both of us. It looked and tasted like something simple, off the chidrens’ menu, without anything to make it special or unique or exciting. Oh well, you can’t win ’em all. There was a roasted tomato slice topped with some kind of herbs and a bit of roasted red onion, but right below that tomato was… guess what, folks… another pile of mushrooms that nobody mentioned! Perhaps those were the “seasonal vegetable,” even though mushrooms are not vegetables or even plants. My wife mentioned it to our server, who offered to remake the plate, but I didn’t want that food to be wasted. My wife ate all the mushrooms, and at least I’m not going to be poisoned if they touched my plate or even my other food — I just can’t eat them myself. (Man, now all my enemies know how to incapacitate me, like how every supervillain in the DC Universe knows about Kryptonite!)

For dessert, my wife chose the potjie pot, a beautiful, multicolored, sphere-like sculpture containing layers of lemon-olive oil cake at the bottom, chocolate custard in the middle, whipped caramel on top, cocoa nib crunch like a fascinator hat on top and around the base, and some dark cherries. The little “happy anniversary” sign was made of paper-thin chocolate.

And I had no intention of getting a dessert, but with my wife’s newfound love of food and trying new things, I figured it was a rare opportunity to sample something else. Our server, Susanna (from Rome, Italy) suggested her other favorite was the malva pudding, a South African dessert of amarula-infused malva cake, caramel-sea salt gelato, kataifi (super-fine, crispy strands of phyllo dough), dark chocolate ganache, and drops of sweet shiraz gelée around the plate. That “flying V” shape on the top was also paper-thin chocolate, along with the anniversary sign.

Our little area of the dining room was walled off, so we couldn’t see any of the African animals out the windows, and then it was dark by the time we finished dinner, but oh well. We dressed up because it was a special occasion at an upscale restaurant, but most diners showed up in t-shirts and shorts, drenched in sweat, presumably after a day at the parks, so keep in mind that dress codes are nonexistent.

All in all, we had a beautiful anniversary dinner at Jiko, even with surprise mushrooms and disappointing macaroni and cheese. But we both agreed this was a “one-and-done” for us, a singular experience we wouldn’t need to repeat, much like Bern’s Steak House in Tampa (which we liked) and other expensive Disney restaurants like California Grill and The Boathouse (which we did not).

Harold & Belle’s (Los Angeles)

Harold & Belle’s (https://haroldandbelles.com/) is a historic, Black-owned Los Angeles restaurant that has been serving the delicious cuisine of New Orleans since 1969, in the same location in the Jefferson Park neighborhood. On my most recent work trip to L.A., I had a rare free day to play tourist before teaching several classes, so I went to the brand-new, awe-inspiring Lucas Museum of Narrative Art with a good friend. We have shared many culinary adventures over the past three years, and this time, we decided to try Harold & Belle’s for lunch after exploring the museum.

The restaurant serves brunch on the weekends, so there was a saxophonist playing along to jazz, R&B, pop, and soul backing tracks, adding to the cool, sophisticated mood of the place, and we were able to choose from the brunch menu in addition to the regular menu. We were tempted by drop biscuits from the brunch menu, but they were out of those by the time we arrived. It wasn’t a problem, because we didn’t even realize that all diners get a basket of French bread, perfectly crackly on the outside and fluffy on the inside, already sliced and buttered. This great bread and the live jazz set the tone for a terrific lunch to follow.

My friend ordered the shrimp and grits étouffée off the weekend brunch menu, with blackened shrimp, corn grits, crawfish gravy, and garlic trinity (referring to onions, green bell peppers, and celery, the “trinity” that makes up the basis of so many Cajun and Creole dishes).

Whenever I visit a new restaurant, and especially when I’m traveling, I always like to maximize the experience by trying as many different things as I can. Because of this, I was drawn to the home-style platter, which comes with jambalaya, red beans, and a choice of fried wings, fried catfish, or hot links. They all sounded good to me, so I consulted with my friend to break the tie, and we shared the catfish. Nothing could have prepared us for the massive mountain of crispy fried boneless catfish filets, though. I never expected such a huge portion, and they were so good with the accompanying tartar sauce and a bottle of Louisiana hot sauce. They weren’t greasy at all!
I was so full, I saved the jambalaya and red beans to enjoy in my hotel room later, where I had a fridge and a microwave. The red beans were great as a solo side dish, but the jambalaya wasn’t full of different proteins like I am used to from elsewhere. It was essentially just saucy rice, so I guess it complemented the red beans, which didn’t come with their own white rice. I knew the microwave would ruin that catfish, so I sent my friend home with the leftovers, since he has an air fryer. One of these days, I need to get one of those!

