"Hurricane I get this wine to go?!?": A September 2017 Dining Report *COMPLETE

It's been years since the TIKi (Toddler Is King, though in my case it was TIQue) years. While it's not hard to dredge up those memories and the lovely reminiscent feelings that accompany them, I've no strong desire to do them over. I remember the days of craving just couple time, of having to entertain instead of (or while) eating. Nap times. Shoehorning a Disney visit schedule into the time table we'd developed for the Que, umm, child. Still, I fondly recall the Daddy Express (on the shoulders from a park entrance to the ride on the FAR side of the given park), the thirty-leven purchased autograph books, matching Cinderella jewel for jewel after the BBB visit and seeing her in person at 1900 PF, et. al. Thanks for reviving those memories.

Enjoyed your reviews so far and agree with those we've similarly tried. Chicken and waffle fare is too sweet and cloying and takes too long to make. Skipper Canteen is a welcome change, only the food and drink just aren't quite in the good category. Solid, yes, so I'm sure we'll return at some point (P.S. Tiffin's is way better). As for F&W, we've noticed a sameness to the menus over the years, and such inaction has led to a decline in quality. Meanwhile, portions continue to shrink. We like the F&W festival, but we like the idea of it better than the actual execution. Still, we continue to hit F&W most years.

Yeh, you nailed it with the shoehorning metaphor, that is exactly what it feels like. This kid has to stay on his eating and sleep schedule...OR ELSE!!! Fortunately for him, he's cute and says funny things so it makes him somewhat tolerable. Lol. We didn't manage to eat at Tiffin's this past trip, but it is on my must-to-do list. We loved Nomad Lounge, such as nice change of pace for AK.

Joining in!

Glad you're here!
 
Day 3 – Sept 8
It’s 10 am, time for rum!

The plan for this morning was to rope drop AK, but since we weren’t running the gauntlet for FOP, we got there right at opening and enjoyed low crowds elsewhere in the park. Asher enjoyed his first safari followed by a stroll on the gorilla trail. He had woken up very early yet again and seemed drowsy, so we thought we would stroll on the trail in Asia and maybe he would take a short nap to revive him.
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Of course, when strolling trails in AK what one needs is a rum drink, so a stop at the Dawa Bar was in order. We each have our favorite from this spot, Sugar Cane Mojito for Chad and Lost on Safari for me. These drinks are always tasty and strong, especially for premixed drinks. I like the juice in the Lost on Safari which they refer to as Pangani Punch, not really sure what that consists of. It also has Captain Morgan original, which I normally don’t care for, but the Pink Pigeon Mauritian Rum seems to overpower it, certainly fine by me. Chad likes the Starr African Rum that is in the mojito and we were wondering if you can buy a bottle anywhere on property.

Asher didn’t fall asleep on the Asia trail so we continued around toward EE and the wait was still very low, so I jumped on the single rider line which was a walk-on while Chad continued toward Dinoland to let Asher play at the Boneyard. I made such good time, I walked up just as they were going in and Asher played mostly in the dig site portion. It was super hot again though and the fans in there weren’t doing much for us and even Asher seemed ready to move along. You can see the sweat pouring off him.

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After a blazing hot spin on some triceratops, we headed back around to Pandora to use our FP for our first ever boat ride on the Na’vi River. It was nice and cool in the AC. It's pretty. Not much else to say about it.

Since it was lunch time and we were very hungry, we decided to go with Satu’li Canteen since it was so convenient and a good spot to get out of the brief shower that had begun. I used the mobile ordering so that I could quickly pick up the food while Chad waited with Asher outside. The patio area was a madhouse from people getting out of the rain, but inside there were plenty of tables and a much more peaceful atmosphere and we found a nice spot to enjoy our meals. I had the Slow-Roasted Sliced Grilled Beef Bowl: Slow-Roasted Sliced Grilled Beef marinated in a blend of Garlic, Herbs, Red Pepper Spice, and Red Wine Vinegar topped with Crunchy Vegetable Slaw and Boba Balls served with your choice of Base and Sauce, and I chose the Romaine and Kale Salad as my base and the Charred Onion Chimichurri. This was stellar! The beef had a wonderful chargrilled flavor, was cooked to a perfect medium, and both the salad and vegetables were fresh and crispy. The chimichurri went perfectly with the beef and was simply delicious. Asher had the same beef in a kids dish over rice and he also enjoyed it. I normally would have shared with him, but I wanted the salad and knew he would like rice, so I paid too much for a kid’s meal for a 2 year old, but at least Chad ate his leftover beef.

