Tiki Central / General Tiki / Trader Sam's - Orlando
Post #742540 by Hurricane Hayward on Fri, May 8, 2015 1:07 AM
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Hurricane Hayward
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Fri, May 8, 2015 1:07 AM
I'm back from my second visit to the Grog Grotto on May 2-3, the first being back on March 31 when it first opened. My review of that visit is a few pages back on this thread: There will be a full, measured review of the food and drinks on The Atomic Grog, but that may take a few weeks since I've got lots of other stories in the works. So I thought I'd share a rough draft and some quick impressions. I'll also include info on the logistics and how I dealt with getting seats in the bar, which may help those visiting in the coming weeks. It's only going to get worse during the busy summer season. I was actually planning on hanging out on the Tiki Terrace on Saturday night but couldn't find any empty tables shortly after it opened at 4. Beware that the patio fills up fast now, especially on weekends. It's first-come, first-served, so I would advise getting there before 4 if you're planning an early visit. They don't take your name, so you're forced to wait or keep checking back for seats. My wife and I were meeting up with two other couples and had a party of six. Most of the tables are for four, which is another issue to consider. They do allow you to walk up to the service bar and order, so you could grab a drink and hang out for a while until a table opens.
By this time, it was 4:30 and we wanted to sit and talk, so we headed up to the Tambu Lounge. On the way, I grabbed a pager from the door staff at the Grog Grotto and was told there was a 1-2 hour wait. When I walked by there an hour later, I overheard them telling people three hours. I assume you'll need to get there at least an hour in advance to be one of the first 50 to enter, at least on the weekends. We were in no rush, so I enjoyed a Backscratcher at the Tambu, though it too was pretty crowded at this hour with the dinner crowd for 'Ohana starting to gather. (It opens at 1 if you want to get an earlier start.) We found some chairs and couches in the waiting area and were able to have our meet-up and hang our for an hour or so. Our party shrunk to four, so we checked the Terrace again. Still no seats. So we moved on to Plan C. We headed out to the boat dock and grabbed some drinks at the pool bar along the way. The weather was great, so this was another pleasant way to spend the wait for our pager to go off. Though the pool is now gated for resort guests only, there's a bar area (with seats) outside the gate on the marina side. We were the only ones there, and we also had the dock pretty much to ourselves with great views and a nice breeze. So the wait for the Grog Grotto definitely does not suck. Even the pool bar's standard Mai Tai seemed decent enough. After about two hours of waiting, our pager went off. We were lucky enough to grab the round table in the left corner as you walk in, next to the lighted shadow box and Nautilus painting. This is one of the best tables, IMHO. It's away from the hubbub yet also affords views of everything. The Uh-Oa! was a surprise favorite. Even Mrs. Hurricane enjoyed it, and she's hard to please. I also had a Castaway Crush (only get this if you like cachaca) and she had a very well-made Dark & Tropical Stormy, another one of her favorites. I also tasted our friends' Zombie and Mosquito Mojito, which was very light. This is for newbies only.
We had the chicken lettuce cups, which were a bit on the bland side but fresh and serviceable. The Headhunter Sushi Roll was the best of the sushi dishes with a tasty sauce elevating it. Saturday was the better of the two nights service-wise. Our "skipper," Natali, was the best I've encountered so far. She was attentive, knowledgeable and didn't over-do the schtick. The crowd was also mellow, which seemed to keep the antics throughout the room to a minimum. You do get a different experience at a table with a server than you do sitting at the bar, which we did in March. My skippers during that visit (Adam and Chris) were fine, but because they're also making drinks and dealing with servers and other issues, they have lots of distractions. I would tend to cut these guys a little slack if they don't give you their undivided attention. There's no such excuse for the servers. The Mrs. and I returned on Sunday night and met up with AceExplorer and his better half. I think he got in shortly after opening, but we had a 30-minute wait around 8 p.m., which wasn't bad at all. Note: Off nights are much shorter waits, at least for the time being. There were again no seats in the Tiki Terrace, however, so we just killed time in the lobby and Boutiki, where I grabbed a Grog Grotto T-shirt. They were out of the Aloha shirts and pins. Oddly, it was much rowdier inside the bar on Sunday (more locals and cast members?), and the skippers were also a bit amped up. But it didn't affect our experience too much since everyone seemed to be into it. The show they all put on for the Nautilus was amusing. We sat at the surfboard table with a larger group while we waited for a table for four to open. This is not a bad spot if you're not shy about meeting new people. The service from Skipper Kory was quick and professional, and the views from that table are among the best.
