GRAIN AND GRILL NEW FOR 2023

[BoddaH1994]

4 hours ago, super7 said:

Busch Gardens Williamsburg has their own hand made pretzels that are superior to Auntie Anne’s. 
 

The park is capable of producing  better quality food than almost any chain that is currently in the park.    Especially the nasty pizza. 

KI used to have its own pretzels. They were where Auntie Anne’s is now on I-Street. They had several unique options such as a pepperoni pizza pretzel, which was really good. 
 

Of course, it’s not about what’s good, it’s about what sells. Anyone from the Cincinnati area? Ever visit Kenwood Mall? Do you see the 20-person-deep line at Auntie Anne’s even on slow days? How many people are in line at the knock off pretzel place that’s cheaper and has a similar product? Typically none. There you go.

[guy1115]

On 4/5/2023 at 1:06 PM, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

Honestly I think both Aunte Anne's and Cinnabon could be on their way out. The park's culinary team could easily create their own copycats of them. 

The bakery that resided on International Street for years and years is the food stand I still miss the most.   They HUGE cinnamon rolls and elephant ears they used to sell were a must buy when we were in the park.  I always hoped that it would make a return and include some foods seen in the French restaurant now, or bread bowl soups in the spring and fall.

[rlentless]

Looking forward to the new season and seeing changes they made.  It goes by quick so enjoy every moment, even if things aren't exactly right.  They have new team members and crews but things will iron out.

We are very lucky to have a world class amusement park like Kings Island so close to home.

[Orion13]

Grain & Grill has now been added to the Kings Island website:

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/dining/grain-and-grill

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

I see they're using the picture from Kings Dominion's and it has the steak on it. Maybe ours is getting the steak after all and they're just not telling us?

[BoddaH1994]

21 hours ago, guy1115 said:

The bakery that resided on International Street for years and years is the food stand I still miss the most.   They HUGE cinnamon rolls and elephant ears they used to sell were a must buy when we were in the park.  I always hoped that it would make a return and include some foods seen in the French restaurant now, or bread bowl soups in the spring and fall.

I rarely eat something large and sweet like an elephant ear or cinnamon roll and don’t regret it, except Dollywood’s cinnamon bread - so worth the tummy ache! But with that being said, I’d like to see a bakery that sells something like fresh whole wheat bread. Something like that with maybe a special butter would make an excellent snack, wouldn’t be terribly irresponsible health-wise, and would be a good food for the calorie replenishment that guests are seeking. Does this sound good to anyone else or am I just old and boring now? 

[disco2000]

4 minutes ago, BoddaH1994 said:

I rarely eat something large and sweet like an elephant ear or cinnamon roll and don’t regret it, except Dollywood’s cinnamon bread - so worth the tummy ache! But with that being said, I’d like to see a bakery that sells something like fresh whole wheat bread. Something like that with maybe a special butter would make an excellent snack, wouldn’t be terribly irresponsible health-wise, and would be a good food for the calorie replenishment that guests are seeking. Does this sound good to anyone else or am I just old and boring now? 

Are you into soup now as a meal as well 

[BoddaH1994]

11 minutes ago, disco2000 said:

Are you into soup now as a meal as well 

I mean… if it’s good…

[BeeastFarmer]

18 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

I rarely eat something large and sweet like an elephant ear or cinnamon roll and don’t regret it, except Dollywood’s cinnamon bread - so worth the tummy ache! But with that being said, I’d like to see a bakery that sells something like fresh whole wheat bread. Something like that with maybe a special butter would make an excellent snack, wouldn’t be terribly irresponsible health-wise, and would be a good food for the calorie replenishment that guests are seeking. Does this sound good to anyone else or am I just old and boring now? 

If only there was a Bakeri on International Street.  That would be like a Rainbo after a thunderstorm.

[Gabe]

On 4/6/2023 at 7:48 AM, IndyGuy4KI said:

Technically he is the head chef over  KI and other parks. With that info, I would think anything that Chef Perez creates would be ok'ed first by Chef Major.

Yeah, it's confusing since the term Executive Chef gets thrown around a lot and people often think it means the No. 1 chef, which isn't always true.  A good ex is cooking shows like Hells KItchen.  the winner is called "Head Chef" or "Exec Chef" at one of Ramsay's properties, but that person serves under the "Chef de Cuisine" or something along those lines.

