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Mommy is changing her name
- Joined
- May 1, 2006
- Messages
- 1,919
Important "put this review in perspective" details: DH (28) and I (32) spent 3 days at the world on the dining plan sans kids May 4-6. We live in an area where good food overfloweth. We stayed at AKL - we have never previously stayed at AKL. We have never eaten at any of these rest. before with the exception of Planet Hollywood and the Patisserie but we usually go there for a snack and this time we got lunch. You will also "note" that I like to "note" things. My apologies in advance.
Boat Drinks: I thought it might be nice to give a little shout out to our favorite cocktails (look at my sig- we have triplets - cocktails are good 
) on the trip in case you may be looking for a yummy concoction on your next trip. Poolside at AKL - Pina Collova - YUM YUM YUM - pina coloda with raspberry coulis. Lounge at AKL - Raspberry Mojita - divine (you may think I really like raspberry - I like it, don't LOOOVE it but these drinks stood out!) Adventurer's Club - Kungaloosh - this is frozen and tastes like a sweet tart - didn't know that when I ordered it and wasn't really up for a frozen drink but it was good and had I been up for a frozen drink this would have been a winner - Snakebites in the UK - 1/2 harp, 1/2 cider very refreshing and always one of our favorites - Strawberry and Mango margarita in mexico and Bellinis. Okay now onto the substance.......
4/4: Mara for lunch. Zebra domes count as dessert. YUM!!!! My chicken and olive flatbread was better than your average CS and the Zebra Domes were delicious. DH got the vegetarian falafel (spelling?) which he said was okay - not a big fan of the fried chick peas. He also got a salad instead of dessert and we shared the salad and the domes (you get 6 domes - that's even too much for me, the sweet eater). For those not down with the "domes" - they have sponge cake on the bottom, covered with a dome of very light milk chocolate mouse and glazed with white ganache and stripes of milk chocolate (thus the "zebra"). I have read they taste like coffee - I am not a huge coffee fan and I tasted no coffee. Even DH, non-sweet eater, liked them. Overall, we give Mara a thumbs up.
Jiko for dinner - 8:30 pm ADRs. Requested table on window, which we got. Had a fabulous raspberry mojito at the lounge (overlooks Boma) while waiting to be called. We had a wonderful server - Mary - she rocked. My husband is a lacto-ovo vegetarian and wasn't really thrilled with the entree on the menu but was interested in several appetizers and Mary worked with the chef to "make it happen". Dh wound up with an assortment of apps as his entree - including sweet potato and maize pudding, the taste of africa dips and bread, and something fried with potato (I think) in the middle. He had the olive flatbread as his app and Pistachio Creme Brulee for dessert. I had the coffee bbq chicken flatbread as an app (which does not so much taste like coffee b/c as you will note from earlier in this review, I am not a big coffee fan so I asked before I ordered), Filet and Mac n Cheese for dinner and the flourless chocolate cake for dessert. DH said this is the best dinner he's had on property and surpassed CG (tough b/c we really love it there). I will say that the app and entree were the best I've had on property but CG still gets my love for the Banana Brulee. The Mac n Cheese was salty - I am not a big salt user so the saltiness was apparent to me but I thought that b/c of the salt it really stood up well and rounded out the flavor of the Filet and red wine sauce. So, I do not count the saltiness against the Mac n Cheese b/c it worked so well with what was on my plate. YUM! My dessert was disappointing. Not bad but not worth the calories. Jiko doesn't get the thumbs up from me for dessert b/c I don't like pistachios and thus would not have ordered the "divine" creme brulee. Service was the best we have ever had at the world. Mary brought me out recipes to take home. She was very attentive and made our experience superb - so much so that I have written a letter. Jiko has joined our list of favorites if not topped it. May be a pain to get to if you aren't staying at AKL but worth the trip IMO. Also keep in mind that the food has african (some flavors similar to indian) flavors and if you don't like ethnic food you may be better off at CG. I am not an adventerous eater, however, I loved Jiko and found my dinner to be superb.
4/5: Patisserie for lunch. Loved this as CS. DH got veggie quiche and a napoleon and I got a ham and cheese criossant (which gets heated) and something chocolate. YUM YUM YUM. Two big thumbs up for this CS location. The ham and cheese croissant was out of this world and DH inhaled his quiche. Plus, the desserts here are great (have you noticed my trend of being overly-concerned about dessert?). We now have a new option to add to sunshine seasons for CS lunch in Epcot.