I had the Tahitian Torch (very tart and sweet, but also balanced and refreshing) and Mrs. Hurricane had Rosita's Margarita, which wasn't her favorite but it was drinkable. It has a heavy tequila and falernum taste, which I thought was distinctive. The Salmon Oshizushi was decent, but not as good as the roll from the previous night. A bit on the bland side. But the Pan-Fried Dumplings were much better than our initial visit in March. They were a lot crispier and the sauce seemed a bit tangier. We moved over to the small table directly under Uh-Oa! for our final drinks. It's not the best seat in the house, but I like the view you get of the entire room. The Kahlua Pork Tacos were another dish that seemed better than our initial tasting. The bread was crispier and the meat seamed to be more seasoned. Perhaps the chef has worked with the staff to improve the execution since the opening. The drinks were also pretty much on-point. Though I did taste a HippopotoMai-Tai that AceExplorer ordered that seemed out of whack. Too much Bols curacao? It's not the best brand anyway, so it needs to be precise. We ended the night with the last drink that I had yet to try, the mighty Nautilus (mahalo to AceExplorer for helping out!). Did I save the best for last? It was definitely a surprise, ranking right up there with the Uh-Oa! It certainly helps redeem the list of drinks specific to the Grog Grotto. This one must have been farmed out to an expert outside the Disney beverage department. It's reminiscent of a classic Tiki bowl, with nice balance and many flavors at play. I could taste the Appleton and Barbancourt rums, the peach liqueur, falernum and probably lime juice. It reminds me just a bit of a Three Dots and a Dash.
I've only had three visits, so my experience is anecdotal, but I get the feeling that food and drinks have improved slightly over time as the recipes are fine-tuned and the staff perfects their execution. As for the much-discussed performance of the skippers, it's really going to depend on who's working that night unfortunately. After our great experience Saturday, it looked like almost a completely different crew on Sunday and we encountered one of the more brash skippers (to put it politely) for our final order. It seems like there needs to be a lot more consistency with these cast members, particularly the ones working the floor. But I'm trying to keep in mind that this is supposed to be a fun place that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's not intended to be a craft cocktail bar by any means. I'm not going to make any sweeping statements nor compare it to the original at Disneyland. I've not yet been there, so that would be impossible anyway. But I'll happily review the food and drinks. Here, then, is my first rating of all the Trader Sam's Grog Grotto cocktails based on one or two tastes of each. I'd rather wait and conduct further research, but it may be months until I return and I thought this might be helpful for those who only have one chance to visit and need some guidance. As usual, it's based on my personal taste, but I also took into account Mrs. Hurricane's input as well as some of those whom I drank with. I consider taste, originality, complexity, presentation and other criteria. It's the same rating system I use for anything I taste: A 1-5 scale that can just be doubled to fit into a 1-10 scale like The Grogalizer. So, subject to later updates, here we go ...
TRADER SAM'S GROG GROTTO COCKTAIL RATINGS Rating: 4.0
Notes: These are all very good and heartily recommended. All of them pack a punch, rare for a Disney cocktail, and also have fine balance and quality ingredients. It doesn't hurt that these are also the three best mugs available, and they also come with a show. Rating: 3.5 Notes: The Mai Tai and Dark & Stormy both follow the classic recipes, so no originality here. But they're both well-done and worth trying. The Pearl is by no means a classic cocktail, but it's original and has some nice exotic flavors. Folks who like creamy drinks will enjoy it. Note that the Mai Tai and Pearl also trigger special effects. Rating: 3.0 Notes: These are all solid baseline drinks. Nothing special, but they may appeal to specific tastes. Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum is a poor man's Painkiller. The Torch is sweet, tart and not too heavy on the booze. And the Margarita and Crush should please those who like tequila and cachaca. Rating: 2.5 Notes: I'd like to give the Krakatoa an incomplete rather than a low rating, but the one I tasted was way too sweet and out of balance. It's a shame since it triggers one of the better special effects. I'll definitely try this again to see if it improves. The light Mojito is OK, just not substantial enough to be rated any higher. Not rated: Spikey Pineapple (available on the Tahitian Terrace only). I'd consider this Dole Whip spiked with Barbancourt Pang Rhum more of a dessert than a cocktail. I'll be trying it in the future, and I'd expect it to be somewhere at the bottom of the top 10. Recommended small plates: Headhunter Sushi Roll, Kahlua Pork Tacos, Pan-Fried Dumplings. Also worth your time: Roasted Chicken Pork Pate Banh Mi Sliders, Corn-Battered Portuguese Sausages. Not impressed by: The bland Chicken Lettuce Cups and Salmon Oshizushi. Not yet tried: Hawaiian Poke. I hope these tips will keep some potential guests from surviving the jungle and not losing their heads. Okole maluna!
The Week in Tiki * Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide [ Edited by: Hurricane Hayward 2015-05-08 01:25 ] |
