Remember When?

[hAm53]

I was just thinking about how disapoointed I was a few years back to find out the restaurantat The Land turned into a buffet. I loved that place when it was just a sit down place. Then I started to remember Mickey Butter (that stuff as just plain cool), having breakfast On Top of The World, and when Chef Mickey's gave you trading cards of the characters.
Boy, times have sure changed.

~ Chris

 

[Chuck S]

Yes, we liked the Land restaurant much better when it was table service with a menu. I can't eat Disney's BBQ sauce, one of the seasoning doesn't like me. Broadway at the Top Dinner Show was great. I remember the Fireworks Factory had wonderful barbeque, and Donald's Dairy Dip was the place for Ice Cream in the world.

 

[Cinderella37]

While I miss the Mickey Butter (it was at CRT too), I always felt more than a little guilty spreading his head on my bread...

 

[Safari Steve]

Remember when the most exotic food available was an "oriental cheese dog" in Adventureland? Now they serve yummy eggrolls instead. Not all change is bad, and most WDW dining has been improving over the past decade.

The hot items at Restaurant Akershus are now brought to the table instead of being on a buffet line, which makes for a more relaxing meal and fresher, hotter, more beautifully-presented food.

Garden Grill is all-you-care-to-eat, but it is not a buffet. It is still table service, just no a' la carte selections. The only people who touch your food besides you are the chef and server, just like any other restaurant, there is a wide variety (nothing with barbeque sauce, btw...) and you can have as much of whatever you'd like.

Jiko at DAK Lodge is a five-diamond restaurant, featuring the most extensive selection of South African wines (www.distell.co.za) in the Southeast.

Exotic flavors aren't limited to table service restaurants, either. The Mara, DAKL's food court/quick service location boasts a fantastic array of soups, salads, stews, etc. of a quality and variety that was unheard of at WDW just a few years ago.

 

[hAm53]

Safari Steve: I do agree that overall the dining has improved, but I also think that has a lot to do with the massive amount of resorts that opened in the past 15 years (back when it was only the Contem, Poly, and GF). I guess that with more resorts opening, its easier to devote a space to building an Artists Point or Jiko wile desiging a resort, as opposed to making things work around the facilities in the parks.
But believe me, I pale in comparison to what you know about WDW, and I totally agree with the eggrolls in Adventureland.

~ Chris

 

[YCFAN]

I miss those things too. Top of the World was a really good "grown up" dinner show. I enjoyed the atmosphere and food at The Fireworks Factory and one of the very first places I ever went to in Disney was the Papatee Bay Verandah. Things change, but it's fun to relive those old memories.

 

[sotoalf]

Dining at WDW has improved astronomically in the last 12 years, especially at the resorts. Yes, I remember the days of the Tangoroa Terrace at the Poly (in the eastern end of the hotel, by the arcade), the Papeete Bay Verandah, and the Pueblo Room at the Contemporary. We ate at each one of these restaurants several times and the food was DREADFUL - so bad that it was literally inedible. Even World Showcase dining at Epcot was just average at best.

The opening of new resorts has left more time to concentrate on good, leisurely sit-down meals, but let's not discount all the criticism Disney got for its food in its first 15 years.

 

[Micca]

We remember when the revolving restaurant at the Land was the Good Turn sponsored by Kraft. DW still makes the cheese spread for special occasions.

 

[Uncleromulus]

I agree-the food has gotten better over the years. But I really wish they had kept Papeete Bay "as it was". I had a # of fine meals there in the early days. Plus they had a Hula dancer and a 3-piece combo entertaining thru-out the evening. A great value and a fine time. But nobody ate there, and so they switched to a mostly Chinese menu, got rid of the hula dancer (and later the Combo) and then went out of business---

 

[Efastpitch]

Remember breakfast at Tony's on Main Street? Remember the mickey waffle's and butter? What a great way to start your morning.

 

[YCFAN]

Efastpitch,
My Mother went with us back in 1991 and she would never use the butter because she thought it was so cute! I thought Tony's had the best breakfast in the park.

 

[meeko_33785]

The restaurants I miss the most of Bonfamilles Cafe at Port Orleans. I loved their breakfast and it had become a tradition for me for many years. It's sad to know it's now empty. I also miss the pop corn they use to give you at the Sci-Fi. It was a little thing, but it really added to the whole experience.

