If you know Il Mulino New York, you’re going to be surprised by Il Mulino New York Trattoria. You'll also be disappointed.

But if you've never been to the original -- and if you ever get the chance you really should go -- you'll find the food here pleasant enough.

The dentice and veal saltimbocca are good. So is the pasta fagioli.

Canada was always one of the odd-countries-out among the World Showcase’s pavilions of nations in terms of its restaurant. The problem was that Canada doesn’t really have a national cuisine. Meat is the forte. “Well then, there you go,” someone finally concluded, “make the restaurant a steakhouse.” And with that, Le Cellier became one of the more sought-after restaurants at Epcot. Steaks are good; appetizers are minimal. Nothing here really warrants the sort of rabid fandom the restaurant enjoys. It's food is mostly modest, which is probably why it is so loved by average diners.

Update: Le Cellier was recently designated one of Disney's "Signature" dining restaurants, which supposedly puts it in the top tier. It doesn't quite make it in my book.

The atmosphere is dark and secluded – hello, it’s called The Cellar – and was designed to have no views of the outside. Disney officials thought park-goers might appreciate getting away from it all.

Most of the visitors to the signature restaurant in Epcot's France pavilion (Bistro de Paris, a smaller eatery, is upstairs) are oblivious to the fact that one of its owners is not only one of the most famous chefs in the world but is arguably its first celebrity chef.

Ironically, his name is not on the restaurant, Les Chefs de France. Even more ironic is that Paul Bocuse became famous because, in 1965, he was the first chef to put his name on his restaurant outside Lyons.

Before that, chefs were no more than hired kitchen help. Restaurants were owned by the maitre ‘d or the hotels where they were located.

So it could be said there would be no celebrity chefs, no show kitchens, no such thing as “Top Chef” and no one would give a flip what Gordon Ramsay had to say if Paul Bocuse hadn’t done what he did 44 years ago.

On a recent visit my guest and I started with two classics: cassoulette d’escargots de Bourgogne au beurre persille (translation: snails) and assiette campagnarde, an assortment of pates and charcuteries. The half-dozen snails were baked in a small casserole, each in its own impression, with garlic butter and parsely. They were firm but... Read more

Recently remodeled, Nine Dragons is probably the easiest restaurant at Epcot to get in to without a reservation. That's because to so many people Chinese food is not equated with fine dining -- it's something that comes in a cardboard container and you get it for takeout. This is different, more of an upscale Chinese dining experience.

I popped in for a lunch and started with a bowl of chicken consomme with pork dumplings, a golden broth with a rich mouthfeel. It had two big dumplings of chewy dough filled with well-spiced ground pork.

For my entree I had the shrimp with spinach noodles, which looked very much like something you'd find served in the Italy pavilion. (But remember that Marco Polo is said to have introduced Italians to pasta after a voyage to China.) The noodles were fettuccinelike and were mixed with red and green sauteed bell peppers and dotted with flecks of hot pepper flakes and topped with cool, fesh coriander.

The shrimp had a thin film of crispiness and peppery spice.

For dessert there was a sponge cake with fruit filling that was slightly dry.