What Bygone Restaurant Do You Miss From WDW?

mindflipper · Post by **mindflipper** » Sep Fri 25, 2009 10:20 am

Hey, 99Soulz, thanks for the info!!! Disney has got Character Dining so much elsewhere (like Crystal Palace all day) it would be nice to have a normal sit-down dining somewhere in the park without them. It's great for the small kids, but for teens and adults - not really for that price.

Mr.ToadWildRider · Post by **Mr.ToadWildRider** » Sep Fri 25, 2009 12:17 pm

I have to agree that while Akershus is still there in body, it is not in spirit...or food.

I loved it when it was the expanded buffet (with my favorite, the oh so cleverly named "Goat Cheese"... but it wasn't like other goat cheese...it was brown and sweet and oh so creamy. It was like eating brown sugar cheese or something) and you got to order unlimited items from the kitchen in small portions. The meatballs (though I think they were just beef not reindeer, but who knows could've been venison) were also so darn good. And they had the best tortilla like bread! I'd make so many sandwiches of just goat cheese and the bread. Very healthy.

Now the cheese, bread and meatballs are gone. You get to order 1 (albeit larger more complete) plate from the kitchen. And you get the awkwardness of not being a child and having the princesses come to your table. As a 25 year old I'm not exactly sure how to intereact with face characters. It's just weird. Chip and Dale and Donald? Bring em on, but women around my age dressed like Jasmine is just kind of awkward to be like "Hey Jasmine! How is Aladdin? Thank you for visiting me as I gorge myself on pickled herring! On and Ariel, I'm sorry if you're related to these fish we're ravaging. Nice legs though!"

Sidenote on Empress Lily I remember eating a flower salad there as a kid

yodiwan1 · Post by **yodiwan1** » Sep Fri 25, 2009 7:47 pm

I will never forget back in 2000, my fraternity over at UCF,took a trip to Epcot. We all had APs at teh time. We decided to all eat at Akershus since it was a buffet and we were hungry growing boys. This was when it was all buffet and not just the cold stuff. At the time they gave you a "Viking for the DaY" certificate if you had at least 7 full plates. We all (15) managed to pull this off!

Soarin08 · Post by **Soarin08** » Sep Sat 26, 2009 11:38 pm

The old Akershus sounds amazing!!!! WDW has enough character dining.... seems they need to restore this one to its former glory.

imaginationcelebration · Post by **imaginationcelebration** » Oct Sat 24, 2009 9:15 pm

Mr.ToadWildRider wrote:I have to agree that while Akershus is still there in body, it is not in spirit...or food.

I loved it when it was the expanded buffet (with my favorite, the oh so cleverly named "Goat Cheese"... but it wasn't like other goat cheese...it was brown and sweet and oh so creamy. It was like eating brown sugar cheese or something) and you got to order unlimited items from the kitchen in small portions. The meatballs (though I think they were just beef not reindeer, but who knows could've been venison) were also so darn good. And they had the best tortilla like bread! I'd make so many sandwiches of just goat cheese and the bread. Very healthy.

Now the cheese, bread and meatballs are gone. You get to order 1 (albeit larger more complete) plate from the kitchen. And you get the awkwardness of not being a child and having the princesses come to your table. As a 25 year old I'm not exactly sure how to intereact with face characters. It's just weird. Chip and Dale and Donald? Bring em on, but women around my age dressed like Jasmine is just kind of awkward to be like "Hey Jasmine! How is Aladdin? Thank you for visiting me as I gorge myself on pickled herring! On and Ariel, I'm sorry if you're related to these fish we're ravaging. Nice legs though!"

