Tipsy is as Tipsy Does - A February '17 Dining Adventure - Complete 8/15

[kastoney]

Is that a Boma in your Belly or are you just Happy to See Me?

After our late adult and kids night we slept in the next day as we intended to hang around the resort for most of the day. We were able to score a morning of reservation at Boma, which was a new restaurant for us. As a lot of you know we are not buffet fans in general, but we do enjoy Tusker House so we figured Boma would probably be up our alley.

After a long 50 yard or so walk to the restaurant, we were quickly seated and sipping on some delicious POG juice.

We also got a pot of their African pressed pot coffee.

This wasn't as good as the Kona pressed coffee, but had a nice chicory flavor and after our indulgences the night before was much needed.

We quickly made our way to the buffet and here is my first plate.

We have starting at 1200 Turkey Bobtie, Chakalaka sauce, Pap, Beef Hash, Watermelon Rind Salad, and Avocado and Papaya Salad. The beef hash has was hands down my favorite. It was sweet and savory and had a great buttery crust. I also enjoyed the turkey bobtie, but not as much as the beef version over at Tusker House. They did add some veggies to this version which was a nice touch. I also loved the watermelon rind salad. The rind still tasted of watermelon, but had a very tart flavor. Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of the pap or the avocado salad. The ladder wasn't bad, but the papaya and avocado really didn't go well together. And the pap (grit like substance) was pretty plain, but did go nicely with the spicy tomato chakalaka sauce. The cheesy pap at Tusker House is far superior to this version.

For round 2 I got some asparagus (don't ask I have no idea why this hit my plate at 1000 am), more yummy beef hash, goat cheese and chive eggs, quinoa, plantains, and bread pudding.

Like the first plate this one didn't disappoint (except for the aforementioned asparagus). The plantains were cooked to perfection and tasted like a caramelized banana. The goat cheese eggs had a nice tartness to them and with the addition of some red sambal hit the spot. The quinoa was nothing special and largely just tasted like overcooked oatmeal. But the piece de resistance was the bread pudding. Which was sweet and dense and went perfectly with the praline sauce I doused it in. Reminded me of the version they have at trails end.

For my crew, Casey's plate is what I like to call carb on carb on carb.

She ended up eating half her donut, an ear of her mickey waffle and a bit of fruit, which is why I hate having to pay for her at buffets. She has a great palate and will eat just about everything, but we share just about all our meals because she eats like a total bird.

Casey was quite proud to take this picture of Jason's plate.

I didn't write down what he had but it looks like some of the yummy bread pudding, eggs, and maybe some biscuits and gravy.

Overall we enjoyed Boma. The food was largely the same as Tusker House, but the buffet was a bit bigger so they had some additional offerings. I'm not sure I'd head over there if I wasn't staying at the lodge, but after a tipsy night it did our bellies good. With our tables in wonderland card we saved $14.40

After breakfast we spent some time wandering the hotel so Casey could earn some beads.


She ended up earning 3 and loved every minute. AKL really goes above and beyond in the cultural things they do for kids.

We spent the rest of the afternoon poolside with Casey doing some of this

And me doing more of this

This was another CocoJito and it hit the proverbial spot.

Eventually it was mid afternoon and while I was still full from all the boma in my belly, someone eventually called me out on not feeding her lunch. So whats a Mom enjoying a drink by the pool to do, order another drink and give your kid cheetos for lunch of course

#TipsyVacationLunch

We eventually made it back to the room to get cleaned up for a night in MK and dinner in one of our favorite restaurants.

Up next, slushi extravaganza....
​

 

[disneyAndi14]

A buffet just a few steps away is a must after a tipsy night ha ha. The different options look very tasty. We love TH breakfast but have yet to try Boma at breakfast time. We did have dinner several years ago and did enjoy it.

It looked like a nice day to relax and chill out at the pool.

We will be in WDW the week of Thanksgiving, I know we are crazy but Andi's 18th Birthday will be on 11/26 and we will be at Disney so we are excited. I didn't even know there is a marathon in early November, is FW still going on as well? That will be a plus.

 

[amberpi]

Teaching Casey to earn beads young? She'll be ready for Mardi Gras anytime now...

