food IS a theme park
has announced a November 2011 event!
Click for Larger Image
Featuring the The Wonders of Sustainable Seafood
Location: Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Date and Time: [Read more…]
A few months ago, we sadly reported that La Cava del Tequila in Epcot’s Mexico pavilion had nixed many of the food items form its menu.
On our recent visit, we were happy to see a few new additions, including Queso Con Jalapeno (QUESO!!!!) and Crab Tostadas.
La Cava del Tequila Food Menu 10-2011
Also on the menu is the [Read more…]
Finally! One of my Disney dining bucket list items has been crossed off of the list! Along with some wonderful friends, I got the chance to attend a “Dine With an Imagineer” lunch at Disney Hollywood Studios’ Hollywood Brown Derby earlier this month.
In case you haven’t heard of it, Dine With an Imagineer is a spectacular opportunity offered for lunch at the Hollywood Brown Derby, and for dinner (on select nights) at the Flying Fish Cafe.
Up to 10 guests get the chance to dine with a real live Walt Disney Imagineer. Your Imagineer will tell you about the work that he or she does, then answer any questions you might have about that work…or anything else that has to do with Disney Imagineering!
Place Setting and Personalized Menu
Cost per person is $60 (taxes and gratuity are added at the table), and the experience has been designed for guests aged 10 and older. You can book this event 180 days in advance, and it’s suggested that you do. It sells out quickly.
We had a gaggle of about 9 Disney fans who attended the lunch, including one VERY smart 11-year-old who had some great questions for the Imagineer. Don’t worry if your group can’t fill the room; Disney will keep taking reservations until the event is at capacity. That means you might have the chance to meet a few new Disney fans!
Now, the first question everyone asks about Dine With an Imagineer is… [Read more…]
Thanks to Laura for the fun tip that guests booking from Latin America now have the option to choose a Disney World Free Dining package through September 2012!
Info About Free Dining From the Canadian DisneyWorld.com page
USA residents are still only allowed to book Free Dining through March 2012. But Disney long ago released Free Dining through November 2012 for UK guests and now offers Free Dining from August 19-September 29, 2012, in addition to the dates listed here, for guests from Canada and Latin America.
Canada Free Dining Dates Now Show Aug-Sep 2012 Dates
Latin American DisneyWorld.com website mentions Aug-Sep 2012 Free Dining Dates
Is this a harbinger for Free Dining in the Fall of 2012 for USA residents? What do you think?
One of the reasons many families choose to travel to Walt Disney World is the Resort’s offerings for kids and the way they cater to the whole family.
High Chairs Ready!
You want to eat in a real restaurant with three small kids? Sure, no problem at Disney World. You need a space to change your baby’s diaper, feed them away from the hecticness of the main park spaces, or buy first aid supplies for your little ones? They’ve got you covered! But when it comes to high chairs and booster seats at Disney World, what does the situation look like right now?
When meeting friends in Epcot, I usually choose one of two places to begin our adventure — La Cava del Tequila or the Rose & Crown Pub.
On this particular day, the timing made sense to meet at Rose & Crown, so we got the opportunity to check out a few menu changes on the pub menu.
Pub Menu -- click for larger version
Now, Epcot’s Rose & Crown Restaurant and Pub both have different menus, so don’t be shocked if your favorites don’t translate from one to the other!
We started out with a couple of drinks. My friend knew immediately that she wanted a Snake Bite and Black (equal parts lager and cider with blackcurrant cordial added as a sweetener). I, however, couldn’t make up my mind.
Snake Bite and Black
So I headed over to the bar to see my good friend Carl — who brightens my day EVERY time I see him — and charged him with choosing my drink for me. “Why don’tcha have a Pimm’s Cup?” he asked; and so [Read more…]
Today, Chef Big Fat Panda’s DIY Disney Recipes column brings us a fan favorite today! Mama Melrose’s Chicken Parmesan! Take it away, Chef!
Mickey's Ready to Make Some Chicken!
Hello! Chef BigFatPanda here!
