I admit it. I'm a rib girl. And believe it or not one of my favorite places to get ribs is the Flame Tree Barbecue counter service restaurant at Disney's Animal Kingdom. So... I was thrilled when my husband suggested that he treat me to ribs for a Valentine's Day lunch. I'm all recovered from last week's cold and this is our make-up visit to Disney.
Now I know what you must be thinking. But get this - my husband honestly doesn't like ribs (he ordered the barbecue chicken salad) so this truly was a special and thoughtful gift for me and not for himself.
The ribs served at Flame Tree Barbecue are a half-slab of St. Louis Ribs. The plate comes with coleslaw and baked beans. When I first fell in love with these ribs, they were served with a dry rub only - and they were delicious! They were tender and moist and didn't need any sauce. As the years went by, the recipe seemed to change and two different types of barbecue sauce were made available at a self-serve station.
Even though I recommend this Disney restaurant to family and friends, there have been a few disappointing visits. I like my food fresh and hot. Today's ribs, although moist and meaty, were not hot. In fact, they were barely warm. Maybe next time...
In addition to the ribs, my husband and I shared an order of onion rings. These onion rings are huge and the onion is so so sweet. It is hard for me to go to Animal Kingdom without at least ordering a basket.
Seating is outdoors only but there is a LOT of it divided into different sections, some of it waterside. We like to walk all the way to the back. It is usually nice and quiet in the back for a relaxed meal for two. This time, however, we were surrounded by a big group.
One issue with outdoor seating is that many different birds and ducks come by looking for scraps. And even though many signs and cards warn guests to please not feed the birds, someone inevitably ignores the well being of these animals. Not only is it a unhealthy for the birds (and squirrels) it can become uncomfortable for other guests... some of the birds and ducks get a little aggressive with surrounding tables once a nearby handout is spotted. Of course, that's exactly what happened when the large family next to us began "dropping" their food.
Please do not feed the animals!