Kill, Refurb, Marry: Crescent Lake Restaurants

It’s that time again: to play kill, refurb, marry, with our good friends over at Mouse on the Mind and This Happy Place blog!  This may come as a surprise to you, or it may not, but despite being a huge Disney fan I had never heard the phrase “Crescent Lake” before.  In case you were ignorant like me, it happens to be the name of the lake that the Boardwalk and Beach Club resorts are on!  So as far as I’m concerned, this category includes the restaurants at the Boardwalk, the Beach Club, and the Swan/Dolphin.

Now, I haven’t been to a huge amount of these restaurants.  I’ve never been to any at the Swan or the Dolphin.  So I’m basing my choices off a little bit of experience, but mostly what I’ve heard about each place and how much I think the idea and reputation appeals to me.  So without further adieu, here are my choices…

KILL:  ESPN Club

Sorry, but for me, a sports bar is something that I personally don’t think Disney really needs.  I am not much of a sports fan, but even that aside I’m not big on the blatant over-advertising of the company.  I know that Disney owns ESPN, but still.  It’s nothing I have any desire to try.  The food sounds like something you’d typically get from a bar or an Applebee’s type place, and from what I’ve heard from others the quality is probably comparable.  I know lots of people need to stay in touch with their sports, but personally I like to escape from everything while I’m at Disney.  Even TV shows that I watch religiously are given up during the week, so I guess needing to watch every sports game is something that I just don’t get.  There are tons of great restaurants in this area, and I think they could do something a lot cooler with this space.

REFURB:  Beaches and Cream

I loved Beaches and Cream when I was there.  And it’s because I love it that i want to refurb it.  The place is so cute, but it’s also just so small.  It’s kind of a hidden gem in that way, and while that is nice and quaint in its own way, I would love to see them expand it.  It just felt a little cramped and dark.  That may have been because we were with a fairly large group (8 people), but it seemed like we took up half of the restaurant.  I think this place could have absolutely huge potential and be a must-visit spot rather than just a place that people “in the know” make sure to go.  The food is good and the ice cream is fantastic!

MARRY:  Kouzzina

I did want to try and marry a restaurant that I’d already been at, so my choices were a little limited.  But that being said, we truly loved Kouzzina when we ate here on our honeymoon.  We weren’t too familiar with Greek food, but we were super impressed with what we ate here.  The dishes are so unique, and I’ve never had anything quite like the food at Kouzzina since then.  I think about it all the time.  The atmosphere is fun and the prices are reasonable (one of the reasons I haven’t been able to eat at many of the more commonly regaled places in this area is because they are definitely on the expensive side).  We also received some of the best service of our trip here.  Even two years later I think about my dinner here all the time, and I can’t wait to go back!