Determining the reasons that certain restaurant advance dining reservations continue to be difficult to acquire can be perplexing. Often, the reasons directly relate to the high quality of a dining option. However, this sometimes fails to be true. Some restaurants reside off the beaten path leading to greater availability. Whereas a few restaurants have four times more seating than others. However, a consistently highly desired dining reservation would be Beaches and Cream Soda Shop.

The reason this dining location runs out of advance dining reservations will be obvious if you visit here. The table service dining space would be considered small compared to most dining options. When you combine that with the fact that people are drawn to the ice cream options here, reservations will disappear quickly.

View from the walkway to the Boardwalk area.
Photo by Jon Self

If you are unfamiliar with the Beaches and Cream Soda Shop, this would be located at the Beach Club Resort. The actual dining location can be tricky to find since it is located on the poolside of this resort hotel. If you enter from the main entrance of the hotel lobby, you will need to walk past several other amenities of this resort hotel before then going outdoors to find Beaches and Cream.

The Kitchen Sink dessert

My main objective of this trip to Beaches and Cream involved trying one of their new shakes. Dessert serves as the focus here. During my lunch at Beaches and Cream, I witnessed a few “Kitchen Sink” desserts being delivered. They used a “whole can of whipped cream.” Yes, “a whole can of whipped cream” was enjoyed by many. We chose not to get the infamous “Kitchen Sink” dessert here.

The food blogger’s dilemma for this day revolved around what to have for lunch before dessert. My dining companion for lunch, GooToYou!,  decided we should go with the Reuben Sandwich. Since I had three more dining reviews to do that day, I went with his suggestion to avoid thinking too much. The Reuben Sandwich costs $19.00. This comes with a side of fries. The fries look like steak-style fries so you can avoid the standard Disney fries at this place. The menu description told us to expect corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and thousand island dressing with this sandwich. Also, the sandwich uses marbled rye bread.

Photo by Jon Self

So how was this sandwich? Well, I sadly report I enjoyed it more than the dessert later. The bread comes well grilled. Since I enjoy rye bread, this bread set a solid encouraging tone for this sandwich. The corned beef portion size exceeded my expectations. In fairness, my expectation for lunch here would have been low. The dressing balanced well with the bread, cheese, and sauerkraut. The classic style sandwich came with cheese melted creating some yummy creamy goodness.

However, the bread displays an inability to hold up to the purpose of containing the sandwich fillings. Almost immediately, a corner of the bread broke apart. The dressing failed to pair well with the corned beef though. If you got a bite of corned beef without the other components, that weakness appeared.

This sandwich presents something besides a basic burger and fries. That change of pace elevates this option. I would have preferred something besides a fried side item, however.  If you are someone who avoids these types of sandwiches due to the sauerkraut, I found the sauerkraut merely plays a supporting role in this act of sandwich theatre. Based on the limited menu here, this sandwich offers a slight diversion from the norm. I would not race here to order this sandwich again. Yet, if you find yourself here for a meal in advance of a highly anticipated dessert, this sandwich makes a good choice. So, I went to Beaches & Cream and all I got was a decent sandwich and a shake. Not sure Walt Disney World can market a shirt with that on it but it describes my lunch here.

Remember advance dining reservations can disappear quickly here. I set a MouseDining alert for Beaches and Cream. Then, I received several alerts before obtaining the time slot I wanted. My final reservation alert that I used appeared in my email inbox about 10 days before this meal. Good luck to you if your group wants to tackle the meals and desserts here. As always, eat like you mean it!

Several of these new items drew the attention of this food blogger. Since I swing into Homecomin’ often to refill my sipper, I examine the menu regularly.

Some of the new menu items are:

Promo Photo from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin social media

JASPER BOARD-This arrives at your table as an assortment of Southern charcuterie. Shaved honey ham, smoked sausage, country ham, pimento cheese, chicken salad, tomato-bacon jam, B&B pickles, candied pecans, crostini, and their house-made crackers for $28. All fans of charcuteries should enjoy this one.

Promo Photo from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin social media

BRITTON’S CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH-Guests may enjoy Britt­on Smith’s recipe of pulled chicken, celery, grapes, Duke’s Mayo, and savory spices. This comes with lett­uce and tomato on artisan bread for $19

Promo Photo from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin social media

SKILLET-FRIED CHICKEN PAILLARD-Art Smith decided to put his own spin on a piccata. The bu­ttermilk-brined chicken is pounded thin, hand-breaded, and skillet-fried. Then, it receives a topping with lemon butt­er, garlic &capers. This comes with roasted potatoes and grilled asparagus for $28.