 

[YCFAN]

Breakfast at Bonfamilles was wonderful. I liked the atmosphere of the restaurant and the breakfast potatoes they served were delicious!

 

[coral40]

Breakfast at Tony's is one of my favorite memories from when my oldest two children were little. DD6 and DS4 split the Lady and the Tramp waffle, and the waiter brought it out evenly split on two plates, handing my DD the Lady half, and DS the Tramp. Love that Disney attention to detail!!

 

[CHIPSTER]

Remember when you could go to Fort Wilderness and actually make your own pizza, have a pitcher of beer and be entertained by the banjo player with the follow-the-bouncing ball sing a long.

Remember when you could have one of the best breakfast buffets at Tangorora Terrace. They actually made the Mickey breakfast waffles to order with fresh strawberries and fresh whipped cream.

Remember when you could go to Crockett's Tavern and enjoy the same ribs and chicken dinner served at Hoop De Doo for $10 bucks. And if you had to wait sitting on the rocking chairs on the porch was relaxing.

Remember when they served both Pepsi and Coke.

I definitely miss the above places, although I do have a few new favorites.

 

[tink2]

Remember when Hollywood and Vine had a character meal? I think it is a shame MGM does not have a character meal. I kept thinking they would replace the one at H&V, but I guess not!
On the coke and pepsi thing- why don't they serve DR. PEPPER in the parks???

 

[Simba's Mom]

Who else yelled "Wake up, you silly moose!" Remember Melvin the Moose? I wonder if Marty Moose in the movie "National Lampoon's Vacation" is a take-off on him. How about the Empress Lily character breakfast with Donald Duck? Minnie Menehune and that great buffet?

 

[skoi]

I remember our first character breakfast-- 1992 maybe? We got to the MK, were taken as a group to Ray's in Tomorrowland where we got a styrofoam-type tray with a breakfast sandwich, beverage of choice-- and maybe some sort of hash brown thing! We had about twenty minutes before they moved us out. There were a good number of characters though, and we got our one and only picture of dh with Roger Rabbit.

We were shocked when we went back in '97 and had that much more impressive breakfast with Pooh at CP.

Julie

 

[CheshireVal]

Ah, memories!!! These are some of my favorite restaurant memories from when I was growing up:

King Stefan's Banquet Hall (now Cinderella's Royal Table): We always used to eat there for lunch, and you'd get complimentary beef and barley soup, spinach noodles with butter as a side item, and free dessert.... and mickey butter!

Papeete Bay Veranda (now Ohana): they used to have a wonderful Sunday brunch buffet. I remember having excellent seafood crepes there once.

Chef Mickey's -- I don't remember what it was called previously (if the name changed at all), but we used to eat dinner there and it was NOT character (a plus for my introverted family). The buffet was great and we loved the views of the MK from the large windows.

Tangaroa Terrace (Polynesian)-- this place was great for breakfast. They had yummy french toast!

Columbia Harbor House -- Still here, but they've taken the fried shrimp and the monte cristo sandwiched off the menu. For shame!

Melvin the Moose breakfast at FW-- I remember, I remember! Mmmm, the chocolate chip muffins.

 

[sotoalf]

During my first trip to the Polynesian in 1987, we ate breakfast several times at Tangaroa Terrace. It was indeed very special, especially the waffles.

Uncleremus, I remember the hula dancers at the Papeete Bay! And the combo! It had a kitschy dinner-theater air, but it was more authentically Polynesian. And, yes, the PB served a pretty good prime rib, if I remember correctly.

Remember when the Kona Cafe was called Coral Isle Cafe? And Chef Mickey's was called the Terrace Buffeteria? I agree that the Contemporary looks MUCH better after the renovations in the early '90s: the restauraunts on the Grand Canyon Concourse looked like Union Station in DC circa 1981.

Anyone ever eat in the Gulf Coast Room? That was before my time. I understand it and the Empress Room (now the third floor at Fulton's) at the Disney Village was the first WDW restaurant (before V & A's) to require coats and ties for men.

What was on the menu at GC Room and was it good?