Day 6:
This was a very busy day early on. I'm currently in graduate school in a library and information science program (actually on my last semester!) and for my records management course, I had to interview a records manager for an assignment. Naturally, I've been trying to incorporate WDW into my grad school courses for a while. Records Management is similar to archives, so I emailed Dave Smith of the WDW Company archives (and a Disney legend!) and he was actually going to be at WDW for his retirement party thrown my
D23, but would be unable to meet me (rats!); however, I ended up in contact with the records managers at the Animal Kingdom park. Pretty neat! They agreed to meet with me and let me interview them. It was a great experience. Though I obviously cannot really discuss any "backstage" things I observed, I can say I got a nice little tour along the way with lots of neat facts and overall it was a great experience. I was amazed at the kindess and willingness to let me visit. I learned a lot! This lasted for several hours, and so afterwards I met up with my mom and brother to hang out in the AK park.
First up though, breakfast! A girl's gotta have food before she goes on a big interview! Because I had eaten at Contempo Cafe for two dinners previously, I knew more or less the routine of how to order food at this counter service. I was able to speak with a manager prior to ordering at the kiosk. She said I could get the Adult Bounty platter with a side of eggs since I wasn't getting the french toast (I later ended up getting a different breakfast platter but that was on the day we left). This was fine by me. I can always eat more protein in the morning. Once I got to the cash register, the CM told me that I'd have to pay for the eggs as a snack. Um, but I was just doing what the manager told me to do. So, I ended up using my dining plan snack credit for it, b/c they refused to keep it as part of the meal, but I guess I understand that it would be too confusing plus I can see people trying to get away with getting free food (I paid for my dining plan and did not get it free, since I'm a DVC member and was staying at BLT on points). Either way, it was fine.
The food for the most part was OK. Really nothing special. It was kind of cafeteria style breakfast--kind of bland but edible. The only thing I didn't really like was the turkey sausage which was probably the worst turkey sausage I've ever had. It was really gross and unappetizing. No one who ate that thought it was good, so it wasn't just me!
Later in the day I caught up with my family and we decided to hit up Yak & Yeti (which my mom always calls yikkety yak for some reason) and have lunch. We did not have a reservation, so I was a little worried about them handling food allergies. However, I was pleasantly surprised. We also didn't know if we'd have to wait, but lo and behold they had a table ready (and this was at noon too!). I have to say, on a side note, that the decor was great. The Landry's restaurants (like Rainforest Cafe) have great attention to detail and this was no exception. I loved the ambiance and it really did fit in perfectly with the Asia area of DAK where it's located.
I made sure to notify the hostess of my allergies and she said no problem that we could just tell the server and the chef would come out (same as Disney owned restaurants). I notified our server, who was excellent, and he said he'd get the chef. The chef then came out and said that I had a fair amount of options and that they could tweak most of the menu options. He said that the Seafood curry was the only thing gluten and dairy free (although he asked if I was ok with coconut milk part b/c of the milk, which made me worry a bit since there's no real dairy in coconut milk despite the name). He said he could do the tempura shrimp--grilled instead of deep fried in a batter, minus the plum sauce, and served with plain white rice and veggies with garlic and ginger and GF soy sauce. He also said I could get a lime / GF soy sauce mixture on the side. This was all fine with me. He did ask if I had an veggies I didn't like, which I appreciated, because I really don't like mushrooms. For dessert, I was hoping to get the sorbet trio, but evidently, they put dairy in it. So, I was offered the frozen lemonade cup.
As far as the taste, the food was not bad. My mom referred to the restaurant as somewhere between fast food pan-Asian food and an upscale restaurant. So, it was what we expected. A chain restaurant. The shrimp itself was good--although a bit overseasoned. The veggies were actually quite good (they were a little mushy, which many people would not like, but was good for me b/c I have trouble digesting crunchy veggies b/c of my Crohn's). The lime / GF sauce was also good, and it was nice over the white rice. I rarely get Asian food when I go out to eat b/c many places cannot accommodate the GF soy sauce, so it was nice to get something out.
