food IS a theme park
What do you need after taking a speedy spin on everyone’s favorite design-your-own-vehicle attraction, Test Track? A snack, y’all! (FYI: Most questions can be answered with “a snack.”) And we’re thrilled to tell you that the Test Track-adjacent Taste Track beverage and snack kiosk is open — again — for business!
Taste Track Kiosk
If you’ve been following along on any of our trips to Pandora — The World of AVATAR, the newest land in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, then you are already familiar with the new Satu’li Canteen.
Along with an entirely new array of eats for Animal Kingdom guests, something else made its debut at Satu’li Canteen: the Mobile Order process, available via the My Disney Experience app(you can visit our Mobile Order Page here). Mobile Order enables guests to pre-order and pre-pay for their food at specific Counter Service locations, allowing them to bypass the ordering lines in the restaurant and pick up their food directly from a designated counter.
Sign directing to Regular Lines and Mobile Order Pick Up
And now, Mobile Order is on its way to select Magic Kingdom restaurants! According to wdwmagic.com, five Magic Kingdom Counter Service locations will begin to utilize Mobile Order this summer. Look for Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe, Pinocchio Village Haus, Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe, and Columbia Harbour House to pop up on the list of locations you will be able to select soon. [Read more…]
Time to go back in time and dine with the Founding Fathers… . Or, at the very least, settle for the next best thing: dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern in Walt Disney World.
Liberty Tree Tavern has long held a special place in my heart — and in many of yours as well, I know. If you’re one of many longtime Tavern devotees, you already know that for years this Magic Kingdom Table Service has offered an a la carte menu for Lunch, while dinner has featured an All-You-Care-to-Enjoy meal served family style.
Both of those things are still true. But some notable changes to both the lunch and dinner menus took place just a couple months ago. For instance, Lunch still offers a la carte options (with some returning favorites among them), but you can also order the All-You-Care-to-Enjoy Bill of Fare, if you wish.
And the changes to Dinner? Well, there was only one. But it was a pretty darn big one, and I had to experience it for myself.
Liberty Tree Tavern Sign
So please join me, my fellow citizens… .
So, let’s say you’re in Disney California Adventure for the Summer of Heroes celebration (running now through September 10th), and you need some fueling up STAT.
Groot at Disney California Adventure
Well, you’ve only got about a bajillion options (and we’ll be taking a look at lots and LOTS of them soon!). You could choose a Spider Bite Doughnut at Schmoozies or pop over to Award Wieners for a variety of Funnel Cake Fries.
But there’s something you simply have to see before you decide.
It’s Groot Bread. Otherwise known as I AM BREAD.
Groot Bread
And it’s completely stinking PERFECT.
All eyes are on Animal Kingdom with the opening of Pandora — World of AVATAR!
And of course, we’ve been busy trying as many new dishes and snacks as possible at Satu’li Canteen and Pongu Pongu.
But what about the rest of the park? Have we forgotten about all the yum that resides in Africa’s Harambe, Discovery Island, Dinoland, U.S.A. (hey, don’t knock it — it’s home to Restaurantosaurus and the new Smokey Bones Bourbon and Bacon Shake), and Asia’s Anandapur?
Heck, no! In fact, we just found some new desserts at Yak and Yeti Local Food Cafes that are crazy!!
Yak and Yeti Local Food Cafes is the counter service little sister to the Yak and Yeti table service restaurant in Animal Kingdom’s Anandapur. You might see it listed as Yak and Yeti Counter Service sometimes (which may be a little clearer, if not quite so thematic).
Lines at Local Food Cafes
Most recently, we’ve checked out the Kobe Beef Burger and the Kobe Beef Hotdog, plus you can snag a generous portion of Chicken Fried Rice in a fun take-out container for a snack credit. And the Honey Chicken continues to have a dedicated fan base.
Yak and Yeti Local Foods Cafe Menu
Basically, if you like simple Asian fusion food, you’ll find something here.
But on our most recent visit, we went for something a little sweeter. We spotted two new dessert offerings on the menu (replacing the previous Pineapple Coconut Cake and Triple Chocolate Mousse), so we ordered one of each. Introducing the Mini Chocolate Silk Cake and the Mini Mango Pie.
Yak and Yeti Local Foods Cafe Desserts
First up was the Mini Chocolate Silk Cake, which, truth be told, was more like a pie than a cake. But you can’t really go wrong with silky chocolate mousse and chocolate chips.
Mini Chocolate Silk Cake
And while this is served up in a small bowl, there are some big and delicious flavors here. In particular, we were massive fans of that crust! It’s basically crushed cookie crumb crust, but it’s divine — and there’s tons of it!
Mini Chocolate Silk Cake
Not only is the crust pressed thickly all around the bowl, it’s on the bottom too, providing lots of texture and flavor to accompany the soft chocolate mousse. We also like the inclusion of chocolate chips, since they provided a slightly chewier texture. Overall, this is a solid choice for a chocolate fan or a picky-ish eater.
