In-Park Food Question-Panda Express at GAdv/Cedar Point

IMO, it IS just as good as my favorite Chinese take-out places.

Then your local places need an upgrade.

Don't get me wrong, Panda is great for a quick lunch option, because it's just steps away. But it's definitely several notches below the better places around here.

To each their own. Panda makes it the way I like it.

There is a clear difference between the two. It would be like saying I like Kraft Dinner better than home made mac and cheese once in while. Panda make a fast food version of chinese food that has a nice showing of tasty meat. Who among us doesn't like meat over green pepper, bamboo shutes, bean spouts, and carrots once is while.

Personally, I prefer Kraft Mac & Cheese to home-made, but once in a while home-made mac & cheese is a nice change of pace. The stuff in the box pleases MY taste buds. And that's what matters to ME. :)

This is my point... I bet you drown that stuff in ketchup ;)

The new Kraft Mac and Cheese Homestyle with the breadcrumbs is really really good. I can't stand the kiddy "Cheese and macaroni" crap that you make with margarine and milk.

Off-season is in full swing. Can someone tell me if the fries at Hot Diggity Dog in Idlewild are lightly or heavily salted?

Whatever kind of salting you like...

Just like the humor around here...

Corkscrew Follies said:
I'm curious how many people in America would actually like real authentic Chinese food? This carnivalized, American Chinese food love affair that Americans have with it makes me laugh. I've been to China and had the real thing. The only way in America to come close to authentic chinese food is to head to a Chinatown in a major city.

If you can get over the unsanitary way they prepare your food, it is delicious. Add to that the lack of dogs and cats in the area, you might be eating Orange Chicken.

Have you been to China and had "American" food, and did you laugh at the Chinese people enjoying it?

I often run in to the Olive Garden and laugh at people, as my Italian family thinks that place is crap.

Once I went to a Chinese restaurant in Wales. They served the food over French fries instead of rice or noodles. That was interesting.

I have the Olive Garden problem too, as my girlfriend is 100% Itallian (but almost never cooks :( ). At least she likes their soups....

I became an honorary Italian when I lived in PA. I've always hated Olive Garden's bland crap.

I never ate at Panda Express. I have something new to look forward to when I visit Kings Island. I almost always get LaRosa's Pizza.

Panda Express at GADV?? What happened to Wok n Roll??

The post above had me doubting myself...that maybe it WASN'T a Panda Express. But based on some replies above, and a quick visit to PE's site where the GAdv location IS listed, I feel a little more sure. I can't seem to access GAdv's site for ultimate resolution, though.

*EDIT* ..Ultimate resolution has been reached..it's on the park's site.

We always talk about great rides that are no longer around.

I guess we can do the same for park food loacations.

I wish Great Adventure would bring back Chippy's Fish and Chips. That was good eating and at one point they had two locations in the park.

Second best fish and chips I ever had. (The first is a priate non-park location in Brooklyn, New York)

Ahhhh...nothing like good park grub....

Yeah..I never had it, but one was back by Nitro, wasn't it?

I also had a wonderful plate of fish and chips at an "Irish Pub" at Universal on my last visit. I don't remember the name, and I don't know if it's still there, but I want to say it was near the Mummy ride (under construction on my visit) but I may be mis-remembering.

You gotta get yourself to the Argyle in Kearny or Shannon Rose here in Jersey.

I have worked in an authentic Chinese establishment, that strangely enough was called Chinatown. It was owned an operated by a chinese couple who came to US from Peking. They had two locations, one offered mainly a lunch and dinner buffet, while the other had a bar, buffet, and the chefs grill, where they grill the food right in front of you, in fact, your table is connected to the grill, and the Chef cooks in the middle. I was a waiter there, Host, and I also bartended. And, I was shocked to learn how many laws these places break. Like having your 13 year old daughter mixing, and serving alcohol. The food was good, but, I didn't see any difference between there and Panda Express.

I was also a chef at sort of strip mall type- chinese cafe in a major supermarket. We served up most anything that any chinese place did. My specialty was Mongolian Beef. When I made it, you couldn't keep it out for the guests long enough during the lunch rush for them to order it. We started out with 20 different dishes, not to mention the various fried rice boxes and side orders. Our food was actually pretty darn good, and with 500 people in our food court during lunch, our business was great. Unfortunately like Cedar Fair, the people managing the food court no longer saw it as a good investment, so the entire food court was removed. I also made Pizza there, which was also very good.

So, I don't think being critical of all Chinese fast food places would be an acurate statment. I have eaten at them all, and some of those so called authentic Chinese establishments sucked. I know I was very pleased with my meal at the Panda Express at Cedar Point. It was very good, and would eat there again.

Corkscrew Follies said:
I'm curious how many people in America would actually like real authentic Chinese food? This carnivalized, American Chinese food love affair that Americans have with it makes me laugh. I've been to China and had the real thing. The only way in America to come close to authentic chinese food is to head to a Chinatown in a major city.

If you can get over the unsanitary way they prepare your food, it is delicious. Add to that the lack of dogs and cats in the area, you might be eating Orange Chicken.

kpjb said:

Corkscrew Follies said:
I'm curious how many people in America would actually like real authentic Chinese food? This carnivalized, American Chinese food love affair that Americans have with it makes me laugh. I've been to China and had the real thing. The only way in America to come close to authentic chinese food is to head to a Chinatown in a major city.

If you can get over the unsanitary way they prepare your food, it is delicious. Add to that the lack of dogs and cats in the area, you might be eating Orange Chicken.

Have you been to China and had "American" food, and did you laugh at the Chinese people enjoying it?

I often run in to the Olive Garden and laugh at people, as my Italian family thinks that place is crap.

Once I went to a Chinese restaurant in Wales. They served the food over French fries instead of rice or noodles. That was interesting.

I just wanted to comment on the Olive Garden. My brother and I have been there a few times, and have never been disapointed. the food is always excellent. If you want crap go to the Macaroni Grill. I'm not talking about the one at Cedar Point (If it's still there) I took my whole family to the Macaroni Grill, and the food was horrible. Not one person in our group like it, and it was the same price and menu as the olive garden, only they had half the items Olive Garden has.

I like the Olive Garden. but I would never want to eat at one in a Cedar Fair park. A single meal would probably be $50.00

My experience with Panda Express at Cedar Point is that it stinks. No, I don't mean the food is bad or anything like that, I mean it literally stinks. It makes the Millennium Force exit smell like orange chicken or something. It's not that it is A horrid smell like Orlando tap water or anything like that, it's just a real heavy, greasy smell that has so far kept me out of there, and made me wish they would go back to serving fried chicken.

That I am not a fan of "Chinese" food probably doesn't help. That I am not a fan of anything served from a steam table also does not help.

--David Althoff, Jr.

^ Heh, my friends and I are exactly the opposite: Every time we ride Millennium Force we get hungry for Panda Express. :)