A Signature a Day Keeps Reality Away: A Sep '15 Dining Report - Updated 4/11 x2

[vettegirl]

I had breakfast there last month with a fellow Diser and the food was quite good. Service was nothing to write home about.

 

[ursalita]

I need to try that Samoan!! I've been reading lots of good reviews about it lately. I will definitely chance bad service to try that dish!

 

[pagek83]

Just found your report! Following along!

 

[DisneyCoasters]

Your dinner at Jike looks great! I'm super intrigued by the veg and tofu samosas, though when I finally make it there for my first time I think I'll HAVE to try the short ribs. Earlier this year I got to try Sanaa and Boma and they were both awesome--I would say they both rank in my top five Disney dining spots so far. Definitely need to try Jiko and suspect it will join them on my favorites list.

Kona looked pretty good too! I am not a huge fan of hollandaise, but that hash sounds so good. I may have to convince my husband to order it (he loves eggs benedict!) so I can steal a bite!

 

[Leshaface]

Good job Jason! Would pass on that Moscato though.

This looks gorgeous!

because when you already have rice and pasta what's a few more carbs ; )

Totally, totally agree.

I'd read many accolades for Narcoossee's and I can officially say they are well deserved.

We were very, very close this past trip on visiting Narcoossee's but it just never happened. The last time we visited back in 2010, we ordered the surf and turf and the lobster was just so rubbery. Very disappointed, but really want to give it another shot.

It is my one and only table service food memory from my childhood and I was looking forward to channeling my inner child, sans the Sally Jessie Raphael glasses and 80's clothing of course ; )

Aw man, I was hoping you were going to rock all that!

best Disney store ever: Mitsukoshi!!!

AGREED! Dare I say, almost better than World of Disney?!

For those who haven't had it schoolbread is a donut like substance that is filled with a sweet custard and topped with icing and coconut. This was amazing and sweet, creamy, and coconutty perfection.

Yep, I thought about this a few times, but there was something else I really was craving instead...

The Avocado Margarita.

Blended huh? Usually like my margs on the rocks, but shoot, I'll try this!

For those who haven't partaken, this is exactly what it sounds like: A croissant, fried like a donut, then tossed in cinnamon sugar. If you haven't tried it, run don't walk straight to the refreshment port on your next visit. This is buttery and salty from the croissant and then sweet from the sugar and somehow simultaneously flaky yet dense. This one wasn't fresh from the fryer as some of our other ones have been, but delicious nonetheless.

...and this is what it was that I was craving! Absolutely delicious, especially when they are piping hot.

Aw and with Prince Philip, very cool!

go to signature restaurant: Jiko

This was either poppy or pumpernickel bread with some butter and was decidedly not African.

We did this spur of the moment the last night so I can remember, it was an Ethiopian bread and DH was not a fan. But I ate it up no problem!

DM and DH have been obsessed with this app for a while now. If they ever get rid of it, there will be no reason to return in their eyes.

Mmm, this looks yummy.

I on the other hand had no idea why someone would order caffeine when there is vodka to be had. Please do enjoy the Kona Bloody Mary.

I'd just go with both!

Casey ordered the Mickey pancakes, which were just regular pancakes put together to form a Mickey shape vice actually being shaped like him like the waffles are. That was a very long explanation now made even longer, for what a picture can easily show you.

I remember DH loving this, especially the pancakes, as he's not a huge fan of sweet in the mornings, the pancakes were the perfect size for him and there was tons more savory on the plate.

 

[ariane37]

Catching up! DH and I just returned today from a quick 5 night trip I tried twice to get an avocado margarita, but that LINE No worries though, I had my good ole Grey Goose Slush to fall back on and found a couple new drinks to get over my annoyance at the long La Cava line
We were at the Poly for 2 nights but I couldn't get DH to try Kona for breakfast again after our not so great breakfast there a few years ago. We went back to Sanaa which we love-almost did Jiko - and then found out chef David from Sanaa is at Jiko now. He's a very nice guy and of course a great chef, pretty sure we'll be trying Jiko next trip!

 

[momof3princes]

Jiko looked great except for the bread at the beginning, I hope they don't have that all the time now

Kona is great food wise...but if I had to wait 30 minutes for food with my boys there would have been a riot in the place! Love the pressed pot coffee and love the vodka options as well

 

[kastoney]

Breakfast at Kona looks delicious, of course. Slow service can make a meal miserable but I'm glad the food wasn't upstaged by the grumpy server!