[Stoan]

Currently closed today. Not sure if they are opening later 

[IndyGuy4KI]

9 minutes ago, Stoan said:

Currently closed today. Not sure if they are opening later 

Grain & Grill will not be open this weekend. I was not given a future date.

[BoddaH1994]

Today is the day!!

[disco2000]

For those that don't know...."Grain & Grill is located in Adventure Port"   (nobody checks accuracy of articles anymore for any topic LOL)

https://www.fox19.com/2023/04/27/kings-islands-newest-restaurant-set-open-this-weekend/

[BoddaH1994]

1 hour ago, disco2000 said:

For those that don't know...."Grain & Grill is located in Adventure Port"   (nobody checks accuracy of articles anymore for any topic LOL)

https://www.fox19.com/2023/04/27/kings-islands-newest-restaurant-set-open-this-weekend/

Thoughts:

1. This should have been communicated to the media properly.

2. Does the media in general not care about this (or AP) since they didn’t know the difference? 

3. They are thinking of Enrique’s. So the messaging they got was essentially ONE new restaurant, when technically it’s two. 
 

4. This, and the VIP Lounge opening, were both articles about blogs or articles about social posts, not articles about what’s actually happening. This is a great way to muddy the waters since the journalist may not be knowledgeable of the park or may need context. 

The error on the page isn’t a big deal, but the implication it brings is kind of disappointing. 

 

[brenthodge]

1 hour ago, disco2000 said:

For those that don't know...."Grain & Grill is located in Adventure Port"   (nobody checks accuracy of articles anymore for any topic LOL)

https://www.fox19.com/2023/04/27/kings-islands-newest-restaurant-set-open-this-weekend/

Actually it’s in adventure port, which is on international street in the parking lot of Kings Island town center which is located in Cincinnati by Louisville Tennessee. Got it??

[Oldschool75]

I was sent this picture. Small servings. This is considered a meal on the meal plan.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BeeastFarmer]

1 hour ago, Oldschool75 said:

I was sent this picture. Small servings. This is considered a meal on the meal plan.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I wonder if the meal plan holders should plan a  class action suit?

[SonofBaconator]

2 hours ago, Oldschool75 said:

I was sent this picture. Small servings. This is considered a meal on the meal plan.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Someone will buy it

[MDMC01]

Though I was excited about the bread, I decided not to try Grain and Grill tonight. The whole idea is to get a combo meal that happens to come with a piece of bread, and I learned that if I just got the bread only, it would still be $7.99. Therefore, I got my own "combo" of Breadsticks and Mac n Cheese at Festhaus and it was yummy! Don't know if I will be trying Grain and Grill as it's a little too adventurous for this picky eater. However, for those that like this type of food - enjoy!

[silver2005]

I thought the portions were the perfect amount of food. 

[robintodd]

11 hours ago, BeeastFarmer said:

I wonder if the meal plan holders should plan a  class action suit?

I have seen people get two pieces of chicken.  Not sure but it may be a choice of 1 leg or 2 other pieces?  Either way rather strange that you can get 1 leg here or a half chicken at Coney BBQ.  Not that I'm expecting a half chicken at Grain but you would think 2 pieces would be sufficient.  Hopefully it's just a training issue.  

It is looking more obvious that choices are being made (only cheese at Enriques at an upcharge, less cheese at Skyline) to help the food budget.  More and more people are getting the season dining plan, may be time to raise the price next year due to supply and demand the way they did with gold passes this year.

 

[BeeastFarmer]

23 minutes ago, robintodd said:

I have seen people get two pieces of chicken.  Not sure but it may be a choice of 1 leg or 2 other pieces?  Either way rather strange that you can get 1 leg here or a half chicken at Coney BBQ.  Not that I'm expecting a half chicken at Grain but you would think 2 pieces would be sufficient.  Hopefully it's just a training issue.  

It is looking more obvious that choices are being made (only cheese at Enriques at an upcharge, less cheese at Skyline) to help the food budget.  More and more people are getting the season dining plan, may be time to raise the price next year due to supply and demand the way they did with gold passes this year.

 

My post was in jest. And I would be fine with an increase in pass price and food pass price. 