Chad’s entrée was the Sustainable Fish Bowl (MDE says it’s panko breaded, but I don’t remember that being the case) but he chose the quinoa vegetable salad base and the black bean vinaigrette. He enjoyed it very much and it was delicious from the taste I had, but I preferred my beef dish, mostly because of the chimichurri I think.

Asher ate very well because he was eyeballing the Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse that I couldn’t resist and kept asking for the “cupcake.” This kid never eats sweets at home and nothing with food coloring or dyes and here I get this bright blue sugar bomb to torment him with. Of course I shared with him though, what are Disney trips for if not creating sugar addictions? It was totally worth it, the mousse wasn’t overly sweet and the passion fruit curd was tangy, the whole thing had a light and airy feel, very nice for a midday dessert. Asher started calling it “ice cream” after he had a few bites.

Satu’li Canteen was very much a hit for us, it was so comfortable inside and I love that they are using real plates and silverware. The mobile ordering was also very convenient, especially with our tag-teaming of the toddler. I loved bypassing the line and walking up to the counter to pick up our meal. The menu is wonderful and the type of QS food I would like to see more of in the parks: fresh, healthy, flavorful sauces, and more interesting than the sandwich/nugget/fries trifecta. It was my favorite part of Pandora for sure.

It had stopped raining and it was time for us to make the long trek across the parking lot to drive our sleepy little boy back to the Poly for a nap. Chad must have been feeling nervous about the hurricane and bought more grocery items in Moana Mercantile to add to our stash, along with a couple of noodle bowls from Captain Cooks grab ‘n go section to put in the fridge.


To be continued…
 
I completely agree with you that 7 is more acceptable than 6/6:30! Actually I prefer say, 8:30-9 lol, but if I HAVE to get up I can rationalize it much better when it's 7 or later. Just......sounds better than 6!
Those freakin' monorails get us every time :headache: They're cool when they're actually running but otherwise they suck.
Yup good luck with the F&G booths! We're doing F&W this Nov for the first time in years but have done F&G quite often lately and we love it. Besides Epcot looking beautiful and good concerts ( if you don't arrive at the end lol) the booths are SO good! And seem to improve every year.
 


Sugar Cane Mojito for Chad and Lost on Safari for me. These drinks are always tasty and strong, especially for premixed drinks. I like the juice in the Lost on Safari which they refer to as Pangani Punch, not really sure what that consists of. It also has Captain Morgan original, which I normally don’t care for, but the Pink Pigeon Mauritian Rum seems to overpower it, certainly fine by me. Chad likes the Starr African Rum that is in the mojito and we were wondering if you can buy a bottle anywhere on property.

They both sound good. I'll have to stop at the Dawa Bar and get something to walk around with. I've never noticed the bar and I'm sure I've walked past it 20 times.
 
They both sound good. I'll have to stop at the Dawa Bar and get something to walk around with. I've never noticed the bar and I'm sure I've walked past it 20 times.
We've had some of the strongest, tastiest Bloody Marys there.
 
Day 3 Continued:

After nap time and a swim in the lovely Oasis pool, it was time to figure out dinner and I decided it was definitely time for a signature restaurant! Since we could walk to the GF, we decided to try Citricos and found a perfect 6:40 ADR. After a quick freshening up, we took a leisurely stroll on the path from Poly to GF, which was very nice and a perk of staying at either resort IMO.

We checked in and were seated quickly at Citricos, the restaurant was pretty empty as the crowd levels had started to drop from cancellations and folks leaving early. We were seated on the other side of a wall from a station where servers picked up supplies or something, but it wasn’t bothersome or distracting at all. They seemed to be making an effort to keep it quiet, which I was impressed with.
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Our server was Christina and she was great from the start. I ordered a glass of Veuve Clicquot to kick things off and Chad stuck with water as he was feeling dehydrated from his pool time cocktails. The Veuve was delicious and a fun celebratory drink for our first signature of the trip.

(I have serious regrets about not taking photos at this meal, especially menu photos because of course there have been changes and now you’ll just get my lame descriptions of most of the dishes. Lesson learned.)

Asher was hungry so we went ahead and ordered the kid’s appetizer of Cheese & Grapes with Crackers which was a huge hit and large enough to be his meal. There was a cup of Goldfish crackers, which was a major treat because it’s not something we eat at home (weird, I know), a large cluster of grapes, and three large pieces of assorted cheeses. The boy ate as though we hadn’t fed him in days, I think he was happy to have some basic familiar foods.

We also started off with their delicious Kalamata olive bread, served with sea salted butter. It was great, we gobbled it up. Do they serve another type of bread too? I can’t remember, but if so, I stuck with the olive bread anyway.