I think at this point we just expect the poor service from Kona. As long as the food remains delicious we'll keep coming back.

I had breakfast there last month with a fellow Diser and the food was quite good. Service was nothing to write home about.

Glad you enjoyed it too!

I need to try that Samoan!! I've been reading lots of good reviews about it lately. I will definitely chance bad service to try that dish!

You must take advantage of staying at the Poly on your next trip and try it. I don't even like breakfast very much and I dream about that thing. Just be prepared for bad service and let the food do the work : )

Just found your report! Following along!

Welcome!!!!!! Hope you enjoy

Your dinner at Jike looks great! I'm super intrigued by the veg and tofu samosas, though when I finally make it there for my first time I think I'll HAVE to try the short ribs. Earlier this year I got to try Sanaa and Boma and they were both awesome--I would say they both rank in my top five Disney dining spots so far. Definitely need to try Jiko and suspect it will join them on my favorites list.

Kona looked pretty good too! I am not a huge fan of hollandaise, but that hash sounds so good. I may have to convince my husband to order it (he loves eggs benedict!) so I can steal a bite!

The short ribs at Jiko are definitely delicious. Jason has had them 2 or 3 times and they are always amazing. And I think your suspicions are definitely right on liking Jiko. We've never done Boma, but love Sanaa. Jiko just takes the wonderfulness of Sanaa to a whole nother level.

Good luck on getting your hubby to try the Samoan. It's always great to have a significant other along and get to try not just yours, but their food too : )

Good job Jason! Would pass on that Moscato though.

Welcome back Alicia!!!!! Can't wait to hear about your trip.

We were very, very close this past trip on visiting Narcoossee's but it just never happened. The last time we visited back in 2010, we ordered the surf and turf and the lobster was just so rubbery. Very disappointed, but really want to give it another shot.

You should definitely give it a whirl sometime. I didn't really have high expectations,but it was oh so good. Of course I didn't have the lobster : )

Aw man, I was hoping you were going to rock all that!

If it wasn't so horrific I'd post a photo here just so you could officially say, never, ever, ever rock that again. I'm the rarity that has most definitely improved with age.

AGREED! Dare I say, almost better than World of Disney?!

Dare away girl, cause I'd say the same thing. I know I've spent far more money in there that world of disney if that is any indication.

Yep, I thought about this a few times, but there was something else I really was craving instead...

Can't wait to see what that is....

Blended huh? Usually like my margs on the rocks, but shoot, I'll try this!

Sans the babino you should most def give it a whirl. I"m a marg on the rocks kinda girl too, but this thing is awesome!!!!!

..and this is what it was that I was craving! Absolutely delicious, especially when they are piping hot.

Ahh, little boy wanted a cronut. I think we have a future disney foodie in the making.

We did this spur of the moment the last night so I can remember, it was an Ethiopian bread and DH was not a fan. But I ate it up no problem!

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your meal. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did

Catching up! DH and I just returned today from a quick 5 night trip I tried twice to get an avocado margarita, but that LINE No worries though, I had my good ole Grey Goose Slush to fall back on and found a couple new drinks to get over my annoyance at the long La Cava line
We were at the Poly for 2 nights but I couldn't get DH to try Kona for breakfast again after our not so great breakfast there a few years ago. We went back to Sanaa which we love-almost did Jiko - and then found out chef David from Sanaa is at Jiko now. He's a very nice guy and of course a great chef, pretty sure we'll be trying Jiko next trip!

Welcome back!!!! I had no idea you were headed down to the world. Hope the trip was great.

Yeah, the lines can be crazy at la cava. We've found close to opening is the best time to go. But even with a long line they are worth the wait : )

Jiko looked great except for the bread at the beginning, I hope they don't have that all the time now

Kona is great food wise...but if I had to wait 30 minutes for food with my boys there would have been a riot in the place! Love the pressed pot coffee and love the vodka options as well

That bread was definitely a disappointment. Haven't seen too many other recent reviews, but hopefully it was an anomaly.

