ANOTHER Trip - Polynesian's Food is a Winner! COMPLETE - Kona Cafe Breakfast!

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Last time (at the beginning of the month), we ate more than our money's worth with the DxDP, including some great meals at Artist Point and Le Cellier. But before we could even blink, we were back at WDW and had an amazing time again. We stayed at Poly for the first time since February 2009, and while our last stay there was disappointing, this time we found ourselves enjoying everything at the Poly, including friendlier service and great food. Instead of doing a dining plan again, we finally bit the bullet and became TIW members (why didn't we join sooner? the card nearly paid for itself in 2 nights of dining!), and overall we enjoyed the dining once again at WDW. This year has been a good year for food at WDW for the most part (I'd say 2008-early 2009 was a low point), and I can't wait to share our impressions of another batch of food.

The dining plans originally included Ohana and Citricos dinner, as well as Le Cellier lunch. Shockingly, I ended up canceling the lunch at Le Cellier (still too full from Ohana the next day!) and the dinner at Citricos (wasn't feeling the most recent menu changes), so instead we did Yachtsman Steakhouse for the first time in years! Finally, we got lots of food at Captain Cook's, and I had Kona Cafe's tonga toast for the first time ever (as opposed to the quick service version), so I'm looking forward to sharing my reviews and pics!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Ok, this might seem pathetic...but it's actually become a hobby of mine. I like to travel across WDW and take pics of the different menus. It's not just for fun, but it actually helps us choose where we want to eat. Some restaurants (Citricos, Artist Point, Jiko, Bistro, sometimes even Yachtsman and Narcoossee's) always have last-minute ADR's available, and why not go to the one whose current menu appeals to us most? So on to the first menu:

First stop after checking into the Poly was Citricos. I was looking forward to trying the tapas appetizer which included lamb and olive oil-poached snapper with a grape and celery salad, as well as the grilled swordfish entree with pasta. Unfortunately, both items had been removed or modified, with the snapper and swordfish both being completely gone. I was intrigued that the salmon dish was so similar to the one I had at AP a few weeks ago, down to the bacon vinaigrette. We decided to leave out Citricos after seeing the current menu.

Also at GF is Narcoossee's. I have to say, there was nothing on the menu that I really felt like I had to try. Once again, I thought it was odd to see Copper River salmon with bacon vinaigrette on yet another menu - where's the originality?

After some time in MK, I took the bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge and checked out Jiko's menu. I liked it a lot. The Jiko salad sounds really interesting, and the boar appetizer sounds like it's an upscale version of a tasty South African dish (pap and wors), so I'd like to try that soon. But the fish entrees (the perch and the corvina) sound especially delicious, and I hope to try one of them soon.

I also checked out the menus at World Showcase's 'signature' restaurants and the ones at the Epcot resorts. My pic of Bistro de Paris's menu didn't come out well, but the Mediterranean tuna tartar appetizer and sea bass entree with gnocchi, artichoke, and champagne beurre blanc sound delicious. Le Cellier's menu also didn't come out well, but they replaced the bison with a halibut dish that doesn't sound too exciting. I don't think Le Cellier knows what it wants to be, but I hope they figure it out soon because I thought dinner showed so much potential in early March (I especially enjoyed the lobster salad and the salmon entree).

Flying Fish's menu is another one that I wish I could have fit in (along with Jiko). I think the Alaskan salmon entree sounds super delicious, as do some of the appetizers (such as the mussels and shrimp cocktail). Maybe next time.

But Yachtsman's menu was the winner overall. I was disappointed to see that the scallop appetizer is gone, but the soft shell crab sounded very interesting. Among the entrees, the deconstructed beef wellington also sounded very exciting (like the ordinary filet but with a selection of different accompaniments in place of the mashed potatoes). For our second dinner, Yachtsman is where we ultimately ended up going.

So there you have it. 5 signature menus that are as current as possible. I wish the online menus on WDW's official site were updated more often, because sometimes it actually makes a difference as to which restaurant we'd choose. But I hope these menus are helpful to some of you, especially if you have any meals coming up at these restaurants.