Promo Photo from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin social media

CHOPPED BLT SALAD-This consists of double-chopped iceberg le­ttuce with fried green tomato, pecan-smoked bacon, blue cheese crumbles, heirloom tomato, and red onion, tossed in blue cheese icebox dressing and drizzled with balsamic reduction for $18.

Promo Photo from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin social media

BRUNSWICK STEW- This savory tomato-based broth is slow-cooked with pulled pork, chicken, peas, corn, lima beans, and fresh herbs, Guests receive artisanal toast on the side for $14. The menu description emphasizes this stew function as a commonplace weekend meal item across the South.

Promo Photo from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin social media

BARBECUE-GLAZED PORK CHOP-Their signature blueberry barbecue sauce perfectly complements this thick-cut, chargrilled pork chop. This comes with their sweet potato mash and Southern green beans for $37.

Promo Photo from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin social media

In addition to those items, a new side, some beverages, a new dessert, and another appetizer have been added to the menu. Some of these items will only be around for a seasonal run though. Regarding new sides, a “Sweet Potato Mash Skillet” recently appeared on the menu for $9. You can have this as a side with your entrée or order it by itself for $9.

Promo Photo from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin social media

Dessert fans should prepare for the new “Hot Fudge Bourbon Brownie.” This dessert costs $14. The menu description tells us that we will get a dark chocolate brownie garnished tableside with our warm bourbon chocolate sauce. This sounds like dessert with a little entertainment.

Promo Photo from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin social media

Though not in the latest social media post by Homecomin’, their menu added a “new” fried pickle appetizer recently. These hand-cut spears are pickled in-house, crispy fried, and served with remoulade. These cost $16.

Promo Photo from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin social media

For the alcoholic beverage lover, Homecomin’ added two new drinks. Guests may purchase a “Cranberry Gin Fizz” and/or an “Espresso Martini.”

Promo Photo from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin social media

The style at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ continues to draw diners. Please comment below if you make it to Homecomin’ before me to try these new items. As always, eat like you mean it!

Why do some types of food have so many different variations? I often feel like some chefs make up a recipe as they go. Even though I know that fails to be true, can you think of a time you ordered a certain item at one restaurant and then ordered the same entrée at a similar restaurant, but they tasted nothing alike? For example, when living in SE Asia, I got a chicken stir fry dish at one table service place which tasted okay. Then I ordered it at a nearby table service place with a similar menu description, but it arrived at my table with very different ingredients. During that experience, my friends started calling this the “stir fry effect.” When then we started looking at other food items that vary wildly in preparation style. Back then, we came up with gumbo, tiramisu, shrimp, and grits as good examples of this phenomenon.

Photo courtesy of main Street Magic Podcast

I know there exists more, but this is a review of the Shrimp and Grits at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’, so I will stop the list there. However, especially being originally from the southern portion of the USA, I have seen grits prepared in countless ways. In addition, the seemingly standard idea of shrimp and grits looks and tastes very different depending on when and where you order it. Just glancing through restaurant menus in the Orlando area alone, I see about 10 variations of what they call shrimp and grits. Some use chorizo sausages with shrimp. Another used chicken with shrimp. The sauces used with these creations vary widely. Thus, this brings me to the southern USA comfort food recipe of Chef Art Smith.

At his restaurant, the menu description reads “pan-seared shrimp with tomato gravy and Tasso ham served over creamy Bradley’s grits. These will cost you $28. The basic presentation of these looks average. However, when dining one time with someone with a slight allergy to garlic, I got to see a version of this entrée “de-constructed.”

For the record, on that occasion, the manager came out to chat with my friend. The manager did an incredible job of explaining that almost everything in that dish had garlic. As the manager chatted with my friend, he also had a headset on talking with a chef, back in the kitchen, about options. The conclusion was to allow my friend to control the amount of sauce by bringing it on the side. The tomato sauce/gravy holds the largest percentage of garlic. Per usual, Walt Disney World restaurants handle allergy issues with great skill. This experience serves as no exception. Also, from chatting with the chef and our server, it appears a slightly less garlic-filled version of this tomato gravy got created for my friend.

