Morimoto Asia: Surviving a Mannequins flashback at Disney World

 Morimoto Asia restaurant opens today at the freshly renamed Disney Springs, but last night I had a serious flashback to the previous tenant, the late, at-times-great Mannequins Dance Palace, a casualty of the retheming of Downtown Disney.

The moment was not as shocking as I anticipated. In fact, I had been seated for about 10 minutes before I realized that I had parked myself where Mannequins' giant round dance floor spun for years. The transformation is so drastic that I had lost track of where I was.

At Morimoto Asia, you can't help but notice the elaborate and long light fixtures coming down from the ceiling. You might remember a smoke machine or confetti shooter firing from up there, going off at key moments in the dance music back in the day. Style points definitely to the new guys.

The spinning floor, of course, has been removed. Rotating and dining aren't the best partners. Other very noticeable changes include a moved entrance and a grand stairway that leads to the second level.

On the end opposite of the entrance is the Morimoto kitchen. On the second level, basically where the Mannequins stage was, are private dining areas. 

"They kept the bones of Mannequins," Keith Bradford, vice president of Disney Springs, told me earlier this week. "If you pay close attention you'll definitely see how they accomplished that."

In the downstairs bar area, Bradford said, there are steel beams that were part of the old elevator shaft. "Instead of tearing those down, they kept them up, and that's kind of cool to see," he said.

The arrangement of the second level remains largely unchanged -- those bones Bradford spoke of. The areas that looked down on the dance floor now looks at the main dining area. There's a lounge on the front side enveloping where the DJ booth was, plus there's a sushi bar up there. But even that funky angled side stands, although it's gussied up these days.

The third level of Mannequins is gone, or at least not available to guests.

"When you walk in there you'll still see touches of Mannequins of old, but it's a complete transformation when it comes to a dining experience," Bradford said.

Time goes by, things change, the music fades. Clearly, Disney had big plans for the property, and we've had since 2008 -- when Pleasure Island closed -- to get used to the idea. Standing on the upper level, it was good to think back without much bitterness. I'm glad the building still stands and we can go in and remember when. 

From downstairs, I tweeted out a picture. A friend who has moved to California commented, "I would like it if there were lazy susans on the table as a tribute to the old dance floor."

There are. Nicely played, Morimoto. 

Copyright © 2015, Orlando Sentinel
Source: Morimoto Asia: Surviving a Mannequins flashback at Disney World