No more filet mignons! - 8 days of DxDDP; 4/29 Best/Worst

[Mocharilla]

You seem to be eating at a good number of the same restaurants that we are going to eat at in December. Love your review of LTT!! We've eaten there for dinner but never lunch and I was eye-balling that Toffee Cake. Now I know that I need that!!!

Yes, you do!!

We were debating the whole LTT lunch/dinner thing. Since dh can get turkey for lunch, and I want that toffee cake, I think lunch won! Thanks for those pictures!

You're welcome

Love your reviews so far.

Thank you!

Loved reading your reviews, just checking to see if you were coming bacK?

Yes, I am back!!

Alright, guys... After getting a new job and then a round of h1n1 for the whole family, I'm back!!!

Off to post the next review right now to celebrate!

 

[Mocharilla]

Alright, I'm back from the insanity (new job, h1n1) and it's time to keep reviewing!!

So, for dinner, we headed back to Kona Cafe, but for dinner!

We started out with some bread.

Now, this was basically Hawaiian bread like you can buy, but it was goooooood! So yummy!

We both got the virgin strawberry daquiris:

Good, of course. Not as good as the one from LeCe, though...

We were pretty boring in our diversity, I'll warn you now.

We both got pot stickers for appetizers:

These were very delicious. A lot of times I either get pot stickers under-done or over-done. These were perfect. Only problem is I wanted more sauce. Nic enjoyed the seaweed salad, but it's not really my thing. But, I tried a bite, and it wasn't bad.

Then, we both got the Teriyaki New York Strip Steak:

It was very fatty, which I'm not a big fan of, but that is normal for the cut. Otherwise, pretty good. Again, low on sauce. The part of the rice with sauce was very good, though. The broccolini was perfect!

Nic got the white chocolate cheesecake:

Holy crap, delicious. Those little strand things are white chocolate, and I ate them all. Light, and delicious, and so yummy.

I got the banana chocolate creme brulee:

Good, of course!! Only problem I had was the chocolate layer at the bottom. Sounds good, but in theory, it kinda threw it off. I don't know, I didn't really like it.

Food - 8/10
It was all good, but a bit more sauce and it would've been a 10.

Service - 7/10
Server's Name - Debi
She was sweet, but we told her from the get-go we were in a hurry (getting to the parade), and she was slow. And it was stuff that wasn't the kitchen, it was her. Like, the bill exchange took over 15 minutes. And we'd see her just sitting at another table talking. She'd also sit at the table, which I don't know... Didn't quite sit right with me.

Atmosphere - 7/10
You have to love it, because it's the Polynesian, but we were right next to the wall, and the line from Ohana's was pretty obnoxious to look at.

Overall Experience - 8/10
Will we be back? Of course! But there were a few things we'd like the change.


Total Cost of Food: $94.49

 

[disneygirlinnj]

OMG...we had the same waitress..I just checked my receipt. I just reviewed Kona dinner and the amount of time it took for her to get back and forth and give us our bill was completely rediculous. She sat and talked to tables for easily 10 mins each while all her other tables were waiting for thigns! Glad she was nice to you though besides that. We must have gotten her on a bad day or something

 

[janloz]

Yeah, Summer is back!!

Glad everyone is healthy now.

 

[Mocharilla]

Sorry for the delays. Between the holidays, and moving to our new apartment, and working, it's been insane. But, I am sick of not having this finished, so it WILL be finished this week. I'm just going to push it out. lol

Time for the food porn!

Nic's plate

Ham, croissant, tater tots, sausage.

My plate

Oatmeal and brown sugar, assorted breads, hardboiled egg, a lone tot, bacon, and potato wedges.

My oatmeal

Big bowl of oatmeal and brown sugar.

Our cupcake!

Well, we were disappointed. Pretty mediocre, but, you know, character breakfasts. The ham was good but VERY fatty. Bacon was, of course, awful. The oatmeal, though, was very delicious. I went back for a giant bowl. Nic also wanted me to point out that the bananas were very good.

Food - 6/10
A few good things, but overall, pretty mediocre.

Service - 7/10
Server's Name - Sue
She wasn't bad or anything, but, like the food, just okay. She got the job done, but didn't seem friendly at al.