Chad and I decided that several of the first course items were appealing to us, more so than the entrees, so we did the meal tapas style with two courses of appetizers. Christina totally got what we were going for, helped us figure out what should be our first and second courses, and made sure to put the orders in so that we would have two separate courses without being rushed. The Mediterranean-focused menu lent itself perfectly to a tapas style meal.

Our first course included a crab salad, which the current menu’s description doesn’t seem to match. It was constructed in a stack and involved watermelon, so it was more a summery dish. It was light and refreshing, the crab was very fresh and the flavor of the watermelon enhanced the sweetness of the crab. We also ordered the country pâté and were told it was the chef’s grandmother’s recipe. It was delicious and came with an assortment of accompaniments such as stone ground mustard, cornichons, and something oniony, can’t remember if it was a jam or marinated onions. We loved it and the Veuve was perfect with both of our first course dishes.

Our second course appetizer selections were more hearty and could easily have been entrées. The Key West Shrimp: Trofié Pasta, Puttanesca Sauce, Baby Spinach, Parmesan was a very nice size to share or have as an entrée for one person. Everything about the dish was fresh tasting—freshly made pasta, fresh shrimp, fresh sauce. It was really incredible and the pungent sauce a bit spicy. We also had an octopus salad, but it was a warm salad with potatoes, also hearty enough to be an entrée. The octopus was some of the best I’ve ever tasted, sooo tender and fresh and went perfectly with the baby potatoes in the dish which were also cooked to a tender perfection. The sauce was light and airy, foamy, but not in a gross way and you could taste the quality olive oil, very authentically Spanish.

(I found this review by Scott Joseph that includes the pâté and octopus salad, with photos of each and it looks like my memory wasn’t too far off: https://www.scottjosephorlando.com/reviews/recent-reviews/136-mediterranean/3949-citricos)

I had asked Christina for a recommendation of wine to pair with our second course, telling her what I normally like to drink and her choice of the Castello Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio was perfect, with just the right balance of fruitiness and acidity to go well with both of the dishes.

We were able to take our time and enjoy our second course in peace with the help of a surprise toy for Asher in the form of a tiny bulldozer in a garage. I have learned to keep a few “purizes” in my bag to buy us more time to relax in restaurants, although we may have gone overboard while at WDW because now he asks for the “purizes” on the regular.

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No sooner than we finished the last bites of food, however, he announced that he needed a diaper change and that meant it was time to get the heck out, so no dessert for us this visit.

I loved how food-focused this restaurant is, sure you can have a nice view by the window, but it doesn’t really matter where you sit because the food is just incredible. The atmosphere was on the quiet side, save for the family that was allowing their two preschool aged children to run in a circle on TOP of the chairs at their table. Otherwise, a low key joint, but it may have been a bit quieter than usual because it wasn’t anywhere near full. Christina was a fantastic server and she knew how to pace the meal to meet our needs both as parents of a toddler and adults wanting a relaxing dining experience. She got the drinks and kid’s food out quick, slowed things down for our meal, then was speedy when we needed to make a quick exit. Between the service and food, this was one of my top signature experiences and I wouldn’t hesitate to return and request Christina if possible. Next time I have to try dessert though!

Up next, Day 4: Mama Hits the Proverbial Wall
 


I'm glad you had a great meal at Citricos. I've been wanting to try it for a while. What a great idea to do tapas style with multiple appetizers. I've been to restaurants where multiple appetizers appeal to me and never thought to do this.
 
I love how adventurous y'all are! everything ordered sounds delicious, can't wait to make my way over there.
 
Just found your report. Great to read along and hear about a dining experience with a little one
 
Hi Heather! Loving your report so far. Your son is beyond adorable! Can't wait for more
 
Citricos is our absolute favorite signature so I was very excited to see you were reviewing it, and super excited after reading how much you loved it!

We also started off with their delicious Kalamata olive bread, served with sea salted butter. It was great, we gobbled it up.
This is my favorite bread on property :cloud9: I have to stop myself each visit from eating all of it!

Christina totally got what we were going for, helped us figure out what should be our first and second courses, and made sure to put the orders in so that we would have two separate courses without being rushed.
Well that makes 2 awesome servers at Citricos. On all of our visits we've had Rony, requesting his section after we had him on our first visit. He is phenomenal, in my dining reports I've told others to request him! He's all that Christina is and more!

I loved how food-focused this restaurant is, sure you can have a nice view by the window, but it doesn’t really matter where you sit because the food is just incredible.
Exactly. On our third visit we were able to see high HEA fireworks from our table, but not on our first couple visits. Didn't matter at all. We did have nice views of the GF grounds which was good enough for us since the food is out of this world.