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Yes, Naples really slows down in Summer when all the old rich people go back north! His restaurant is in the middle of a resort area that is heavily affected by season.

Boma breakfast looks like a hit for you! We've always been happy with it as well.

I love your idea of lunch. It's almost as bad as my watermelon pop rock slushy I had for dinner last night!

 

[ariane37]

goat cheese and chive eggs,

bread pudding.

These were my two favorite things on the buffet

. I'm not sure I'd head over there if I wasn't staying at the lodge,

Yeah, that's the thing. I loved it; Steve thought it was ok but he's not a big breakfast guy. So to get him over there when we're not at AKL wouldn't be that easy, but I totally missed not eating there when we stayed at Kidani in May.

The only thing better than giving your daughter Cheetos for lunch, is when they're old enough that you can tell them to "find something to eat, I'm busy"

 

[pepperandchips]

I promise one day I will use my computer and properly comment BUT for now I am obligated to tell you that when we were at the Grand Californian I finally got to try the cocojito thing with the coconut water and it did not disappoint! Still waiting on the master's recipe (that would be y'all of course) but I am definitely going to be trying my hand at it on the Fourth! Hope you and yours have a great vacay!!!

 

[buzzrelly]

She ended up eating half her donut, an ear of her mickey waffle and a bit of fruit, which is why I hate having to pay for her at buffets. She has a great palate and will eat just about everything, but we share just about all our meals because she eats like a total bird.

Ugh…that's what my DD does, AND I have to pay adult prices for her I try not to think about it too much or I would drive myself crazy! And I would never do this at home…only at Disney

She ended up earning 3 and loved every minute. AKL really goes above and beyond in the cultural things they do for kids.

Adorable

This was another CocoJito and it hit the proverbial spot.

That looks refreshing. I do like Mojitos, though I've only had one…ever. Maybe I'll try this...

Eventually it was mid afternoon and while I was still full from all the boma in my belly, someone eventually called me out on not feeding her lunch. So whats a Mom enjoying a drink by the pool to do, order another drink and give your kid cheetos for lunch of course

MOTY She doesn't look like she minds! Good call

 

[Sailormoon2]

Cocojito added to the list of AKL drinks!!! Is that its actual name or your invention?

 

[KathyM2]

So whats a Mom enjoying a drink by the pool to do, order another drink and give your kid cheetos for lunch of course

Of course!!! This is awesome and I plan to do much of the same when lounging by the pool!

 

[Raeven]

And the pap (grit like substance) was pretty plain, but did go nicely with the spicy tomato chakalaka sauce.

Agreed about the pap, I should've tried it with the sauce!

But the piece de resistance was the bread pudding.

Yes YUM!

For my crew, Casey's plate is what I like to call carb on carb on carb.

I'm with Casey on this one I had a carb on carb on carb plate too.

 

[texas200]

Thank you for taking the time to write your reports! They are very informative and fun to read.

 

[FSU Girl]

Your Boma food looks good, although I think my plate would probably look more like Casey's than any of the other plates lol. I'm a bit of a picky eater and I think I ate there once for dinner when I was a lot younger with my parents and didn't like anything. The pool area looks nice, I'm excited to spend a day by that pool soon.

 

[Vernie822]

THIS IS SO CUTE. I was a cheerleader/dancer for many many years back in the 90's/early 2000's. Looks like she is having a ball.

I'm sure these would have been wonderful, but as you can probably guess from my photo snagged from the food blog, they never arrived. Our entrees came out in fairly short order, so we just let it go.. But I'm sure they could have been delicious.

I was going to comment, wow, great picture quality... What a bummer that you never actually received them!

They did an amazing job and I will officially retire DTD from my vocabulary. But MGM you still gots a lot to prove.

Wow, retiring DTD!! Maybe once Star Wars/ Toy Story lands open up, MGM will earn the title of DHS? Watch they'll probably change the name.

Per Jason this was really just a gin mojito instead of a rum one and he wasn't very impressed. All the drinks at paddlefish were expensive (this one was $16) and did not live up to the price tag. The drinks at Nomads lounge far eclipsed these and were literally half the price!!!

