What does Kona Cafe (my current favorite Disney restaurant for breakfast) and California Grill (my current favorite Signature restaurant) have in common?
I grew up near Chicago and went to U of I in Champaign, where is Lexington???
Sushi
I am here and all caught up! We just got back on Saturday and I started my own DR and am reading lots of reports to try and block out the Post Disney Depression
Consequently I was allowed to schedule only one TS breakfast during our week at Disney World. So with being limited to just one, I of course chose my favorite, Kona Cafe. , we had packed for warm weather. I, myself, had brought only two pairs of jeans and one of those I had worn during our 18 hour drive. 
So just as we were all in our room getting ready and whining about the day's predicted high temperature of only 69 (instead of in the 80's), I received this text from our neighbor back home.
And so with our sweaters/sweatshirts on, we very happily drove our (snow-free) van on the (snow-free) road over to the Polynesian resort for our breakfast at...
But my thoughts were quickly diverted by other things, like Kona coffee...
Speaking of which, have you noticed a pattern in my DH's eating on this trip? You may recall that, in an attempt to not gain any weight on this trip, he and my DD made a deal to share one entree during all of our meals. That plan may have been successful if he hadn't also then eaten a good portion of my meal as well. Let's see, there was my salmon at Artist Point, my Colony salad at Liberty Tree, and now my Kona pancakes. Just sayin'. 
And despite the fact that I gave him a pretty good kick underneath the table , DS proceeded to tell his father about the app that he now had on his phone. So what was the noise level of Kona Cafe during their peak breakfast hours? Almost 80 dB. Not as bad as Tony's the night before, but high enough to prove my DH's point and give him a reason to gloat. And not just to us, but also to our waitress. When he told her about the iPhone app and the measurement that we had taken, she laughed and said that she was used to the noise because she usually worked at (the currently closed for renovations) California Grill. It was then that the "penny finally dropped" and a quick glance at her name tag confirmed...it was Dawn, our absolutely wonderful server that my DH and I had when we dined at California Grill during our 25th Anniversary trip. 
anyway, I am so excited to hear how you did!
You know I'm a huge fan! If I could only choose 1 TS for breakfast, Kona would definitely be it! 
Great Kona update Barb
So funny that DH decided to split entrees with DD to eat less and then ended up tucking into your meals!
Did you know that for the holidays last year, Kona were offering pumpkin pancakes? ..... Mmm, think that makes it a December must do!
Still haven't tried Kona, but it always looks yummy. I want to try that Tonga toast!
and omg, you ate around the world? Were you more successful than us? We only missed a few, but man, we will never try that again.
Barb those pineapple macadamia nut pancakes are my ALL TIME FAVORITE breakfast at WDW!!!
They need to offer a side portion or a short stack since they are nearly impossible to finish.
I suppose it is a good thing that your DS had that iphone app since you were able to stitch together the connection with your Cali Grill server.
Great update Barb!
I agree with the general consensus that the pineapple macadamia nut pancakes are heavenly but oh-so-rich and next to impossible to finish. I remember reading another dining report where the author (sorry, I can't remember who) mentioned ordering these pancakes and asking for them to be prepared and served the same way as the Big Kahuna. She said taking the nuts out of the batter made them less rich and there was still plenty of them in the butter.
I love them too, but I'm a wimp and can only ever manage to finish one at the most before I'm done so I may try this idea out.
Then I learned here on the DIS about the difference and the next time I visited Kona I had the real deal. IMO, having the nuts in the pancakes takes them to a whole new level of deliciousness. Richer and more filling, yes, but for me it's the difference between good pancakes and 
OUTSTANDING PANCAKES!!! I'm almost done with my next two-part installment, so please stay tuned. 
Now I must apologize once again for neglecting my Dining Report. I have 8 reporters (one more coming in today) sending in updates for the live thread right now, so all my DIS time has been spent there. So to those of you who are still reading along, thank you for sticking with me and for your patience.
The clock is ticking, Barb. If you don't update soon, I will find another review to read
So I'm dedicating this installment to Joh. So my DD offered to stage a "Beverly'd" pic for me to post on the live thread. Now I figured that she would just pretend to take a sip of that nasty drink but she took her role-playing quite seriously and took a big gulp. 
DS tends to shy away from foods that combine several ingredients like this, so he had only one tiny bite...not enough to give an opinion. 
So after taking this (mostly) normal picture in front of the Mexican pyramid, they remembered this game that had entertained them during many a trip to World Showcase. 
So in it's place I am sharing with you a picture of them from 2006, which may have been the beginning of this tradition.
Well, I can't have that!
So the following picture, though missing the element of surprise, is otherwise authentic.
Although we intended to return to Mexico later in the week and take a sombrero picture inside the pyramid, we somehow never got around to doing it.
German Meatloaf Sandwich with Sweet Mustard and Fried Shallots
His Rating - 4/5, DD & My Rating - 3/5
To me this tasted like a bologna sandwich. Others have said it tastes like SPAM. I've never tasted SPAM but if it tastes like bologna then I am in complete agreement. Whether meatloaf, bologna, or SPAM, DS enjoyed it so I guess it's all good.
Looks like that is a tradition going back to the "early years" Looking forward to part 2!
