2019 Meals and Restau...RANTs

[chuck norris]

Food service today was pretty good, although crowds were light.
I street la Rosa had both sides open, so checkout was quick.

The line at Coney BBQ was long but moved pretty well... Until the cashier.
Cashiers were quick with normal payments and dining plans, but when people wanted to add on all season drinks it seemed to really slow down the check out.

I wish early season they would open express checkout lines for dining plan and credit card customers only... And people paying cash or wanting to add a drink plan could use a slower line (which they could staff with a more experienced cashier or manager)


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[BoddaH1994]

Had the Pub Burger today. It was pretty good. Much better than any burger they’d had in the past. Tots were good too. Crisp and salty.

I sprung for the Pull Apart Bread. It’s not on the meal plan. It was seriously some of the best stuff I’d had in a long time. Buttery, cheesy, and great dipping sauces! Well worth the price.

Service was fast too. The line went to the entrance door and we were rung out in about 10 minutes. Took a little while for the food to get delivered, but they were really busy. Here’s to a turnaround in the foods area!

[Joshua]

Brewhouse was the first thing I visited after entering the park. 

I had the Big Bacon with an additional side of mac n' cheese. It was fantastic. The food came out pretty quickly for me. They used muenster cheese and it was delicious. Despite my comments in another thread, I actually did have a beer during this visit.  The brewery is slipping me, but it was a black cherry hard seltzer. 

According to the bartender, the draft selections are going to be switched up every couple of weeks. 

[Stoan]

I wanted to try the new place today, but they had a line out the door.

 

Skyline and Larosa's taste exactly the same. The loss of fries is noticable, but still filling without.

[Magenta Lizard]

I ended up at the Brewhouse for all three meals I enjoyed at the park this weekend.

Visiting it at all this weekend was not my initial intention, typically I would have waited a bit for it to be less busy and for the kitchen staff to get up to speed. But it was so cold, I really just wanted to sit inside for awhile somewhere on Friday evening. 

I didn’t have super high expectations for the food or service due to prior experience at Reds (food was usually middle of the road, and service was often painfully slow), because it was opening weekend with their new menu, and because they were being pretty slammed with customers.

The line for ordering /felt/ like it was going slow, but the employees working the registers actually were doing so pretty smoothly for it being so early in the season. 

It was when the food started coming out that things started being truly impressive. Other members of our party, who went through the line just before me, had their food delivered within moments of my sitting down. Mine followed a very short time later. In the past, when Reds was using this same ordering and serving process, I would have expected at least 15 minutes longer wait for the food and possibly up to a half hour on some occasions. 

The food itself also exceeded my expectations. Usually when I went to Reds I was one of the few in my party who actually ate the chips. They were ok, but I wouldn’t say I usually enjoyed them, exactly. The tater tots at the new Brewhouse are a very welcome change, and because of the speed of food delivery, they were fresh, crispy, and tasty. 

The first meal, I got the BBLT (a Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato that earns the extra B from the quantity and quality of the bacon). I absolutely love bacon! I could probably give up all other meat fairly easily (I’ve always naturally tended more towards vegetarianism) but bacon is my true love. This was piled with many strips of around 1/4 inch thick sliced bacon, cooked to perfection (which is unusual for places to get right, bacon is often over- or under-done). The bread was thick sliced and had a lot of flavor, and the lettuce was a flavorful mixture of types that didn’t include boring iceberg. The tomatoes /looked/ like they would be really good, if I liked eating raw tomatoes, but unfortunately I don’t. 

After such a good experience Friday (and since the appeal of sitting inside to eat was still strong due to the cold), we ended up eating at the Brewhouse twice more on Saturday. 

For lunch I had the Big Dog. It is a large, split and grilled, smoked sausage, on a nice thick flavorful bun. They put on beer cheese and beer mustard (I didn’t taste the mustard much, but the cheese was very good), and a good amount of sauerkraut. I personally like sauerkraut quite a bit, and can eat the more vinegary varieties with enthusiasm even though a lot of people find them off-putting, but this wasn’t like that. It was sweet, mild, and added a lot to the flavor of the dog without being punch-you-in-the-face kraut-y.

