Cat Cora preps dishes at her new Disney restaurant Kouzzina. (Courtesy Walt Disney World)

At Walt Disney World, patrons devour burgers by the millions — 9 million annually, to be exact.

But that doesn’t make the House of the Mouse your burgers-and-fries kind of place.

Consider just a few of those burgers. At Disney World’s newest restaurant, the Greek-themed Kouzzina with celebrity chef Cat Cora, it’s a chargrilled lamb burger topped with feta cheese.

At Paradiso 37, another Disney newcomer, it’s an offering of mini-burgers (or “sliders”), including versions with blackened mahi-mahi and pulled pork.

At Le Cellier, a Canadian-style steakhouse, it’s a steak burger topped with house-made onion ketchup.

Clearly, we’re not talking McDonald’s.

But that’s precisely the point. Over the past two decades, Disney World has gone from fast food to fine dining, garnering attention from serious chefs and foodies alike. Its dozens of restaurants cover almost every cuisine, from regional American to South African. Its wine lists are full of prized (and often hard-to-find) bottles from across the globe.

Even its fast-food offerings — say, the smoked turkey legs found throughout the theme parks — are praised by gourmets, who trade Disney recipes like some Disney buffs trade collectible pins.

“They really want to establish themselves as a leader in the food world,” says Cat Cora, whose Kouzzina restaurant is already generating buzz on Disney fanatic Web sites.

If there’s any proof of how much a culinary mecca Disney has become, it’s the annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, which kicks off Friday and runs through Nov. 8. Over the course of 44 days, the festival, now in its 14th year, plays host to scores of prominent chefs, winemakers and celebrities: This year’s participants include famed chocolatier Jacques Torres, master sommelier and television personality Andrea Immer Robinson, and singer-turned-cookbook author Patti LaBelle. Events range from $35 tequila tastings to a $375-a-plate multi-course dinner, plus numerous free seminars.

Pork tenderloin on polenta at California Grill. (Courtesy Walt Disney World)

But even if you don’t make it to the event, which takes place at various venues within the Epcot theme park and Disney World resorts, you can see how far Disney has come food-wise during any visit to Orlando. It’s as obvious as that $6 smoked turkey leg served at the parks, or that $38 dish of wild king salmon with hearts of palm, heirloom tomatoes and a charred red onion vinaigrette that was featured recently at the California Grill.

Of course, the salmon also was accompanied by fireworks — literally. The California Grill, an ambitious, contemporary American restaurant that became the inspiration for the Seasons 52 chain, sits on the 15th floor of the Contemporary Resort. And that means it offers the perfect view of the nightly fireworks display at the Magic Kingdom.

Some chefs might scoff at the idea that they’re competing with such a spectacle for a diner’s attention. But at Disney, that’s an accepted norm, if not a point of pride. The restaurants here offer more than food, whether you’re talking the views of wildlife that can be enjoyed at Sanaa, a new African and Indian-themed restaurant at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, or the lovably cantankerous, old-school waitresses (they harrumph when you don’t eat your veggies) at the Prime Time Café, a diner-style, ’50s-themed restaurant at the Disney Hollywood Studios.

“We can provide an entertaining dining experience just like we provide an entertaining theme-park experience,” said California Grill chef Brian Piasecki.

Lamb Kefta with tamarind and papaya sauce, available at Sanaa. (Courtesy Walt Disney World)

Indeed, the restaurants are considered an integral part of the theme park giant’s storytelling strategy. Disney has always been about keeping to a theme. Why just dine anywhere when you can dine in a castle (Cinderella’s Royal Table at the Magic Kingdom’s Cinderella Castle, to be exact)? In that regard, some of Disney’s most popular restaurants are the ones that offer “character” experiences, replete with Mickey Mouse stopping by your table for a personal autograph session.

Emphasis on quality

Although such theming may be a Disney signature, and one that is increasingly copied by restaurateurs throughout the world in today’s “eater-tainment” era (think the Hard Rock Cafe), the real shift in Disney dining has been the emphasis on quality. Most Disney insiders say the big change came around 15 years ago, when the company put individual chefs and managers in charge of their restaurants. Before that, Disney World’s culinary operation was essentially a giant commissary: If a chef needed bread to fill his bread basket, he went to the central bakery, not to his in-house pastry chef.

Scott Hunnel of Victoria & Albert's. (Courtesy Walt Disney World)

Just as important: Chefs were suddenly encouraged to be creative and to pick up on trends in an increasingly food-savvy world. For example, when Scott Hunnel took over as chef at Victoria & Albert’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in 1994, he recalls inheriting a ho-hum Continental menu that featured consommé as a soup course. Now, the soup course is gone altogether. Instead, Hunnel, who is arguably Disney’s most acclaimed chef, offers six-course feasts that may begin with prosciutto-wrapped Gulf shrimp paired with Florida melon and conclude with a Meyer lemon and blood orange “purse” with a blackberry-violet sherbet.

