Recently back and while there we dined at 'Ohana. There were some pros, but the cons (and not just the food) will make it a long time before going back b/c this once pretty good restaurant is now a shell of itself.
That said, let's start with the pros; the mixed green salad was great and so were the shrimp. The service started as rushed but was quickly corrected when we explained our preference to enjoy each course and not have everything on the table at once.
Waiting in the GCH it was noticed the wonderful smell from the 'Ohana grill was missing and as we walked to our table the reason for this was quickly apparent. Plastic shields which enclose the entire grill area have been installed and from talking to a CM there is a new ventilation system which presumably ventilates all of the wonderful grill smells out of the restaurant/GCH. The plastic shields also makes is more difficult to see the cooks grilling the meat. This takes allot away from the ambience of this once pretty good restaurant.
Next, instead of skewering the chicken and cooking it, the new method is to grill the entire chicken thigh. While grilled chicken thighs can be tasty, these were served with rubbery skin and chimichurri sauce plopped on top of the chicken as an afterthought (i.e. not heated with the chicken on the grill). The first round of steak was well done and we were told this is the default level of doneness. Fine. The server had a skewer cooked to a lesser temperature and the steak was so chewy it could not be eaten.
Finally, they changed the bread pudding recipe. I believe the new version is topped with pineapple. I could have stopped at, "They changed the bread pudding recipe".
To the staff's credit we did speak with a manager about our experience with the food and an agreeable discount was applied. Between the change in atmosphere (i.e. no oak grill smell, no skewers) and changes in the food, this will be a place we can avoid which is a shame given the pretty good restaurant is used to be.
That said, let's start with the pros; the mixed green salad was great and so were the shrimp. The service started as rushed but was quickly corrected when we explained our preference to enjoy each course and not have everything on the table at once.
Waiting in the GCH it was noticed the wonderful smell from the 'Ohana grill was missing and as we walked to our table the reason for this was quickly apparent. Plastic shields which enclose the entire grill area have been installed and from talking to a CM there is a new ventilation system which presumably ventilates all of the wonderful grill smells out of the restaurant/GCH. The plastic shields also makes is more difficult to see the cooks grilling the meat. This takes allot away from the ambience of this once pretty good restaurant.
Next, instead of skewering the chicken and cooking it, the new method is to grill the entire chicken thigh. While grilled chicken thighs can be tasty, these were served with rubbery skin and chimichurri sauce plopped on top of the chicken as an afterthought (i.e. not heated with the chicken on the grill). The first round of steak was well done and we were told this is the default level of doneness. Fine. The server had a skewer cooked to a lesser temperature and the steak was so chewy it could not be eaten.
Finally, they changed the bread pudding recipe. I believe the new version is topped with pineapple. I could have stopped at, "They changed the bread pudding recipe".
To the staff's credit we did speak with a manager about our experience with the food and an agreeable discount was applied. Between the change in atmosphere (i.e. no oak grill smell, no skewers) and changes in the food, this will be a place we can avoid which is a shame given the pretty good restaurant is used to be.