Coming up - actual food!

 

[MickeyNicki]

Wow! I am blown away by the YM menu...wish I had a trip planned soon but I have to wait until the late Fall and the menus turn a bit heavier with lots of squash, apples, pumpkin etc. I think I might cancel my LC dinner and go back to YM

I am like you, I like to go around to the restaurants and take pics of the menu.

 

[DisneyMamato4]

Looking forward to your reviews! We had to cancel our YM ADRs at our trip a couple of weeks ago and I'm still bummed about it, the new menu looks great!
We did make it to 'Ohana though and thought it was fantastic, can't wait to hear what you thought of it.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

We arrived at the Poly before 10 in the morning, and the first thing we did was check in. We found out that our MK view room wasn't ready yet, but it would be on the 3rd floor of Tuvalu. We were very happy with that - Tuvalu is nice because it almost feels like you're right on the water, and because we were on the 3rd floor it meant we had a balcony! Since we had to wait a little bit, we decided to grab a light breakfast at Captain Cook's. I passed on the Tonga Toast since I don't really like CC's version (I think it's too sweet on its own), so instead we each got a kid's meal, which consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, and a side.

This was a tasty option and not too heavy, especially compared to the adult choices on the menu (croissant sandwich, tonga toast, bounty platter with sausage and biscuit, etc).

Later in the day, I found myself in AK where I rode my favorite ride in the park, Everest (these 2 night trips have really forced me to figure out my priority attractions!). But soon after that, I was hungry again, so I went to Flame Tree Barbecue and made my first purchase with my TIW card! I ordered the barbecue chicken salad (and the TIW card saved me about $2.34, I forgot to write the exact number):

At first I thought to myself, where's the chicken? But there was plenty mixed into the salad, which overall had a sweet barbecue flavor. Plus, the lettuce wasn't soggy, which means that the salad hadn't been sitting in dressing for ages. I liked the salad, but I'm sure Flame Tree offer better (I wouldn't want to eat ribs at counter service - a bit too messy for me). By the way, you'll notice in the top left corner one of those red tag things they use to keep track of wait times. It was tied to my wrist and I forgot to hand it to my server when the food was ready. A cast member quickly noticed and took it back - I hope I didn't skew their wait numbers too much!

A few hours later, I had about an hour to go until our Ohana dinner. Not wanting to eat something that would fill me up, I got a spicy shrimp roll from Captain Cook's. I don't think sushi needs to have so much mayonnaise, but this was tasty and had a nice kick. I know the sushi is better upstairs at the Kona sushi bar, but this was a nice option at Captain Cook's.

By the time I was back at the Poly, our room was ready. I think it was 3406 in Tuvalu, and it was on the western side of the building, close to the Wedding Pavilion.

To the left:

Straight ahead:

To the right:

Zoom-in on the castle:

I like this next pic because it really shows how much water stands between Tuvalu and MK. The view of the Castle and Space Mountain may be nice, but there's something so special about watching the water, boats, and monorails circling the area.

Coming up, Ohana!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Ohana was one of our must-dos from our first stay at the Poly in 1995 until about 2002. We still visited it several times between 2002 and 2008, although it became slightly less frequent as we spent more time in the Epcot resorts. But in February 2009 we had a very unpleasant experience at Ohana, from the wait times to the service to the food not being at its best. We were hoping this wouldn't be a repeat.

Our ADR time was 5:10 (can't believe we got that only 2-3 days in advance!), and we were actually seated before our ADR time by 5 minutes. To make matters even better, we received what one of the waiters referred to as the "honeymoon table" (we're mother and son, but okay ). The view was great:

My pics don't do it justice, but we could see GF, the lagoon, the volcano, and even Cinderella Castle:

Quite hungry, we dove right into the pineapple-coconut bread, which was soft and sweet.

However, our strategy changed as the other food began to arrive. I decided to not waste a lot of room on the salad, with had a very sweet honey-lime dressing (emphasis on honey).

We also largely ignored the honey coriander chicken wings (also very sweet) and the pork fried dumplings (not our thing - they were crunchy and tasty, but not worth the valuable real estate in our stomachs).

