Friday, April 27, 2012

Picabu Dog


OK, what's a Picabu dog?

I didn't know either; but I recently got an email from Robert giving a report on his hot dog adventure in Orlando. The post below is entirely his.


I went to Orlando for a business conference.  It was one of those conferences where all the meals are provided, but I  arrived at the Disney Dolphin hotel before lunch and the conference did not begin until late afternoon.  So, there was an opportunity to explore the culinary options for lunch.  The just inside the door from the walkway to the Swan was crowded, so I went around the corner to the Picabu Buffeteria.

The last thing on my mind when dining on an expense account was a hot dog, but as I was about to place my order for loaded nachos, they served up a delicious-looking hot dog to the person ahead of me in line.  The plate appeal, coupled with the realization that Karl was in the height of his busiest season at work, so there would not be another entry on hot dog blog this week, made my decision a no-brainier. 

The tube  steak looked like it weighed a pound, although it probably approximated half a pound.  It was served hot on a fresh bun with one's choice of toppings.  They don't offer the type of hot dog sauce one finds on a dog in Birmingham, so I simply got onions and kraut, then added mustard from plastic packets.

When you consider the ambiance, it really wouldn't matter if e hot dog were mediocre for one to enjoy the experience.  But, I am glad that I can report that the hot dog was excellent.  It was served hot, and on a fresh bun with the onions and kraut heaped atop the massive dog.  I say massive, as it hung out both ends of the bun by at least an inch and a half at each end.  The plate was heaped with lots of crispy and hot french fries as well.  The flavor of the dog was much like that of a polish sausage dog, bursting with flavor.  Its size made it difficult to take a bite without getting mustard and kraut all over my face, and I must admit, I went through several napkins during this meal.  The kraut was hot and flavorful, witha minimum of sourness.  By the time I had eaten half the hot dog, I was mostly full, and only ate the rest of the dog and most of the fries because they were so tasty and the fries had the perfect degree of crispness.  I think Picabu's chef has room to be proud of the product served-up from his galley.



After enjoying my lunch, I launched off on a walk around the property with two goals in mind.  One was to enjoy the sights and sounds of the property and the other was to try and work off some of the weight I had no-doubt added during my visit to the Picabu Buffeteria.  When dinner was served for our conference, it was in the form of heavy hors d'oeuvres during a meet & greet and vendor fair.  The few hors d'oeuvres I ate were very tasty, but I had little appetite due to my filling lunch.  The best was a large scallop with bacon bits around the edge, but I only had room for one.  I think the only thing I ate was one of those, a little two-inch taco looking thing with a small amount of buffalo chicken nugget in it and one very small bun with fresh prime rib of beef on it. 



So, if you go to the Disney Dolphin or any of the neighboring resorts (Swan, Beach Club and Yacht Club), you might not be thinking about a hot dog, but if you are, you can get a good one at the Picabu. At $6.50, it is one of the best bargains on the property.

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