jgreen
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2005
- Messages
- 199
CAST DH (45) Loves most all foods
DW (41) Likes most foods, but leans toward seafood & LOVES wings
DS (11) Pretty picky eater, mostly sticks to burgers & nuggets
DD (8) Also picky, but can surprise you sometimes!
8/28 Kona Café
DH Kona Chowder
Char Crusted Medallions of Filet Mignon
Lapu Lapu (x2)
Kiluea Torte
DW Sticky Wings
Macadamia Mahi Mahi
Lapu Lapu
DS Shrimp & Scallops
Coke
DD Small Kona Salad
Kids burger
Sprite
Kiddie Cone
We ended up taking the bus over to the Poly from our day at the Animal Kingdom. We took a while to look around the resort and to pick up a couple of items from the gift shop. The Poly is definitely a beautiful resort, and I have to say that we will probably choose between here and the Contemporary for our next stay. That is unless we hit the lottery, in which case we will be at the GF.
At check in we were just a few minutes early, but were seated immediately. I tell you after a busy day at AK I was primed for the Lapu Lapu. Once seated our server greeted us and we placed our drink orders while perusing the menu for our appetizers. After he returned with the drinks we ordered the Sticky Wings, Kona Chowder and a small Kona Salad.
Our appetizers were brought out within a couple of minutes and we ordered our main courses before digging in. Ill just say now that this was another of our Top 3. The appetizers were extremely good, especially the Kona Chowder. I shared this with DW and DD and everyone agreed that this was one of the best soups we have ever had. The seafood is very plentiful and the creamy broth is nothing short of divine. The other appetizers were extremely good, but the chowder was King.
The main courses did not disappoint either. My steak was done just right. Char crusted was an apt description. It was seared perfectly on the outside, but done to a beautiful medium rare on the inside. The accompanying smashed potatoes were also wonderful. Everyone else was delighted with their entrees, but DS wouldnt eat the scallops because of the sauce. This was case of Mr. Picky Eater not feeling experimental at the time. Believe me, it did not break my heart to split the scallops with the wife. We both enjoy seafood immensely, and these scallops did not disappoint.
Once the main courses were completed we took a short breather while contemplating dessert. The meal was so filling, but yet the desserts looked SO good. They have a line-up of the desserts under glass covers for display, and even though we were quite full everyone but DW decided to try dessert, although DS and DD opted to split a kiddie cone. There was really no kiddie about it though. This was a pleasure to look at as well as eat. It was a nice waffle cone cemented to the plate with chocolate and filled with both vanilla and chocolate ice cream and topped with whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry. The kids loved it. My Kiluea Torte was also a decadent treat. Once I cut into it with my fork warm chocolate oozed out, Volcano style, hence the name. I would rate this as my favorite dessert of the trip.
Grades FOOD = A
SERVICE = A
8/29 Olivias Café
DH Blue Lump Crab Cakes
Catch of the Day
Key West Ale (x2)
Espresso
DW Island Wings
Filet Mignon & Chimi Churri Shrimp
Turtle Krawl
DS Tiggers Cheeseburger
Coke
Chocolate Earthquake
DD Mickeys Spaghetti & Meatball
Coke
Little Brownie Sundae
Here is a hidden gem. There was absolutely nothing wrong with this meal even though it was not one of Top 3. It was just that some places were so great that this one dropped down the list. It was probably Number 4 though, and definitely Number 1 for the wings. Funny story on that later.
We arrived a bit early and decided to look around the grounds a bit first. A really nice resort. Following our mini tour we popped into the Gurgling Suitcase for a pre-dinner drink. We ordered a Rum Runner and a Turtle Krawl. The bartender was on a short break so a manager made the drink. He wasnt real familiar with the drinks so he added a little extra booze. Not a problem in my book. The drinks were splendid. We sat and enjoyed the cocktails while catching up on the Katrina story on The Weather Channel. It made us feel a little guilty sitting there in such an idyllic surrounding enjoying drinks while so many suffered. My daughter, who is such a little humanitarian and wants to be a veterinarian, was especially heartbroken with the situation.
After the drinks we checked in and were seated immediately. It was not really busy at all at this point, I think maybe only two other tables were occupied. Appetizers ordered were the wings & crab cakes. They were both very good, but especially the wings. They were not in the same kind of Buffalo Wing style as in most places. The sauce was very unique, but not spicy. The wife likes spicy as I had mentioned in my post of Day 1 & 2 dining reviews, but she really enjoyed the flavor of these wings. With a little kick of Tabasco these were her favorite wings of the trip.