OK, I can't pony up $16 for a drink either!!!! I mean I will once or twice on vaca but I tend to stick to beer/wine because I at least know I'm getting my money's worth. I don't mind $11-12 for a mixed drink but I just can't believe some of these places think $15-16 is okay.

CRAB FRIES!!! As a girl who grew up right around the corner from the Chesapeake Bay, I love, love, love crab and these did not disappoint. The fries were skin on and fried to perfection. They reminded me of something you'd find on the boardwalk at the beach. The went immensely well with the creamy louie sauce (think creamy chili sauce) and were piled high with crab. I was supripsed with the quantity and quality of the lump crab meat. My guess is both will go down over time, but as of February these were on POINT!

These sound divine. I have been meaning to get to Paddlefish for these and the lobster guac.

I know I love a superlative, but...BEST. RIBS EVER PERIOD The meat was fall of the bone tender, but these were also fried so they were simultaneously crispy and tender. The sauce was sweet with a little bit of spice and that perfect sticky consistency that just makes you wanna lick your fingers. I wish we'd ordered a whole rack as 3 was not enough. We will no doubt be back for these again.

I have heard so many praises sung about these ribs!!!

Now it could have been slightly tipsy induced, but OMG these were so good. The drop style biscuits were southern granny style perfection and the chicken was moist and crispy with just the right amount of heat from the honey. I could have devoured about 10 of these. After the ribs, these were probably the second best thing we ate all week!!!

YUM. I never met a chicken biscuit I didn't like but these sound delicious.

The mac in cheese was in Jason's West Virginia estimation, legit, and creamy and decadent. Not quite on par with Narcoosse's lobster mac and cheese or the truffled one from Yachtsman, but for good ole Americana mac and cheese pretty darn good. Unfortunately I can't say the same for the collards. I'm a huge greens fan so normally I would have devoured these, but they were oddly sweet in a way that was off putting and we really couldn't eat them. We tried to spice them up with some tobacsco, but it just made a pile of sweet tobacasco which as you can imagine wasn't good.

That mac and cheese is where it's at!!! So glad you guys liked Homecomin'G!

No idea when I'll get to our HOMECOMIN' dinner in my dining report since I can't figure out how the hell to get pictures here now that photobucket has s&*t the.......bucket on me, but you'll see our mac n cheese was a tad different than yours. I almost had that red sangria too but I was in a beer mood that night. Glad you enjoyed everywhere you went! The views from the top of Paddlefish look gorgeous but for this non-seafood loving girl the late night menu doesn't offer much.

Hahaha, that's where I'm at too.. WTH Photobucket!? I need to get it together but I am slacking. RIP Photobucket.

 

[Flounder0715]

So glad I found your dining reports, Kari (full disclosure, I've gone back and read your previous reports too). You and Jason have truly given me and my wife something to aspire to when we arrive at the World in August. Many adult beverages will be consumed in the August heat as we attempt to wrangle our 3 kids (DD10, DD7 & DS5, none with the refined palate of young Casey). Our dining plans aren't nearly as adventurous as yours, but I have gotten some really good ideas on snacks and beverages we definitely need to try. We already tried to re-create the Cocojito while visiting friends in Pittsburgh this past weekend and they were really, really good (so good we needed to get a 2nd bottle of coconut rum mid-weekend).

 

[Tracy161]

after our indulgences the night before the coffee was much needed.

For my crew, Casey's plate is what I like to call carb on carb on carb.

Ooooh! Sounds like a typical Friday night on the couch for me

Excited to hear about your night at MK!

 

[kastoney]

A buffet just a few steps away is a must after a tipsy night ha ha. The different options look very tasty. We love TH breakfast but have yet to try Boma at breakfast time. We did have dinner several years ago and did enjoy it.

Yeah you really can't beat a buffet within stumbling distance

We will be in WDW the week of Thanksgiving, I know we are crazy but Andi's 18th Birthday will be on 11/26 and we will be at Disney so we are excited. I didn't even know there is a marathon in early November, is FW still going on as well? That will be a plus.

Happy almost 18th birthday to Andi. What a perfect place to spend it in. The wine and dine half is the first part of November, so F&W will still be going on which we are beyond excited for.