. Between the service and food, this was one of my top signature experiences and I wouldn’t hesitate to return and request Christina if possible.
:thumbsup2

Next time I have to try dessert though!
Yes you do!
 
We all shared the Tacos de Barbacoa: Seasoned Beef, Homemade Corn Tortillas, Mexican Rice, Refried Black Beans, and Red Salsa while Chad and I each had a Patrón Lime Margarita on the Rocks.
Totally agree on the tacos being a solid choice. They are surprisingly good for a QS, especially the black beans and rice. I went for the Cucumber and lime margarita which was refreshing too.

We got several more Fantasyland and Tomorrowland attractions in during our whirlwind of a morning and then the big baby started getting hangry. And I’m not talking about Asher.
Haha! Sounds just like my DH!

We also ordered the Safari Snack: Yucca Fries and Cucumber Planks with Dipping Sauce
Sounds like an interesting concept........is Yucca a root veggie? I think aioli would be better too.

S.E.A. Shu Mai: A legendary blend of Pork, Shrimp, Edamame Beans, and Spices wrapped in Gyoza Skin and the Orinoco Ida's Cachapas: House-made Corn Pancakes, Mojo-braised Pork, Black Bean Salad, and Avocado Cream. The shu mai were fresh and hot, with a strong briny fish flavor that I enjoy. The pork for the cachapas was tender and citrusy and went well with the whole kernel corn studded pancakes and accompaniments.
I really loved Skippers Canteen too and went for appies as my meal too. The joys of not being tied to the DDP!

The fish and chips were very good this trip. We’ve been eating them forever and have seen the quality wax and wane over time. The pieces of fish were very large this time, fresh tasting, and super hot just out of the fryer. The “chips” aren’t as good as they have been at times in the past, but I’m afraid the days of the more authentic wide cut chips may be over. They’re really just fries, but at least they’re not QS fries, they’re thick and do a good job of soaking up the malt vinegar that I pour all over my fish. The Bass Ale is IMO the perfect pairing with the fish and chips and this meal is one we have to do at least one time per trip, it’s one of our traditions.
UK fish and chips are fab!

Of course, when strolling trails in AK what one needs is a rum drink, so a stop at the Dawa Bar was in order. We each have our favorite from this spot, Sugar Cane Mojito for Chad and Lost on Safari for me.
Putting this on my must do list for my next trip!

Since it was lunch time and we were very hungry, we decided to go with Satu’li Canteen since it was so convenient and a good spot to get out of the brief shower that had begun. I used the mobile ordering so that I could quickly pick up the food while Chad waited with Asher outside. The patio area was a madhouse from people getting out of the rain, but inside there were plenty of tables and a much more peaceful atmosphere and we found a nice spot to enjoy our meals. I had the Slow-Roasted Sliced Grilled Beef Bowl: Slow-Roasted Sliced Grilled Beef marinated in a blend of Garlic, Herbs, Red Pepper Spice, and Red Wine Vinegar topped with Crunchy Vegetable Slaw and Boba Balls served with your choice of Base and Sauce, and I chose the Romaine and Kale Salad as my base and the Charred Onion Chimichurri. This was stellar! The beef had a wonderful chargrilled flavor, was cooked to a perfect medium, and both the salad and vegetables were fresh and crispy. The chimichurri went perfectly with the beef and was simply delicious. Asher had the same beef in a kids dish over rice and he also enjoyed it. I normally would have shared with him, but I wanted the salad and knew he would like rice, so I paid too much for a kid’s meal for a 2 year old, but at least Chad ate his leftover beef.

Chad’s entrée was the Sustainable Fish Bowl (MDE says it’s panko breaded, but I don’t remember that being the case) but he chose the quinoa vegetable salad base and the black bean vinaigrette. He enjoyed it very much and it was delicious from the taste I had, but I preferred my beef dish, mostly because of the chimichurri I think.
I loved the atmosphere in Saut'li too but I did not order well. Next time I am definitely going for one of the bowls.

Asher was hungry so we went ahead and ordered the kid’s appetizer of Cheese & Grapes with Crackers which was a huge hit and large enough to be his meal. There was a cup of Goldfish crackers, which was a major treat because it’s not something we eat at home (weird, I know), a large cluster of grapes, and three large pieces of assorted cheeses. The boy ate as though we hadn’t fed him in days, I think he was happy to have some basic familiar foods.
Citricos was one of our boys' first signature restaurants when they were little and the cheese and grapes was their fave appie too.

