food IS a theme park
Woo! We’re back with another “You Won’t Believe This!” snack from Starring Rolls Cafe in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Of course you remember the Butterfinger Cupcake, which had more frosting than most birthday cakes. Well this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake rivals, and might even top [Read more…]
Dinner:Impossible Production Sign
After walking out of the Disney “Give A Day, Get A Disney Day” announcement event on Thursday, I saw none other than Chef Robert Irvine running through World Showcase with a team of volunteers behind him! I quickly realized that he was taping Dinner:Impossible! for the Food Network…and that I was going to be attending that dinner!
Scroll to the bottom of the page to read more about the “Give A Day” program and how you can be a part of it; in the meantime, let’s get on to the food…
Chef Irvine Plots With His Volunteers
Dinner Prep
Chef Irvine and his volunteers were preceded around the the World Showcase by an advance team who were tasked with finding the next individual the Chef would be speaking with, and setting up the shot. For instance, in Epcot’s Germany pavilion, the advance team set up a shot where Chef Irvine learned from Snow White what one of his main ingredients would be!
From there, the Chef and his volunteers took off running again — after all, he only had a few hours to cook dinner for hundreds.
Dinner:Impossible Advance Team
Chef Irvine and Team Run to the Next Shot
For the hours of cooking Chef Irvine and his trusted sous chefs were about to endure, Disney had set up a show kitchen in front of World Showcase. Guests to the Epcot theme park were welcomed to watch as the show taping started heating up! I hung around for a good chunk of the day, snapping photos and trying to figure out what my meal was going to include. All I could figure out was that we were going to be eating a lot of apples…
One interesting thing I noticed is that the proceedings in the kitchen were pretty quiet. Lots of chopping, and seasoning, and sauteing in a giant wok being heated over a…garbage can, but no yelling. No angry Chef Irvine shouting in frustration that there are only 3 dishes done with only 20 minutes left. Maybe there was another kitchen somewhere where those things were happening. It’s not a Dinner:Impossible! show without them! My fingers are crossed that somebody got angry somewhere, or it might not be worth watching. 😉
Dinner Impossible Waiver
Chef Irvine Instructs a Sous Chef in the Show Kitchen
The Dinner
After much running around by Chef Irvine and his sous chefs, it was finally time for those at the event to start digging in! Now, here’s the saddest part of my story — I’m pretty sure I didn’t get to eat Chef Irvine’s cooking. Word is that his handiwork was served only to the Give a Day Get a Day volunteers, who’d won trips to Disney World to celebrate their donations.
Alas, I’m still going to tell you all about the dinner WE, as members of the media, were served, because it was still delicious — thanks, Disney!
The event was held outside — on the bridge between the Fountain of Nations in Future World and the World Showcase Lagoon, and there were several stations set up where guests could collect appetizer-sized portions of the dishes.
Servers were also circulating with many of the dishes — primarily desserts — in case you couldn’t break away from a conversation to get over to the main serving areas. There were quite a few tables set up within the event space, along with cocktail tables bearing [Read more…]
Happy Valentine's Day!
Wow! What a week! Two days at Disney World can be exhausting! Here are a few links to some news and info reports from the World this week:
Stay tuned for more stories this week from my trip to Disney World! Now, on to the round-up!
Disney Geek reports that corn dogs are on the menu at Disneyland’s Stage Door Cafe while the Corn Dog Castle is closed for refurb through 2011.
@Marcomboy, via twitter, shared some Valentine’s Day Desserts at Disneyland’s Storytellers Cafe. In the photo: Red Velvet Mini cupcake, Snickers cheesecake, and flourless chocolate cake. Also available are a heart-shaped chocolate raspberry tart and a heart shaped strawberry mousse.
Disney Family.com has some great Alice in Wonderland ideas! Check out these edible teacups, this smiling Cheshire Cat cupcake, and this cool make-it-yourself Alice cupcake topper!
The Red Carpet takes us along with her as she dines at Disneyland’s Club 33!
Main Street Gazette shares a memory of an extinct restaurant, the Polynesian’s Papeete Bay Verandah, along with one of its lost recipes: Chicken Toa Nue.
DisneyShawn shows us the detail of Pinocchio’s Village Haus.
A World View shares a review of Cat Cora’s Kouzzina.
Disney Parks Blog shares their top WDW Romantic Restaurants. (You can also check out the DisneyFoodBlog top three romantic restaurants in Disney World, based on our reader survey!)
Chip and Co shows us how to do a DIY breakfast from the Kona Cafe!
Usually don’t post on Saturdays, but I had to share this (as I’m sitting in the Orlando airport, delayed for 3 hours…). I was at my favorite cupcake place, Starring Rolls Cafe in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, this morning for a snack. Guess what I found while doing my “research” for the Disney Food Blog…?
Cupcake Hidden Mickey
Have a GREAT weekend!
I’ve had a busy and rewarding day at the Walt Disney World “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” media event; and while you’ll be seeing in-depth blogs over the next few days about my adventures, I wanted to share with you as soon as possible a few of my favorite Disney photos from today.
So, come along with me on this mini-photo-trip-report!
My Disney Day in Photos
First, we got up early-early-early to head over to Epcot for our Akershus breakfast with the Princesses. I think this is just about the most true-to-“life” Snow White I’ve ever seen:
Snow White at Akershus Restaurant
Then it was off to the “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” Media Event, but what do I see as I’m walking around World Showcase? Giant tin cans!! These were used throughout Epcot today as themeing for the Volunteer Events! This one indicated that a VERY cool Detroit radio station would be broadcasting live from Epcot today! (Shout out to Jake Edwards!)
