Carnation Cafe

[dizneekrazee]

I called yesterday to make our dining reservations for September. I already knew Blue Bayou was closed (and was bummed), but when I found out Carnation Cafe will be closing at 230pm during week days, I was even more bummed!! I settled for lunch, but have been looking forward to having dinner there for quite some time.

(Also still bummed Cafe Orleans no longer does breakfast) Boooo!!

 

[JH87]

I am bummed about Cafe New Orleans not doing breakfast too. I know it's been a while since they have done it, but I remember loving my breakfast there sooo much, we went their both mornings that we were in the park.

I had no idea about Carnation closing that early on weekdays. I guess that's just for off season?

 

[dizneekrazee]

I had no idea about Carnation closing that early on weekdays. I guess that's just for off season?

Yes, that is what the CM told me anyways. And only during the week days, weekends still have longer hours. We are only going to be in the parks that trip on Monday & Tuesday.

 

[DahliaRW]

I thought Carnation only ever did breakfast and lunch.

 

[Sherry E]

I thought Carnation only ever did breakfast and lunch.

They definitely have dinner too (dinner is pretty much the same stuff that's on the lunch menu), but on a more limited basis. If it's during the off peak season, dinner will only be on Friday-Sunday. If it's during peak season, there are more nights when Carnation is open for dinner, as I recall (unless something has changed). We once did a dessert-only meal at night, in the middle of December (and exited the restaurant in time to catch the snow on Main Street), and we had dinner on a Halloween party night in October.

I think that when the indoor seating is reinstated at Carnation (back to how it was in the '90s!) where Blue Ribbon Bakery is now, which is happening later this year, they will begin to serve dinner all the time, or at least more often. In the old days of the indoor and outdoor seating at Carnation, the menu was much more extensive and you could eat dinner there.

 

[DahliaRW]

They definitely have dinner too (dinner is pretty much the same stuff that's on the lunch menu), but on a more limited basis. If it's during the off peak season, dinner will only be on Friday-Sunday. If it's during peak season, there are more nights when Carnation is open for dinner, as I recall (unless something has changed). We once did a dessert-only meal at night, in the middle of December (and exited the restaurant in time to catch the snow on Main Street), and we had dinner on a Halloween party night in October.

I think that when the indoor seating is reinstated at Carnation (back to how it was in the '90s!) where Blue Ribbon Bakery is now, which is happening later this year, they will begin to serve dinner all the time, or at least more often. In the old days of the indoor and outdoor seating at Carnation, the menu was much more extensive and you could eat dinner there.

I remember eating indoors there as a kid. Are they moving the bakery or taking it away all together? I sure loved that when we were there!

Our last trip CC wasn't open for dinner at all, that we could tell. But it was January! And the time before that was September and I honestly don't remember! We always do breakfast anyways.

 

[Sherry E]

I remember eating indoors there as a kid. Are they moving the bakery or taking it away all together? I sure loved that when we were there!

Our last trip CC wasn't open for dinner at all, that we could tell. But it was January! And the time before that was September and I honestly don't remember! We always do breakfast anyways.

I think there will be a bakery, but it sounds like it might not be Blue Ribbon Bakery anymore.

A while back - a couple of months ago, at least - one of our DIS'ers, deejdigsdis, mentioned in her Trip Report that she chatted with Oscar the chef at Carnation and he mentioned that Carnation would be expanding (re-expanding) their seating to indoors and that the bakery would move further down on Main Street later this year, occupying another space. (Oscar was thinking of either retiring or cutting his hours way back when this happens.)

Then Al Lutz of MiceAge heard about the expansion of Carnation Cafe, and I think he reported - if I remember correctly - that the bakery would move down the street and possibly take over the Plaza Pavilion spot where the AP center has been, but that it will a Mary Poppins theme? (Someone correct me if I am wrong on that - don't remember all the details of Al's article.) So I guess this would mean that Blue Ribbon Bakery will no longer be Blue Ribbon Bakery and could have a whole new theme and name??

I definitely never understood why DLR cut the Carnation indoor seating out, as that's a restaurant that really needs extra seating given the long lines that can form with people waiting for tables. Plus, the menu had so many more choices on it in the old days. But now that Blue Ribbon is there, I really like it and will miss it!