The frozen lemonade I had for dessert was the Nestle frozen lemonade, so no surprises there. I wish the sorbet they had didn't have dairy in it. That's disappointing! Overall, it was good, but not great. I would definitely go again, although it's not on my to do list. We actually canceled our Jan. ADR so I can eat at 50's Prime Time again, but I would definitely eat at Yak & Yeti again. I'm pleased that they could easily accommodate me (although I am still surprised by the coconut milk / dairy comment) and fit me in without an ADR. However, I would definitely make sure you make reservations and note your allergies ahead of time; the chefs may be able to make better arrangements ahead of time for you! I'd give this restaurant a 7 out of 10. Solid meal, tasty and filling, and the service was very good.
My mom told other family members that we had a "snickety snack at the yickety yak" so now the phrase has stuck and I find myself calling it the yickety yak instead of yak & yeti (she has a habit of calling things other names...the Tower of Doom and Fast Track come to mind for Tower of Terror and Test Track)
Aloooooha, 'Ohana! One of my favorite restaurants on property. I love the grilled foods and the ambiance. I love hanging out with my "family." The last time we went to 'Ohana, I had the most amazing experience with Chef TJ. I have to say, besides Chef Williere at 50's Prime Time, he has to be one of my most favorite chefs on property. The man is a food genius! He has such dedication to folks with special diets, and he makes feasts for those people. Unfortunately, he is no longer at 'Ohana and has moved on to 1900 Park Faire (where I will hopefully get to visit sometime in the near future!). I was curious to see how this experience, minus Chef TJ would be. Upon arrival, the same procedure as the last time occurred, in which a plastic flower was placed at our table, by my seat to notify the chef that there was an allergy.
I was then greeted by the chef was nice enough, but seemed rather busy. He said that the salad was fine (which I love), he'd bring me wings with no sauce, the shrimp on the grill was safe (interesting, since last time they brought me shrimp on my main plate) and that all the other meats would be prepared with white rice in a bowl and that he had a premade sweet and sour sauce and a GF teriyaki sauce too. For dessert, he said I could have the French Meadow brownie and vanilla rice-dream. This was all fine by me.
First up was the chicken wings. The wings were the same used by everyone else, minus the sauce. They were pretty good (yeah I ate a LOT of them) as they had a rub on them. Very messy! I do wish they had been sauced, like the ones Chef TJ made me, but still they were extremely tasty.Next up was the salad. My most favorite salad on WDW property. It is soooo good. I love that honey lime dressing. And then came the shrimp. OMG I love these shrimp. This was the only thing I liked better on this trip to Ohana simply b/c you can't replace that grilled flavor when you saute shrimp. The sauce on it is to die for. I ate all of the shrimp on this plate--yep, I was a pig at this meal! And then came my big bowl of rice, chicken, pork, and beef. It also had broccoli on it too. I have to say, I did actually like the sauces a lot, and enjoyed having a variety to dip my meats in. The main course certainly wasn't as elaborate as Chef TJ's creation, but I can tell they are trying to recreate the standard he set.
I ate so much on this meal, it was ridiculous. I really love this place and even without Chef TJ, the food was still excellent. I really didn't have much room for dessert. This was actually the disappointing part of the meal. Chef TJ made this amazing creation with chocolate soy ice cream, french meadow brownies, bananas, pineapple, cotton candy, and chocolate syrup! It was soooo good. This was just an opened and plopped on the plate brownie and a scoop of vanilla rice dream. Kind of boring, if ya ask me. Well, considering how good the rest of the meal was, I probably should complain, just wish they would have made a little more effort that's all. (and chocolate syrup--people need chocolate syrup!!). Overall, I'd say the chefs at Ohana are trying to maintain the high standard that Chef TJ set while he was there. They are certainly making more or less the same dishes the same way and the food was excellent as always. I miss Chef TJ, yes, but I still will eat here over and over again. The food is so good, it's hard to have a terrible experience there. My only hope is they just work on improving the desserts a bit. 8 out of 10 for yummy food and another great experience.
Next up...Tacos across from Morocco!
) and also, I wanted to sample some of the appetizers that I heard about beforehand. Prior to our trip, I was in contact with chefs from the Contemporary about the Top of the World Lounge. I knew they had appetizers that could be made gluten free/dairy free, so this was exciting. Upon arrival, I ordered a lovely cocktail--a pina colada with raspberry puree in it (yum!)
I'm thinking of doing a gluten 