Detroit 96.3 Radio Station Broadcast Location Marker
Finally made it around the Showcase in time for the big World Record reveal and Media Event. This is the World’s Largest Sculpture Made of Canned Goods! Be sure to check out our breakdown of the foods used for each character!
Canned Goods Sculpture Reveal at Disney World
And of course I needed to get Pluto’s picture in front of his canned-good likeness!
Disney's Pluto with Canned Goods Pluto
I was thrilled to see that Mickey’s fingers were made out of huge-mongo bags of [Read more…]
UPDATE: Read about the Opening Date for Be Our Guest Restaurant and Reservations Info!
I’m reporting this week from the Walt Disney World Media Event showcasing the new Give a Day, Get a Disney Day volunteer program! Last night was the kick-off event, and we heard some fun dining news and got to taste some great eats over at the ESPN Wide World of Sports! (Psst — if you just want to see pics from the kick-off party, scroll down.)
Disney Food News
Unfortunately, I didn’t hear any BRAND new Disney food news, but recently opened restaurants Kouzzina and Sanaa were mentioned, along with the upcoming Be Our Guest restaurant and Gaston’s Tavern, to be found in the new-and-improved Fantasyland in 2012.
Other fun mentions that some of you might not have heard about are the two new, “interactive” restaurants on board the brand new Disney Cruise Line cruise ship, The Disney Dream. These include the Enchanted Garden, which magically transforms your surroundings from early morning to a night sky while you dine, and the Skyline Lounge, which has walls that change to reflect a new city scape each day!
Skyline Lounge
Enchanted Garden
Media Event Treats and Eats
The event kick-off was held in the ESPN Wide World of Sports on Walt Disney World property. The first part of the evening was a [Read more…]
There are some quintessential theme park foods that come to mind when you think of Disney World — funnel cakes, Dole Whips, Mickey bars, and, for me, lollipops. Maybe it’s because I don’t eat them very often, maybe it’s because they’re so shiny and colorful, maybe it’s because I associate them with vacations from my childhood, but I always want to buy a big, ol’ swirly lollipop.
They’re an eye-catching hallmark of a Disney vacation. Their colorful sugar swirls captivate the eye in any shop, and I think they’re actually pretty artistic. So, for today’s mid-week pick-me-up, I wanted to share a few of my favorite sucker shots with you guys. Sit back, relax, remember when you were a kid, and let the colors take you away to YOUR happy place. 🙂
More after the break! [Read more…]
Here’s the food news of the week, highlighted here on the Disney Food Blog:
Also, if you didn’t see it already, be sure to check out our first ever Disney food photo quiz. You can see the answers at the bottom of this post. Now, on to the round-up!
SamLand’s Disney Adventures shares a great detail from Pinocchio’s Village Haus in Disney World. Be sure to check the comments, where Anthony from DLRPMagic shares a very related detail from Disneyland Paris!
Orlando Sentinel shares more construction pics from Epcot.
DLRPToday, same folks from DLRPMagic, incidentally, reports that Hurricanes Discotheque will be closing permanently on March 31, 2010.
Designing Disney takes us to Disneyland’s Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor.
Disney and More reminds us that Disney Legend Walt Peregoy’s artwork is currently being exhibited at the Chocolate Bar in Encino, CA. I call this a food post because of the location. I think it works. Walt is best known for his work on 101 Dalmatians.
Stuff From the Parks shares a cool Haunted Mansion “I Scream” ice cream spoon from the 1969 Haunted Mansion grand opening promo. Learn more about the “I Scream” promo from this Imaginerding post.
The OC Register explains how Disney’s paying employees to lose unhealthy, excess weight.
2719 Hyperion is able to take its eyes away from the goodies and document the decor at the Disney’s Hollywood Studios Beverly Sunset Sweet Spells shop (also known as the Scary Apothecary).
WDW Alone reminds us to get training for the Wine and Dine Halloween 5K fun run
Orlando Sentinel reports that central Florida and the Disney area is the Word’s Most Celiac Friendly Destination!
DF 82 brings us back to Disneyland Paris with a look at Toad Hall.
Main Street Gazette shares a trip to Le Cellier — including a photo of the Chocolate Moose.
Disney Parks Blog has some suggestions for Date Night at Disneyland’s Downtown Disney.
A Great Lunch Option at Starring Rolls Cafe
Some of you listened to the Healthy Eating in WDW episode of the WDW Today podcast last week, but there’s still a lot of information and tips for those of you who’d like to — or have to — start eating a bit healthier while you’re on vacation.
Even if you just want “not to go overboard,” (I feel your pain.) the tips, menu options, and “eat this not that” suggestions will help!
General Advice:
First thing first. These are tips everyone already knows, but we sometimes need a reminder or two…or three.
Sanaa’s Menu is Full of Delicious, Healthy Choices
No Matter Where You Eat…
…there’s going to be something there that won’t eventually kill you 😉 Here are a few menu options [Read more…]
Over the course of this next year, we’ll have to look at several Magic Kingdom establishments that are soon to be no longer. Princesses, beasts, and faeries are taking over Fantasyland, so there just won’t be room for seagulls anymore!
Scuttle’s Landing has long served as a waiting area for moms and dads while daughters waded into Ariel’s Grotto or sons flew with Dumbo, a dance party location during Magic Kingdom parties, THE place to get your frozen coke, and where everyone [Read more…]
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