Atmosphere - 7/10
I love the theming in here. Also, air conditioning on a hot day is always a good thing.

Overall Experience - 7/10
We had fun, but like I said, food and service left something to be desired.


Total Cost of Food: $52.47

 

[Mocharilla]

Next up, Yak and Yeti.

I ordered the Lettuce cups:

They were so so SO delicious. My only thing would be that they were rather spicy, which I usually don't like. But they were so delicious, I ate them anyways. But, for anyone who doesn't like spicy food, these are spicy.

Nic got Pot Stickers:

Very delicious, but he thought the sauce was a little too strong.

For entrees, Nic got Sweet and Sour Chicken:

And I got Honey Chicken:

We both had the same conclusion. Good, but pretty bland. Could use a little more flavor, for sure. Also, the rice was very poorly steamed. Very yucky. It was still crunchy.

For desert, I got the Fried Wantons:

SOOOOO delicious. I wanted to come here just for those, and I'm glad we did! Perfect when eaten with just that little bit of ice cream for that warm/cold effect. So good.

Nic went for the sorbet trio:

Also, SO good. Very light and delicious. There was mango, which was my favorite. Not too mango-ey, just right. Then a lemon, which was a good light and natural flavoring. And the raspberry, which was Nic's favorite. I don't tend to like raspberries, but I had to admit it was delicious!

Food - 8/10
Appetizers and desserts were so good, but the bland entrees with the yucky rice were a let down.

Service - 8/10
Server's Name - Nicole
She was very sweet, but a little slow. Nothing bad, though.

Atmosphere - 7/10
It was good theming, but we got seated in a weird spot. Also, I understand the AC because it's Florida, but I was shivering SO bad I wanted to leave. There is such a thing as too cold.

Overall Experience - 8/10
We'd come back, for sure. Maybe just for appetizers and dessert, though, since that'd be enough food for a lunch by far.


Total Cost of Food: $75.20 + drinks
I lost my receipt, so I had to do the math.

 

[Me&3]

Glad your back Happy New Year!!!!!! Enjoying your update food looks good can't wait for the rest.

 

[Mocharilla]

Oh, Jiko, how I love thee.

I was never understanding of the love of Jiko because I'm just not too big a fan of African food. But we decided we might as well try it, and we are SO glad we did. We STILL talk about those shortribs at almost every meal.

As opposed to breakfast and lunch were it was loud, crazy, typical Disney insanity, Jiko was perfect. We got off the bus, walked in, found our way, checked in, and sat down. The air conditioning was just right. The music was perfect volume. It wasn't so quiet that you feel weird talking, but not so loud you get stressed.

We were taken to our table right next to the windows, where we had this beautiful view:

We sat down, and Michelle, our wonderful goddess of a server came over, bringing yummy treats.

The bread here is SO good. YUMMMM.

She took our drink orders. I ordered a virgin Pina Colada.

Delish. And Nic ordered a virgin Strawberry Daquiri, but the picture got missed.

She came back with our drinks, along with the head chef, and they talked us through the menu and helped us with any questions. We were one of three parties in the restaurant, so we didn't feel rushed. I love that they take time to do that. And they stayed the perfect amount of time and knew when to leave.

I ordered the Taste of Africa:

Okay, naan bread. Freaking delicious. The dips were very good. There was (from left to right) a marinara-ish sauce, which was good but not too too special. Then there was an olive spread, which I usually don't like, but I liked this. And then, my favorite, the hummus. YUM. Perfect. The other breads (can't remember the names) were delicious too. There's a bread for everyone.

Nic ordered the BBQ Chicken Flatbread:

Again, SOOO so good. The apples were an awesome compliment to the chicken and sauce and warm softness of the bread. Perfect crunch. It was very filling. You could totally make it a meal. But, that's not we did!

I went with the filet:

Very very good. Our favorite all week. The mac-n-cheese was a little weird, but good. The meat was tender and not too fatty and delicious.

Nic went with the short ribs:

I wrote two words on my note pad for this. "THE ****." Oh my god, they were SO delicious. Nic tried to move it, and the bone literally came out clean. The sauce was perfect, the meat was tender and wonderful. So freaking delicious. The waitress came over and I was literally forking the plate for every last drop. She laughed and asked if we were glad we'd gotten it. YES, YES, a thousand times YES. I want to go back to Disney and have this for every meal.