For dinner, I got the Three Pigs, which are three pulled pork sliders with BBQ sauce. I don’t have as much to say about them because honestly, the park has been doing a very good job at pulled pork in various locations for awhile now, and these were pretty much the same as I’ve come to expect. As with lunch, the tater tots were fantastic. 

There were only two small suggestions that I would give, I can’t even call them complaints. The pickles that came with nearly every plate are bread-and-butter/sweet pickles rather than the expected dill, and most of the people at my tables (including me) would have preferred dill.

Also, in the past, people were able to substitute a different side from the chips that came with everything at Reds, for a small upcharge. There are several new sides at the Brewhouse that sound interesting, but the only way to try them (at least so far) is to pay full price to get an extra side in addition to tots. The entrees are so big and filling, most people are not going to be able to eat all of that, so are probably less likely to want to pay full price for a second side. 

[IndyGuy4KI]

Great review @Magenta LizardI want to add the service was awesome. They visited our table often to check on us, fixed an order that was wrong, and revistited to take any trash/trays away. 

[BoddaH1994]

5 hours ago, Magenta Lizard said:

I ended up at the Brewhouse for all three meals I enjoyed at the park this weekend.

Visiting it at all this weekend was not my initial intention, typically I would have waited a bit for it to be less busy and for the kitchen staff to get up to speed. But it was so cold, I really just wanted to sit inside for awhile somewhere on Friday evening. 

I didn’t have super high expectations for the food or service due to prior experience at Reds (food was usually middle of the road, and service was often painfully slow), because it was opening weekend with their new menu, and because they were being pretty slammed with customers.

The line for ordering /felt/ like it was going slow, but the employees working the registers actually were doing so pretty smoothly for it being so early in the season. 

It was when the food started coming out that things started being truly impressive. Other members of our party, who went through the line just before me, had their food delivered within moments of my sitting down. Mine followed a very short time later. In the past, when Reds was using this same ordering and serving process, I would have expected at least 15 minutes longer wait for the food and possibly up to a half hour on some occasions. 

The food itself also exceeded my expectations. Usually when I went to Reds I was one of the few in my party who actually ate the chips. They were ok, but I wouldn’t say I usually enjoyed them, exactly. The tater tots at the new Brewhouse are a very welcome change, and because of the speed of food delivery, they were fresh, crispy, and tasty. 

The first meal, I got the BBLT (a Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato that earns the extra B from the quantity and quality of the bacon). I absolutely love bacon! I could probably give up all other meat fairly easily (I’ve always naturally tended more towards vegetarianism) but bacon is my true love. This was piled with many strips of around 1/4 inch thick sliced bacon, cooked to perfection (which is unusual for places to get right, bacon is often over- or under-done). The bread was thick sliced and had a lot of flavor, and the lettuce was a flavorful mixture of types that didn’t include boring iceberg. The tomatoes /looked/ like they would be really good, if I liked eating raw tomatoes, but unfortunately I don’t. 

After such a good experience Friday (and since the appeal of sitting inside to eat was still strong due to the cold), we ended up eating at the Brewhouse twice more on Saturday. 

For lunch I had the Big Dog. It is a large, split and grilled, smoked sausage, on a nice thick flavorful bun. They put on beer cheese and beer mustard (I didn’t taste the mustard much, but the cheese was very good), and a good amount of sauerkraut. I personally like sauerkraut quite a bit, and can eat the more vinegary varieties with enthusiasm even though a lot of people find them off-putting, but this wasn’t like that. It was sweet, mild, and added a lot to the flavor of the dog without being punch-you-in-the-face kraut-y.