The menu said all the house specialties come with a side, so I chose macaroni and cheese as yet another component of this legendary lunch. There is such a wide range of macaroni and cheese, ranging from the best thing you’ve ever eaten in your life to sub-“Blue Box” disappointment (and I actually like “Blue Box” mac and cheese, having never eaten it until I was an adult). This was the good kind, like a creamy, buttery casserole, then finished under the broiler for a crispy cheese crust on top. I enjoyed this mac and cheese on the premises, knowing it wouldn’t be as good back in my room, microwave or no microwave.

I’ve been kicking myself ever since for not trying the filé gumbo while we were at Harold & Belle’s, since it features a dark roux, ground sassafras (that’s the filé powder, used to thicken the gumbo instead of okra), shrimp, sausage, ham, blue crab, and chicken. As good as all the things I tried were, that might have been the best choice of all, but I can only eat so much.

But we left satisfied, and I would encourage any Angelenos and tourists alike to try Harold & Belle’s. I love that Los Angeles has so much rich culinary history, and so many restaurants have survived for a half-century or more, doing the same things they have always done, because they are just that good. As I continue to check these iconic L.A. eateries off my list, I realized I had never heard of Harold & Belle’s before, but it definitely belongs in the pantheon of Los Angeles classics. I haven’t had a chance to return to the Big Easy in 25 years, but those flavors brought me right back, reminding me what it means to miss New Orleans. And this wasn’t even the first good New Orleans restaurant I’ve enjoyed in L.A. I still need to review the other one some time!

Digino’s

Digino’s (https://www.facebook.com/diginos/) used to be one of many nondescript pizzerias in Casselberry, hidden away near the Walmart Supercenter and behind the McDonald’s at 1271 State Road 436 (also known as Semoran Boulevard). However, earlier this year, new owner Dana Temirbayeva revamped the restaurant, changing the entire concept and menu to something fresh, healthy, and unique. She turned two lovely Ukrainian ladies loose in the kitchen, and they came up with an eclectic menu of breakfast and brunch dishes (including avocado toast and plenty of other toasts, plus brunch cocktails), healthy protein bowls, soups, salads, savory and sweet crepes, desserts, and best of all, a bunch of authentic Slavic and Ukranian dishes. My wife loves breakfast foods and healthy stuff, and I’m always excited to try any Eastern European cuisines, since there isn’t much to choose from here in Orlando.

Since Digino’s doesn’t have an operational website with their menu up yet, I took the liberty of photographing every page of the diverse menu. Yes, they’re using AI-generated pictures of their dishes throughout the menu, but their food comes out of the kitchen looking so beautiful, hopefully my review will give you more of an idea of what the dishes really look like. As always, you can right-click any of these menu photos and open them in new tabs, then click again to enlarge the images.

This is my wife’s cappuccino, which she enjoyed. Tatiana brought out Sugar in the Raw and Sweet and Low to go with it, and my wife told me she would have preferred regular white sugar, which melts better in hot beverages. But I was struck by the beautiful glass mug. The water glasses were from a matching set with the same intricate bubble-like pattern, and they were striking.

She is going through a chia pudding phase, so she tried Digino’s Greek yogurt chia pudding, served as a parfait between layers of fresh mango and mango puree, topped with granola. We both love mango, but I didn’t try any of this. The little round glass with a holder for a wooden spoon was a nice touch.

She also got this shrimp protein bowl with garlic paprika shrimp and a salad with mixed field greens, cherry tomato, cucumber, and lots of fresh avocado. The menu mentioned a lime yogurt sauce, but this tasted more like a very light vinaigrette to both of us. On the menu, it is served over jasmine rice, but she asked if they could substitute quinoa, since another protein bowl came with quinoa instead of rice, and they were fine making the substitution.

These beauties are called pelmeni, handmade Ukrainian dumplings stuffed with seasoned beef. They were delightfully soft and chewy, a bit like Italian tortellini, Chinese wontons, or tiny versions of the manty we loved so much at the Uzbek restaurant Chayhana. I ordered pelmeni earlier this year at Wine 4 Oysters in East Orlando, but this was a much larger portion. Like Wine 4 Oysters, these pelmeni came with sour cream on the side, were garnished with parsley, and were also tossed in a little melted butter, which is always nice. The side salad, similar to what came in my wife’s shrimp protein bowl, was also a pleasant touch. The golden vinaigrette dressing was so good, I found myself wishing there was more of it.

This was the braised beef short rib shawarma wrap, which was like no shawarma I’ve had before. I’ve enjoyed beef shawarma at many SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) restaurants like The Dough Show (Egyptian), The Cairo Express food truck (also Egyptian), and Rawsha (Iraqi), but this one had a completely different flavor profile, probably due to its Slavic pedigree. The main vegetables inside were lettuce and carrots, cut into crunchy matchsticks, and there was an oily sauce inside that I could not place. The outer surface of the wrap was grilled until crispy, which I love, but Tatiana served it with a pair of disposable black latex gloves, which was a first for me. It’s because the outside surface of the grilled shawarma wrap was completely brushed with butter, which was also a first for me! Check out that gorgeous green glass in the top right corner above!