You certainly can't beat pressed coffee and vodka in the morning. If only I could have given casey some to help pass the time : ) She was anxious enough with the long wait, I can only imagine what getting 3 to wait would be like.

 

[kastoney]

Poolside Party

Greetings from snowy DC!!!!!! We had about 6 inches of snow when we went to bed last night and woke up to a foot and a half this morning. Good news is while everyone else was loading up on silly things like bread and milk this week, we made sure we had a full stock of beer, wine, and vodka. #BlizzardPriorities Looks like we have a whole day of snow still ahead of us, so what better to do than bloody mary and DIS it up I'll try and post some blizzard pictures once we're brave enough to venture outside.

So on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from my reality today, after our breakfast at Kona we spent the day poolside at the Polynesian. Casey had a blast on the slides and and in the pools.




And of course the overgrown child I like to call my husband had to get in the mix as well


While they played, I made friends with the very nice bartender at the Barefoot Pool Bar. My drink of choice for the day was the Niue Rita.

This is Patrón Silver Tequila with Fresh Lime and POG (Passion, Orange, Guava) Juice. As anyone who has had POG juice can imagine this was absolutely delicious. It definitely had a good amount of tequila in it, but it went well with the juice and the lime added some good acidity. Only downside was it went down way to quickly, so I may have had one or two or five

Eventually my child of a husband decided to partake in some adult activities and joined me in some beverages.

He went with one of the beers they had on tap, the Kona Longboard. Not surprisingly this tasted like beer.

Despite still being a bit full from breakfast all the alcohol I was consuming required some carbs, so to Captain Cooks (the Poly quick service) we went. Casey got the kids turkey sandwich.

When asked how it was, my budding food reporter declared "Mama, you know what turkey tastes like."

Jason and I decided to share the Pulled Pork Nachos

Besides of course pulled pork, these were topped with Onions, Cheese, Spicy Mayo, Tomatoes, and Pineapple Salsa. While they weren't quite hot temperature wise, they had a ton of flavor and the pineapple salsa and mayo added a kick of spice. Instead of being served on tortilla chips, these were served on what appeared to be homemade potato chips which were quite delicious. If anyone finds themselves slightly inebriated poolside at the Poly, these are a great choice.

Casey had fun playing some games at the poolside party and of course Jason got into the mix too.
They didn't win the water balloon toss, but only because Casey's partner dropped the proverbial ball.

Up next some tropical treats with a frozen princess....

​

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Looks like a great time at the pool! POG + Tequila sounds awesome!

Those pulled pork nachos are amazing - I had them back in May and love themed as well! I could imagine how much better they would be when intoxicated. Tequila always makes things taste better!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

A POG margarita?? Best idea ever. And those nachos look pretty delish as well. The Poly has never really appealed to me (not sure why) but this may change things.

Love me some Jiko. So good. Filing away that wine to try next time and maybe those samosas...although tough to tear myself away from the short ribs!

Good luck with all the snow. I fully support your blizzard preparedness requirements!!!

 

[Vernie822]

Greetings from snowy DC!!!!!! We had about 6 inches of snow when we went to bed last night and woke up to a foot and a half this morning. Good news is while everyone else was loading up on silly things like bread and milk this week, we made sure we had a full stock of beer, wine, and vodka.

A FOOT AND A HALF?! My goodness. Of course up here in Erie we get a foot dumped on us maybe once or twice a year - but there are far less people living here and far less roads to clear. Glad you have the essentials, nothing better than a boozy blizzard! Justin's brother is moving to Richmond and of course they were supposed to move this weekend. They got down there just in time yesterday morning before the storm.

This is Patrón Silver Tequila with Fresh Lime and POG (Passion, Orange, Guava) Juice. As anyone who has had POG juice can imagine this was absolutely delicious. It definitely had a good amount of tequila in it, but it went well with the juice and the lime added some good acidity. Only downside was it went down way to quickly, so I may have had one or two or five

HOW have I never seen this before!? Wow. That looks so good! Perfect poolside drink. Anything with the POG juice is a good idea to me.

When asked how it was, my budding food reporter declared "Mama, you know what turkey tastes like."

Ha! So funny. The kids meals are a decent size. Love the cute goldfish bread.