“It took me about five years, but we really changed the whole concept,” says Hunnel, whose restaurant has received a coveted five-diamond rating from AAA and has been ranked among the top 10 eateries in the country by the Zagat guide.

Another key to Disney’s culinary transformation has been the company’s constant attempt to broaden its offerings. When new restaurants are introduced, it’s usually with an eye on filling any foodie holes. Until Cat Cora’s Kouzzina, Disney hadn’t had a Greek restaurant as part of its mix. And until Sanaa, it hadn’t offered Indian fare anywhere within its world.

Customer service is key

Finally, there’s Disney’s emphasis on customer service. Much as it’s rare to see a grumpy face within the theme parks (save perhaps at the Snow White ride), it’s also rare to see a restaurant server or host who isn’t willing to accommodate a special request. Disney is especially known for its ability to work with guests who have food allergies: Chefs take time to go through menu options and often prepare elaborate made-to-order meals.

“Our philosophy is to make every guest feel special,” said Ed Wronski, director of product development for Disney World’s food and beverage operations.

Going forward, the big question for Disney may be how far to push its culinary offerings. Some observers suggest the Central Florida mega attraction could soon rival Las Vegas as a foodie destination. And just as some gourmets go to Vegas these days for the restaurants and never think about placing a bet, could some go to Disney and never think about saying hi to Mickey?

It’s already happening, says Pam Brandon, a Disney culinary consultant and Disney cookbook editor who also co-authors a nationally syndicated food column, “Divas of Dish,” that appears in The Palm Beach Post.
She points to the 1 million visitors who attend the annual Epcot food and wine festival and spend their time going from wine tastings to celebrity chef-hosted dinners, with barely so much as a stop to cool off at the resort pool.

“Disney is a sophisticated dining destination,” said Brandon.

New in Disney dining

Sanaa

Location: Animal Kingdom Villas (Kidani Village)

Cuisine: African with Indian flavors

Our take: A very striking addition to the Disney portfolio. Bold and exotic menu items are par for the course here, whether you’re talking Indian breads (naan, roti, etc.) served with chutneys and pickled vegetables or an African-style presentation of fish wrapped in banana leaf. Plus, the view — of an Animal Kingdom giraffe and zebra-filled preserve — gives new meaning to the word ‘breathtaking.’

The Wave

Location: Contemporary Resort

Cuisine: Contemporary American

Our take: About as trendy as Disney gets. The menu ranges from five-spice chicken lettuce wraps to a cinnamon-rubbed pork tenderloin. But we really like the cocktail offerings at the bar, which are very much in a modern mixology vein.

Rix Lounge

Location: Coronado Springs Resort

Cuisine: Bar food with a south-of-the-border emphasis

Our take: This is Disney’s attempt at a South Beach-style club. The food is really beside the point, but there are decent cocktails and a nice ‘lounge’ vibe.

Paradiso 37

Location: Downtown Disney’s Pleasure Island

Cuisine: ‘Street food’ of the Americas

Our take: A fun concept — and a good way to jump-start efforts to rebrand Pleasure Island as a dining hub. The focus is on small bites — think the tapas trend — with offerings from 37 countries, ranging from El Salvador (pupusas — or pocket sandwiches) to Argentina (seasoned skirt steak) to good ol’ America (corn dogs). The Central American ‘Crazy Corn’ is a must-have item.

Anandapur Yak and Yeti

Location: Animal Kingdom

Cuisine: Pan-Asian

Our take: The theming here is quite something — you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped inside an Indian marketplace, replete with authentic Bollywood posters. The food is Asian of all kinds, but tempered for mainstream tastes — a bit like the P.F. Chang’s chain. Think Chinese-style ribs or Vietnamese beef soup (pho). The fried green beans with a Thai chili dipping sauce make an excellent starter.

Kouzzina by Cat Cora

Location: BoardWalk

Cuisine: Greek

Our take: We’ve yet to visit, but it’s clear that celeb chef Cora (known for her appearances on the Food Network’s Iron Chef series) is having fun playing up her Greek heritage. Such classic dishes as avgolemono (egg-lemon soup), saganaki (flaming cheese) and a slow-cooked lamb shank abound. But Cora offers some modern takes on favorites as well, such as grape leaves stuffed with goat cheese

Tutto Italia

Location: Epcot

Cuisine: Italian

Our take: The best new Disney restaurant we’ve visited. This is Italian cooking with less of the American influence and more of the full-flavored regional Italian approach. Try the Sardinian-style veal meatballs or the pressed chicken with lemon, herbs and hot red peppers. The restaurant even makes its own fried pastry shells for the excellent cannoli.

Note: Information on all Disney World restaurants can be found at Disney’s official Web site (disneyworld.disney.go.com) and at such Disney fan sites as wdwinfo.com and allears.net. Reservations can be made through Disney World at (407) WDW-DINE.