Ladies and Gentlemen!  Once again, it is time for What-If Wednesday!  The game show where we use our Disney imaginations to debate a weekly “What if?” question.  Contestants from Twitter and Facebook go head to head and compete to invent the most popular answers.  Get ready to let your
imagination run wild!  As Drew Carey would say, this is ”the show where
everything’s made up and the points don’t matter.”  Let’s talk about FOOD!

This week’s What-if:  You’re going to spend a week at Walt Disney World!  (YAY!)  What if you had to eat every meal in the same restaurant then entire time?  Which place would you choose?

Holy Guacamole!  I should have known food would really get people talking – and thinking!  So many participants this week – I’ve divided the answers into three categories…

Category 1 – Table Service

In this category, we’ve got the folks with a particularly discerning taste and a BIG budget.  If you’re going to eat in the SAME table service restaurant every day for the duration of your Disney vacation, you have a passion and you don’t care how much it costs to feed it!  I admire that in a foodie!  So who fell into Category 1 and where will they be eating?

-A (@SaratogaSprings) voted quickly and decisively for “‘Ohana…soooo delicious”  Yes, indeed, ‘Ohana (at the Polynesian Resort) has a lot to offer.  Personally, I’m not as enamored with the meat (served Brazilian Barbeque style) as I am with the starters!  Noodles, salad, wings, dumplin’s …oh, MY!  I’ve always been so sad they stopped serving those cheesy potatoes.  Anybody remember those?

Disney Tutor (@Disneytutor) weighed in with “Raglan Road for every meal-great entertainment & food options, could never get sick of the bread&butter pudding” – Having eaten at Raglan Road in Downtown Disney several times myself (with an upcoming ADR there, to boot!) – this is an excellent choice.  Super fun atmosphere, great food, Irish dancers…and what a beer selection!  Yes, Disney Tutor, you do know how to pick ’em!

Raymond (@Southpaw9989) – said, “It would have to be Jiko. Such great food.”  A man near and dear to my heart (I’ve been married to him nearly 25 years) voted for a table service restaurant (at the Animal Kingdom Lodge) with a bit of fancy style, upscale atmosphere, and terrific food – someday we’ll get to eat there alone (without the offspring) and see if it’s as romantic as we think it may be!  In the mean time, the food at Jiko is truly excellent.  As is the service.  Oh, and the wine.  Good choice, Honey!

Bill Maguire (@wfmaguire) played in this week’s What-if round with this response:  “Good Q!  I’ll take Kona Cafe please.  4 reasons:  Tonga Toast, Sushi!!, The rest of the menu, and Kona beer!!”  Okay, Bill – you have a point!  Even though (I must confess), I’ve never had even one bite of Tonga Toast, I can appreciate the huge fan base this breakfast confection has cultivated over the years (at the Polynesian Resort).  I am a huge sushi fan – would not be put off eating it every day, and Bill had to trump it all with the beer!  Certainly a hearty breakfast, raw fish, and BEER! have all the makings for vacation dining perfection.  Well played, Bill, well played.

Disney Sophisticate (@StyleOfDisney) – new Twitter follower (Welcome and Thanks) jumped right on into the game with gusto, “Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria – at Epcot! Authentic, fresh  ingredients and wood-fired pizza to dream about” – way to join the game!  I have to disclose – we are huge Tutto Italia (also table service in Epcot’s Italy pavilion) fans and have never tried Via Napoli in spite of all the rave reviews.  Disney Sophisticate’s enthusiasm is pretty convincing – we’ve got to give this place a chance!

Les Davis (@LesDavis) – is going all out!  It IS vacation, after all.  Here’s what Les had to say: ” V&A, of course . . . Sorry to be so obvious with my answer.”  Way to dream BIG, Les.  Bravely willing to dress for dinner daily, Les would be dining in style and enjoying gourmet meals (hopefully with the appropriate wine pairings) at the Grand Floridian’s Victoria and Albert’s (affectionately referred to in our home as Vicky and Bert’s).

DisneyPrincess83 (@OzGoofyPrincess) – A return player for this week’s game, the Princess chose Epcot’s Teppen Edo (World Showcase, Japan pavilion).  “Love the food and feel of the restaurant.  And family style is a great way to meet other people.”  Food and friendship!  Who could ask for more?  Plus, watching those chefs cook the food ON your table is highly entertaining.