Teaching Casey to earn beads young? She'll be ready for Mardi Gras anytime now...

You of course will not be shocked to know that I've done more than my time on bourbon street

Yes, Naples really slows down in Summer when all the old rich people go back north! His restaurant is in the middle of a resort area that is heavily affected by season.

Funny I think of Florida when I think of summer not wanting to get out of there. Related aside we were at the beach in Virginia the last week and I ran into a family there from Florida. For the life of me I couldn't understand why someone would drive from the beautiful beaches of Florida to Virginia.

I love your idea of lunch. It's almost as bad as my watermelon pop rock slushy I had for dinner last night!

Almost, but I think your slushie takes the cake.

hese were my two favorite things on the buffet

We were just destined to be friends

Yeah, that's the thing. I loved it; Steve thought it was ok but he's not a big breakfast guy. So to get him over there when we're not at AKL wouldn't be that easy, but I totally missed not eating there when we stayed at Kidani in May.

I think you and Jason will have to go to breakfast someday and Steve and I can just make other plans. Breakfast really isn't my thing and even this week at the beach poor Jason was begging to go out for breakfast everyday. His wish finally came through today. I just had a bloody mary

The only thing better than giving your daughter Cheetos for lunch, is when they're old enough that you can tell them to "find something to eat, I'm busy"

Oh how I long for that day. She still struggles with getting herself water so we have a little bit to go.

I promise one day I will use my computer and properly comment BUT for now I am obligated to tell you that when we were at the Grand Californian I finally got to try the cocojito thing with the coconut water and it did not disappoint! Still waiting on the master's recipe (that would be y'all of course) but I am definitely going to be trying my hand at it on the Fourth! Hope you and yours have a great vacay!!!

Hi there!!!! Great to see you back here.

Glad to hear you loved the cocojito as much as us. We may have made 1, 2, or 10 on our beach vacay last week

Ugh…that's what my DD does, AND I have to pay adult prices for her I try not to think about it too much or I would drive myself crazy! And I would never do this at home…only at Disney

Heck, you are better than me cause I do it at home too. Just today I amended what I ate for breakfast so I could share with her instead of shelling out money for something I know she would barely eat. I don't even want to think what it will mean when she is a disney "adult."

That looks refreshing. I do like Mojitos, though I've only had one…ever. Maybe I'll try this...

ONE MOJITO????? That must be rectified. They are a summer drink of the gods

MOTY She doesn't look like she minds! Good call

I'm sure I'll be accepting my award any day now

Cocojito added to the list of AKL drinks!!! Is that its actual name or your invention?

I'd love to say it was my invention, but that was the name. So delicious!

Of course!!! This is awesome and I plan to do much of the same when lounging by the pool!

Sounds like your birthday trip will be pretty close to awesome then

Agreed about the pap, I should've tried it with the sauce!

I really was disappointed with it. Pap is hands down my favorite thing at Tusker House so it being so bland was a huge disappointment.

I'm with Casey on this one I had a carb on carb on carb plate too.

You guys can have the carbs I'll stick to the yummy proteins

Thank you for taking the time to write your reports! They are very informative and fun to read.

Thank you so much. Glad to hear you are enjoying them!

Your Boma food looks good, although I think my plate would probably look more like Casey's than any of the other plates lol. I'm a bit of a picky eater and I think I ate there once for dinner when I was a lot younger with my parents and didn't like anything. The pool area looks nice, I'm excited to spend a day by that pool soon.

Thankfully for us Casey isn't a picky eater, but that plate shows where her real food passions lie instead of what her Mama makes her eat the rest of the time Hope you enjoy AKL as much as us.

THIS IS SO CUTE. I was a cheerleader/dancer for many many years back in the 90's/early 2000's. Looks like she is having a ball.

She definitely loves it. Still working on the rhythm, but having fun is what its all about.

Wow, retiring DTD!! Maybe once Star Wars/ Toy Story lands open up, MGM will earn the title of DHS? Watch they'll probably change the name.

