There is an Ale House in the Hunter’s Creek area that has pretty much nullified the competition ever since its opening. The place is always busy, no matter what weekday it is. As for weekends, don’t even get me started on that. The Ale Houses in the Central Florida area are known for choosing the perfect locations for their business, and this one on South John Young is definitely no different. That being said, across the street there is another bar that is quietly popular amongst the locals. Despite the rampant success of the Ale House, this spot looks like it won’t go away anytime soon.
The Kahuna Grill is a local hit since its opening back in 2003. It opened before the crazy expansion of The Loop and the opening of the popular plaza across the street. The exterior of the building besides some added trees doesn’t really have the pizzazz of an island-flavored location. Even the letters of Kahuna Grill on the top of the building were a bit small and rather normal. I decided to sit outside, since I was with my brother Christian and him being an autistic, he doesn’t do very well with many people in small places. This was a mistake because it took a while for me to get a server and get water. The server throughout the evening was nice, but didn’t visit often and took a while to bring the drinks and the bill.
I ordered the pork quesadillas, since they are the spot’s most popular item. Christian wanted fries and chicken fingers. Josh orders the blackened prime rib sandwich. Michael orders the ribs. As my entrée, I ordered the mahi-mahi in crab cream sauce. Interesting thing to note, apparently this place doesn’t like changes, for they charged me and Michael at least a dollar extra since we wanted to switch some sides for fries. The appetizers came first, which were the chicken and the pork quesadillas. While Christian is unable to comment, his cleaning of the plate proved that he really liked it. The chicken strips were juicy, filling, and had just the right amount of crisp. The fries were decent, nothing spectacular. I also got sweet potato fries, which weren’t that big of a deal (They were much better in Julie’s Waterfront).
The pork quesadillas were the highlight of the evening. These things were a wonderful mix of pork, mozzarella (my favorite cheese), sour cream, and added island flavors. Very good food indeed, I quickly understood why this is Kahuna’s most popular item. Michael and Josh agreed with me, these quesadillas are some of the best outside of Mexican restaurants. This food nearly saved the evening. Then the truth was revealed, this place was running well because of the appetizers, and not because of the main course.
The mahi-mahi was not good by any means. This is my all-time favorite fish, and it was reduced to run-of-the-mill seafood, even with something as delicious-sounding as crab cream. It was too light, lacked flavor, and lacked the mahi-mahi kick. I’ve had much better mahi-mahi in Red Lobsters around Central Florida, and especially (I mean especially) Coral Reef over at Walt Disney World. While I shouldn’t be too picky at a local joint, when the dish costs 14 bucks I expect much better. The rice it came with was done healthy-style, in other words without salt, without any added ingredients for flavor. The last time I was very impressed with the appetizer and utterly disappointed with the main course is the pizza chain Uno (great nachos, crappy pizza).
Josh’s prime rib sandwich was liked, but not loved. Michael’s ribs started out well, but somewhere in the midst of the dinner Michael noticed unnecessary pieces that were not meat all inside the ribs. While good ribs have plenty of meat and just the bone, Michael noted some added pig to the dish. So both liked their food at first, but did not contain the lasting power. The only one of us four that really enjoyed the meal was Christian, who lucked out with fries and good chicken. The rest of us were not impressed with their supposedly island-American cuisine. The place just lacked the island look, and the food lacked the island touch. It doesn’t help however that they have to follow up to Ohanas, an extremely awesome restaurant buzzing with island flair.
Bottom Line: I see the place being a success not because of the main courses, but instead because of the appetizers and perhaps even because it’s the Plan B when Ale House is full to the brim. The pork quesadillas should be tried by everyone at least once, but that’s about all I can strongly recommend about this place. If you want a much quieter bar, then Kahuna Grill is your safest bet in the Hunter’s Creek area. If you want very good food, I suggest elsewhere. I’ve seen better, tasted better, experienced better.
Kahuna Grill
13701 South John Young Parkway
Orlando, FL 32837-5866
(407) 858-0445
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