Photo courtesy of MainStMagic.com

Having said all of that, this version of shrimp and grits provides an incredible depth of flavor. The creaminess you would expect from grits at Homecomin’ rings true with this. Even a toned-down version of tomato gravy brought rich flavor to the dish. The ability to control the amount of sauce serves as a bonus in my option. The ham and shrimp taste wonderful. On a side note, you get large pieces of shrimp here unlike some other excellent places in Disney Springs serving shrimp and grits. Yes, I am talking about you Boathouse. The shrimp, in this Chef Art Smith-inspired creation, brings additional flavor adding to all the other goodness contained within this entrée.

Photo Credit: Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’

I think you can tell that I would recommend this entrée. Yes, this is another time I recommended something besides chicken at Homecomin’. This place offers great service (yet, sometimes a bit slow) and a wide variety of quality food. I guess that explains why it remains tough to acquire advance dining reservations. As I have written before, I have used MouseDining several times recently to acquire and adjust reservations here. I have an alert set right now for Homecoming for an upcoming trip. In that case, I have selected a very specific time on a busy weekend. If you see several more reviews from Homecomin’, then you will know I had success. I wish you success with your advance dining reservation at Walt Disney World. As always, eat like you mean it!

Sometimes in life, things do not add up correctly. Logic dictates that the more expensive products will be better. The adage “you get what you pay for” sometimes fails to be true. For example, ever bought a new more expensive cellphone only to find out it could not do the things your old one did? Ever priced the cost to move that heavy expensive piece of furniture or a piano wondering if owning that was worth it? Theme park fans know the pain of this sometimes at $65 character meals. You do not always get what you paid for. More expensive and/or more desired sometimes leads to disappointment. Today’s dining review revolves around that concept.

Promotional Photo from T-Rex Cafe

Writing in partnership with MouseDining, I utilize the data gathered by MouseDining regarding searches for advance dining reservations. In terms of the most searched for advance dining reservations in Disney Springs, as of time of writing, first place belongs to T-Rex Café. I know many factors add into this place having more desirable reservation than Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ and the Boathouse. Yet, no one should ever argue that T-Rex offers better food than those places. Why is this place more desired even though it offers inferior food to almost every other place in Disney Springs?

Well, Disney Springs targets adults. T-Rex Café and Rainforest Café target kids. Many grandparents, for example, want to visit Disney Springs. They tend to appease the grandchildren by going here. Some guests see the big themed exterior and heard about the themed interior as a draw to dine here. However, let us be clear—you do not go to T-Rex Café for the food. The food here costs as much, if not more, than many of the other excellent restaurants within Disney Springs. In fairness, T-Rex café offers food around the level of many table service level chains like Applebee’s and Chili’s. However, T-Rex Café tends to cost more for similar products.

For example, during a recent trip to T-Rex Café, I attempted to find a good “safe” option for adults dining here. I traditionally suggest a burger or one of the pasta dishes. Neither of those classify as great. Yet, they qualify as “safe” here. On this trip, I decided to order a Cobb Salad. Yes, it felt wrong to order this type of salad from anywhere besides Hollywood Brown Derby. Yet, I did. For record, the price of the Cobb Salad at Hollywood Brown Derby went up two dollars on the day I am writing this.

So, what did I think of the Cobb Salad from here? The portion size of this salad deserves praise. For the $22.99 price point (about same price as at Hollywood Brown Derby), I would have wanted more ingredients, but I knew I was at T-Rex Café. The menu description reads “grilled Chicken, tomatoes, black olives, blue cheese crumbles, chopped egg, bacon, (and) balsamic vinaigrette dressing.” The dressing comes on the side with this salad. I found the appearance and construction of this salad different than I expected.

All the ingredients of this salad provided decent flavor with two exceptions. The bacon tasted below normal expectations. In less polite terms, the bacon lacked real flavor. For all my bacon lovers out there, please forgive me for having to tell you that. Also, the dressing, on this evening, failed to add anything positive except a bit of moisture to the salad.

Even though I was surprised by the flavor of some of the ingredients like the cheese and eggs, the overall flavor was just okay. For same price as one at Hollywood Brown Derby, this needs to taste better. Also, for a Cobb style salad, some of the lettuce pieces were far too large. This reduces the dining enjoyment a bit.

If you select T-Rex Café for a meal during your time at Walt Disney World, then you should expect average food. Do plan for loud noises also. The best reason to visit T-Rex Café relates to enjoyment for your kids and grandkids. Having said that, this salad might function as a good option if you find yourself here. As always, eat like you mean it!

