Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe: Grilled Chicken Sandwich

One of my dining memories during my childhood trips to Disney was eating at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe (back then, it was called Tomorrowland Terrace, home of Michael Iceberg). I would always order the Grilled Chicken Sandwich.

From what I recall, the sandwich had a piece of leaf lettuce and a slice of tomato on it. I would season the chicken with Mrs. Dash, which used to be served with the condiments. I don’t think I put anything else on the sandwich, and I remember it being so good. These days, with so many other options in Magic Kingdom, I often overlook Cosmic Ray’s. It was time for me to take a trip down Memory Lane and order their Grilled Chicken Sandwich once again.

The restaurant features bays from which you place your order. I remember in my younger days family members splitting up to get into the line from which they wanted their meal, which people still do today. Someone wants a burger but someone else wants a salad? Step up to your own bay! Back then, people used this green stuff called “cash,” so the holder of the cash could distribute the money to other family members so everyone could get what they wanted. I can only imagine this being an absolute nightmare for those on the Disney Dining Plan, or even just with a single debit card, especially when they’ve been waiting for 20 minutes, start ordering and realize they can’t get a burger from the salad line.

But on to more good stuff! The Topping Bar. Here you’ll find lettuce, tomato, pickles, and diced onions on the cold section and sautéed mushrooms and onions on the warm section. This is also where you’ll find condiments, including hot cheese sauce.

Once I received my order, I grabbed my condiments and headed in the Sonny Eclipse dining room.

I wonder how Michael Iceberg feels about this guy?

I grabbed a lot of cheese sauce for my fries, as well as some mayo, BBQ sauce, Honey Mustard, and Hot Sauce to see which one I’d like with my sandwich the most.

I decided against shredded lettuce and tomato. I’m not too crazy with shredded lettuce on a sandwich like this as it easily falls out.

The chicken itself looked pretty dry from the start. The bun, while a nice alternative from the dreaded wheat bun, was soft yet dry and very sweet. It was not as bad as the wheat bun, but it wasn’t going to work for me.

The chicken wasn’t too dry, with pockets of semi-moist meat. I tried it with the BBQ sauce, which I don’t know why I keep trying; I know I don’t care for it. The honey mustard was an improvement, but still wasn’t quite right. Had I been eating the sandwich with the bun, the mayo probably would have worked, but I definitely would have needed leaf lettuce and tomato. I ended up drowning the chicken in hot sauce. Still not perfect, but okay. I knew I wasn’t going to achieve the sandwich I so fondly remember as this was a totally different breed.

But hey! Cheese fries!

Here’s a look at the menus.

Bay 1:   Chicken

Bay 2: Burgers

Bay 3: Sandwiches, Soup & Salad

While my childhood memory is simply just that, the trip wouldn’t deter me from returning to try some of the other items I’ve never had before. And Sonny Eclipse is starting to grow on me. One of those, “so bad, it’s good” things.

What should I order from Cosmic Ray’s to create a new food memory?