Besides of course pulled pork, these were topped with Onions, Cheese, Spicy Mayo, Tomatoes, and Pineapple Salsa. While they weren't quite hot temperature wise, they had a ton of flavor and the pineapple salsa and mayo added a kick of spice. Instead of being served on tortilla chips, these were served on what appeared to be homemade potato chips which were quite delicious. If anyone finds themselves slightly inebriated poolside at the Poly, these are a great choice.

Yum. We liked these too though I agree temperature wise the could have been much warmer IMO. Definitely a good poolside snack!

They didn't win the water balloon toss, but only because Casey's partner dropped the proverbial ball.

Hahahaha In the few hours I spent poolside, I thought they had a great group of activity leaders with some good stuff for the kids.

 

[cinderkelly]

Greetings from snowy DC!!!!!! We had about 6 inches of snow when we went to bed last night and woke up to a foot and a half this morning.

Welcome to my reality! I'm happy to pass along the snow in your direction this time! I actually kinda like those snowed in days, especially if you don't have anywhere you HAVE to be!

Good news is while everyone else was loading up on silly things like bread and milk this week, we made sure we had a full stock of beer, wine, and vodka.

Yes!!!

My drink of choice for the day was the Niue Rita.

Ooohh that looks really good. Except my husband cautions me against too much tequila. He says it does one of two things to people, it either makes them want to fight or makes their clothes fall off. It apparrently does not have the desired effect on me

Only downside was it went down way to quickly, so I may have had one or two or five

Woo hoo! Party at the pool!

If anyone finds themselves slightly inebriated poolside at the Poly, these are a great choice.

I'm going to file that tidbit of information away for September

 

[AllyinWonderland]

Wow, you guys really are getting hit hard with snow. I live in West Michigan and thanks to the lake effect we typically see a ton of snow. This year has been the most mild winter that I can recall.

The margarita and pulled pork nachos both look delicious!

 

[Redwitch]

Joining you from blizzardy South Central PA. We decided Honey Moonshine would be a good idea - goes with hot tea, on the rocks, a variety of other cocktails. (No milk, bread or eggs were used today.) I think we have two feet of snow and it hasn't stopped yet. I'll have to remember that 'rita next time I'm at the Poly!

 

[ursalita]

We had about 6 inches of snow when we went to bed last night and woke up to a foot and a half this morning. Good news is while everyone else was loading up on silly things like bread and milk this week, we made sure we had a full stock of beer, wine, and vodka. #BlizzardPriorities Looks like we have a whole day of snow still ahead of us, so what better to do than bloody mary and DIS it up

Has it finally stopped snowing? What were your final totals? The forecasters up here completely botched the forecast. We ended up with a lot more than they were predicting but nothing compared to you guys.

When asked how it was, my budding food reporter declared "Mama, you know what turkey tastes like."

Smart girl!

If anyone finds themselves slightly inebriated poolside at the Poly, these are a great choice.

Those look tasty and will definitely remember that because I intend to find myself in a similar situation come August.

 

[kastoney]

Looks like a great time at the pool! POG + Tequila sounds awesome!

Those pulled pork nachos are amazing - I had them back in May and love themed as well! I could imagine how much better they would be when intoxicated. Tequila always makes things taste better!

It was a great time indeed. Glad to hear the nachos weren't a drunken anomaly for me and they hold up sans tequila ; )

A POG margarita?? Best idea ever. And those nachos look pretty delish as well. The Poly has never really appealed to me (not sure why) but this may change things.

Love me some Jiko. So good. Filing away that wine to try next time and maybe those samosas...although tough to tear myself away from the short ribs!

Good luck with all the snow. I fully support your blizzard preparedness requirements!!!

The Poly never appealed to me too much either. I wanted to stay there more for the nostalgia of it being one of the first, but we were pleasantly surprised (and that's not even the Tequila talking). Casey has declared it her favorite hotel, because she likes the way it smells. No idea where that came from, but I"m sure we'll be back at some point.

A FOOT AND A HALF?! My goodness. Of course up here in Erie we get a foot dumped on us maybe once or twice a year - but there are far less people living here and far less roads to clear. Glad you have the essentials, nothing better than a boozy blizzard! Justin's brother is moving to Richmond and of course they were supposed to move this weekend. They got down there just in time yesterday morning before the storm.