Sadly after 20+ years of disappointment I think it will take more than Star Wars land or Toy story to get me off of MGM

OK, I can't pony up $16 for a drink either!!!! I mean I will once or twice on vaca but I tend to stick to beer/wine because I at least know I'm getting my money's worth. I don't mind $11-12 for a mixed drink but I just can't believe some of these places think $15-16 is okay.

Yeah, their prices were just utterly ridiculous and not at all worth what you got. I'll be curious to see if they end up reducing them because there is no way they aren't getting flooded with complaints. In no world should my app with lump crab meat cost more than the liquor I'm drinking.

So glad I found your dining reports, Kari (full disclosure, I've gone back and read your previous reports too). You and Jason have truly given me and my wife something to aspire to when we arrive at the World in August. Many adult beverages will be consumed in the August heat as we attempt to wrangle our 3 kids (DD10, DD7 & DS5, none with the refined palate of young Casey). Our dining plans aren't nearly as adventurous as yours, but I have gotten some really good ideas on snacks and beverages we definitely need to try. We already tried to re-create the Cocojito while visiting friends in Pittsburgh this past weekend and they were really, really good (so good we needed to get a 2nd bottle of coconut rum mid-weekend).

Hi there! So glad you found the reports and are enjoying them. You'll most definitely have to report out on all the drinks you and your wife have. I love disney, but drinking in disney is infinitely better What plans do you all have for your trip? Adventurous or not disney eating is a thing of true pleasure.

Glad to hear you all enjoyed the cocojitos. We are at the beach this past week (ironically with my best friend who is from Pittsburgh) and may have had a few ourselves

Ooooh! Sounds like a typical Friday night on the couch for me

Excited to hear about your night at MK!

You and Casey would get along wonderfully

 

[Flounder0715]

Hi there! So glad you found the reports and are enjoying them. You'll most definitely have to report out on all the drinks you and your wife have. I love disney, but drinking in disney is infinitely better What plans do you all have for your trip? Adventurous or not disney eating is a thing of true pleasure.

Glad to hear you all enjoyed the cocojitos. We are at the beach this past week (ironically with my best friend who is from Pittsburgh) and may have had a few ourselves

After reading all of the delicious dining reports in preparation for our trip, I think I may have to take a stab at one upon our return.

We are on the regular DDP and currently have ADRs (I know, I know) for O'Hana breakfast, 50s PTC dinner, Tusker House breakfast, Biergarten dinner, BOG PPO breakfast and HDDR. I've been trying to squeeze an O'Hana dinner in after seeing all of the scrumptious looking photos of the dinner but especially the bread pudding. Haven't been able to land one yet, but I'll keep trying since we don't arrive until 8/24.

 

[kastoney]

After reading all of the delicious dining reports in preparation for our trip, I think I may have to take a stab at one upon our return.

We are on the regular DDP and currently have ADRs (I know, I know) for O'Hana breakfast, 50s PTC dinner, Tusker House breakfast, Biergarten dinner, BOG PPO breakfast and HDDR. I've been trying to squeeze an O'Hana dinner in after seeing all of the scrumptious looking photos of the dinner but especially the bread pudding. Haven't been able to land one yet, but I'll keep trying since we don't arrive until 8/24.

I hope you do give a report a whirl. I love doing them since it keeps the trip alive for a while longer Looks like you have some good food planned. We especially love HDDR and Tusker House! Definitely keep looking for an Ohana ADR, especially in the days leading up to your trip. Since we book last minute most of the time, I see it available way more often than one would think

 

[kastoney]

Sleepy Slushi

After our afternoon poolside and Casey's nutritious Cheetos lunch, we headed to MK for the evening posing for a castle pic on our way in.


From there we laughed with a couple of monsters, rode through tomorrowland on our beloved pooper, whirled through space, and flew through Neverland before we stopped for some needed sustenance.

She was clearly grateful we were finally feeding her.

Then it was back to hitchhiking with a couple of ghosts, pillaging with some pirates, mining with some really short men, and finally having a very dizzy tea party.

We had planned to watch Wishes at that point, but someone who had spent the day poolside and whose parents had barely fed her was getting tired and requested we just leave. Good news is we had dinner reservations not to far from MK. Better news is we got to see some semblance of wishes. Bad news is this was already happening.