Soon, hot towels were brought to the table - we love this at any restaurant, it's just a feature that we like.

Along with the towels came our sides - broccoli and noodles. The broccoli had a lot of garlic, which I like. We didn't have a lot of the noodles.

I can tell that Ohana really wants people to fill up on everything besides the meat. That's why the bread, salad, and wings are so sweet, and the broccoli has a lot of garlic flavor. Fortunately, we actually strategized this time, and saved room for the best part of the meal. First, we received the oak grilled chicken and Asian barbecued pork loin.

The chicken was surprising moist (more moist than the previous turkey that had been on the menu) and seasoned well.

The pork was also very tasty. It had a nice smoky flavor to it.

Both the chicken and pork tasted great with the Ohana mustard, which is on the bottom right of this picture. The Ohana mustard tasted like sweet wasabi, and it was my favorite of the sauces. There was also peanut (on top, which I liked with the steak) and sweet and sour (bottom left - I liked this with the shrimp).

Speaking of which, the steak was also very good. It wasn't too bloody, too fatty, or too charred.

The shrimp were also very nice - not too dry and with a nice sweetness to them.

Of course, we were excited to have the Ohana bread pudding with bananas foster sauce and vanilla ice cream. The warm bread pudding was moist and tasted great with the banana and creamy, cold vanilla.

My mom actually wanted plain bread pudding (even without the ice cream), and our server Morris was happy to accommodate. He was friendly throughout the meal, and very helpful to my mom (who wanted a lot of chicken but none of the other meats).

We were very happy with our meal at Ohana. It had been almost 2 and a half years since we last chose to dine here, but it was worth it. We enjoyed the food very much (the chicken is a great replacement to the turkey), the service was friendly, and the view from our table was fabulous (plus, TIW saved us $14.80). Since our dinner was so early, we obviously didn't stay for the fireworks, but we enjoyed them from our room instead.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Wow! I am blown away by the YM menu...wish I had a trip planned soon but I have to wait until the late Fall and the menus turn a bit heavier with lots of squash, apples, pumpkin etc. I think I might cancel my LC dinner and go back to YM

I am like you, I like to go around to the restaurants and take pics of the menu.

I hate to say it (since my most recent Le Cellier experiences have been positive), but I think you might as well do Yachtsman again. Ironically, the steaks were the weakest part of our meal at Yachtsman and we actually preferred our entrees at LC, but I think we ordered badly. The appetizers at YS were really interesting and good, and the desserts were also exciting. My impression is definitely that Yachtsman's food is better.

And I'm happy that I'm not the only one who takes pics of the menus.

Looking forward to your reviews! We had to cancel our YM ADRs at our trip a couple of weeks ago and I'm still bummed about it, the new menu looks great!
We did make it to 'Ohana though and thought it was fantastic, can't wait to hear what you thought of it.

Hope you can make it to Yachtsman eventually. We've been there before and didn't love it, but this time we were pleasantly surprised!

 

[cbg1027]

The view from your room is amazing!

Being someone who frequents the signatures, I was really surprised by how much I liked 'Ohana. Looks like it's still good. I like your really close-up shots of the food...now I'm hungry and wanting to go back!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

The view from your room is amazing!

Being someone who frequents the signatures, I was really surprised by how much I liked 'Ohana. Looks like it's still good. I like your really close-up shots of the food...now I'm hungry and wanting to go back!

Agreed on that. Ohana doesn't make my jaw drop because of the concept is interesting or complex. It's just good tasting food, and a lot of it. The meats especially stand out. I love the oak-grilled flavor that everything has, and everything this time was cooked nicely. The chicken was moist, the steak wasn't over or underdone, it was all very tasty. Ohana is a satisfying change from the 'grapefruit emulsion with lavender foam and locally sourced chive crema' dishes at signatures.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Love seeing all of the menu pics! Great review of 'Ohana .. we will be eating there (as well as trying the Yachtman for the first time) in August. Love getting a sneak peak thru your reviews!