Mini Chocolate Silk Cake
But if you want to win the dessert day — and you do — go with the Mini Mango Pie. This one lands in a category for only the most stupidly good desserts. Because it’s really stupid good. And the star — like the Mini Chocolate Silk Cake — is the crust!
Mini Mango Pie
That thick graham cracker crust could not be better. It’s got just the right amount of saltiness from the butter that’s holding the crumbs together and sweetness from the incorporated sugar. It’s just dynamite! Crust heaven!
Mini Mango Pie
And there’s so much of it! And we’re so happy there’s so much of it!
But of course, pie is not made of crust alone (although we’d eat that… just sayin’). And here the sweet/tart mango filling is light and tropical — perfect for a hot Animal Kingdom day.
Mini Mango Pie
It’s the consistency of mousse without being too airy, which is a wonderful contrast to the crust. And it just tasted amazing. Wonderfully mango-licious.
(Those who have had the awesome mango pie in the restaurant at Yak & Yeti know it’s good. But THIS. IS. BETTER.)
Mini Mango Pie
At $4.99 or a Disney Dining Plan snack credit, we say… gogetthisnowandbuyoneforustooplease. And in case you were wondering, the Mini Chocolate Silk Cake and the Mini Mango Pie have replaced the Pineapple Coconut Cake and the Triple Chocolate Mousse cake that used to be here, and we say: good riddance! You were fine, but we’ve moved on to better desserts.
What is your dessert fave at Animal Kingdom? Let us know in the comments!
sure is putting the emphasis on seasons these days.
We took major notice two years ago when the Warm Peanut Butter Brownie came straight from nowhere to completely wow us. In the time it took us to fall smack dab in love, we also found out it was a “seasonal” item, which may or may not be there on the next visit.
Of course, we’ve seen plenty of seasonally rotating options in the practically famous Sunshine Seasons bakery case. Now, here’s why you need to keep an eye out: some seasonal items are labeled as such. Take, for instance, the Warm Apple Crisp, which was simply labeled “Seasonal Dessert” in the case. Others, though, just seem to appear with the change of… well, the seasons!
And the Lemon Berry Mousse Cake, which we’re sharing with you today, heralds the fruity flavors of spring and summer in a somewhat unexpected fashion.
Even tucked in among longtime crowd favorites like the Carrot Cake Cupcake, Key Lime Tart, and the Mickey Whoopie Pie, the Lemon Berry Mousse Cake still manages to stand out thanks to its unique appearance comprised of deep purple mousse and yellow cake with a whipped cream garnish.
Sunshine Seasons Lemon Berry Mousse
Sold. Because how could we not at least try a layer cake that looks as unique as this? [Read more…]
It’s been a while, Paradiso 37.
In the past, I’ve enjoyed dining at this waterfront spot, (now) located in The Landing at Disney Springs. (It hasn’t moved. It’s just that everything has grown up around it.)
The waterside views from the back of the open air restaurant were previously something special. (Like, not every place had them.) But these days, with the nearly complete transformation of Disney Springs, practically every restaurant has a table with a view.
So are favorites like Crazy Corn and the Paradiso Chocolate Stack still enough to win Paradiso 37 a spot on your advance dining reservations list? Read on to find out — and to see how the restaurant’s recent reno changed it up a bit.
If you’re a longtime fan of Paradiso 37 (P37 for short from here on out), you may notice that a couple of changes have taken place within the last few years. From the outside, the restaurant looks much the same, with a paint job that’s just a shade or two lighter.
Outside View
But the recent reno did add a couple of features. The restaurant now boasts two entrances — one to the upper seating area, and one to the lower area. Here’s a shot of the bar upstairs. The door is just to the right of the photo. [Read more…]
Just in time for National Doughnut Day (which we suggest celebrating for 365 days, actually), Disney California Adventure’s Schmoozies introduced several delicious doughnuts — two of them themed for Disneyland’s Summer of Heroes!
Schmoozies Donut Menu
No doubt about it.
Animal Kingdom is THE place to be in Disney World right now!
With all the excitement over the opening of Pandora — The World of AVATAR, crowds have increased all over the park.
To help feed the hungry masses, a temporary breakfast option has returned — just for the early summer — to Restaurantosaurus in Dinoland, U.S.A.
And if you are visiting Animal Kingdom now through June 10th, you are DEFINITELY going to want to know about the Dino-Sized Breakfast options, featuring Mickey Waffles complete with a Waffle Topping Bar! What?! I KNOW!!
Restaurantosaurus Sign
Okay, so you could also choose a Yogurt Parfait, Fresh Fruit Cup or Cereal. [Read more…]
In case we haven’t already mentioned it: Happy 40th Anniversary to Disneyland’s Space Mountain! But what to get for the mountain who’s got everything? How about a groovy, above-the-action, nighttime lounge for Disneyland guests?
What? That sounds like a gift for us? Good — because it is! May 26th marked the first ever Tomorrowland Skyline Lounge Experience, a super-cool celebration of the out-of-this-world mountain (and land!) that has become a Disney icon!
Disneyland’s Tomorrowland
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