{"id":241,"date":"2008-10-16T13:47:04","date_gmt":"2008-10-16T18:47:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/10\/dinosaurs-invade-downtown-disney-at-t-rex-cafe\/"},"modified":"2017-03-22T16:30:57","modified_gmt":"2017-03-22T21:30:57","slug":"dinosaurs-invade-downtown-disney-at-t-rex-cafe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/10\/dinosaurs-invade-downtown-disney-at-t-rex-cafe\/","title":{"rendered":"Dinosaurs invade Downtown Disney at T-Rex Cafe"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/em>\"Trexrestaurant\"<\/a>By Samantha Chapnick<\/em><\/p>\n

Most parents greet theme restaurants with at least a minor groan — especially those with more refined ta\u00a0<\/em>stebuds and already ailing wallets. Even forgiving the food, the prices, lines, noise and force-fed commercialism seem disproportionate to the experience promised.<\/p>\n

T-Rex Cafe<\/strong>, Orlando’s newest and hottest theme restaurant, opened today, seemingly determined to blast that stereotype. And for at least one family, ours, it has almost completely done so. Located in Downtown Disney<\/strong><\/a> and done in partnership with Walt Disney World<\/a><\/strong>, it retains the standards of the King of Illusion but adds the efficiency \u00a0<\/em>of a company that respects its customers’ time constraints and intelligence.<\/p>\n

From its life-size dinosaur skeleton (cast from genuine dinosaur bones) to the meteor showers blowing over diners’ heads, this restaurant was as lovingly crafted as a Cuban cigar.<\/p>\n

Pride more than profit emanates from Keith Beitler, the Landry’s Restaurants COO, as he shows us around T-Rex.<\/p>\n

“Every single piece was made by hand — see the bright colors, the detail!” he says of the coral reef adorning the walls and encircling the bar.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Of the animatronic dinosaurs:<\/p>\n

“That’s an anatomically correct adolescent. Kids know all this, everything about dinosaurs. That sign tells, how old, it is, how long it was, and when it lived.<\/p>\n

Chef John Silenzio is equally as passionate about visitors, his staff and quality, albeit within given constraints. His attitude — that the staff need to have fun if the diner’s experience is to be fun\u00a0<\/em> — is boosted through his cheerful personality, in-house giveaways (iPods, gas cards are a few of the random gifts), and lack of ego. It works.<\/p>\n

As a gourmand who appreciates local, organic, fresh foods, I do manage my expectations of the food. This ain’t Per Se<\/a><\/strong> and it would take all of the hydroponically grown, organic sugar snap peas harvested in a year to meet the needs of one evening here. But it also isn’t Denny’s<\/strong> or Planet Hollywood<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The food is unquestionably a good value for the experience you are getting. It would easily sweepthe awards in the “chain theme” category. Some appetizers are actually very good: \"Icecave\"<\/a>
\n<\/em>the flatbread and bruschetta being two, and Silenzio is focused on meeting diverse eating needs. If a party has a vegetarian, any allergies or intolerances, \u00a0<\/em>the chef himself will come out to see what he can make and then bring it out personally to ensure you get what you ordered. As a vegetarian, I found this spectacularly accommodating in this high volume environment.<\/p>\n

With that said, there are some small changes that would immeasurably improve the dining quality that I’d like to see implemented. For example, their signature dessert: a mind-blowing four huge squares of brownie, with caramel sandwiched between, would taste far better with a simple switch to a premium ice cream like Haagen-Dazs<\/strong> instead of the relatively flavorless current selection.<\/p>\n

But all in all, with careful meal selection, this becomes an incredible immersive experience that doesn’t insult the diner’s intelligence or break her bank.<\/p>\n

Related Orbitz resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n