For dinner, I got the Three Pigs, which are three pulled pork sliders with BBQ sauce. I don’t have as much to say about them because honestly, the park has been doing a very good job at pulled pork in various locations for awhile now, and these were pretty much the same as I’ve come to expect. As with lunch, the tater tots were fantastic. 

There were only two small suggestions that I would give, I can’t even call them complaints. The pickles that came with nearly every plate are bread-and-butter/sweet pickles rather than the expected dill, and most of the people at my tables (including me) would have preferred dill.

Also, in the past, people were able to substitute a different side from the chips that came with everything at Reds, for a small upcharge. There are several new sides at the Brewhouse that sound interesting, but the only way to try them (at least so far) is to pay full price to get an extra side in addition to tots. The entrees are so big and filling, most people are not going to be able to eat all of that, so are probably less likely to want to pay full price for a second side. 

I don’t know the difference between the types of pickles but I want to counter your point and say that whatever they had was my favorite type of picked. Thick and pump. Crinkle cut. They were especially good with 3 Little Pigs. Different strokes for different folks, right?

Tater tots were great both times I had them.

Try the Pull Apart Bread!!!

[silver2005]

The onion rings are pretty solid at the Brewhouse, too.  I like the batter they used for those and the cod.  

The register personnel were a bit slow since they were training, but the food came out lickety split. 

[BoddaH1994]

32 minutes ago, silver2005 said:

The onion rings are pretty solid at the Brewhouse, too.  I like the batter they used for those and the cod.  

The register personnel were a bit slow since they were training, but the food came out lickety split. 

Did you go Friday or Saturday?

Friday was significantly faster than Saturday and I think it was because they were having register issues. The credit card readers are all new and might be fighting with Micros.

[silver2005]

^Went on Friday.  Even if the systems were in place correctly, I just come to expect training woes on opening weekend.  

[McSalsa]

6 minutes ago, BoddaH1994 said:

Did you go Friday or Saturday?

Friday was significantly faster than Saturday and I think it was because they were having register issues. The credit card readers are all new and might be fighting with Micros.

My sister actually had some register issues on Saturday at the Brewhouse, her card wouldn't read. We ended up just using a friend's card and she paid them back. The workers were very nice about it though.

Also, the pull-apart bread is delicious, but do note it comes with very hot peppers on the side. Be careful if you eat them.

[thatguyfromohio]

Tried the new brewhouse. The double burger was great, but most of the tater tots had a stale taste to them. Thick curled wedges like at KD, or carowinds would been a better choice.
Went to Coney Skyline and also didn’t receive fries with the coneys.
The 4 way is onion only.

Brewhouse > Reds Hall of Fame


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[BoddaH1994]

1 hour ago, McSalsa said:

My sister actually had some register issues on Saturday at the Brewhouse, her card wouldn't read. We ended up just using a friend's card and she paid them back. The workers were very nice about it though.

Also, the pull-apart bread is delicious, but do note it comes with very hot peppers on the side. Be careful if you eat them.

They couldn’t take Apple Pay or the NFC chip last night. It had to be swiped. Seemed like the girl was waiting on the register to catch up with the payment processing.

[Snowball]

Rivertown Freestyle was actually open yesterday, I couldn't believe my eyes.

 

[LuvingKI]

2 hours ago, thatguyfromohio said:

Tried the new brewhouse. The double burger was great, but most of the tater tots had a stale taste to them. Thick curled wedges like at KD, or carowinds would been a better choice.
Went to Coney Skyline and also didn’t receive fries with the coneys.
The 4 way is onion only.

Brewhouse > Reds Hall of Fame


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Why didn't you receive fries with the coneys? I thought fries came with the coneys and not the ways?

[thatguyfromohio]

Why didn't you receive fries with the coneys? I thought fries came with the coneys and not the ways?

No idea, nobody was getting fries yesterday with their orders... they even had an area supervisor in there


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[Magenta Lizard]

According to the website, coneys come with fries

[thatguyfromohio]

According to the website, coneys come with fries

Yeah I know, the bread was stale too.. usually that location last year, the fries were always over salted. I-street’s is a lot better in quality.