These are cottage cheese pancakes called syrniki. They look small, but they are much thicker than standard American-style pancakes, and a lot denser. They are sweet, with a hint of vanilla, but even with that light dusting of powdered sugar on top, they weren’t cloyingly sweet like some pancakes that taste more like a dessert. That is sour cream in the ramekin in the top right and sweetened condensed milk in the bottom right.

Finally, Tatiana sent us home with a slice of Eastern European honey cake, with multiple thin, creamy layers. Folks, this was sooooo delicious. It was sweet, but not nearly as sweet as American cakes always are, and it was surprisingly light. Best of all, the consistency of the entire cake felt like when a graham cracker pie or cheesecake crust gets really moist. It practically melts in your mouth.

Here’s a different angle so you can see all the luscious layers after we each got a few forkfuls. If you go to Digino’s (and you should), don’t sleep on the honey cake!

In fact, don’t sleep on this place at all. It doesn’t help that Digino’s is just far enough off Semoran that you can’t see it when driving by, but it really is behind that McDonald’s, and there is ample parking. This is one of those unique treasures, where you can have a bougie, boozy brunch with your besties (I can’t believe I typed that), protein-maxx (I can’t believe I typed that either), or enjoy and explore old-world comfort foods from Eastern Europe, whether you or your people hail from that old world or not. I can’t wait to return when the weather gets a little cooler and order some borscht, since my wife and I both like beets now. I also look forward to trying kholodets, a beef and chicken garlic aspic that was once reserved for well-to-do nobles who could afford refrigeration, but I learned about it from one of the best food shows of all time, Hannibal.

Tatiana was so warm and welcoming, and the whole place is just nice, right down to their beautiful glassware. They could use your business, and you could use a little treat this morning, or this weekend. Why not seek it out at the all-new, all-different Digino’s?

Sofrito Latin Cafe

Sofrito Latin Cafe (https://www.sofritocafe.com/) features familiar dishes (and a few more esoteric ones) from eight countries: Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Peru, and Brazil. It is located at 8607 Palm Parkway, Orlando, FL 32836, in the Lake Buena Vista area near Disney Springs — way out of my usual radius.

Last weekend, however, I met two out-of-state friends there for lunch: a cat-loving badass with his own hardcore/punk/metal record label, Absolute Contempt Records, and his partner, an accomplished and brilliant art history professor. They were exhausted after a week at Disney World and getting ready for the long drive home, and they wanted some good Cuban food before leaving Orlando, since it isn’t available anywhere in their small college town. They actually discovered Sofrito, which was close and convenient, but I had never heard of it, since I’m never on that side of town. It ended up being the perfect place to meet and catch up before they hit the road.

Like many other fast casual establishments have started doing, you order and pay on touchscreens at the front of the restaurant, then your food is delivered to your table.

My one friend has a real sweet tooth, and I was living vicariously through his social media photos of the food they were eating at Disney all week. He ordered himself a virgin piña colada and a coconut flan, which they brought out before all the rest of our food. For most, flan is a dessert, but for this dude, flan was an appetizer!

His partner ordered this Cuban pernil sandwich, with roast pork marinated in cilantro-garlic mojo criollo on pressed Cuban bread. They shared the sandwich and fries, which cost extra.

He ordered himself this Venezuelan arepa de pabellon, a corn patty stuffed with shredded beef (similar to Cuban ropa vieja), black beans, crumbled white cheese, and a sweet plantain, which I write about often enough that my dozens of readers probably know them as maduros by now.

And speaking of sweet plantains, I ordered a unique Venezuelan sandwich for myself: this beautiful patacon de maduro. Instead of bread, this sandwich of the same shredded beef, white cheese, chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes, and cilantro-garlic sauce was (barely) held together between two flattened and fried sweet plantains! This was a “knife-and-forker” sandwich for sure; there was no picking it up.
That little ramekin in the photo above is Dijon mustard, which they serve their Cuban sandwiches with.

Here’s an inside view. I think it could have used far more tomatoes and cilantro-garlic sauce, and some onions would have been nice, but it was still good, and the Dijon helped add some necessary acidity and spice to this patacon de maduro. I am proud to report I got two meals out of this!

Sofrito Latin Cafe had a nice menu with plenty of choices to please anyone, and all the food we tried was solid. It would be a convenient place to stop into occasionally if it was anywhere near me, but because it is almost an hour away, I don’t know when or if I’ll ever return. But for anyone who lives on that side of town, or any tourists who dare to venture out of the parks and want an authentic sampling of all the diverse Latin culinary cultures in Orlando, it would be a fantastic destination — affordable, fast, welcoming, and plenty of variety.