Theme-park foods: nation's major attractions

[Pam R]

Hot, fresh mini doughnuts tossed in cinnamon/sugar. That little doughnut machine that keeps pumping them out is a great invention.

[Lordof7]

Besides Victoria and Albert's what nice places did you visit at WDW?

It was a while ago, but I also distinctly remember eating at Artists Point and Coral Reef. Both were very good. I especially enjoyed Artists Point. (Ok, so I didn't eat at all the nice places. Have to save something for the next time we go!)

Oh, and I have a distinct memory about that Tongo Toast at the polynesian. When I was little we went to Disney, and my mother had that french toast. To this day, I don't think she has ever had better, and she actually went back into the restaurant after eating to get the recipe! (Definitely NOT my mother's personality to do so!) So, we now have some Disney cookbook with that recipe. Didn't taste as good as it did there, though.

[Jaden77]

Funnel cakes are my favorite. I know they're a heart attack waiting to happen, but I still love them.

[LindsayAnn]

Ah, I love amusement park food and the like (festivals, boardwalks, etc...) - I love water ice and italian ices, frozen lemonade, soft pretzels with tons of cheese on the sauce to dip the pretzel in, hot dos with mustard and dill relish, sometimes sour kraut too, candy apples, cotton candy...mmmm

[ZenKimchi]

The banana stuffed french toast at the Polynesian Resort in Disney is wonderful. And the pastries at Epcot in the French and Swedish pavilions are a treat.

I actually stayed at the Polynesian resort in Disney w/my grandparents when I was 10. Unfortunately I don't remember much about the food. Although, I do remember having an awesome brunch with all the Disney characters. I probably had egg beaters, microwave bacon, and pancakes.

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I think my experience at the Polynesian Resort at 8 years old was what started me getting interested in exotic foods. We weren't staying at the Polynesian Resort, but my parents wanted to have dinner there. I remember it being different, and I really liked the tiki glass my dad's drink was served in. We brought it home, and it was my favorite souvenir. For years, I made little tropical drinks at home to put in my tiki glass.

I don't know if there was a point to that story -- I'm sure it was way off topic.

[jrobin]

It seems like the parks that are open seasonally have bad food. Like parks that seem to cater to the rides. Boardwalks are run like small businesses, where each vendor has to come up with memorable foods to be different from the next guy. Or they have to be a stand that has been in business for the past xyz years to keep the people coming back.

County fairs always have the staples and unique stands. I think they are more oriented to showing the 'from farm to table' approach. Now the food fairs/festivals...wow, they are the ones I like to find.

Just came back from Disney World. The amount of food is unbelievable. Our approach is to eat small plates all over. If you eat big, you can't move on to the next place. I liked going to restaurants there, but they take up a big chunk of time.

Jennifer

[Varmint]

I went to Walt Disney World about a month ago and ate lunch at one of the character dining spots -- a buffet-style restaurant with the characters from Winnie the Pooh. Needless to say, this was one of the best buffets I've ever visited. The food was fresh, creative and very tasty. They offered Indian curries, a Singapore-style stir fry, and lots of other great entrees. They even found a way to make average tasting melon be much more palatable: they tossed it with a bit of honey and mint -- I learned a new secret. The desserts were also top notch, with my favorite being the coconut flan. Yes, we were there for over an hour, but with the two youngest L'il Varmints getting autographs, cooling down, and eating well (even the chicken strips were excellent), this was a great place to visit.

[Megan Blocker]

Funnel cake! That's about it...though, if I have to eat at an amusement park, my choice is usually the ubiquitous chicken fingers.

[purplewiz]

I've never had a bad meal anywhere in Epcot at Disneyworld....average seems to be about as bad as it got. We've eaten at the Coral Reef a couple of times and really enjoyed it, especially the special "Epcot Dessert": a hollow sphere of chocolate shaped like the Epcot geodesic sphere with sherbet inside and spun sugar decorations. (I hope I'm remembering it correctly!) Half of it came back with us to the hotel.

Another favorite was the pastry shop in the France area. Great for a mid-afternoon rest, especially since there was the indoor air conditioned seating area in the gift shop right around the corner that never seemed to be crowded.

My favorite unexpected find was the veggie wrap from one of the food places near The Land. We'd grabbed one to sustain us until dinner and it turned out to be fresh and flavorful and more than just the filler it was intended to be.

One of the many reasons I'd like to take another trip to Disneyworld is the food .

Marcia.

[Sarabeth]

Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio has the best corn dogs I've ever had. They were a special "summer only" treat as a child, and they are still tasty as an adult. Their frozen bananas aren't too bad either.

It is the Roller Coaster Capital of the World... the food is just an added bonus.

[GlorifiedRice]

So since my son is autistic we dont do scary rides (thank god) so we go to Dutch Wonderland every year and do the tame rides they have there.

Seriously it really is great for high anxiety kids and adults with special needs who dont do roller coasters or other high rides. They have a monorail, 2 virtual reality rides, bumper cars,

3 boat rides, a go cart type ride, carousel and more. Even a few live shows.

Anyway THEY HAVE DOLE WHIP!!!

I got a small one in a cup and 2 spoons and we had a few spoons and tossed the rest. Im watching sugars and my son didnt want the rest.

It was very refreshing as 2 posters above said. But I read the ingredients and OMG I was under the impression that it was whipped pineapple!

Its not. Its all crap.It was delicious and I probably would have finished it before last Decembers Drs visit. Just cant have all that sugar...

 

BTW Dutch Wonderland is in Lancaster pa