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[Ffej]

I notice on the Kings Island website that Panda Express has changed back to 2 entrees.  Can anyone confirm this was the case in the park?

 

Panda Express

• Two Entrées Bowl & Side 

[malem]

I visited Chicken Shack this weekend to try the new smoked wings. The layout of the restaurant has changed from last year, with 4 automated ordering kiosks to redeem dining plan meals or purchase food & drink. Cash customers are given a receipt to take to a cashier to complete their order.

After I ordered, I was called up to the counter to ask if I wanted barbecue or buffalo sauce on my wings. I requested them plain, which was a good decision because the wings are quite tasty as-is - very similar to the Island Smokehouse version. I'm really glad to have these as an option in the main park.

 

9 minutes ago, Ffej said:

I notice on the Kings Island website that Panda Express has changed back to 2 entrees.  Can anyone confirm this was the case in the park?

Panda Express at the park was indeed offering two entrées and a side yesterday as the meal plan option.

[pianoman]

Yes panda express is back to 2 entrées. However, I was told that they will not have chow mein this year. So your options for sides are either fried rice or steamed white rice. It also appears that they had some new items on the menu.


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[Snowball]

2 minutes ago, pianoman said:

I was told that they will not have chow mein this year.

I noticed that yesterday, I was super disappointed, that was my favorite things to get there.

[Bansheelover]

We ate at the Chicken Shack Friday night. The food was hot and fresh, however took along time, they were very busy. One complaint about the Chicken Shack. The employees were very hard to hear when they called out your number. Be loud!!! Saturday we ate at the Brewhouse very good. I had the BBLT which was great, and my daughter had the KI Salad which was also wonderful. I was envious of her selection.  That evening we ate at Panda. Hot and fresh. Good first weekend on the food front!

[chad_1138]

Please bring corn pudding on the dry side of the park!!!!!

Other than that, our food experiences were fine this weekend.  Chicken Shack was good.  I had the shrimp from Coney; I think it has been sitting for a while, but it still tasted good.  Did Tom+Chee on Saturday and it was excellent.  

Planning on shooting for the Brewhouse in the coming weeks!

[Stoan]

On 4/21/2019 at 12:52 PM, BoddaH1994 said:

I don’t know the difference between the types of pickles but I want to counter your point and say that whatever they had was my favorite type of picked. Thick and pump. Crinkle cut. They were especially good with 3 Little Pigs. Different strokes for different folks, right?

Tater tots were great both times I had them.

Try the Pull Apart Bread!!!

I think those are usually considered dill stuffers

 

https://www.mtolivepickles.com/pickle-shop/products/kosher-dill-hamburger-stuffers/

[harmony29]

We tried Brew House on Friday. The line was pretty long to get in but went quickly, which was a huge improvement over last year. BUT, with them having both lines now for food orders, it took my husband 20 minutes of standing back in the line just to get a soda refill, I don't know what the solution is to that but it sucked having to wait that long for another soda. I like some of the menu but I'm also disappointed. Everything that sounded amazing was pretty much not on the dining plan, which means for us we won't ever have it. We do the season dining plan specifically so we don't have to have money in the park. I wasn't a fan of them taking a decent regular hamburger and making into a double patty McDonald's like burger. I knew going in there were changes but what I used to order the most are both gone. . Grilled chicken sandwich and grilled chicken salad. Yes they have a salad with grilled chicken but it's Caesar which I do not care for. I asked about just having a plain mixed greens with chicken nope can't do it. The new KI house salad sounds yummy but it has no protein on it, only time I will want that is if it is really hot and I'm not very hungry. I saw a salad come out yesterday and it was small. The double bacon burger sounded amazing, only $1 more than the burger on the dining plan, but yep you guessed it, can't have that either even asking if I could pay more for it was a no. Then asked can I get Munster on the order, nope can't do that either. Now the chicken tenders dinner only comes with honey mustard, no other choice. So I settled on the three little pigs, this wasn't bad, as others have said, the pulled pork in the park has gotten good in the last couple of years. My husband had the fish sandwich and he said it was good. We both liked the tater tots but agreed this is something we will get tired of quickly. I loved the sweet pickles, for me that was a great addition.