Celebrity chefs fail to be a new thing within the Orlando area. The theme park resorts continue to have a fascination with these chefs and their cuisine. Two of the most highly searched for advance dining reservations at Disney Springe relate to famous chefs, Iron Chef Morimoto, and Art Smith. The ups and downs of celebrity chef restaurants can be seen throughout the world. Concepts change and/or get replaced as time goes on. One example revolves around Wolfgang Puck. Back in 2020, A counter service dining location known as Wolfgang Puck Express closed in Disney Springs marketplace area. Of course, many places closed or greatly modified their operations because of the pandemic. However, for Wolfgang Puck fans, the Bar and Grill table service version still exists. By the way, the food has always been far better at the table service version than the former counter service location, especially the pizza.

Promotional Photo from Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill Disney Springs

The conundrum for some Disney Springs visitors connects to how to enjoy Wolfgang Puck cuisine when not desiring a full table service level meal and/or that expense. The counter service location used to aid in that endeavor. I lack a perfect solution. Yet, in doing research on the table service Wolfgang Puck location I learned a few facts that might help. In addition, this site already published a review here of the Heirloom Apple Salad if you would like to read that.

Wolfgang Puck offers a lunch style menu from 11am-3pm Monday through Friday. They also offer a lunchtime menu on the weekends but a far shorter amount of time since they serve a brunch menu then also. For those missing the counter service variety of Wolfgang Puck, the lunch options here will offer far more quality without hurting your vacation budget as much as you would expect. For example, during a weekday lunch time visit here, I ordered an appetizer and entrée. Together they cost $31 plus tax and tip. These could have been shared between two people making a very cost-effective lunch.

On that afternoon, I ordered an appetizer of Roasted Meatballs. For my entrée, I selected the Salmon Burger. Deidre, my server, did a fabulous job of putting up with my food blogger antics and constant queries. For example, I asked her specifically for items exclusively on the lunch menu. This combination serves as the final solution on this afternoon.

The Roasted Meatballs appetizer costs $12. Based on the menu description, they only contain tomato sauce, basil, and ricotta cheese. Obviously, this starter comes with three larger meatballs.

When it arrived, it offered a nice aroma. At first, the large spoon that came with this threw me off. Yet, as I examined this appetizer, the spoon provides perfect assistance to enjoy these meatballs. The basil brings a clear flavor. The tomato sauce tastes okay but the main purpose is to bring other flavors together in this combination. I would have preferred more ricotta but that might have thrown off the balance of appetizer. The meatballs in the sauce arrive on your table very warm. They remain warm for some time. This appetizer could end up being messy with the sauce so be careful. Still, I used the large spoon provided. That reduced the mess factor. Also, this helped with getting the right balance of sauce with each bite of meatball.

After completing that appetizer, I started eating my entree. The Salmon Burger costs $19. This burger comes with avocado, butter lettuce, onions, tomato, and tartare sauce. Once again, this does not appear on the dinner menu.

This burger comes stacked high. The avocados and tomatoes on top of it can fall out as you eat this as a burger. I ate this like a burger until the last four bites. The construction of it holds us nicely for a tall burger. I received a nice portion size of salmon. The tartare sauce adds a solid but understated flavor. My biggest criticism of this burger involved not enough sauce in contact with the salmon. Based on burger construction, the avocado resides closest to the top layer of tartare sauce. I felt the burger tasted better without the layer of avocado blocking tartare sauce on top. Still, the burger offered solid flavor either way. The salmon itself brough good flavor and reasonable texture. In fact, I had two bites of just salmon at the end of my meal which shows the salmon came well prepared.

The burger came with a side of fries. They were shoestring style. I received a large portion, but they were seasoned nicely.

Based on my order, this meal could have been shared between two people for lunch. Feeding two people for $31 before tax and tip for a quality lunch at Disney Springs is no small feat. This lunch menu gives you several ways to accomplish feeding two people with an appetizer and entrée. Do not forget about Wolfgang Puck’s weekend brunch as a fun experience if visiting Disney Springs on a weekend. As always, eat like you mean it!

When one ponders signature dining at Walt Disney World, Topolino’s Terrace must be included in that conversation. Since Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera opened, the menu there increased the class of dining on the property. In addition, this table service location continues to be a highly searched-for dining reservation. Guests should be ready 60 days before this one. Of course, you could set an alert on MouseDining.com as I did. I acquired a recent dining reservation for this place two weeks before enjoying the food there, On that evening, I planned to enjoy the new seasonal dessert offered there.

