Downtown Disney & Rainforest Cafe AND Ice Cream Adventures! :D
We head over to Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney and amazingly, they can seat a group of six right now on the outside patio. We were a tad bit skeptical due to the heat but after about 30 minutes, we are so glad we sat outside. The sun was going down and it had cooled off considerably. Rainforest is a great place inside if you want the whole experience but for a group to sit and talk, outside was much better! We started off with a cocktail of course.....surprisingly, Julz and I got carded but Angel didn't....what's up with that?!?! HA HA. Silvina (silverv) got there right after we were seated and there left, Kenny (kenbox)...the late one! LOL. We were hungry so we decided to order (sorry Kenny) and as our food was arriving, so was Kenny.
After dinner, we decided to head over to Joe's Italian Ice...my favorite ice cream place around. They serve authentic Philadelphia Water Ice which I've been told is the best thing since sliced bread! I have nothing to compare it to as to its authenticity but the people I know from Philly swear by this place. (I already wrote a review on it from one of my earlier LA blogs). I always get the Joe Latti which is the thick soft serve vanilla ice cream (specially brought in) with Italian Ice layered between it. Black Raspberry was on the menu which is one of my favorites so I was set. Everyone else were Joe's virgins so they sampled a number of flavors and we were happy campers.
We stood around outside the ice cream shop being silly - it was a great way to end a wonderful day. We tried to take some good photos of Joe and us girls to take back and show his friends all the fun they missed on the trip!! Apparently, he had some friends who were supposed to join him but they backed out so Joe made the trip on his own anyways!
Finally, it was time to go so Joe and I could drive back to my house and he could then head back up to his hotel in Hollywood. I love these girls to death and spending another day with Joe was quite the treat! Wish Silvina could've joined us the whole day and Kenny, well that was enough Kenny for another year or so...HA HA HA. KIDDING...Although I give him a hard time about being a crazy maniac - he's actually a super sweet guy and it was good to see him again. Plus, how can you not love a guy who has "I Love My Parents" tattooed on his arm. Oh yes, and if you don't believe me, see my OC meet up blog from August 2008 for proof! LOL
The Rainforest Cafe offers a unique dining experience as you find yourself transported to a tropical rainforest, complete with animated gorillas and other animals that "come to life" periodically. The decor includes large plants, waterfalls, and large aquariums at most locations. Every 30 minutes a simulated thunderstorm with rain is featured which really enhances the overall experience.
The food is good but tends to be on the pricy side as expected. It's a great place to bring kids for a birthday celebration or other gathering. For us, we opted to sit on the outside patio so you lose the rainforest theme decor but for larger groups to be able to talk, this is a better alternative.
Trying to eat a little healthier, I opted for the veggie burger, no cheese. It was one of the better veggie burgers I've eaten. Julz and Angel got the pasta (can't remember the exact name but it looked really good), Joe had the Tuscan chicken, and Silvina had a wrap. Everything looked good and their selection of rainforest cocktails was pretty good.
Best recommendation is to try and make reservations if you know you are coming, even on a week night! Before 7pm on a Wednesday, there was already a 20-30 minute wait for inside.
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