updated 3/3/13
'OHANA
we left for orlando & after checking into our condo, we headed to seaworld for the "beats, brew & bbq" event featuring a concert with hall & oates. i'm not a huge hall & oates fan but i am a total glutton for 80's music & craft beer so this was going to be a fantastic time. i was even more excited to see the mustache of john oates!
the weather was pretty chilly for florida standards. the weather peaked at about 60 degrees but it was very windy. when we left seaworld, it was 47 degrees & very windy.
we had some time before the start of the concert. we explored the parks & enjoyed our craft beers. i wanted to try some bbq but after seeing "sonny's bbq" & "tony romo's" as an option for bbq, i passed on eating at seaworld & decided to stuff my face at 'ohana instead. i was really hoping for some delicious local bbq fare but for the most part, it wasn't. i was kind of disappointed.
pretty starfish
the concert was really really fun. it was spectacular to see people letting loose & rocking out. emme fell asleep before the concert but woke up 30 minutes into the show. hall & oates had 2 encores & played their greatest hit including a 10 minute rendition of "i can't go for that" (which i thought was pretty fantastic!). the sad part of the entire show was that john oates no longer had a mustache. SO SAD!
emme & i enjoying the concert.
we departed seaworld close to 7pm. our adr to 'ohana wasn't until 930. emme wanted some ramen noodles to hold her over. ramen seemed like the perfect choice on a weather like this. she's a really picky & simple eater so i'm glad she wanted to eat something. we had some fruit & beer to hold us over until our adr.
we arrived to the polynesian about 45 minutes before our ADR. since i was using my TIW card, i valeted the car. TIW members get FREE valet! it's an awesome feature of the program.
side note: all these pictures are taken with my iphone. i did not want to bring my dslr to dinner as i wanted to EAT!
we headed to the gift shop as my friend wanted to buy a stitch doll for her boyfriend. look who we ran into at the gift shop....
mickey & minnie in hawaiian attire....mini actually hulas in her skirt.
after checking in, about 10 minutes later, our pager went off. i could not believe we were being sat 25 minutes before our ADR time!
emme & her new baby ariel.
we were promptly greeted by a CM who gives us a quick run down of what's to come. this was my second trip to 'ohana but my friends first visit. the CM grabs the pineapple bread.
PINEAPPLE BREAD
after we were seated, it took about 10 minutes for a CM to greet us & take our drink orders. i think she was slightly overwhelmed as many of her tables were paying their tabs when we were seated.
next up....
Mixed Greens with Honey-Lime dressing
i normally consider this salad a filler but i was so hungry that i dug right in. the salad was very refreshing! it had mandarin orange slices as well as what i think is papaya on top of the salad. it was very tasty!
....and here comes:
Pork fried dumplings & Corriander chicken wings
the dumplings were as good as i remembered. i just ate the middle of all my dumplings. i even asked for seconds which really is a mistake as they bring you an entire plate full of dumplings & i hate wasting food. the first batch of dumplings were lukewarm but the second batch were very hot.
i still have issues with the chicken wings. i love a crispy chicken wing but just like last time, the skin was a bit soggy. i think it's probably the sauce that the wings are tossed in & then the wings probably sit for a little bit of time. also, the wings tasted like cinnamon this time. the sauce was definitely sticky & i was grateful for the very hot towels to wipe my hands after.
and the drink i was looking forward to the most during this trip:
LAPU LAPU $13.00
the drink reminds me of a long island ice tea in the manner that i'm sure there's a ton of different alcohol mixed into this fresh pineapple....i tasted a ton of rum. the drink definitely hit the spot.
mmmmmm lapu, lapu.
after the wings, we were presented more filler:
LO MEIN NOODLES & MIXED VEGGIES
the lo mein noodles were average in taste & the veggies were nothing spectacular. as i said earlier, more filler [less meat in the tummy].
i can't forget to mention the tasty peanut dipping sauce which seemed to taste good on everything. if my memory serves me right, i thought there were more dipping sauces on my last trip but honestly, i was so tired from our day at seaworld that i didn't even want to ask about the other sauces.
PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE
and here come the meats!
a CM brought over the pork & i passed on the pork. my friend said the pork was very tasty & not dry.
Chicken
the chicken had great flavor but unfortunately, it was very dry. on my last trip, my chicken was very moist & flavorful. i was bummed out the chicken was so dry. even the peanut sauce could not save the chicken.
meat, meat more meat!
after the disappointing chicken, i had low hopes on the sirloin.
Marinated sirloin steak
Marinated sirloin steak
to my great surprise, the steak was very juicy & cooked perfect. i was a very happy camper! i asked for seconds and the meat was also cooked perfect. yummy!
last but not least....
Non-peeled shrimp
i loved the shrimp on my last visit & i loved the shrimp on this visit. it was a great vessel for the peanut sauce & i'm sure if i had the other sauces, it would have been even more delicious. the shell peels off pretty easily.
emme wanted no part of the meal or the offerings on the alternative menu which includes "Chicken nuggets, Macaroni & cheese, Grilled cheese sandwich, PB & J sandwich, Hamburger, or Cheeseburger". instead, she wanted a bowl of white rice...so she got a bowl of white rice.
this would be my plate. doesn't look very pretty but for the most part, the food was quite tasty.
lastly,
'Ohana bread pudding a la mode with Banana Foster sauce.
the bread pudding was good although i'm not a sweets kind of person. i was really too full to enjoy any more food at this point. even my friend who is a huge dessert fan could not muster any more room for dessert.
the CM brought vanilla ice cream with sprinkles for emme. i didn't even ask her...that was really nice of her.
emme participated in the hula lesson during dinner as well.
we left 'ohana at about 1030 & i could not believe people were being seated up until 1010pm! that's insanity!!!
for two adults, one tinkerbell drink, & one lapu lapu, plus 18% gratuity the meal with my TIW discount was $91.00. i also received valet parking for free (a $15 value). the 2 drinks were $20 so if i had not ordered a drink, i think for the amount of food you receive & quality, it's definitely worth the price.
we were very full but very very tired & cold from our day at seaworld. the meal was good but i'm sure i would have appreciated it more if it was just a tad bit earlier & if i wasn't so exhausted. i'm not quite sure if i will return to dinner any time soon.
our CM was very nice as were every other CM who stopped at our table. it was also super great that we did not have to wait very long to be seated. the atmosphere was very friendly, homey & fun.
this is what i had for dinner tonight @ home:
DDAK DORI TTANG: spicy korean chicken & potatoes.
this meal cost less than $10.00 to make and easily feeds 4 people. i'll take this over any meal at disney, any time of the day.
up next, breakfast @ CAPE MAY