Disney Parks Blogs released a list of Thanksgiving-themed food and beverage items. The “Caramel Chocolate Mousse with Hazelnut Cheesecake” appeared on this list from Topolino’s Terrace. The menu description, in typical Disney fashion, leaves out some information about the menu item. The menu description reads, “apple walnut cake, chocolate sea salt crumble, and cherry foam.” I suggest that the description undersells this item. Being a Topolino’s Terrace dessert, it features a great design and a larger-than-standard price tag. This seasonal dessert costs $14.

On the positive side, this desert looks great even before you start to eat it. The mousse comes well-prepared. The combination of flavors creates a pumpkin-like flavor that will not turn away even people who dislike pumpkins. The caramel and hazelnut flavors get their place to sparkle also within this dessert. The light but sweet flavors provide a satisfying end to a meal here. Though hard to nail down the exact percentage of each component, the imagery of a pumpkin works well for this Thanksgiving treat. The mousse itself shines as the star of this dessert. The cherry foam added a nice fruity element to this dessert also.

On the less positive side, the apple walnut cake worked with this dessert. Yet, it failed to be able to stand on its own. This cake portion on the bottom needs the other ingredients to be high quality. The chocolate sea salt crumbles were of high quality but added very little on this night. The chocolate piece on top of the mousse brought decent quality but was below Topolino’s standards.

If looking for a different seasonal dessert, this one provides a very solid option. If dining with a large group, this dessert might make a good one to share along with others for dessert time. This dessert will be available through November 27th, 2022.

Of course, you will need a reservation here unless you are lucky enough to find a slow enough night to enjoy the bar area. Even if this dessert lacks appeal for you, the entrees here exceed expectations. However, a discussion of my entrée will need to wait for another review. As always, eat like you mean it!

The beautiful Kona Café reopened on November 1^st, 2022, after about two-and-a-half months of refurbishment. Walt Disney World’s website stated, “Kona Cafe at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is currently unavailable due to refurbishment. We will reopen on November 1, 2022, with an enhanced table-service experience. What does an enhanced table-service experience look like? Depending on when you read this, the breakfast review will already have been published. I had breakfast and lunch advance dining reservations at Kona Cafe for reopening day. I then sat in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort typing about my experience. This is the result of that quick typing.

A few weeks in advance, Disney Parks Blog gave us some clues about menu adjustments starting November 1^st. For breakfast, we received more information. However. very little information was gained from that report about lunch and dinner. Thus, I arrived with limited preparation for appetizer and entrée choices. I did enlist the help of Goo to You! in evaluating the dining options on reopening day. Disney Parks Blog told us that several items would be returning to the menu like the Big Kahuna Burger and Seafood Pu Pu Platter. Those words confused me since neither of those items currently exists on the lunch and dinner menus. Of course, then I remembered that the burger at least was on the menu before virus times. However, the Seafood Pu Pu Platter has been an on-again then-off-again type menu item.

Still, the new lunch menu looks like a very scaled-back version of the dinner menu. For example, only two appetizer options appear on it, pot stickers and chicken wings. Sure, you can get various options of sushi if you desire. In fairness, the Kona Café menu fluctuates. My comparison connects to the menu right before closing for refurbishment as shown on Disney’s website a mere few days before the November reopening.

The lunchtime menu offerings do come with a bread service at the beginning making a nice touch. For lunch, our group ordered the Big Kahuna Burger and the Kona Stir-Fry with Chicken. These cost slightly under $25 each. The stir fry tasted very similar to the previous version of stir-fry here. If you like a strong Teriyaki sauce-based stir fry, then this one will be great for you. The stir-fry features plenty of vegetables with large slices of carrots. The chicken provided a needed protein. Yet, I found this chicken a bit dry and did not have as much flavor as other places on-site at Walt Disney World, like Raglan Road for example. Overall, stir-fry makes a nice meal but would not be a meal to race to get.

The Big Kahuna Burger returned. It resides on the lunch and dinner menu. This well-prepared burger comes with sautéed pastrami, corned beef, pepper jack cheese, mustard aioli, and a tangy cucumber, on a brioche bun. This will be served with standard Walt Disney World fries. Yet, the portion size of the fries looked very filling. This burger provides a nice meaty taste. On this day, the combination of meats created a salty aftertaste on several bites. The burger qualifies as juicy which is always a good thing with a burger. The brioche bun made a nice touch but gets overwhelmed by other components. My GooToYou! companion thought this burger was a good option at the Polynesian Village Resort.  My hesitation about this burger relates to the $24 price point. That might be a bit high for this type of burger.