Main courses were also superior. DWs entrée was a special that night and consisted of Filet Mignon and Chimi Churri Shrimp. The steak was done a perfect medium rare and the shrimp were of the 16/20 size per pound, and there were about 9 I think. Chimi Churri sauce has garlic, jalapeno, red wine, olive oil and a little oregano and parsley. Very, very tasty!
My catch of the Day was Grouper with crispy leeks, spinach and a white bean puree. The fish was impeccably fresh and the accompanying sides were very good. I was definitely a member of the Clean Plate Club on this occasion.
My son was just really in the mood for a cheeseburger this night and my daughter is always a big fan of pasta, so they were both pleased with their selections and finished all.
For dessert I was too full for anything but our server offered coffee or espresso instead and I gladly accepted the espresso. The kids were up for sweets though and DD had the kids brownie sundae and and DS had the Chocolate Earthquake. DS may be picky about his meals but is always up for Chocolate (insert descriptive phrase here). Since we were on vacation we allowed the kids a little more latitude when it came to dessert. They still had to finish a reasonable amount of their main courses to qualify however.
Heres the funny part of when we were getting ready for dessert though. DW still had a couple of wings left, and when the server was inquiring about dessert DW said she was just going to take a little breather and have her last couple of wings as dessert. Were not sure what happened, but somehow our server must have misunderstood and cleared the plate with the wings along with all of the others. It happened so fast that I did not even notice. DW said she saw what was going on, but before she could speak up our server had turned away and was headed for the kitchen. It was almost like a wing three card monte game. All through the kids eating dessert and me enjoying my espresso I heard how great the wings were, and how she wished she still had those last two. I offered to grab another order to take back to the resort, but the wife said that she would feel too awkward.
Again, I highly recommend this for dinner, and I presume lunch, but it just barely fell out out of the Top 3 based on the strength of the other contenders. It was a nice quiet and delicious dinner with tremendous service.
Grades FOOD = A
SERVICE = A+ (Im sure the wing deal was an honest misunderstanding).
Counter Service reviews Part 1 http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=908941
Counter Service reviews Part 2 http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=908944
TS Dining Reviews Day 1 & 2 http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=904417
TS Dining Reviews Day 5 & 6 http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=904615
TS Dining Reviews Day 7 & 8 http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=905161
TS Dining Reviews Day 9 & 10 http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=905429
DW (41) Likes most foods, but leans toward seafood & LOVES wings
DS (11) Pretty picky eater, mostly sticks to burgers & nuggets
DD (8) Also picky, but can surprise you sometimes!
8/28 Kona Café
DH Kona Chowder
Char Crusted Medallions of Filet Mignon
Lapu Lapu (x2)
Kiluea Torte
DW Sticky Wings
Macadamia Mahi Mahi
Lapu Lapu
DS Shrimp & Scallops
Coke
DD Small Kona Salad
Kids burger
Sprite
Kiddie Cone
We ended up taking the bus over to the Poly from our day at the Animal Kingdom. We took a while to look around the resort and to pick up a couple of items from the gift shop. The Poly is definitely a beautiful resort, and I have to say that we will probably choose between here and the Contemporary for our next stay. That is unless we hit the lottery, in which case we will be at the GF.
At check in we were just a few minutes early, but were seated immediately. I tell you after a busy day at AK I was primed for the Lapu Lapu. Once seated our server greeted us and we placed our drink orders while perusing the menu for our appetizers. After he returned with the drinks we ordered the Sticky Wings, Kona Chowder and a small Kona Salad.
Our appetizers were brought out within a couple of minutes and we ordered our main courses before digging in. Ill just say now that this was another of our Top 3. The appetizers were extremely good, especially the Kona Chowder. I shared this with DW and DD and everyone agreed that this was one of the best soups we have ever had. The seafood is very plentiful and the creamy broth is nothing short of divine. The other appetizers were extremely good, but the chowder was King.
The main courses did not disappoint either. My steak was done just right. Char crusted was an apt description. It was seared perfectly on the outside, but done to a beautiful medium rare on the inside. The accompanying smashed potatoes were also wonderful. Everyone else was delighted with their entrees, but DS wouldnt eat the scallops because of the sauce. This was case of Mr. Picky Eater not feeling experimental at the time. Believe me, it did not break my heart to split the scallops with the wife. We both enjoy seafood immensely, and these scallops did not disappoint.
Once the main courses were completed we took a short breather while contemplating dessert. The meal was so filling, but yet the desserts looked SO good. They have a line-up of the desserts under glass covers for display, and even though we were quite full everyone but DW decided to try dessert, although DS and DD opted to split a kiddie cone. There was really no kiddie about it though. This was a pleasure to look at as well as eat. It was a nice waffle cone cemented to the plate with chocolate and filled with both vanilla and chocolate ice cream and topped with whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry. The kids loved it. My Kiluea Torte was also a decadent treat. Once I cut into it with my fork warm chocolate oozed out, Volcano style, hence the name. I would rate this as my favorite dessert of the trip.