We went back on Saturday because just like others said, we wanted to warm up. Friday service staff was excellent, checking to make sure everything was good, taking plates away, etc. This wasn't so much the case for us on Saturday. I ordered the bblt and my husband ordered the pub burger. When it came out the server gave him an impossible burger, quite a difference from beef. I told her no that's not right and her response....well that's what was on the ticket. No I was right there when he ordered, it was a pub burger. She looked like she didn't want to be bothered, so out came a supervisor. Tried to explain the same thing to him, just wanted the burger on the dining plan. So he took it away finally and few minutes later comes out and gives my husband a PLAIN cheeseburger with nothing on it but cheese, again that's not what he ordered. I had to take care of this as he was in line for a drink refill. So again they took it back and finally came out with the correct item. He said it was ok but not like what it used to be. Again, I know this is just personal preference, not saying it was bad. My bblt I honestly was not impressed with. The bread was so chewy hard like that I had a hard time biting into it. The bacon I liked the thickness but it was also chewy and not the way I like it, way undercooked. I could definitely have been ok with this but the HOT spread they used instead of mayo was way too hot for me. I'm not sure if you can get just plain mayo or not. My tater tots were not nearly as good as the day before, they weren't as fresh. Our friend that we sat with had a pub burger and wasn't all that impressed either. I understand that things change but it's frustrating that what seemed like all the good items were not on the dining plan. This won't be my go to place anymore due to this. I do have to say that the grilled sausage sandwich sounded good so I may try that sometime. I was quite impressed that there was a manager type person walking around asking how things were. I told him some of my observations like the house salad not having any meat on it. He seemed genuinely interested and actually wrote down my comments.

So do I think this is a bad place? No, but it's just not really my preference. I realize this was only opening weekend so I won't say I won't ever go back because I know it's going to take time to get running fully. So my thoughts are it's ok but not somewhere I'm going to rush to every time I'm at the park. Luckily there are a good variety of options to choose from and not get bored with. We did go to Coney for lunch on Saturday and I like that they have actual food scales to weigh the meat, that was always a frustration in getting too little or too much depending on who was working.  I am interested to see how things with food in general go as the year progresses. 

[LuvingKI]

I love bacon as well, but that's a problem with a lot of places having under cooked bacon which ruins it.

Hopefully as time goes, that will let people switch around some of the things you requested that are on a dining plan

I may ask when I try the BBLT if they will make it with crispy bacon... That's the only way I like bacon

[harmony29]

2 hours ago, LuvingKI said:

I love bacon as well, but that's a problem with a lot of places having under cooked bacon which ruins it.

Hopefully as time goes, that will let people switch around some of the things you requested that are on a dining plan

I may ask when I try the BBLT if they will make it with crispy bacon... That's the only way I like bacon

Yeah I only like it crispy as well, but I know a lot of people prefer it chewy. For me it was just difficult to eat with the bacon being chewy and the crust on the bread. And I agree, hopefully they will listen to customer comments and tweak things a bit, then I would probably love it.

[LuvingKI]

21 minutes ago, harmony29 said:

Yeah I only like it crispy as well, but I know a lot of people prefer it chewy. For me it was just difficult to eat with the bacon being chewy and the crust on the bread. And I agree, hopefully they will listen to customer comments and tweak things a bit, then I would probably love it.

Yes, I'd take it burnt black over flimsy and chewy

[LondonFreak]

Am I the only one that thinks that La Rosa's by the slice at Kings Island or the zoo has the best La Rosa's pizza smell? It smells like summer and fun parks! Although, the taste at KI is not always up to the quality I have come to expect with La Rosa's!