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DINING REVIEW: CRYSTAL PALACE
by Cheryl Pendry, PassPorter Featured Columnist
There are places in Walt Disney World filled with magic
and for all of us. There are some real favorites, where you know you can head
every time to immerse yourself in the spirit of Disney. For me, one of those
places is at the end of the Magic Kingdom's Main Street U.S.A., just as you head
over to Adventureland: Crystal Palace.
The Crystal Palace is an iconic building, bridging the gap between two lands in
the Magic Kingdom. Its architecture is fascinating and if you think you've seen
something similar before, you could well be right. It draws from a number of
other existing buildings around the world, including our very own Kew Gardens in
London, along with the Crystal Palace in New York and the Conservatory of
Flowers in San Francisco.
It's something that's definitely worth taking
the time to look at, particularly from the main path over to Adventureland from
the Hub in front of the castle, as usually the Disney gardeners have some
beautiful and exceptionally colorful flowerbeds laid out in front of it, which
make for some wonderful photos.
But don't spend too long admiring the
building from the outside. The real treat is inside! But be warned; Advanced
Dining Reservations (ADR's) are definitely needed here. It's only on very quiet
days that they're likely to be able to fit you in if you decide on the spur of
the moment that you want to eat here.
And the reason why is the
popularity of a certain bear and his friends. The Crystal Palace is the best
place at Walt Disney World to find Winnie the Pooh, along with Tigger, Piglet
and my personal favorite, the ever so wonderfully gloomy donkey Eeyore. They
reside here all day long for breakfast, lunch and dinner, just disappearing off
towards the end of lunch, as they've got to get ready to appear in the afternoon
parade. Fair enough.
So why do we love this place so much? Contrary to
popular belief, it's not just because my favorite character resides here,
although I'll be honest, that does help! The magic for us is more the fact that
every time we come to eat here, be it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and
whether it's just the two of us, or with a couple of friends or a big group of
people, we always seem to have a good meal and, perhaps just as importantly, a
wonderful time with the characters.
There have been some truly special
memories here over the years - from Eeyore presenting me with my birthday cake
and wishing me a happy birthday to Pooh Bear desperately trying to get past our
table and getting stuck behind one of our group's chairs and then having to be
pulled free, to the incident with Piglet, where my wayward husband, who's never
been much of a fan of the poor pig, was eating bacon as Piglet arrived. Mark set
to work on Piglet's arm with knife and fork, which required a full blown apology
down on his knees before he was forgiven. Even writing that just brings the
memories back and brings a smile to my face. Somehow the characters here always
seem to go above and beyond the call of duty to really have fun with you and to
make it a truly special meal.
And then there's the other important
ingredient to any meal -- the food. It's an eat as much as you like buffet
throughout the day, with the food obviously changing between meals and the
prices doing likewise, increasing as the day goes on. Breakfast is pretty much
as you'd expect it to be, with lots of traditional items, but also a great
selection of fruits and cheeses, alongside the hot items. We're not huge
breakfast fans, preferring instead to snack and then have big lunches and dinner
and, for us, that's where the Crystal Palace really comes alive.
Lunch
and dinner have similar menus, albeit with some items only appearing at one meal
or the other. For example you'll only find the peel and eat shrimp and soups on
the dinner menu. Having said that, both meals bring some wonderful salads and
dressings, along with a selection of cold meats and cheeses, a wide range of
vegetables, some good pasta, rice and noodle dishes, with a stunning range of
main courses. You wouldn't necessarily expect to find items such as green Thai
curry chicken or fruit and vegetable tofu curry at a character meal, but we have
found them here, and there are more straightforward dishes for less adventurous
eaters, such as chicken, steak, pork and salmon. The fish here has always been
superb and I'm told by those who eat meat that there are no complaints on that
front either.
Then there are the desserts and it's definitely worth
saving some room to sample these. The kids will love the sundae bar (in fact
they'll probably enjoy all the offerings on the children's buffet) and as an ice
cream-loving adult, that's another area I can recommend, but don't miss the
other desserts. Choices are likely to include delicacies such as mango flan,
banana bread pudding, apple cobbler or perhaps some of my favorites, like the
double chocolate brownies and pineapple upside down cake.
Suddenly,
having remembered all the fun interaction with the characters and the wonderful
food, I find myself wondering how long it is to our next visit there. Then I
remember, by the time you read this, I'll be at Walt Disney World and may very
well be enjoying the offerings at Crystal Palace as you read!
Related Links: California Grill Review
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Updated 10/23/08
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