Just a couple of more weeks until we get the conference call with Disney on their FY’08 results and probably some of the most anticipated discussion about their current financial outlook. Cross your fingers that enough of us are still making trips to Florida to keep Mickey’s money pump primed.
The web is aglow with all kinds of rumors over things not happening or happening based on the economy. There are of course more than a few real signs that Mickey and crew are tightening down the hatches. Most of you know by now that I’ve been pursing employment with the Disney Company, so my usual way of watching things these days is the aggregate of the reputable web PLUS the state of job postings on the disneycareers.com website.
And as you’d expect those job announcements have slowed considerably. Right now there are only 99 professional openings in Florida (which has over 60,000 cast members remember), which is down from almost 300 earlier this year. Probably one third of those are still either continually open positions or the last of the internships. So all in all, Mickey and crew are looking at adding only about 60 new professional employees right now, which is pretty slim.
Anyhow, enough about the brooding state of the economy. There is plenty else to talk about here, and I promised some more information about Celebration last week before I got sidetracked by a finance exam and double homework. This week I want to talk about the restaurants that grace the town center area of Celebration. We didn’t eat at them all, but all of them were plenty busy, so my bet is that the food in each is pretty darn good.
So let’s start off at the west end of the city center right on Front Street.
Once upon a time this was the location of the closest Starbucks around, which always made a trip to Celebration a must and fun. Apparently the folks who live in Celebration had a love hate relationship with the idea of Starbucks, since they really want to keep the town non-commercial and what I would call cozy, but it’s proved to be very popular. Now the closest Bucks for you caffeine junkies is actually out on 192 right across from where Celebration Ave. meets 192.
Almost immediately across the street on the North side is The Celebration Town Tavern. We ate here twice if you can believe that. The Tavern is a New England style tavern and they serve some of the best New England seafood you’ll ever eat. Our waitress told us that they fly in a large part of their fish selection from the northeast every day, and it shows. The prices were pretty reasonable too, with most prices falling in the $15 to $25 range. This is also the place to take the beer lover in your family: they have 99 different bottled beers to choose from! Definitely on the list of good places to eat for reasonable money.
Moving down the street we have the Market Street Cafe. The MSC is a nice, modern version of a ‘60’s era cafe with all the food you’d expect in one. From shakes to steaks, they cover the cafe gamut and the prices were outstanding, especially for lunch. We didn’t have time to eat here this trip, but it’s certainly on the list for the next trip!
Crossing Market Street the next place to eat is Cafe D' Antonio. We didn’t get to eat here either, but this Zagat surveyed Italian restaurant was ALWAYS busy and the menu looks fantastic. Most of the dinners are in the $15-$30 range and they have a pretty extensive lunch menu as well. I can’t wait to eat here as my wife and I both LOVE good, authentic Italian.
Next we have Seito Sushi. I actually had a lunch meeting here, since I was here on business this trip. While the website doesn’t list the prices, you can see that the selection is very nice. I had the Sushi Combination which was several pieces of sushi for about $10, and my lunch companion had the Teriyaki Bento box, also for about $10 as I recall. The service was good, the place was packed with Disney folks (go figure!) and the prices reasonable. It was a little loud for a business lunch, but that’s to be expected and there are plenty of other quieter places around the downtown fountain for instance to chat.
The next store front is actually a book store, Reading Trout Books to be exact. Just a side note here to say that this bookstore is where you go if you’re trying to find that hard to find Disney edition of just about anything. They had some of the coolest and widest selection of Disney books I’ve ever seen (and I own several!). Worth your stop.
Our next stop isn’t a restaurant per say, but you’ll be hard pressed to walk by it without stopping. It’s a Kilwin’s chocolate and ice cream store. Yum! Cases upon cases of good eats… from fudge to vanilla fudge ice cream, it’s ALL GOOD!
Coming down the final stretch we pass the AMC movie theater and find ourselves in front of the final restaurant on Front Street and boy is it worth the wait. The last entry is the Columbia Restaurant which is a Spanish and Cuban eatery, and man did their menu look fantastic! It’s probably the most expensive place in town, with dinner plates running from $25-$35, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a nicer place and at least better looking food. We SO wanted to eat here, but our timing was just poor this trip so it goes on the next time list.
So there you have it. A short trip along Celebration’s Front Street. These aren’t the only places in town to eat for certain (there is the country club among a few others), but you can see the variety and the pricing are all very good and reasonable. So the next time your looking for a place to try, don’t cross 535 and give your money to Chili’s or some other big chain, try one of these family operated places in lovely downtown Celebration. We weren’t disappointed and I bet you won’t be either.
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3 comments:
So, given the choice, would you eat dinner at Artist's Point in the Wilderness Lodge or in Celebration. I'm trying to decide for the next trip. I've never been to AP.
That's a good question that depends on a few variables I think.
My personnal experience with Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge is in general positive. Just like any resteraunt it has better nights than others, but even on the one occassion we ate their when we didn't think it was as good as in the past the food was still quite good. They also have a pretty good wine and beer selection as well (associated with the bar right next door which is a good place to get a drink and chat or catch some sports).
We've only scratched the surface of the places to eat in Celebration personally, though all of them look quite good. I'd say the general answer comes down to three things:
1. The first of course is do you have a car? Celebration, let alone any place else outside of Disney World, is harder to get to without wheels (or the ability/desire to pay two way cab fare anyhow, which can make a dinner even more expensive if you don't want to enjoy some of downtown Celebration too!).
2. I wouldn't call what I've eaten to date on Front Street better or worse than Disney resteraunts, though in general they are a little different mix. You can get good sushi in Disney hotels, but not New England seafood (or seafood at all some would contend) nor any real Cuban or non-Americaniz'ed Mexican so those are unique bets here.
3. The last is just a question of variety. If you like to wander around the area, or want to wander around the area a little outside of Disney then Celebration is a nice place to visit that's close. Disney World still sits in somewhat of a vaccum in terms of neighbors, so lots of nice places to see.
Of course if you are my wife there is always the Starbucks factor!
You can send me a e-mail if you want to chat some more about it!
Hey, thanks for answering my question. I think I'm going to do both, actually. I've always wanted to go to Celebration (it's kind of fascinating in a way, I suppose) and since I've got a car, it should be easy to get there. On the other hand, I want to see WL at Christmas, so I can do that and eat there too.
Thanks again. I really like your blog. Good insight.
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