Last week, it hit me. Even at an upscale resort restaurant, no one cares as much about how good your food tastes as much as a home cook, when he or she presents thoughtfully prepared food at the kitchen table.
We escaped for a couple days to Orlando, and spent one day in Walt Disney World over MLK, Jr. weekend. Tuckered out after trucking from one ride to the next in the Magic Kingdom, we gratefully sat down at a dining table in The Wave, inside the Contemporary Resort in WDW (no, we didn’t stay there–we stayed off property). After eight hours of pushing a stroller around and standing in lines to enjoy a couple minutes ride, and repeating that experience time after time, the bliss of sitting and relaxing was unbelievable.
The Wave is known for having sustainable and healthy food offerings. I ordered the grilled pork tenderloin seasoned with cinnamon. My husband ordered the Arctic char. My 7-year-old daughter also ordered the fish of the day for kids (yes, the Arctic char) but found it a little too peppery for her young taste. My 3-year-old son ordered the kids hamburger and polished it off, only eating some vegetables after much prodding. My husband found the char absolutely delectable, and described it as tasting much like salmon. I stole a few pieces of the char from my daughter’s plate and wished I had ordered the char myself!
My grilled pork tenderloin was huge; cut into two mammoth pieces. Unfortunately, the pork was also pretty dry and tough. While I could taste a little cinnamon on top of the pork, I wondered at the chef’s thinking regarding the pork’s preparation. In order to grill pork tenderloin, know for its low fat qualities, usually a chef marinates the meat in order to avoid a dry taste after it is grilled. Well, apparently that thought did not cross the chef’s mind, and so I sat eating what I could of the tough pork tenderloin. Sad, really. It was a good cut of meat treated unkindly in the kitchen of The Wave.
Good news, though. The tough pork tenderloin inspired me to roast my own pork tenderloin last night. I’ll share my recipe and handling of the tenderloin tomorrow.
For now, I’d love to hear your thoughts on similar experiences you may have had at restaurants. I can’t wait to hear from you!
Photo by JZ85 on Wikimedia
thanks for the advice… stay away from the pork at The Wave. We may be heading down there in a month or so!
Liz,
You’re welcome! Hope you have a better restaurant experience than I did!