Carnation Cafe is supposed to close while this change happens, and it's supposed to be this year, but I'm just not sure when. I guess they want to have it all done for 2012. I hope that if the Carnation Cafe menu is also re-expanded they will not get rid of the items which are most popular, like the loaded baked potato soup and the meat loaf and all that. They can certainly add to the menu and put more items on it without getting rid of those things, I would think (hope).

 

[spacemermaid]

They definitely have dinner too (dinner is pretty much the same stuff that's on the lunch menu), but on a more limited basis. If it's during the off peak season, dinner will only be on Friday-Sunday. If it's during peak season, there are more nights when Carnation is open for dinner, as I recall (unless something has changed). We once did a dessert-only meal at night, in the middle of December (and exited the restaurant in time to catch the snow on Main Street), and we had dinner on a Halloween party night in October.

I think that when the indoor seating is reinstated at Carnation (back to how it was in the '90s!) where Blue Ribbon Bakery is now, which is happening later this year, they will begin to serve dinner all the time, or at least more often. In the old days of the indoor and outdoor seating at Carnation, the menu was much more extensive and you could eat dinner there.

This is the first that I've heard of that...yay! I remember when it was an indoor/outdoor restaurant too & have always thought it was a bad move to cut the seating area by about 3/4. I hope it'll be done by December!

 

[Sherry E]

This is the first that I've heard of that...yay! I remember when it was an indoor/outdoor restaurant too & have always thought it was a bad move to cut the seating area by about 3/4. I hope it'll be done by December!

spacemermaid -

I totally agree. It was a terrible move to cut the seating that drastically. That particular restaurant, of all the restaurants in DLR, needs more seating! And do you remember how the menu used to have lots more things on it - more sandwiches, burgers, more entrees, more milkshakes and different sundaes and things like that?

I'm not sure of what the start or finish date of this project is supposed to be - I suppose DLR didn't want to shut Carnation down in the middle of their busy summer season, and I wouldn't think they'd want to have it closed in the middle of the super-busy holiday season either. But they want it to be done by 2012. So I wonder if it will shut down in the time between the two peak seasons (in other words, Halloween Time)? I can't recall what Al Lutz's article said about this, but for some reason I seem to recall that Carnation was going to be closed for much longer than I thought it would be.

If Oscar does retire or cut his hours way, way back, as he indicated he might do when this re-expansion happens, I wonder if the food quality/selection will change? Even though I'd like them to re-expand the Carnation Cafe menu again, I hope they don't get rid of all the popular items that people like, as Wine Country Trattoria did. When Wine Country Trattoria was remodeled and suddenly began the whole WoC meal thing, they changed their menu - which meant bye, bye meatball sandwich and bye, bye blood orange sorbet!

 

[spacemermaid]

Sherry E -

Yes, I DO remember the much bigger menu, especially the various types of icecream sundaes . And I remember the dining room fitting perfectly with the "turn of the century Main Street" theme...I hope that when it's brought back, it's just as wonderful.

It would make sense for them to do the remodel between summer and the holidays...crossing my fingers that it's open when I go in December.

Oh, I hope they don't get rid of all the favorites on the menu...the baked potato soup...the meatloaf stack...the potpies! It'd be nice to have a larger menu, but not at the expense of the tried-and-true favorites. I'll be sad to see Chef Oscar retire, and will miss seeing him when I visit.

 

[GrandBob]

Yes, I DO remember the much bigger menu, especially the various types of icecream sundaes

This comment brought back memories. I remember going there for breakfast with a previous girlfriend. This was before I met Mrs. GrandBob, aka GlamMa; and we've been married over 26 years, so it was a while ago!

Anyway the young lady in question and I each had a full American style breakfast - eggs, bacon, potatoes, etc (or perhaps eggs benedict). Then we looked at each other, and decided to each have a hot fudge sundae for (breakfast) dessert.

Ah, the memories!

-Bob

 

[spacemermaid]

This comment brought back memories. I remember going there for breakfast with a previous girlfriend. This was before I met Mrs. GrandBob, aka GlamMa; and we've been married over 26 years, so it was a while ago!

Anyway the young lady in question and I each had a full American style breakfast - eggs, bacon, potatoes, etc (or perhaps eggs benedict). Then we looked at each other, and decided to each have a hot fudge sundae for (breakfast) dessert.

Ah, the memories!

-Bob

A dessert after breakfast...why not? It's Disneyland!