Our first course included a crab salad, which the current menu’s description doesn’t seem to match. It was constructed in a stack and involved watermelon, so it was more a summery dish. It was light and refreshing, the crab was very fresh and the flavor of the watermelon enhanced the sweetness of the crab. We also ordered the country pâté and were told it was the chef’s grandmother’s recipe. It was delicious and came with an assortment of accompaniments such as stone ground mustard, cornichons, and something oniony, can’t remember if it was a jam or marinated onions. We loved it and the Veuve was perfect with both of our first course dishes.

Our second course appetizer selections were more hearty and could easily have been entrées. The Key West Shrimp: Trofié Pasta, Puttanesca Sauce, Baby Spinach, Parmesan was a very nice size to share or have as an entrée for one person. Everything about the dish was fresh tasting—freshly made pasta, fresh shrimp, fresh sauce. It was really incredible and the pungent sauce a bit spicy. We also had an octopus salad, but it was a warm salad with potatoes, also hearty enough to be an entrée. The octopus was some of the best I’ve ever tasted, sooo tender and fresh and went perfectly with the baby potatoes in the dish which were also cooked to a tender perfection. The sauce was light and airy, foamy, but not in a gross way and you could taste the quality olive oil, very authentically Spanish.
I love making a meal out of starters. Sounds like an absolutely perfect evening with excellent service.
 
Hi there everyone! Trying to catch up on reading comments and other reports today. I hope to write another update soon if I can escape the nap trap. I have to lie down with Asher to get him to nap and sometimes I'm just so tired that before I know it...:faint:

I'm glad you had a great meal at Citricos. I've been wanting to try it for a while. What a great idea to do tapas style with multiple appetizers. I've been to restaurants where multiple appetizers appeal to me and never thought to do this.

Citricos is perfect for tapas style and our server acted as though it wasn't unusual at all, but I've found that to be true at most Disney restaurants. They never seem bothered by it and I frequently will get two appetizers instead of an entree.

I love how adventurous y'all are! everything ordered sounds delicious, can't wait to make my way over there.

I highly recommend it when you get a chance, the entrees sounded great too. I can't wait to go back.

Just found your report. Great to read along and hear about a dining experience with a little one

Welcome! Our little boy does pretty well in restaurants, so we took advantage with several table service meals. It's just not a vacation for me without some fabulous food. :thumbsup2

Hi Heather! Loving your report so far. Your son is beyond adorable! Can't wait for more

Thanks for joining in! Be on the lookout for your name to be dropped when I get to the Via Napoli review...:rolleyes1

Citricos is our absolute favorite signature so I was very excited to see you were reviewing it, and super excited after reading how much you loved it!

I think it may be my favorite signature now as well (of the eight or so we've been to), I just can't stop thinking about how perfect the entire meal was. It's definitely going to be on my frequent return list.

Sounds like an interesting concept........is Yucca a root veggie? I think aioli would be better too.
Thanks for your comments! Yes, yucca is a starchy root veggie, similar to potato but more fibrous. Asher usually loves it but what we get at our local Cuban place is cut fresh and what we had at Skipper Canteen was probably frozen. It wasn't bad, just not as good as what we're used to.
 
Day 4 – Sept 9
Mama Hits the Proverbial Wall

I was wrong about strolling over to GF the night before, I just remembered that it was raining a bit and we took the monorail, which was great. I love being at a monorail resort and hopping to restaurants when it’s raining. Citricos was the end of our evening because after such a leisurely dinner, it was Asher’s bedtime when we got back to the Poly.

Day 4 was a Saturday morning, originally intended to be a no-park morning because I have found that two rope-drop mornings in a row is my maximum before I need a proper breakfast and some lounging time. However, by now we knew the parks would be closed for Hurricane Irma the following two days, and there was some buzz from cast members about how low attendance was expected to be that day, so we took advantage and headed over to MK again. The opening show was just ending as we started up Main Street, which gave me a chance to get a latte at Starbucks as I was in major need of a caffeine boost. Since we were on Main Street and didn’t have any plans, I checked the wait to meet Mickey and it was just 5 minutes so we headed back to the theater for Asher’s first character M&G. He had been enjoying seeing the characters and waving to them and I felt it was time to see how he would do close up. It went great, he was completely in awe and maybe a little in shock, but still a good experience.