‏Category 2 – Counter Service / Buffet

Wesley Snyder (@365DaysOfDisney) – Would choose Tusker House at the Animal Kingdom Park.  Wesley didn’t say what it was about Tusker House that makes it his choice, but I bet I can guess!  Start of each day with Donald’s Safari Breakfast and enjoy a wide variety of unique dishes at every meal.  The special kids’ station serves food like corn dog nuggets, chicken drumsticks, and mac & cheese + much more.  Let me add: warm banana cinnamon bread pudding.  ‘Nuff said.  Good choice, Wesley!

Rebecca Kelly (rkellyWDW) – Rebecca took her time deciding – thought it over – and settled on Boma at the Animal Kingdom Resort.  This was the first thing that popped into my mind when I first thought of this particular “What-if” question.  Rebecca’s choice of this extraordinarily varied buffet would allow her to eat for a week and try different things everyday.  And eat unlimited Zebra Domes!

BRGUEST (@goodbye7407) – Like Rebecca, BRGUEST chose a great buffet, but this one is over at the Contemporary Resort – Chef Mickey’s!  “Food is great and will be with the characters always.”  Oh, yeah – Chef Mickey’s serves breakfast and dinner so you could start and end the day with the Fab Five entertaining you while you dine.  Also, while it’s a buffet that’s trying to cater to all eaters (even picky ones), the food’s pretty good.  I can’t imagine anyone not being able to find something tasty to enjoy.

Another Character Buffet fan, Amanda Payne (@RavenAven82) is going with “The Crystal Palace. They have the best food and endless Eeyore hugs!”  While we’ve not yet eaten there, Crystal Palace seems to have a lot of fans – Characters from Winnie the Pooh, beautiful location in the Magic Kingdom,

Paul Boudreau (@YoPaulieNJ) – Paul brought to the table (cough, pun intended) the well-thought out, Sunshine Seasons.  This counter service gem in Epcot’s Land pavilion has everything you’d want in a one-stop shop if such a vacation restriction actually existed.  Plus, it has THE chocolate croissant I love so much.

Dennis (@oakmanner) waded right on into the fray with Port Orleans Riverside food court (aka Boatwright’s Dining Hall).  I can vouch for Dennis’s choice.  We’ve stayed and dined at Port Orleans Riverside and the food court was great!  Fun atmosphere (themed as a boat-builders workshop), good variety of food with a Cajun flair.  Need a hearty Southern-style dinner?  This is the place.

Finally, Niki on Facebook had a very difficult time choosing, but in the end said, “my heart tells me Cosmic Rays….my belly tells me Cape May Café”.  Let’s take a quick look at each, shall we?  Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café is located in the Magic Kingdom.  This eatery, specializing in American fare, is a very large and popular cafeteria.  Ray’s is the place to be if you need to satisfy a varied group of eaters with things like burgers, sandwiches, and salads for a reasonable price.  Cape May Café is a buffet within walking distance of Epcot over at the Yacht and Beach Club Resort area.  The addition of many delicious seafood items to this particular smorgasbord is what makes it so special.

Category 3 – Food Item Obsession!

Daniel Grote (@dangrote) wanted to know, “Does the Main Street popcorn cart count? I could live off popcorn for a week…”  This popcorn has its own cult following.  Seriously – people wax poetic about it.  Jump on in and comment if you have absolutely any idea WHY!?! – Other than everything tastes better at Disney World!

David Hodges (@thedislife) – would live off waffles.  No, not Mickey waffles, but the very popular and unique “Sweet and Spicy Chicken Waffle Sandwich at Sleepy Hollow (Magic Kingdom). All day, Every day.”  Waffle obsessed, Dave then added, “while you’re there you need to pick up a Nutella Waffle also. It will be like a meal with dessert”  I cannot resist the idea of these waffle-meals.  So, yes!  I’m going to give them both a try in the very near future.  They sound GREAT!

Honorable Mention: 

Our Hawaiian friend, Dave Tupper (@dstupper) did not choose a restaurant at all.  Dave’s vote was for enjoying each meal in our DVC villa.  Dave’s confidence in my cooking abilities was absolute – he said, “Because I’m sure your cooking is Da Bomb Digity!”  Dave also asked a question of his own, “Can you make Cheesecake?”  Indeed, Dave, I can.  And it’s pretty epic – My Aunt Millie’s recipe, in fact, cranks out what I affectionately refer to as MOAC (the mother of all cheesecakes).  Served with a homemade caramel topping and you’ve got something really special.

That wraps it up for this week, folks!  As always, thanks so much for playing.  Watch Twitter and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/LivingaDisLife) for the next chance to play What-if Wednesday!