 

[Forever Fairy]

Thank you so much for the reviews and pics. My DH often laughs because I take pics of most all the food and places we eat. I like your idea of taking pics of the menus. I'll start doing that as well.

 

[smiths02]

Sushi, Ohana, Tonga Toast, self serve Dole Whip...and the view!

The Poly is my dream...maybe one day, couldn't quite justify the extra $200/night this time around (over CBR pirate) BUT we will eat at Ohana and Cook's (and maybe Captain Cook's).

Thanks for the reviews.

 

[mefordis]

Thank you for posting another review! I LOVE your pictures! You have some of the best reviews I've read.

 

[MickeyNicki]

Oh my gosh...you have me wanting to cancel a ressie so I can get back to Ohana..that meal looks and sounds amazing, so much better than when we ate there in 08

 

[DisneyMamato4]

Glad to see you enjoyed 'Ohana as much as we did. We had the corner table right in front of the window to the castle and it was a perfect place to watch Wishes. The chicken was my favorite, the flavor was amazing. We cannot wait to go back in January for another family meal.

 

[iloveeeyore]

We also love the Poly and all the food available there...including 'Ohana! We have never had a bad meal there, but the last time (summer 2010) it was exceptional! We also really love the chicken that replaced the turkey! I'm glad that it redeemed itself for you...or maybe not, as it's becoming even harder to get an ADR, if that can be imagined!

Thanks for taking the time to do this DR. It is very helpful!

 

[DLo]

amazing pics! I have to wait until oct to go back to o'hana but i feel like i was there with your pics. looking forward to the rest.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Love seeing all of the menu pics! Great review of 'Ohana .. we will be eating there (as well as trying the Yachtman for the first time) in August. Love getting a sneak peak thru your reviews!

Great restaurant choices! I think both restaurants are winners, and I hope to have the Yachtsman review up soon.

Thank you so much for the reviews and pics. My DH often laughs because I take pics of most all the food and places we eat. I like your idea of taking pics of the menus. I'll start doing that as well.

I have to say, taking pics of the menus is time consuming but worth it to me. The signatures change their menus very often, and the online menus (whether on the official website, allears, here, etc) just can't be current all the time. By taking pics early in my trip, it actually does influence where we dine. Plus, it makes writing food reviews a whole lot easier!

Sushi, Ohana, Tonga Toast, self serve Dole Whip...and the view!

The Poly is my dream...maybe one day, couldn't quite justify the extra $200/night this time around (over CBR pirate) BUT we will eat at Ohana and Cook's (and maybe Captain Cook's).

Thanks for the reviews.

I'm sure you'll make it to the Poly one day, but even visiting is nice enough. On a Magic Kingdom day, you could easily take the monorail/boat to Poly, grab a dole whip, sit on the beach, etc. And Captain Cook's has some nice alternatives to the quick service at MK.

Thank you for posting another review! I LOVE your pictures! You have some of the best reviews I've read.

I'm glad you're enjoying the reviews! The more frequently I go to WDW, the more significant the food is to me, so I'm happy to come back here and share the food as well as I can (I know how much I enjoy seeing food pics that remind me of Disney!)

Oh my gosh...you have me wanting to cancel a ressie so I can get back to Ohana..that meal looks and sounds amazing, so much better than when we ate there in 08

Ohana was definitely a great experience, but I'm sure you have lots of great plans already! I remember reading that you plan on trying Artist Point for the first time - I love that place so I think it's definitely worth trying. But if there's anything else that just seems sort of disposable to you, I think it's worth returning to Ohana!

Glad to see you enjoyed 'Ohana as much as we did. We had the corner table right in front of the window to the castle and it was a perfect place to watch Wishes. The chicken was my favorite, the flavor was amazing. We cannot wait to go back in January for another family meal.

Glad you also had such a great view from your table, and agreed on the chicken! I liked all of them (including the pork, which I usually am not crazy about), but it was impressive that a place serving so many people could make chicken that was seasoned well and so moist.