Hope your brother in law is making out ok. Sounds like he picked the wrong weekend to move to Virginia. I don't think Richmond got hit as hard as us, but for a "southern" city I'm sure they are having just as much trouble digging out.

HOW have I never seen this before!? Wow. That looks so good! Perfect poolside drink. Anything with the POG juice is a good idea to me.

I don't know how I'd never heard too much about it either. Make me wanna carry around some airplane bottles of tequila and just slip it into the POG juice when we come upon it

Yum. We liked these too though I agree temperature wise the could have been much warmer IMO. Definitely a good poolside snack!

I'm not sure why they aren't that hot. Even in the September heat, they were pretty lukewarm.

Hahahaha In the few hours I spent poolside, I thought they had a great group of activity leaders with some good stuff for the kids.

Yeah, Casey did a bunch of the activities and had a great time. At one point they were asking the kids what their favorite rides were and Casey said the Maelstrom. Completely random as I'm not sure she really remembers ever riding it, but loved her answer nonetheless.

Welcome to my reality! I'm happy to pass along the snow in your direction this time! I actually kinda like those snowed in days, especially if you don't have anywhere you HAVE to be!

You can just keep your snow, thank you! Seriously it has been fun since we can just drink and stay put. I'm sure schools will be cancelled tomorrow and fingers crossed for the government too! Jason will probably have to go in (peeps gotsta eat), but Casey and I would like one more day!!!!

Ooohh that looks really good. Except my husband cautions me against too much tequila. He says it does one of two things to people, it either makes them want to fight or makes their clothes fall off. It apparrently does not have the desired effect on me

Sounds like it makes you wanna fight naked

I'm going to file that tidbit of information away for September

Use it wisely grasshopper!

Wow, you guys really are getting hit hard with snow. I live in West Michigan and thanks to the lake effect we typically see a ton of snow. This year has been the most mild winter that I can recall.

The margarita and pulled pork nachos both look delicious!

We usually get a few snow storms a year, but nothing this big. I'm sure you all are infinitely more equipped to deal with it than we are. We'll see how long it takes for them to even think about plowing our neighborhood. They haven't even touched the main road by our house yet, so its' probably gonna be a while.

Joining you from blizzardy South Central PA. We decided Honey Moonshine would be a good idea - goes with hot tea, on the rocks, a variety of other cocktails. (No milk, bread or eggs were used today.) I think we have two feet of snow and it hasn't stopped yet. I'll have to remember that 'rita next time I'm at the Poly!

Hope it's stopped for you all. I'm gonna have to try that moonshine sometime. We had an assortment going on yesterday. Bloody marys, cider and jim beam, coffee and baileys, beer, wine, and I think Jason had some bourbon in there too. We'll see what today has in store for us.....

Has it finally stopped snowing? What were your final totals? The forecasters up here completely botched the forecast. We ended up with a lot more than they were predicting but nothing compared to you guys.

It finally stopped around midnight last night. Only 36 hours and wind gusts up to 50 miles an hour. Good times down here!!! What did you all end up getting? Think our total was somewhere just north of 30 inches.

Those look tasty and will definitely remember that because I intend to find myself in a similar situation come August.

I hope you do take advantage of your pool day and find yourself in a similar situation.

 

[vettegirl]

My kind of peeps, margaritas and nachos. I do like those chips at Capt Cookes, something different for sure. They look like something I need to try on a future trip for sure. Hope you guys made it through the storm ok. Our high today here in San Antonio, TX is 73!

 

[Mom2m&k]

I am totally jealous of your snow! We are from California but live in NH and we have had very little snow this year so far. I was hoping for a good Saturday blizzard! That margarita sounds amazing!! I'm surprised they don't have it at AKL or I'm hoping it is a new addition and I can enjoy it in less then a month!

 

[hokieinpa]

As anyone who has had POG juice can imagine this was absolutely delicious. It definitely had a good amount of tequila in it, but it went well with the juice and the lime added some good acidity. Only downside was it went down way to quickly, so I may have had one or two or five

I think that sounds like a perfect combination. Nice and fruity, perfect for a poolside treat!

He went with one of the beers they had on tap, the Kona Longboard. Not surprisingly this tasted like beer.

That's my assessment of most beer as well!


I hear great things about those nachos! And it looks like Casey (and your other child) had a blast at the pool!