My twin 5 year olds and I ate there last Friday. I purposely left a hole in our schedule if we wanted to try it. (I've also discovered that you can get LOTS of ADRs same day or the night before so I've given up on the ADR 180 game...now if I was with a big group and we HAD to eat at a place like Ohana's, well, that's a horse of a different color.) We spent a slightly miserable weather wise morning in the MK and were caught in some huge downpours, so we were wet and a little cold. We arrived a little after 11, and we were seated right away. No one was outside trying to draw people in. We were seated in the mess hall, and I had my reservations about this. I fall into the not a fan of BOG category mainly because the main ballroom reminds me of a school cafeteria and the noise is unpleasant. When eating a nice meal, I want to focus on the conversation and the food. The mess hall was much, much smaller and quieter. However, only half the tables were filled. We did see the other rooms on our own. No one offered us a tour.
Highlights: WOW! This place is gorgeous. And so themey! That is why I eat at Disney. I don't go to Sci-Fi for the incredible burgers (actually, I don't think I've ever gotten a burger there)...maybe I go for the milkshakes! I don't go to HDDR for it's fried chicken and strawberry shortcake. I can get that food and better quality for less at other places; I go because these places are fun and unique and part of the magic. My 5DS said, "Wow! This bathroom's got some nice decorating!" Even though there are great pics on lots of blogs, they do not do the place justice. It is truly Disney.
Our server was sweet and very energetic.
We got the kungaloosh for dessert. Here, my sugar loving monkeys rejoined me. It was quite delicious. People have complained about the size, and while small I think it is more that the price is not in line with the size. That ice cream is fantastic. I had them leave off the coffee dust, and they were happy to oblige.
Unfortunately, that is the end of the highlights.
Not so great things:
*No jokes or antics from our server. Oh, well.
*Could not get them to take my TiW card. I knew it wouldn't work, but I asked any way. I was told by our server, "We don't have that button on our computer." Seriously?
*The food. Ugggh. The bread is...interesting. It was warm and soft with a slight crust. Taste was almost bitter. My 5 DD bread lover took one bite and didn't want any more. My 5 DS who would eat honey straight out of the bottle if I let him didn't like that things were floating in the honey and refused to try it. One bite would be interesting and then I'd take another and it would be painfully sweet. Then another bite would be shockingly bitter.
I ordered the kids arepas and the app arepas. Wish I had only ordered the app...wait, wish I had ordered something else entirely. I hoped my kids would eat it. Nope, turned their noses up at it. (I should say that they were cold and I let them get hot chocolates and that was all they were thinking about. They eat well at home...broccoli, almost every fruit under the sun, lots of protein...but at Disney, it's all about Mickey bars and fries.) The two are basically the same, except they make little sandwiches out of the kids' ones and the kids' version has the yuca fries which were absolutely perfect. I like food like this....well, in theory, I do. The beef was overcooked to mushiness...had the same texture as the beans, both unappealing. The meat was, as Disney does best, oversalted. The arepas and the queso fresco, interestingly, neither were salted effectively. The queso fresco could have definitely benefited from a sprinkle. When you made a little sandwich, the salt did balance out. I had maybe six pieces of diced tomato and ONE leaf of cilantro. Not a sprig. One leaf. Basically the dish fell flat. It could have really benefited from a wedge of lime to brighten it up.
I should have ordered something else, but I can't do red peppers or jalapenos, am opposed to paying over $20 for a bowl of noodles, I don't order steak out as I have half a grass fed cow in my freezer and am pretty adept at cooking a mean steak. the next possibility was the lamb, but I really thought I would like the arepas.
So I have been thinking about this restaurant, like many of you, since we heard the rumors way last spring. I was so excited to try it. And like many things you build up in your mind, it could not live up. It has such GREAT potential. However, it needs some rethinking and reorganization.
How to Improve SC:
*(Hate if you must) Put the obnoxious yellow mickey mac and cheese on the kids menu. That stuff is crack and more families would come in knowing their kiddos will have one thing to eat.
*Put a chicken curry on the menu.
*Change the bread and honey service to hummus and pitas. If for some reason, the powers that be think that pastitsio fits into the Jungle Cruise, then pitas aren't a far stretch.
*Add a Pad Thai. How many times do you go to a thai restaurant and at least one person in your group gets the pad thai? Safe, easy to do right (or at least approaching right), and cost effective.
*Drop each menu item by at least $2-5. (I do know it's Disney. But $20 for a bowl of broth and noodles?)
*Up the antics. Like I said earlier, we go for the magic. The food is secondary. My 12 DD can't tell you what she ate at 50'sPTC, but she'll giggle all through retelling the story of how our waiter poked her grandpa with 10 straws all connected together. My 5 year olds watch with anticipation for their favorite clip at Sci Fi. I hope I never forget as long as I live how my oldest daughter (then 6) who was struggling greatly with learning issues laughed till tears rolled down her face at the HDDR, like a kid who didn't have a care in the world. Disney, this is the magic. Make SC fun! Make it crazy. Make it like the old days before everyone read about the Ketchup thing at WCC on the boards and then demanded it twice a meal. Make it spontaneous.
*Find the button on the computer for the TiW discount. (Mine is finished and I didn't renew due to the price increase, but this is for all the other TiW holders out there.)
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I am on the fence about the whole ADR thing. It was so nice NOT to rush or worry are we going to make it? However, it is really counterintuitive to preach 180 and charge a $10 no show (which is truly necessary) and then scratch your head and wonder why it's not filling up.
ohh, that was long...
(that's me). You can get a crap meal anywhere even when the photo looks enticing. Price.........is an issue for you..........at WDW? We actually thought it was reasonable.........given what we pay for some restaurants in the MK