House of Blues: Not on dining plan. SIL and BIL joined us for dinner and were kind enough to get there first and put our names in b/c we waited until the last minute and they DO NOT TAKE ADRS THE SAME DAY you want to dine. This is important to note. Also important to note is that while you can pay with your key inside, you cannot do so at the bar outside that serves you while you are waiting. You also cannot use a credit/debit card outside. CASH ONLY!! I have noted this so that YOU can avoid the humiliation of ordering hurricanes and not being able to pay (which is what happened to us) - luckily SIL and BIL had cash. We waited about 40 minutes for a table. As an appetizer, we ordered a pizza that had spinach, cheese, roasted peppers and roasted garlic. All 4 of us gave the pizza a thumbs up. YUM. The server told us the ribs were "awesome" and used this adjective about 6 times in relation to the ribs so I ordered 1/2 a rack of the "awesome" ribs. They were actually quite good - fall off the bone. SIL and BIL had them too and also thought they were good. Drawing a blank on what DH got but I don't remember him disliking it. Thumbs up - service was good, hurricanes were good, ribs were good, the pizza was "awesome". Comparing HOB to the other "chain" table service available in DTD, we were pleased.
Side trip to Planet Hollywood for dessert post-adventurer's and comedy club: I didn't really want to stop here. We got the brownie sundae - it was okay. I had really wanted to get to Ghiradelli before it closed but we left PI too late and this was the last place open that had dessert. Wasted calories. Dh and I are note big fans of PH. As an aside, the group concurred that we are not big fans of PI - prefer Jellyrolls. It had been about 4 years since we had visited PI and we just were like
. Must be getting old.
4/6: Boma for brunch - 10:45 ADRs - paying OOP. We tried the frunch which we both liked but would cut with seltzer next time b/c it is pretty sweet. Our server was nice but forgetful - think she was closing out checks. For example - it took 2 requests and 20 minutes to get ketchup. We weren't in a rush so it wasn't a big deal but it should still be noted. Omlette station produced delish omlettes. Brioche was fantastic. I think it is a good deal for $16.95. A sit down table service breakfast at Kona would cost around $12 (of course, you are not getting tonga toast at Boma). I like brunch - I like grazing and having a little of everything (I also like tonga toast!). This met the need to graze nicely - offering many yummy options. We didn't eat again until 8 pm (DH is 6'5" and 220 pounds - he usually needs to eat b/w 11 am and 8 pm). One thing to note is that ZEBRA DOMES ARE NOT SERVED AT BREAKFAST.
Now, I know what you are thinking - why would zebra domes be at breakfast? - well in my head this was BRUNCH not BREAKFASt thus I expected there to be domes for dessert. No biggie but I wouldn't want you to get yourself psyched up for domes only to realize that there aren't any!! If you are looking for a sit-down breakfast - this is a good place. Of course, if you are not staying at AKL, venturing here for breakfast may not be on your list but I found the food to be better than any character buffet I have ever attended (of course, character breakfasts are really a whole different ball of wax so that isn't a great comparison). Boma gets a thumbs up!
Cheers!
Boat Drinks: I thought it might be nice to give a little shout out to our favorite cocktails (look at my sig- we have triplets - cocktails are good ) on the trip in case you may be looking for a yummy concoction on your next trip. Poolside at AKL - Pina Collova - YUM YUM YUM - pina coloda with raspberry coulis. Lounge at AKL - Raspberry Mojita - divine (you may think I really like raspberry - I like it, don't LOOOVE it but these drinks stood out!) Adventurer's Club - Kungaloosh - this is frozen and tastes like a sweet tart - didn't know that when I ordered it and wasn't really up for a frozen drink but it was good and had I been up for a frozen drink this would have been a winner - Snakebites in the UK - 1/2 harp, 1/2 cider very refreshing and always one of our favorites - Strawberry and Mango margarita in mexico and Bellinis. Okay now onto the substance.......4/4: Mara for lunch. Zebra domes count as dessert. YUM!!!! My chicken and olive flatbread was better than your average CS and the Zebra Domes were delicious. DH got the vegetarian falafel (spelling?) which he said was okay - not a big fan of the fried chick peas. He also got a salad instead of dessert and we shared the salad and the domes (you get 6 domes - that's even too much for me, the sweet eater). For those not down with the "domes" - they have sponge cake on the bottom, covered with a dome of very light milk chocolate mouse and glazed with white ganache and stripes of milk chocolate (thus the "zebra"). I have read they taste like coffee - I am not a huge coffee fan and I tasted no coffee. Even DH, non-sweet eater, liked them. Overall, we give Mara a thumbs up.
