Good pizzas have been coming out of the oven at this address for years, but only recently as Ragazzi’s. The crust — so important to a proper pizza — was just thick enough to hold the weight of the toppings, which were considerable. Besides pizza, Ragazzi’s does some pretty delicious Italian specialties, as well. I loved the meatball appetizer, which really could have served as an entree all on its own. Not only were the meat orbs well formed and firm, they also were simmered in a red sauce that was thick and tomatoey and worth spooning on its own. also had the eggplant parmigiana, a nicely done slice of eggplant dipped in egg wash and dusted with flour, fried to a golden crisp and then topped with melted mozzarella. Even better: it included a side dish of pasta with more of that wonderful marinara.

Other location at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. For a hint about the food, take a look at the slogan: A Wild Place To Shop and Eat. Notice that shopping gets top billing? The food is mediocre here at best. The Animal Kingdom Rainforest Cafe is similar to the Downtown Disney one, except AK’s is immense. No, it’s a little bigger than immense. It seats about 575 in what is essentially one large room, the ceiling of which is covered with fake limbs and leaves to make you think you’re in a real rain forest, albeit one made of silk. As if the fake plants overhead weren’t enough, each table has a fake orchid in a vase.

An Orlando outpost for a multi-location New York City restaurant, this is a rather mundane place with average Mexican food.

If most people choose to eat at Restaurant Marrakesh for the belly dancers, most people who choose to have dinner here do so because of the great view of Illuminations. Tip from the Disney folks: If you want to view Illuminations from here, “take a seat on the popular patio before sunset.” Before sunset — the show is at 9 p.m. That’s a lot of pints to pound down while you’re waiting. And what will you eat? Bangers and mash? Fish and chips? Sorry, I can’t recommend the food here. And I’ve always been disappointed with the staff. I love my visits to England — the real one, across the Atlantic — and the people there are always wonderful. But the cast members at this pub are usually surly. (And why not — they’ve got people camping out on their patio tables for four hours waiting for the fireworks to begin.)

It’s a perennial nighttime scene, affected by its location inside the pavilion. The dining area is set up next to the waterway, which transports people in boats on their way to the pavilion’s themed ride, Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros. All the elements work nicely together to produce a terrific atmosphere.I wish they’d spend a little effort on making the food better. The menu at least stays true to Mexican cuisine, rather than pandering to Americans’ concept of it, which has been muddled by Tex-Mex, Southwestern and even San Francisco-style burrito restaurants. Here you’ll find no fajitas, an American invention, or cheesy quesadillas. You will receive a conical basket filled with tortilla chips, accompanied by two salsas — an American tradition that even authentic Mexican restaurants must follow.That’s the last thing you’ll get for free. Everything else you’ll pay for, and you’ll pay way too much.

The menu is African with Indian influences, but not to the point of excluding beef or pork. Look for those touches in the spicing. The food may be a bit more exotic than most people are willing to try, but it’s almost all done expertly. And you can’t beat the atmosphere, with a ground-level view of the grazing area where you’re likely to see giraffes galloping by.

It’s an outdoor drive-in theater indoors. The movies glorified here are the wonderfully trashy movies of the ’50s – those low-budget flicks that had spacemen clad in Reynolds Wrap and rocket ships dangling by all-too-visible wires. Of course, when you go to a drive-in, you sit in a car, so the Disney folks have constructed some special vehicles. The cars are convertibles set up as booths, and everyone faces forward. Most of the cars have a front seat, a back seat and a middle seat. A family of six can sit two by two by two. If the kids start acting up, Dad can turn around and take a swat at them. There’s a real possibility, however, that you’ll be seated in a car with strangers. If those strangers’ kids are acting up, it is not all right to take a swat at them. As for the food, well, no one ever went to a drive-in movie for the cuisine. ‘Nuf said.

There’s no denying that the setting for the dining room here, with expansive windows into the titanic aquarium filled with exotic sea life, is impressive. It would be a terrific place to have dinner if it wasn’t for the lousy food. There isn’t anything wrong with the menu, it’s fairly straightforward with a little of something for any taste. But the execution and quality are sub par. And I don’t know why that should be. All it would take, it seems to me, is a desire to do better food. But apparently management believes the crowds will come for the view alone, food be damned. Pity.

Spice Road Table is the newest restaurant to open at Epcot, part of the Morocco pavilion in the World Showcase. Not inside the pavilion, mind you, outside, in front of it, on the shore of the lagoon. It’s a setup much like what opened last year at the Mexico pavilion.
The menu isn’t exclusively Moroccan. By giving it a Spice Road theme, the developers were able to widen the scope, borrowing from the dishes and flavors of the countries along the legendary explorers’ route. And the various dishes are presented as Mediterranean Small Plates (thank you for not calling them tapas).
Oddly, given the name, most of the dishes have rather muted spicing. Ask for a side of harissa with whatever you order and you’ll be fine.

Notice the name says Luxury Lanes, not Luxury Dining. Come here for bowling fun and maybe have a bite. Dining should be done elsewhere (when you’re not wearing rented shoes).