pennyplanner
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 25, 1999
- Messages
- 1,554
Thanksgiving Week Trip
Cast includes me, Disney nut 48 and my two teen DSs. Dad stayed home.
We were on the dining plan.
Boma Dinner
We dined at AKL's Boma on a Monday night. The dining room is on the large size but did not seem overly noisy. It had a nice buzz to it that I attribute to the open kitchen area. We were seated to the right at a rounded window area. Our server was quite nice and explained about beverage service on the plan. My DSs each had a smoothie as their beverage. My boys, adventurous eaters, were hungry (always!
) and eager to check out the buffet. I advised them to go with an open mind and take small portions to taste at first. I sat with my glass of wine and relaxed as they "dove" right in.
Highlights included the bobotie which was a lamb dish with interesting spices. My kids also had prime rib for the first time. (We're not big red meat eaters!
) They loved it. The small thinner slices were perfect for sampling. I loved the different sauces that accompanied the beef. Those were excellent. One was a mustard and quite spicy. Yum! My youngest had seconds on the watermelon rind salad which surprised me. It was thin sliced, tender and tasty.
I started with a sampling of soups. To my disappointent, there was no butternut soup that people rave about. None were standouts but offered unique variety. I had an interesting conversation with one of the men preparing the soups. It was nice that they were eager to explain and answer questions. I loved the hummus and flatbread. Another standout was the chili-cilantro dressing for salad. We enjoyed the fresh fruit although some was lacking in taste and was rather hard. The seafood offering, salmon, had a thick curry sauce on it that was rather bitter. One bite was enough to convince me that it was over spiced. I was disappointed.
I was hoping for more of the items that were listed on a recent menu. For example, there were no vegetable skewers or roasted meats. One of my boys tried the chicken and enjoyed that. It seemed too ordinary to me. The selection seemed heavy on the salads and light on the entrees.
Desserts were outstanding in variety but I thought just good in quality. The zebra domes were tasty. The pineapple cheesecakes were also good. If there were desserts to be tried, my boys were game. I think they sampled every one! The small portions were a perfect size.
Service was very attentive at the beginning. But once we were making trips to the buffet, our server disappeared. I did not have the opportunity to order another glass of wine. By the time, we saw her again, my kids ordered milk to go with dessert.
When I asked my boys if they would go back, they said yes. For me, I think once was enough. The food was good but not outstanding. Some items were just fair and the variety was a little disappointing. I wanted to love it more! Keep in mind, I am not a big fan of buffets. Many more people have absolutely loved their dining experience there. Next time I think I will take the family to Jiko where I dined solo one trip.
Food
B-
Atmosphere
B-
Service
C+
Going to the Animal Kingdom Lodge was wonderful. It is an experience in itself. We booked an early dinner so we could enjoy the viewing areas and arrived early to check things out.
Next up: Seasons at Epcot's The Land
Cast includes me, Disney nut 48 and my two teen DSs. Dad stayed home.
We were on the dining plan.
Boma Dinner
We dined at AKL's Boma on a Monday night. The dining room is on the large size but did not seem overly noisy. It had a nice buzz to it that I attribute to the open kitchen area. We were seated to the right at a rounded window area. Our server was quite nice and explained about beverage service on the plan. My DSs each had a smoothie as their beverage. My boys, adventurous eaters, were hungry (always!
) and eager to check out the buffet. I advised them to go with an open mind and take small portions to taste at first. I sat with my glass of wine and relaxed as they "dove" right in.Highlights included the bobotie which was a lamb dish with interesting spices. My kids also had prime rib for the first time. (We're not big red meat eaters!
) They loved it. The small thinner slices were perfect for sampling. I loved the different sauces that accompanied the beef. Those were excellent. One was a mustard and quite spicy. Yum! My youngest had seconds on the watermelon rind salad which surprised me. It was thin sliced, tender and tasty. I started with a sampling of soups. To my disappointent, there was no butternut soup that people rave about. None were standouts but offered unique variety. I had an interesting conversation with one of the men preparing the soups. It was nice that they were eager to explain and answer questions. I loved the hummus and flatbread. Another standout was the chili-cilantro dressing for salad. We enjoyed the fresh fruit although some was lacking in taste and was rather hard. The seafood offering, salmon, had a thick curry sauce on it that was rather bitter. One bite was enough to convince me that it was over spiced. I was disappointed.
I was hoping for more of the items that were listed on a recent menu. For example, there were no vegetable skewers or roasted meats. One of my boys tried the chicken and enjoyed that. It seemed too ordinary to me. The selection seemed heavy on the salads and light on the entrees.
Desserts were outstanding in variety but I thought just good in quality. The zebra domes were tasty. The pineapple cheesecakes were also good. If there were desserts to be tried, my boys were game. I think they sampled every one! The small portions were a perfect size.
Service was very attentive at the beginning. But once we were making trips to the buffet, our server disappeared. I did not have the opportunity to order another glass of wine. By the time, we saw her again, my kids ordered milk to go with dessert.
When I asked my boys if they would go back, they said yes. For me, I think once was enough. The food was good but not outstanding. Some items were just fair and the variety was a little disappointing. I wanted to love it more! Keep in mind, I am not a big fan of buffets. Many more people have absolutely loved their dining experience there. Next time I think I will take the family to Jiko where I dined solo one trip.
Food
B-
Atmosphere
B-
Service
C+
Going to the Animal Kingdom Lodge was wonderful. It is an experience in itself. We booked an early dinner so we could enjoy the viewing areas and arrived early to check things out.
Next up: Seasons at Epcot's The Land