We arrived at our dining destination - California Grill - about 30 minutes early but thankfully with the post Wishes crowd clearing out they seated us right away and someone got her 3rd or 4th wind of the day.

Funny aside as Jason was taking this, I had a sneezing attack (and I have the most annoying high pitched gotta sneeze at least 3 times in a row sneeze) and he was gracious enough to capture the moment.


We of course had to start with some drinks. Jason got some sort of fancy craft beer in a can.

And I got the Double Apple Mule, cause you know I'm not going to pass on anything boozy with double in the title.

This was Crown Apple, Laird's Applejack, Sour Mix, Fever Tree Ginger Beer and while a little tart for my liking, it also had a bit of spiciness to it that I really liked.

Needing to get something beyond cheetos and popcorn in our child we started with their featured flatbread: Duck Confit with walnuts, goat cheese, figs, and microgreens.

We've had a few flatbreads at California Grill over the years and this was by far my favorite. The duck was spectacular and it paired nicely with the goat cheese and figs. It could have used some balsamic or something to add some moisture to it, but I'm really just splitting hairs at this point. My budding food critic did mention she thought there was too much flour on the bottom

For dinner we knew exactly what we wanted tonight. SLUSHI (aka sushi for those that don't speak Casey) and we got 3 rolls to share.

Starting on the far left is the Truffle-scented tofu roll with Avocado, Jicama, Quinoa, Crispy Fingerlings, Silken Tofu, and Truffle Emulsion. The truffle flavor on this was perfection, but otherwise it was a little bland. Casey loved it, but Jason said it tasted like a piece of wonder bread. And you know what, add a little truffle and that is exactly what it tasted like and had the consistency of.

In the middle is the Lobster Roll with Maine Lobster, Avocado, crispy Noodles, Fireball-Yuzu-Truffle Sauce. Because there is no such thing as too much truffle this was very good. It had huge chunks of lobster which went great with the truffle sauce and I loved the addition of the crispy noodles for some crunch. We were happy customers.


Last up, we have my favorite of the night: Tuna Three Ways which came with a spicy tuna roll, a seared tuna sashimi, and a tuna and watermelon combo. The spicy tuna roll was pretty standard fare, but the seared tuna was unbelievable as it had been slightly smoked and actually tasted a bit like bacon. But my favorite was the tuna with watermelon which is a combo I'd never heard of before, but the sweet watermelon paired really nicely with the tuna and the heat of the jalapeno really set it off.

To go with our slushi Jason and I got a bottle of our favorite white wine: Michel Redde "Les Tuilleres" Sauvignon Blanc from the Sancerre region.

The sommelier here turned us onto this briny wine a few years ago and it is the perfect accompaniment to slushi.

By this point we still had more wine to drink and this was happening so we decided to order dessert.

While we were waiting the sushi chef came and talked to us for a while and we had a great conversation about DC restaurants.

For dessert we ordered the Honey Crunch Cake which is a Lemon-Honey Olive Oil Cake, with Autumn Spiced Poached Pears, Artisan Honey Ice Cream, and White Chocolate.

Wow, was this amazing and it was as good as it is beautiful. The cake had a subtle olive oil flavor but the honey really came through and it went perfectly with the pears. Someone woke up at this point and ate all the ice cream and white chocolate, which was fine by me because I was content with the beautiful cake.

Overall this was another amazing dinner at California Grill. I think we've eaten here on every trip we've taken, because it never disappoints. You of course can't beat the views, but we especially love the ever changing menu and them continuing to challenge themselves to put out new and exciting dishes vice keeping status quo. With our tables in wonderland card we saved $36.10.

We ended up taking a taxi back to the hotel so we could get our tired little girl to bed.

Up next, more Tipsy AK fun!

​

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Everything looks so yummy! I haven't been to California Grill in quite a while-- I need to change that! I love what an adventurous eater Casey is. As a kid I wouldn't have touched duck or sushi. To be honest, I'm still not sure about duck! Making a note of that wine to try! Flying Fish had an appetizer featuring tuna and watermelon and the flavor combo wowed me as well. Will have to check this version out.