Sidenote on Empress Lily I remember eating a flower salad there as a kid

Thats too bad, we always made it a point to eat there. It's always been a favorite of mine, but if it's really no more unlimited kitchen plates of whatever dish on the menu that you wanted, than that makes it undesirable to me. I could care less about the buffet, it was the game pie that I loved!

castmember04 · Post by **castmember04** » Oct Sun 25, 2009 7:55 am

The Diamond Horseshoe Review, and Pirata y el Perico. It is closed so frequently that it is never open when we visit, so it feels like it is closed more than half the year.

mindflipper · Post by **mindflipper** » Oct Sun 25, 2009 3:36 pm

What about the Tomorrowland Terrace that has the asian nooodle meals? It's pristine clean every time I pass by, but it's never ever open. Why is it there if it's never open and selling food? It's amazing how much at MK never seems to open and running. Anyone know why?

boilerbabe · Post by **boilerbabe** » Oct Sun 25, 2009 4:16 pm

mindflipper wrote:What about the Tomorrowland Terrace that has the asian nooodle meals? It's pristine clean every time I pass by, but it's never ever open. Why is it there if it's never open and selling food? It's amazing how much at MK never seems to open and running. Anyone know why?

I'd like to know too! I remember back in the day it was one of our fav. places to stop. I remember getting pizza there. Every time we visit MK, DH and I always notice that it's never open. Any CM's know why?!?! It's a great location.

Jacca5660 · Post by **Jacca5660** » Oct Mon 26, 2009 8:14 pm

I don't understand the trend either. It seems like Disney is trying to find out how much they can take away before people start to stay away.

mindflipper · Post by **mindflipper** » Oct Mon 26, 2009 9:12 pm

Maybe with current economic woes its cutback measures Disney is using to minimize some O&M/budget expenses??? I wish a CM can tell us the real reason...

keneka · Post by **keneka** » Nov Wed 04, 2009 6:42 am

I liked the The Odyssey, also bon famille at Port Orleans French Quarter and Fountain View Bakery at Epcot for breakfasts, plus no mcdonalds fries in the parks

Restaurants which have changed for the worst are no breakfasts at Tony's in MK and Tusker House becoming a buffet in AK

mindflipper · Post by **mindflipper** » Nov Wed 04, 2009 11:40 am

Tony's in the MK has steadily declined in quality since I was a kid. Likewise, so has the Crystal Palace in the MK too.

Nicc513 · Post by **Nicc513** » Nov Wed 04, 2009 1:28 pm

Mr.ToadWildRider wrote:I have to agree that while Akershus is still there in body, it is not in spirit...or food.

I loved it when it was the expanded buffet (with my favorite, the oh so cleverly named "Goat Cheese"... but it wasn't like other goat cheese...it was brown and sweet and oh so creamy. It was like eating brown sugar cheese or something) and you got to order unlimited items from the kitchen in small portions. The meatballs (though I think they were just beef not reindeer, but who knows could've been venison) were also so darn good. And they had the best tortilla like bread! I'd make so many sandwiches of just goat cheese and the bread. Very healthy.

I used to do that too - fill up on the cheese. It was so sweet, almost like dessert. I used to use those flatbread crackers for my sandwiches though, although I do remember the tortilla-type bread you're referring to as well. I truly loved Akershus - we always made a point to eat there at least once (usually more than once) during our trips.

I've actually found the cheese in a few grocery stores around here. It's called "gjetost" and is sold here under the brand name "Ski Queen". If you have a good cheese section in your store, keep an eye out for this label: http://www.norwegiancheeses.co.uk/ski_queen.htm. I'll warn you, it's not cheap, but it's sooooo worth it!

blackfroggy · Post by **blackfroggy** » Nov Wed 04, 2009 1:58 pm

I also have to say the Odyssey. My family loves to eat there because it was out of the way from most places so it usually (but not always) resulted in less crowds to deal with and if we got lucky we can watch Illuminations in there.

Jacca5660 · Post by **Jacca5660** » Nov Thu 05, 2009 5:02 pm

It's not a bygone restaurant, but I miss the first years of the MK before there was anything else. It was like MK and Epcot rolled up into one park! I remember when SM was really like being in the future. You know when there was a Disney still in charge! It was all so amazing!

Don't get me wrong. I love what WDW is now, it's just, it was, I don't know how to explain it. I guess it was a different feeling. Can anybody help me here?