Okay, I'll shut up. Order the short ribs.

Dessert time. I got the S'mores off the kids meal:

It was good, but sickeningly sweet after a few bites.

Nic ordered the Tanzanian Chocolate Cake:

It was our favorite dessert, by far. Really really good. Perfect chocolate factor.

For our honeymoon, they brought us the Pistachio Creme Brulee:

This was very good, too. Not my favorite creme brulee, but still pretty delicious.

During the meal, the manager had come by and talked to us. We had mentioned we were headed to Mara afterwords to get some Zebra Domes, and she laughed and said they were a favorite of hers.

Well, as we were doing the check thing, she walks up to our table with a box, and sets it down.

She had gotten some for us!! We were so happy.

Food - 10/10
There is literally not one thing I could pick on. It was all so so delicious.

Service - 10/10
Server's Name - Michelle
She was so sweet and so wonderful. We had a blast talking with her, and was so perfect in her clearing of the tables, refilling of drinks, speed of dinner, everything.

Atmosphere - 10/10
I rambled about this at the start, but we LOVED it.

Overall Experience - 11/10
Yeah, with Jiko, it goes to 11. And, also, with Spinal Tap, but that's something else. We had so much fun. It was by far the best meal of our trip. It had the quality of food of the other two-credits (and beyond!), and while it was very classy, it wasn't as... obnoxious as Yachtsmen or Citrico's. There weren't kids running around or anything, but we felt like we could talk and laugh and have fun with the server, where we felt a little more uncomfortable at the other 2-credits we did. Like I said, I came into it thinking it wasn't going to be that good, but wow, was I wrong.


Total Cost of Food: $126.29






... Go to Jiko. Now. Go. Quickly.

 

[Me&3]

Everything looks awesome Love zebra domes we get them when we go to Boma. Next time you go you and Nic should do the culinary tour at Jiko it's free and you get to sample some of the food. Space is limited it's first come first serve before thre resturant opens.

 

[LLLBelle]

I cannot wait to go to Jiko for the first time, only two weeks! Your meal sounded wonderful, love the review. I didn't know that they allowed you to get a dessert from the kids menu, that's good to know.

 

[Jaci]

Those Jiko entrees were the exact same ones my hubby and I ordered on our last trip. That steak/mac was soooooo good. Hubby still talks about the ribs.

 

[DunksWife]

Thank you so much for taken the time to share all of this great info and pics with us! This helped me out more then you could know! There are a few places I'm not going to anymore and a few places I'm going to make sure we go to for sure!!! THANK YOU!

 

[maiziezoe]

I am really enjoying your reviews! I love your rating system! It's very honest and helpful!

Thanks!!

 

[gellybean]

Your review of Jiko was spot -on! We loved it too and those short ribs, OMG! I ordered the filet as well, too chicken to try something 'new'. Hubby got the short ribs and we were fighting over the last few bites.
They are soooooooooooooooooo melt in your mouth good!

I'll definitely have to try the chocolate cheesecake this time instead of the pistachio creme brulee. The creme brulee is good, but not knock your socks off good. You can beat your boots I'll be ordering the Short Ribs this time, though I'm not too crazy about the idea of the potatoes. Last year the short ribs were served with a polenta like thing. YUM! Did y'all enjoy the potatoes or were they kinda an after thought compared to the yummy goodness that is the short ribs?


We'll be eating there in a little over a week!


Great reviews on everything else too.... I just had to ditto your Jiko one!

 

[angel26]

Count me in!!!!

 

[Golf4food]

Jiko is great. Our favorite place so far. Our server was Ron - also amazing. Sounds like they just have a great staff all around.

 

[mossyflossy]

Wow, all looks so good!

 

[disney_princess_85]

Great reviews!

The toffee cake at LTT is calling out to me! I loved your Jiko review too, looks like you had a fantastic time. It was so sweet of your server to bring you the zebra domes! So beautifully presented too.

 

[Symans3honeybees]

? regarding Jiko:
Were your "virgin" daiquiris included as your DDP drink?

 

[lizzyb]

Great reviews! Talk about great service at Jiko! I have yet to go there... maybe next time