Overall, I thought my lunch experience failed to live up to the level of breakfast experience earlier in the day. The scaled-back menu does not offer enough variety for most guests in my opinion. On the GooToYou scale, I would give this a 3.3 out of 5. Yet, Kona Café serves its purpose at this resort. If I were wanting to dine here, I would select breakfast or dinner instead. As always, eat like you mean it!

The food and beverage options at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort shine as an impressive group, This deluxe-level resort has something for any taste. The current most-searched-for advance dining reservation, Ohana, serves as the flagship of the dining options. Whereas people line up for hours just for the opportunity to enter Trader Sam’s. Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort contains numerous pool bars. Of course, the Tambu Lounge calls to others. Capt. Cook’s provides a decent counter service option within this resort. However, a fan favorite Kona Café has been closed since August 15^th. Yet, the Kona Café reopened on November 1^st.

This reopening was lauded as coming with a new and improved Kona café. Disney’s website said, “We will reopen on November 1, 2022, with an enhanced table-service experience.” What would be enhanced about it? Would the menu change? What would happen to the highly regarded Tonga Toast, if anything?

Disney Parks Blog gave us a bit of an update about the menu on October 18^th. They reassured fans that some breakfast favorites have cemented their place on the menu. These included the Tonga Toast and Pineapple Macadamia Nut Pancakes served at breakfast. Disney stated that these two are fan favorites for a reason. In addition, guests can see new lighting fixtures, better seating, improved signage, and plenty of tropical flowers decorating Kona Café now. This more open concept aids in dining enjoyment.

Kona Café did “soft open” two days early with a limited new menu. This provided some test runs with the new menu in addition to the special private events held there in the days leading up to the official reopening. A small glimpse into what reopening day would look like was gained on those days. Yet, the official reopening day functions as the real test.

Well, lucky people including me, enjoyed breakfast at Kona Café on November 1^st. Thus, I can give you my perspective on the changes and some of the menu items in this updated Kona Café.   Since the Tonga Toast and Pineapple Macadamia Nut Pancakes remained on the menu, I selected some other options for my breakfast. Also, I requested help from Knights Treks in evaluating some of the new breakfast options. I appreciate them joining me.

I ordered the new Spice Rubbed Salmon Plate. This costs $17. This unique breakfast item arrives with an incredible presentation. The appearance of this entrée will lure diners into this dining experience. The menu description sounds very plain. I suspect that it is to allow chefs to change recipes after guest feedback since is a new item. The description simply reads that the salmon comes with pan-Asian accompaniment. That description undersells and oversells certain aspects of this breakfast entrée.

Regarding the taste of this breakfast entrée, the salmon was good quality. The cheese wrapped in it complimented it nicely, adding a good flavor. Despite the appearance of my photo, I thought the portion size of the salmon to be adequate for this type of entrée. Yet, the other components do not add as much to this entrée. Also, I found the cheese and thin bagel-like bread failed to match all the powerful flavors of the rest of the entrée. In fairness, those may have been intended to be a balancing feature for this entrée. I just did not think it worked very well on this day

As mentioned, I feel this new item served today will be tweaked as time goes on. Yet, I suspect some guests will find the texture difficult. This breakfast item offers some excellent distinctive flavors but may be far too unique for most theme park diners. I found this to be an excellent departure from the standard eggs and sausage breakfast though.

My dining companions ordered the signature Tonga Toast and the Ham & Cheese Omelet as entrees. They also ordered the “Freshly Brewed Joffrey’s Coffee™ Hawaiian Kona Maragogype Press Pot.” They found the pressed pot wonderful. We even spent some time looking for that coffee blend in the gift shop. The Tonga Toast continues to be a wonderful breakfast entrée if you do not mind a heavy sugar-filled breakfast. The omelet serves as one of the “safe” dining choices. My dining friends said that the omelet and potatoes provided a solid flavor.

The newly reopened Kona Café fulfills a need a Disney’s Polynesian Resort for breakfast. This table-service dining option will not kill your budget. All our entrées were $17 each. For a breakfast of this quality at a deluxe-level resort hotel, this makes reasonable value. In fairness, this place is not Ohana. Yet, Kona Café does not try to be Ohana (or cost as much as Ohana). The adjustments to the breakfast menu, at Kona Café, and the old favorites provide guests with some outside-the-norm breakfast dining options. All three of us dining together on reopening day agreed that we would eat here again. Since it is too early to determine the demand for advanced dining reservations here yet since reopening, I suggest making an advance dining reservation to enjoy this food and setting. As always, eat like you mean it!