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We watched the trolley show and one of the performers came over to talk to Asher afterward (I’m pretty sure he swooned, she was very pretty), then we got right in line to meet Pluto and I think we pushed it too far, he was just way too overwhelmed by then. We did get a cute photo with Pluto before he decided he must escape.
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We spent the morning doing Tomorrowland and Fantasyland attractions with very low crowds, most everything was a walk-on, except for PP and 7DMT, but I think those were only 30 minute or so waits. It was great, but I was starting to feel the pain from too many park mornings in a row and we were all getting grumpy. We got a grumpy churro and a grumpy popcorn bucket over by Dumbo and Asher was driving me nuts wanting the bucket. Chad intervened and took the boy on Dumbo so I could eat my popcorn in grumpy peace. I skipped his first ride on Dumbo and didn’t even care by that point. (Never got the bucket refilled either. Oh well, it will make a cute trick-or-treat bucket.) By lunchtime there was heat, grumpiness, and hunger induced indecision on my part about lunch and snappy behavior from Chad about lunch and I was over it. It started raining while we were riding the carousel again and we ducked under cover by Pinocchio’s where a CM came out to give away free chocolate cakes. Why not? We put them in the stroller to have in the room for hurricane snacks.

It stopped raining after a bit and even though I didn’t really want to eat at MK, it was getting too late to get to a resort restaurant in time for The King's Lunch, so we (well just me because Chad was being a jerk) finally decided to try The Plaza since we had never eaten there and they now have my long-missed Figaro Fries on the menu that used to be at Pinocchio’s Village Haus. They call them Plaza Fries, but we all know they’re really Figaro Fries.

Off to The Plaza we go, get checked in, maybe a 10 minutes wait until we were seated in the side room with all the windows, which was nice because it was a bit quieter in there and my nerves were shot.

Right away we ordered Plaza Loaded Fries (Figaro Fries!!!): French Fries topped with Melted Cheese, Bacon, Lettuce, Tomatoes, and Ranch Dressing but we got the cheese and ranch on the side since Chad doesn’t eat much dairy. I think it was better this way because I could control the amount of those toppings and the fries didn’t get soggy. Asher ate some fries and some grapes that I also ordered for him right away since it was past our normal lunchtime. I think that was all he ate, it was so hot that day and I found he didn’t have much of an appetite when we had lunch in the parks.

Chad ordered the Grilled Reuben: Thinly Sliced Corned Beef on Grilled Marble Rye with Sauerkraut, Swiss, and Thousand Island with no cheese and fries for his side. He said the flavors were good, but the sauerkraut needed to be strained more and he ended up with French fry soup, which he was not at all happy with.

I ordered the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich: A Deep-fried Green Tomato served with Bacon, Arugula, Tomato, and Pepper Jack Cheese topped with Alabama White Barbecue Sauce on a toasted Kaiser Roll because I’ve read some positive reviews and it sounded like a fun sandwich. It was very tasty, the flavors all went very well together and it was hearty with the protein from the bacon and cheese. Now, being from Kentucky, I know that a freshly fried green tomato is very, very hot and you must let them cool before taking a bite, but y’all…Y’ALL. The tomatoes on this sandwich were practically still sizzling, like BURN YOUR FACE OFF HOT. So they’re very freshly fried, but should probably come with a warning label like McDonald’s coffee. I survived without any major burns, but only because I soaked my first bite with my ice water. The freshness is impressive, by any means.

The sandwich was quite big and I could only eat half. In hindsight, I wish I had just gotten a milkshake to go with the Figaro fries. I’m just not really a sandwich person, I hardly ever order them and when I do I almost always wish I hadn’t. It’s just too much bread, I would have rather had a plate of fried green tomatoes. I guess I could have ordered with no bun and it would have been a stacker type of thing. Hmm, maybe not a bad idea. I did take the half sandwich with me, but it was terrible cold and I tossed it. Next time, a strawberry milkshake it will be. I mean, if you can’t have a glass of wine, may as well load up on dessert, right?

After lunch we dragged our tired selves back to the Poly via some means or another, Asher and I passed out for a nap while Chad did hurricane preparation on our vehicle. A very nice DVC marketing CM helped him put the luggage topper inside our Subaru Forester. I don’t know what else Chad did, probably pool or worked out over at the GF fitness center. He ended up getting much more free time during naps than me, so not fair. Jealous.

After nap I headed over to the GCH at the Poly by myself to take care of some business or another, mostly to escape the boys for awhile, and I also had a drink at Tambu Lounge. I’ve always gotten the Lapu Lapu here and I wanted to try the Backscratcher, so I did, ended up not being a fan. I didn’t like the whiskey flavor, so much in fact that I didn’t even finish it. Crazy town. Chad and Asher showed up to ruin my mommy solo drinking time and we tried to check out Trader Sam’s, but it was packed. The resort was filling up with evacuees from South Florida and they were having a great time.

