Behind the Scenes at Trader Sam's Grog Grotto, a review.

I just got back from the Grotto's first day of their first offering to the Food and Wine Fesitval. tldr version: it would have been great if my expectations had been in line with reality. As it was, it was good but I left feeling underwhelmed.

I'm a special case. The following experience almost certainly will not apply to you.

I signed up for this two days before it went on sale to the general public, when Disney Visa card holders and DVC (or AP?) people could reserve a spot. At the time it was just a name: Behind the Scenes at Trader Sam's Grog Grotto. I signed up for e first day offered, and asked "is there any food at this event? I'm a vegan." They didn't know, but recommended I tell the host or hostess when I arrive.

Last week, after abstaining from looking up any information about this event (I like to be surprised,) I had that conversation hanging over my head and decided to see if there was any more information. There was!

"Prepare for Zombie encounters of the delicious kind during this idyllic tropical lunch!
Escape to a Shangri-La filled with carved totems, shrunken heads, exotic cocktails and food fit for King Kamehameha himself. This entertaining dining event teaches attendees how to mix dark and light spirits into the specialty beverages made famous at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, an iconic Tiki-themed eatery that brings island fantasies to life!

Each mouthwatering morsel promises to whisk Guests off to the balmy shores of Bali H’ai, where swaying palms and native cultures sing “come to me, come to me.” Hear all about the restaurant’s mystical history, sample tasty dishes that reflect the kitschy, colorful environment and receive a souvenir mug to commemorate the experience!"

Oh, there WILL be food. I called the reservation line again and asked that they indicate that I was a vegan.

None of this information was communicated to the venue before I showed up in line. I enthusiastically commend the chefs for rolling with this and providing me with four delicious courses of food, which they had not expected to provide. It is a testament to their skill and their commitment to providing the customer with the best possible experience. They have my thanks and my gratitude.

The event was five courses, food paired with a drink:

Shrunken Zombie Head with Portuguese sausage corn dog (this was a small Zombie served in one of their rum shot mugs)
Passion fruit scallop ceviche with Hawaiian black salt, aioli and tomatillo purée paired with Krakatoa Punch
Deconstructed shrimp and guacamole (oak grilled shrimp, avocado fritters and fresh salsa) paired with Kentucky Spiced Cocktail (a new drink)
Marinated grilled lamb loin with roasted sweet potato purée and sautéed book chop topped with rum glaze paired with Fog Cutter (not in their cocktail menu)
Shrunken head red velvet rum cake paired with HippopotoMai-Tai

They explained how to make each drink before serving it. They demonstrated every effect the bar has to offer and went through (I believe) every joke in their repertoire. If you've been there for more than two hours, you've seen and heard it all before. But they delivered it with glee, and it was as infectious as always. There were tons of staff on hand so getting attention and having any question answered was easy

The highlights for me were getting a fog cutter served in one of the new Hitchhiking Ghosts mugs. They would not say when they go on sale here. The bottom does say Grog Grotto on it, unlike the West Coast ones which say Enchanted Tiki Bar. So if you are an obsessive collector like me, you'll need one of each. Also, we got recipe cards with the ingredients of all the drinks we were served. One gripe: the Krakatoa Punch's recipe calls for "Sam's Gorilla Grog" and we all know how protective they are of that recipe. And we all walked out with a Zombie mug. (A normal one, nothing unique.)

Things that left me wanting more (these are entirely based on my hopes/uninformed expectations:) I would have liked more of a hands on mixology class. I would have liked more "Behind the Scenes." Even if it was "here's the switch we press to make X effect happen," I would have felt like I saw something that most people don't.

I applaud the staff for a great job. They were always at my elbow making sure everything was okay, but not obtrusively. They delivered all the scripted lines with joi de vivre. My heartiest thanks to the chefs for rolling wi my unexpected needs. I look forward to my next visit to the Grog Grotto and the joys within.

Sounds like it was a really fun event. I think your vegan food needs gave the chef's a fun opportunity to innovate, and they may have been very thankful for that opportunity to change their routine.

Yeah, the ghost mugs... If I used 1/20th of the mugs I already have, I'd be buying one. But alas, there is a limit to how much room I have, and my liquor bottles have long ago become a higher priority.

Were you able to take any photos? I'd love to see what special décor they had for you. Thanks for sharing this!!!

There were no decorations.

Sounds like a real dud, Scott. What recipe cards did you walk away with, Mai Tai and Krakatoa I assume?

My friend has the Disney Club special access stuff and we tried to get passes on the first day. It was sold out. Man. Sounds like it was a good time.

Have not been to Trader Sam's and thought that would have been a good intro. When you live an hour and a half from the Mai Kai and 2 hours from the Kingdom of the Mouse it's hard to justify.

Used to go to the Polynesian in our younger days when you could just drive up, park in the parking lot and walk in and order a drink. No lines. No parking cost. We only lived an hour away in the 80's

On 2016-09-22 23:54, kkocka wrote:
Sounds like a real dud, Scott. What recipe cards did you walk away with, Mai Tai and Krakatoa I assume?

Once again, I think it's about expectations. If you went to this event expecting great drinks and food, then you should have walked away happy. Everyone around me seemed to be having a great time.

Recipes cards were for:

Krakatoa Punch
Shrunken Zombie Head
Hippopoto Mai Tai
Fog Cutter
Kentucky Spiced Cocktail

[ Edited by: scottxwl 2016-09-23 06:02 ]

On 2016-09-23 04:23, Uncle Pat wrote:
My friend has the Disney Club special access stuff and we tried to get passes on the first day. It was sold out. Man. Sounds like it was a good time.

Have not been to Trader Sam's and thought that would have been a good intro. When you live an hour and a half from the Mai Kai and 2 hours from the Kingdom of the Mouse it's hard to justify.

Used to go to the Polynesian in our younger days when you could just drive up, park in the parking lot and walk in and order a drink. No lines. No parking cost. We only lived an hour away in the 80's

Sounds like a fellow Treasure Coaster. I'd love to make a trip up to Trader Sam's, but with a wife and small kids, a small trip there would soon blow out of porportion to a full blown weekend at the $$Kingdom$$.

Real sad thing is that I work overnights and 3 or 4 nights I'm in Ft. Lauderdale. Driven by the Mai-Kai dozens of times at about 2 to 3 am....so close, but so far away. Only been there once, want to go again, but can't seem to talk the wife into a return trip.

howlinowl

On 2016-09-21 12:58, scottxwl wrote:

The highlights for me were getting a fog cutter served in one of the new Hitchhiking Ghosts mugs. They would not say when they go on sale here. The bottom does say Grog Grotto on it, unlike the West Coast ones which say Enchanted Tiki Bar. So if you are an obsessive collector like me, you'll need one of each. Also, we got recipe cards with the ingredients of all the drinks we were served. One gripe: the Krakatoa Punch's recipe calls for "Sam's Gorilla Grog" and we all know how protective they are of that recipe. And we all walked out with a Zombie mug. (A normal one, nothing unique.)

Sounds fun....would be interested if they did this at Disneyland.....if you (or anybody) ends up with an extra "grog grotto" hitchhiking ghost mug once they are released and want to trade for an "enchanted tiki bar" version to fulfill that obsessive collector desire, let me know!

I told the wife about this and she is on the phone right now with WDW seeing when the next one is scheduled.

Ok. . . .Sold Out on both 10/5 and 10/12

[ Edited by: mmaurice 2016-09-27 18:55 ]

[ Edited by: monorail91 2016-10-11 15:17 ]