I have to say, though, that my experience at China's Nine Dragons Restaurant was much more one of pleasure and delight than anything else. Even though there were a number of "Americanized" menu items, some of the dishes available appeared to be quite good.

The Crispy Tofu Rolls I ordered seemed to be the most unique vegetarian item on the menu. This was a concoction of "stir-fried shredded Nappa cabbage, bamboo shoots and Chinese mushrooms rolled in tofu sheets, slightly battered and fried to a golden brown." Served with brown sauce, this was an excellent dish, and one of the least expensive on the menu (cost is a real issue at all the Disney World restaurants). This was truly an experience of taste, texture, aroma, and all the subtleties of true Chinese food.

So far this has been a one-of-a-kind experience that I have not been able to find even in Seattle's International District. Other restaurants that serve "tofu skin" have been similar, but nothing has been exactly like the dish at EPCOT Center.

Of course Walt Disney World goes to great lengths to create the proper architecture and décor for your experience, and looking out the Chinese style windows to the rain outside helped create the feel of a spring day in China. Yes, the food was expensive here, and I'm not saying this was the best Chinese food to be had anywhere in the country, but I give the restaurant credit for attempting to provide an experience equal to the price I had to pay.

Having said all of this, though, I do have some serious questions about China's Nine Dragons. This has been brought about largely by looking at the menus that are published on line (see the link above). It appears that the tofu rolls disappeared from the menu shortly after I ate at the restaurant. To me the main selling point of Nine Dragons was not so much that they did food better than anyone else (and certainly not when considering the money spent for it), but that they offered unique dishes that could not be found at many restaurants.

The menu does have some dishes that sound interesting, but items such as pepper beef, sweet and sour pork, and kung bao chicken are served at a great number of Chinese restaurants throughout the United States. The more unusual dishes now look to be the most expensive ones, whereas I got a bargain with the crispy tofu rolls. I am reluctant to mention specifics of the menu since it changes monthly and may be different by the time readers look at my commentary (although I have been following the on line menu for quite some time, and I am pretty sure the tofu rolls are gone for good).

I think the food at Nine Dragons will probably be good, as mine was. I do question how much continuity of quality they can maintain in the kitchen of a resort restaurant, but I thought my meal was good. The question is probably whether it is worth paying high prices for food that is served elsewhere at much lower prices. I could probably find a couple of things on the menu I would want to try, but it looks to be more difficult than it was in the past.