This day was also planned to be laundry day and we were running out of clean clothes. Chad decided that he absolutely had to go back to MK that evening with the promise of zero crowds and while I thought that sounded like a blast, my legs were jello and I didn’t think I could manage it, plus laundry had to be done. Chad took Asher over to MK for some daddy-son bonding time and I drank some of the wine I brought with me (Bonterra Sauvignon Blanc) on our balcony in between trips to the DVC laundry room. Not a bad way to do laundry, I must say. Dinner that evening had been the noodles from Captain Cook’s for Chad and myself and some food we brought with us for Asher. The noodles weren’t bad, they actually had a bit of spice to them, I was surprised. Like some Disney QS though, it was way too much food. I ate half the bowl and was stuffed.

Chad and Asher had a marvelous time at MK, I still have lingering regrets about not going, but it was good for them to have some time together. According to Chad, the place was empty, they walked through Frontierland and didn’t see another single soul (until they got to Haunted Mansion anyway). They also scored a pile of sweets that the CMs were giving away at MK, presumably because they would have to throw them out with the parks being closed for two days. Candy corn cotton candy, a Halloween decorated marshmallow stick, and an M&M rice krispie treat all made it back to our room. They were all too sweet for our liking, but we did munch on the cotton candy occasionally over the next couple of days.

The boys made it home and we did our bedtime routine and went to bed without any real plans for the next two days, not a bad thing at all.

Up next Day 5: Disney Knocks it “Out of the Park(s)”
 
Well if you're at Disney and a hurricane is coming and you know you're gonna lose a few park days, I guess no to low crowds is a pretty good consolation prize. Glad to see you all enjoyed and the boys got some time together.

Everything at the plaza sounds YUM! We haven't been in a few trips, but now that figaro fries are there its definitely in the cards for our next trip
 
Day 5 – Sept 10
Disney Knocks it “Out of the Park(s)”

We woke up to a gray, drizzly morning on Sunday, the first day of the park closures for Hurricane Irma. We figured breakfast would be a madhouse with just one restaurant operating, so we quickly got dressed and headed over to hopefully beat the rush. It was still very quiet in the GCH, I guess most people were sleeping in, and we were one of the first to go into ‘Ohana for the buffet breakfast.

They had pastries and fruit lining the window into the kitchen near the front of the restaurant and it looked very nice with flowers and pretty trays and baskets. In the middle of the restaurant where the skewers are normally cooked, they had set up a hot buffet around that semi-circle counter area. We were seated over by a window overlooking the pool and saw the lifeguards preparing to open, not sure if they ever did, but we heard they at least planned to try to open the pools as long as there was no lightning.
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Our server came over and took our drink orders, coffee for both and I asked if the POG juice was available and it was, so yay! We then helped ourselves to the buffet, following our usual buffet procedure which is that I get food for myself and Asher first, then Chad goes up to get his food. It’s not ideal, but it works well enough that I don’t mind buffets. It gives us a chance to tag team eating and making sure the kid eats.

The buffet was full of all the normal ‘Ohana breakfast fare, just buffet style, which I preferred because we could get only the items and amounts we wanted. Food waste drives me nuts and I despise leaving piles of uneaten food on a table, which inevitably happens when dining family style. I always think about how much they could lower prices if they just brought out smaller amounts of food to begin with.

Anyway, there were eggs, sausage, Mickey and Stitch waffles, potatoes, biscuits, and get this @Lisa F …a huge pile of bacon! I just had to LOL, I mean it took a hurricane to get some bacon at ‘Ohana. I know we’ve heard you can request bacon, but still, pretty funny stuff. It was good bacon too, thick and crispy. I don’t even remember seeing the ham, but maybe I just blocked it from my memory.

OMG, I remembered to take a food photo. Not the most attractive, but here ya go.
food.JPG

Everything we had was tasty, the eggs were kinda meh, but I rarely like scrambled eggs at Disney restaurants. It was all just as good as the normal breakfast there, the service was a little lacking, but I was fully aware they were trying to get people in and out efficiently, so no complaints from me. The only food I noticed missing was the pineapple bread, but that wasn’t terribly disappointing.

We’re sitting there enjoying our food and to my great surprise I look across the restaurant and see Lilo & Stitch making the rounds to tables! I couldn’t believe it!!! So not only did we get bacon, we got to see Stitch at our table instead of going through the line before sitting down. I was elated, maybe a little ridiculously so, but I had decided to cancel the normal ‘Ohana breakfast because I just wasn’t feeling it and then we ended up getting the bacon AND the Stitch!

Asher was still charactered out and did weird stuff when they came around, but it did make for a funny photo op.
asher and stitch.JPG

After that awesome encounter, Asher decided it was time for us to get out (code brown) and as we’re getting the check I see Captain Hook and Mr. Smee starting to make the rounds!!! I was so excited I could hardly stand it and my husband kindly offered to take the boy back to the room for diaper change so that I could stay and get photos. So nice! He totally gets points for taking one for the team so I can be a little girl for a few minutes.
hook.JPG
smee.JPG
This breakfast was pretty awesome and the best part? It was $15 per adult! Crazy town, right? I am so impressed with that pricing when guests were going to be stuck eating there anyway, they could have charged whatever and we would have paid it. And characters to boot? So awesome.