[disco2000]

29 minutes ago, robintodd said:

I have seen people get two pieces of chicken.  Not sure but it may be a choice of 1 leg or 2 other pieces?  Either way rather strange that you can get 1 leg here or a half chicken at Coney BBQ.  Not that I'm expecting a half chicken at Grain but you would think 2 pieces would be sufficient.  Hopefully it's just a training issue.  

It is looking more obvious that choices are being made (only cheese at Enriques at an upcharge, less cheese at Skyline) to help the food budget.  More and more people are getting the season dining plan, may be time to raise the price next year due to supply and demand the way they did with gold passes this year.

 

I was not given a choice when I was provided 1 chicken leg at Grain & Grill.  Either inconsistent training or rationing to get thru the rest of the day LOL.

Not to muddy up the menu, but maybe they should specify how many you get to help with consistency.  I had no idea folks were getting 2 pieces of chicken until long after I was home and started seeing posts about it.

[robintodd]

2 hours ago, BeeastFarmer said:

My post was in jest. And I would be fine with an increase in pass price and food pass price. 

Sorry BeastFarmer, I actually meant to quote SonOfBaconator's post not yours.  Just to point out that some were getting 2.  I understood (and appreciated) the jest!  

[DJSkyFoxx]

My fiancé and I decided to give Grain and Grill a go as we were excited about trying it. The overall experience wasn't terrible but we both felt that there is room for improvement. I will give the wiggle room seeing as it's in its infancy still and has plenty of time to become great. We both got something different as we were feeling different tastes that day as well as wanting to be able to try stuff from each other's plate. 

I got the rosemary beef with perogies and naan. The fiancé got the chicken, brussels sprouts and focaccia bread. 

The Good: brussels sprouts were tasty and on point, full of flavor and honestly the star of the show

                  Both the naan and focaccia bread were delicious and enjoyable

                 Perogies were enjoyable, warm and comforting like little potato pillows 

The Mid: The beef wasn't terrible, just wish it had been a bit more tender and had a bit more flavor. There was a hint of flavor, but not enough for me to be like "wow"

The Bad: The chicken was honestly disappointing. Not a ton of flavor and it was not cooked all the way through. This has been a theme amongst others that have had the chicken that we have noticed. Really hoping they will fix that issue and eventually go with chicken breast at some point with more seasoning. 

 

Overall, Grain and Grill is not a bad place. It left us with a lot to be desired, but again, it's in infancy stage so I will forgive it some. Just hoping as time goes on they can provide a more consistent experience.

[brenthodge]

Weighing in. WANT THIS TO  BE AWESOME. It’s exactly the type of food that needs to be on International Street, it’s got a great location, it could set the bar for food service going forward. Unfortunately, it stops short (for me). The order process is easy and the food looks generally great on the serving line, but things need to be turned more frequently (especially the meats) the pork and beef looked dry (were). The roasting pan full of “eye candy” ingredients they were cooked with was empty of meat, and the meat just sort of “there” in another dry pan. The food will never look like the ‘glamour shot’ but the paper boat with the big newspaper liner makes the food look way cheaper and smaller than what they are aiming for. Don’t understand not using the “wood texture” square paper plates, but those would help. Putting all the servings on a plate without serving portion cups would help as well, as it would allow spread that would make the plate look fuller. Even a quick micro gree garnish like they do with a lot of the Carnivale items would help. I feel like this  concept could’ve been another “modified table service” location like BrewHouse if they had created some dedicated covered outdoor seating where the fastlane building is and even included a bar with “international cocktails” ( in a build that looked similar to the vip lounge). It’s like they are trying to be opposed ends of the spectrum here… elevated “farm to table” food as a fast food cash and carry order line. Even with a few tweaks I think it could be closer to what it seems like they were aiming for. 

[jdf21972]

Looking forward to trying Grain and Grill tonight for dinner. Had to wait and try as my wife would be upset if I tried it without her as she is excited to try it also. 

[IndyGuy4KI]

2 hours ago, jdf21972 said:

Looking forward to trying Grain and Grill tonight for dinner. Had to wait and try as my wife would be upset if I tried it without her as she is excited to try it also. 

Don't forget to add a review in the 2023 food thread! I love reading those.

[brenthodge]

Just getting rid of the portion cups would go a long way to elevating the “feel” of this place.