We also love the Poly and all the food available there...including 'Ohana! We have never had a bad meal there, but the last time (summer 2010) it was exceptional! We also really love the chicken that replaced the turkey! I'm glad that it redeemed itself for you...or maybe not, as it's becoming even harder to get an ADR, if that can be imagined!

Thanks for taking the time to do this DR. It is very helpful!

Ohana was definitely good this time! We were lucky enough to book another dinner there for our August trip. Getting a ressie there is definitely the hardest part, but once again it's back on our list and I can't wait to return.

amazing pics! I have to wait until oct to go back to o'hana but i feel like i was there with your pics. looking forward to the rest.

Glad I was able to capture some of your food memories. Sometimes for me it feels like forever between Disney trips (well, not anymore, since we started doing short but frequent trips), but this website helps make up for the downtime!

Coming up, Captain Cook's!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Captain Cook's used to be a rather ugly quick service location. It was tiny, cramped, and greasy, and the food offerings weren't unique. I loved the burger and pork sandwich, but it wasn't very memorable to me. With the 2006 renovation, Captain Cook's really became a pleasant quick service place to dine, and I wanted to share some of the pics I took of it at about 2 AM (after MK extra magic hours).

Unlike the rest of the resort, which has darker wooden tones, Captain Cook's feels light and airy with warm and pastel colors.

I like the flower design on the walls.

When I first returned to CC after the renovation in 2006, ordering with the touch screen was confusing (I didn't realize I had to pay before receiving the food). But now I think the touch screens make everything more efficient (and if you need something modified, such as no cheese, the cashiers can do that for you).

After ordering on the touch screens, you choose your items from the refrigerators/bakery and then pay at the cashiers in the center.

This dining room used to be part of a clothing store at the back of the lobby. Captain Cook's needed the space!

I like the colorful wall and glass designs.

The original Captain Cook's dining room also looks very nice now.

Of course, the star of Captain Cook's has to be the self-serve dole whip machine, featuring both pineapple and vanilla (my two favorite flavors together!)

Coming up, the actual food at Captain Cook's!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

One of the biggest surprises of our trip was how much we enjoyed Captain Cook's. We ate there plenty of times - even in place of a lunch at Le Cellier that we were too full to go to! Here's what we ate:

My mom loved the grown up grilled cheese, served on multigrain sunflower bread with cheddar, swiss, and boursin cheese, frisée, and tomato. The bread was hearty and the cheese had a garlic flavor from the boursin. Excellent option:

The steamed veggies on the side tasted healthy, which is exactly what we chose with all of our sandwiches. It's nice to have a veggie side option that isn't drenched in sauce or dressing:

Here's the kids grilled cheese with grapes (just for comparison's sake):

I loved the chicken sandwich with pineapple coconut bread, bacon, teriyaki sauce, and salsa (I left off the cheddar cheese). It was tropical, sweet, savory, and delicious.

We also tried the fish of the day (mahi mahi) with watermelon relish, sticky rice and veggies. The fish and rice were a bit salty, but I thought the relish was an interesting addition.

Here's the turkey club with lettuce, tomato, bacon, and honey dijon mayo on multigrain. Another satisfying sandwich!

Last but not least, how could we not get a dole whip? The pineapple vanilla swirl is my favorite, with the creamy vanilla and tart pineapple together.

In addition, here's the other quick service I had during the trip. At MK's Columbia Harbour House, I enjoyed the BLT salad with crispy chicken, bacon, egg, and tomato. I enjoyed all the savory flavors together, and I didn't feel the need to add dressing at all.

I also tried Tomorrowland Terrace's lobster roll with house-made chips. I think it would have been better if the bread had been toasted instead of soft, and I am not a fan of too much mayo in this type of dish, but it was still a nice and unique option in MK. The chips were satisfying and less flimsy than ordinary Lay's chips. This was good, but I think Captain Cook's sandwiches were better to me - I was very impressed by CC.

Overall, Captain Cook's went from being our least favorite monorail quick service to our favorite. It has some great options for adults (besides what we ordered, they have salads, noodle bowls, flatbreads, and of course tonga toast for breakfast), and the flavors were a step above a lot of the other quick service options.