After breakfast we got to see some of the shenanigans in the lobby—Lilo & Stich were playing with the kids, coloring, having dance parties, there was even a red carpet dog show hosted by Stitch! It was a blast and really cool to experience.
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It was all wasted a bit on Asher since he doesn’t know that’s not the norm, but he had fun for awhile until it all got a little too loud and overwhelming, then another toddler was mean to him over a silly toy, and a meltdown ensued. It was rough, don’t really want to re-live that one, so I’ll just say we eventually made our way back to the room after Chad calmed the boy down and they played in the rain. We had a quiet lunch using our food supplies in the room and a much-needed nap after that.

After nap Asher played with his new monorail remote control toy that I had slipped back to buy before nap. He never asks for toys in shops, but he kept talking about this one after we were back in the room, and well, who can resist a monorail toy? I had also called and added two days to our stay, so I needed to go talk to someone at the front desk about staying in the same room. Great excuse for some mommy alone time and after taking care of business I browsed the shops by myself for a minute. That didn’t last long because Chad showed up with the boy just as I was thinking about getting a drink from Tambu Lounge. We each had a Lapu Lapu while Asher played in the lobby waiting area with two nice little girls. I didn’t want to deal with the big pineapple, so I asked for them in glasses, which was no problem and cheaper since it was rang as a refill. Somehow they weren’t as good as I remember though, maybe the pineapple adds an extra punch of flavor? Or maybe my tastes have just changed, it was a little too sweet for my liking. Still fun though because, rum.

They were seating for ‘Ohana dinner and we went ahead and signed in because the weather was getting a little more hairy, the wind was picking up and there was a general sense of impending doom. We were seated pretty quickly, ordered a glass of pinot grigio for me and another Lapu refill for Chad and we were off to the buffet.

So dinner buffet was a similar set-up as breakfast, with salads and breads in the window up front, hot foods on the semi-circle in the middle, and in addition there was a carving station set up along the inner wall. I got myself a salad and some red bell pepper for Asher which he loves. The salad was fine, I think it was their normal salad and dressing with the dressing on the side, which I prefer.

On the hot buffet they had all the usual ‘Ohana dinner sides: wings, pot stickers, noodles, stir-fry veggies…I might be forgetting something. Pretty much just the normal offerings and they were all fine, but everything tasted too sweet for me like it always does there, which is why it’s not in our normal rotation.

The carving station was a creative replacement for the normal meat skewers and I really enjoyed the beef tenderloin they had. I was able to get a slice that was perfectly medium and a smaller more done piece for Asher. It was very tender and had a great flavor which was even better with the chimichurri type sauce they offered with it. I guess I shouldn’t rave on and on about it since it’s not something one would normally encounter unless riding out a hurricane, but I was impressed with the quality. There was also some fish, salmon I think, that Chad said was just okay, he agreed that the tenderloin was very good.

Instead of bread pudding (sad face), they had a couple of tables with the typical Disney buffet mini desserts. We tasted a few and they were okay, but nothing stood out. It was time to head out though, they had stopped seating and our server graciously brought around a carryout container and encouraged us to fill it with food to take back to our room. Nice touch! We didn’t need any more food as we had plenty, but we did snag another couple of little desserts that we hadn’t tasted to enjoy with some coffee in the morning. This buffet was a completely reasonable $20 per adult and they accepted TIW as they also had at breakfast that morning.

It was a very windy and rainy walk back to the room, but we had learned how to cut through another building to stay out of the rain a bit. We chilled, drank wine and rum drinks from our stash, and watched local news the rest of the evening to track the storm’s path and status. Finally we decided we better get some sleep while we could, got everyone tucked in, and listened to the wind whistling around the building.

Up next, Day 6: “I guess that was the roof…”
 
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That's a cool set up for breakfast and wow is that a cheap price for a buffet at Disney. And the dinner buffet being on $20, I wish Disney always had these reasonable prices. And how cute that Captain Hook and Mr. Smee were there, they're my favorites.
 
First of all....your title rules, and second of all, your son is ADORBS. He has a look of mischief about him, as does my 4 year old. Super cute.


Asher’s first monorail ride was a hit and thus began our obsessive hand sanitizing due to his insistence on holding onto poles, handles, rails, etc.

Why do they have to touch EVERYTHING?!?!? LOL
 

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