Grades FOOD = A
SERVICE = A
8/29 Olivias Café
DH Blue Lump Crab Cakes
Catch of the Day
Key West Ale (x2)
Espresso
DW Island Wings
Filet Mignon & Chimi Churri Shrimp
Turtle Krawl
DS Tiggers Cheeseburger
Coke
Chocolate Earthquake
DD Mickeys Spaghetti & Meatball
Coke
Little Brownie Sundae
Here is a hidden gem. There was absolutely nothing wrong with this meal even though it was not one of Top 3. It was just that some places were so great that this one dropped down the list. It was probably Number 4 though, and definitely Number 1 for the wings. Funny story on that later.
We arrived a bit early and decided to look around the grounds a bit first. A really nice resort. Following our mini tour we popped into the Gurgling Suitcase for a pre-dinner drink. We ordered a Rum Runner and a Turtle Krawl. The bartender was on a short break so a manager made the drink. He wasnt real familiar with the drinks so he added a little extra booze. Not a problem in my book. The drinks were splendid. We sat and enjoyed the cocktails while catching up on the Katrina story on The Weather Channel. It made us feel a little guilty sitting there in such an idyllic surrounding enjoying drinks while so many suffered. My daughter, who is such a little humanitarian and wants to be a veterinarian, was especially heartbroken with the situation.
After the drinks we checked in and were seated immediately. It was not really busy at all at this point, I think maybe only two other tables were occupied. Appetizers ordered were the wings & crab cakes. They were both very good, but especially the wings. They were not in the same kind of Buffalo Wing style as in most places. The sauce was very unique, but not spicy. The wife likes spicy as I had mentioned in my post of Day 1 & 2 dining reviews, but she really enjoyed the flavor of these wings. With a little kick of Tabasco these were her favorite wings of the trip.
Main courses were also superior. DWs entrée was a special that night and consisted of Filet Mignon and Chimi Churri Shrimp. The steak was done a perfect medium rare and the shrimp were of the 16/20 size per pound, and there were about 9 I think. Chimi Churri sauce has garlic, jalapeno, red wine, olive oil and a little oregano and parsley. Very, very tasty!
My catch of the Day was Grouper with crispy leeks, spinach and a white bean puree. The fish was impeccably fresh and the accompanying sides were very good. I was definitely a member of the Clean Plate Club on this occasion.
My son was just really in the mood for a cheeseburger this night and my daughter is always a big fan of pasta, so they were both pleased with their selections and finished all.
For dessert I was too full for anything but our server offered coffee or espresso instead and I gladly accepted the espresso. The kids were up for sweets though and DD had the kids brownie sundae and and DS had the Chocolate Earthquake. DS may be picky about his meals but is always up for Chocolate (insert descriptive phrase here). Since we were on vacation we allowed the kids a little more latitude when it came to dessert. They still had to finish a reasonable amount of their main courses to qualify however.
Heres the funny part of when we were getting ready for dessert though. DW still had a couple of wings left, and when the server was inquiring about dessert DW said she was just going to take a little breather and have her last couple of wings as dessert. Were not sure what happened, but somehow our server must have misunderstood and cleared the plate with the wings along with all of the others. It happened so fast that I did not even notice. DW said she saw what was going on, but before she could speak up our server had turned away and was headed for the kitchen. It was almost like a wing three card monte game. All through the kids eating dessert and me enjoying my espresso I heard how great the wings were, and how she wished she still had those last two. I offered to grab another order to take back to the resort, but the wife said that she would feel too awkward.
Again, I highly recommend this for dinner, and I presume lunch, but it just barely fell out out of the Top 3 based on the strength of the other contenders. It was a nice quiet and delicious dinner with tremendous service.
Grades FOOD = A
SERVICE = A+ (Im sure the wing deal was an honest misunderstanding).
Counter Service reviews Part 1 http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=908941
Counter Service reviews Part 2 http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=908944
TS Dining Reviews Day 1 & 2 http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=904417
TS Dining Reviews Day 5 & 6 http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=904615
TS Dining Reviews Day 7 & 8 http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=905161
TS Dining Reviews Day 9 & 10 http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=905429
As of right now, it's the Disney restaurant that we have dined at the most often. We do enjoy the castle for dinner too, but I think we'd vote the Kona Cafe as #1 right now. 
There are pictures of the "volcano" cake and the Kiddie Cone, as described by jgreen, above! 