Jiko for dinner - 8:30 pm ADRs. Requested table on window, which we got. Had a fabulous raspberry mojito at the lounge (overlooks Boma) while waiting to be called. We had a wonderful server - Mary - she rocked. My husband is a lacto-ovo vegetarian and wasn't really thrilled with the entree on the menu but was interested in several appetizers and Mary worked with the chef to "make it happen". Dh wound up with an assortment of apps as his entree - including sweet potato and maize pudding, the taste of africa dips and bread, and something fried with potato (I think) in the middle. He had the olive flatbread as his app and Pistachio Creme Brulee for dessert. I had the coffee bbq chicken flatbread as an app (which does not so much taste like coffee b/c as you will note from earlier in this review, I am not a big coffee fan so I asked before I ordered), Filet and Mac n Cheese for dinner and the flourless chocolate cake for dessert. DH said this is the best dinner he's had on property and surpassed CG (tough b/c we really love it there). I will say that the app and entree were the best I've had on property but CG still gets my love for the Banana Brulee. The Mac n Cheese was salty - I am not a big salt user so the saltiness was apparent to me but I thought that b/c of the salt it really stood up well and rounded out the flavor of the Filet and red wine sauce. So, I do not count the saltiness against the Mac n Cheese b/c it worked so well with what was on my plate. YUM! My dessert was disappointing. Not bad but not worth the calories. Jiko doesn't get the thumbs up from me for dessert b/c I don't like pistachios and thus would not have ordered the "divine" creme brulee. Service was the best we have ever had at the world. Mary brought me out recipes to take home. She was very attentive and made our experience superb - so much so that I have written a letter. Jiko has joined our list of favorites if not topped it. May be a pain to get to if you aren't staying at AKL but worth the trip IMO. Also keep in mind that the food has african (some flavors similar to indian) flavors and if you don't like ethnic food you may be better off at CG. I am not an adventerous eater, however, I loved Jiko and found my dinner to be superb.
4/5: Patisserie for lunch. Loved this as CS. DH got veggie quiche and a napoleon and I got a ham and cheese criossant (which gets heated) and something chocolate. YUM YUM YUM. Two big thumbs up for this CS location. The ham and cheese croissant was out of this world and DH inhaled his quiche. Plus, the desserts here are great (have you noticed my trend of being overly-concerned about dessert?). We now have a new option to add to sunshine seasons for CS lunch in Epcot.
House of Blues: Not on dining plan. SIL and BIL joined us for dinner and were kind enough to get there first and put our names in b/c we waited until the last minute and they DO NOT TAKE ADRS THE SAME DAY you want to dine. This is important to note. Also important to note is that while you can pay with your key inside, you cannot do so at the bar outside that serves you while you are waiting. You also cannot use a credit/debit card outside. CASH ONLY!! I have noted this so that YOU can avoid the humiliation of ordering hurricanes and not being able to pay (which is what happened to us) - luckily SIL and BIL had cash. We waited about 40 minutes for a table. As an appetizer, we ordered a pizza that had spinach, cheese, roasted peppers and roasted garlic. All 4 of us gave the pizza a thumbs up. YUM. The server told us the ribs were "awesome" and used this adjective about 6 times in relation to the ribs so I ordered 1/2 a rack of the "awesome" ribs. They were actually quite good - fall off the bone. SIL and BIL had them too and also thought they were good. Drawing a blank on what DH got but I don't remember him disliking it. Thumbs up - service was good, hurricanes were good, ribs were good, the pizza was "awesome". Comparing HOB to the other "chain" table service available in DTD, we were pleased.
Side trip to Planet Hollywood for dessert post-adventurer's and comedy club: I didn't really want to stop here. We got the brownie sundae - it was okay. I had really wanted to get to Ghiradelli before it closed but we left PI too late and this was the last place open that had dessert. Wasted calories. Dh and I are note big fans of PH. As an aside, the group concurred that we are not big fans of PI - prefer Jellyrolls. It had been about 4 years since we had visited PI and we just were like
. Must be getting old. 4/6: Boma for brunch - 10:45 ADRs - paying OOP. We tried the frunch which we both liked but would cut with seltzer next time b/c it is pretty sweet. Our server was nice but forgetful - think she was closing out checks. For example - it took 2 requests and 20 minutes to get ketchup. We weren't in a rush so it wasn't a big deal but it should still be noted. Omlette station produced delish omlettes. Brioche was fantastic. I think it is a good deal for $16.95. A sit down table service breakfast at Kona would cost around $12 (of course, you are not getting tonga toast at Boma). I like brunch - I like grazing and having a little of everything (I also like tonga toast!). This met the need to graze nicely - offering many yummy options. We didn't eat again until 8 pm (DH is 6'5" and 220 pounds - he usually needs to eat b/w 11 am and 8 pm). One thing to note is that ZEBRA DOMES ARE NOT SERVED AT BREAKFAST.
Now, I know what you are thinking - why would zebra domes be at breakfast? - well in my head this was BRUNCH not BREAKFASt thus I expected there to be domes for dessert. No biggie but I wouldn't want you to get yourself psyched up for domes only to realize that there aren't any!! If you are looking for a sit-down breakfast - this is a good place. Of course, if you are not staying at AKL, venturing here for breakfast may not be on your list but I found the food to be better than any character buffet I have ever attended (of course, character breakfasts are really a whole different ball of wax so that isn't a great comparison). Boma gets a thumbs up! Cheers!
Thanks for the tip on the lounge as well as the night goggles!!
and staying at the Dolphin.
This was the first recipe I recreated at home, I just made it last week and it turned out PERFECTLY. If you like that dish, you must try making it at home. I can post the recipe if you'd like.