Again, I apologize for not posting in quite some time. My friends know the reason, and I’d like to open up to you about it as well. My Mom was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in January of this year. She passed away on August 28th. As you may have read, she was very influential in my life (as most mothers are), but even more so when it came to her passion for cooking.
While life will never be the same, it does go on. Her name was Anna, and all prayers for her are most appreciated. I know she would love knowing she was mentioned here. Thank you!
Today we are going to make an Oven-Baked Chicken Parmesan from Mama Melrose’s at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Let’s face it, most of us go weak at the knees for a good chicken parmesan, no? I know I do. I’m always looking for that crunchy outside, tender inside and balance of cheese and sauce that can even make my non-Italian friends ask for more.
Well, look no further. If you have been reading my column, you know I tell it like it is and I can absolutely give you my seal of approval on this recipe and then some (with a few alterations). 🙂
Table at Mama Melrose's in Disney's Hollywood Studios
As usual, the recipe’s instructions will be bolded for easy reference should you wish to print this out and skip my commentary. I’d like you to NOT do that since I am turning 40 in a few weeks and relish my dwindling relevancy. 🙂
There really are 2 parts to this recipe: you first create the breadcrumb mixture, then actually [Read more…]
I can remember, years and years ago, while visiting Epcot with my parents on one of my family’s “Easter vacations,” we approached the Worldkey kiosk to book a reservation in France for that evening’s meal. All I knew — around age 7 — is that I probably hated French food, and I was 100% ready to dislike this restaurant.
Well, things have apparently changed in my old age. I’ve enjoyed all of the food I’ve ever had in the “real” country of France, and the same goes for anything I’ve had in the Epcot version of the place as well. Especially at Chefs de France.
sits in a quaint corner of Epcot’s World Showcase, just across the bridge from the UK pavilion and the International Gateway.
Les Chefs de France
The restaurant is, aesthetically, one of my very favorites in Walt Disney World. With walls of windows framing a classic French bistro dining room, it’s one of the only restaurants that truly makes me feel as though I’m dining in a foreign location. (I can recall dining in a restaurant in Paris that looked a heck of a lot like this one, in fact!)
Front of Les Chefs de France at Night
Once inside the restaurant, everything is done in dark woods, beige, and [Read more…]
Chef Mickey's Cracking Down on Skipping Reservations
UPDATE: See bottom of post for some FAQs and answers via a Disney Dining Phone representative.
In the past several weeks, Disney has instituted a few new technologies and requirements to better regulate the Disney World Dining Reservations Systems. These are largely being put into place to deter the ever-increasing practices of double-booking dining reservations, or simply skipping reservations without canceling them.
Double-booking and skipping reservations in restaurants that fill up six months in advance means that a large percentage of dining reservations are not being used, which, in turn, means that fewer guests are able to dine at these locations, and less money is made in each restaurant.
To improve this process, Disney has (or will be) instituting three new practices:
In order to deter skipped reservations at Disney’s most expensive and popular properties, Disney will begin requiring credit card guarantees on many restaurants beginning October 26th, 2011.
What does this mean for us as guests? Basically, you’ll be required to give a valid credit card number in order to make your reservation for these popular dining spots. No money will be charged to your card at the time of booking (unless the location is a pre-pay meal). However, should you neglect to cancel a credit card guarantee reservation within the allotted timeline (usually 24 hours prior to the meal), a $10 surcharge — per person — will be charged to the card.
California Grill Cancellation Policy Warning
Starting October 26, 2011, the following restaurants will require the credit card guarantee: [Read more…]
Beer lovers beware! Beer and Pizza Tastings at Via Napoli in Epcot’s Italy is a new event being offered at this year’s 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival!
We got a chance to head to the very first one last week, and we really enjoyed ourselves! Here are the specs on these new-this-year events:
When: Tuesdays from 2-4pm
Where: Via Napoli, Italy, Epcot
Pricing: $50, plus tax. Gratuity included.
All beers
We checked in for this event at the regular podium at Via Napoli and were then escorted into the side room at the restaurant (the side room had recently been enclosed — it was all open to the elements last year when the [Read more…]
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