food IS a theme park
Disney's California Adventure's World of Color Show (c) Disney
While the Wine Country Trattoria and Ariel’s Grotto World of Color Dinner Packages have been popular, Disney California Adventure is now introducing a the Prix Fixe Lunch package at Wine Country Trattoria (see our dinner review here!)! By booking ahead, you and your guests will receive reserved viewing for Disney’s World of Color — the new nighttime [Read more…]
Incredible seafood and stylized “under-the-sea” decor is the impression most people have of Todd English’s bluezoo at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort before they go…but there’s a lot more to it than that!
Celebrity Chef Todd English is the nameplate on many restaurants, but is best known for the original “Olives,” opened in Boston in 1989. Since then, he’s gone on to master the gamut of cuisine, from steakhouses to seafood to Italian and more, and even holds court over a restaurant on the Queen Mary II cruise ship.
But as he’s based in Boston, the Swan and Dolphin is lucky to have another incredible Chef overseeing bluezoo — Chef Chris Windus. A rising star in his own right, Chef Windus is still dedicated to the art of food. Through his personal blog and interaction in foodie circles, it’s clear to see that he’s a perfectionist and strives for the ideal plate from ingredient choice to preparation to service. Since I began this blog, it’s been a joy watching how he runs the bluezoo kitchen, and I was eager to head to the restaurant to experience it myself.
Situated across the lake from the Boardwalk Resort — with our table offering a gorgeous evening view of the Boardwalk and the Illuminations fireworks in Epcot — bluezoo is upscale, trendy, and fun. The decor [Read more…]
Concept art and details were released today about the new Hyperion Wharf, the name of the project formerly known as Pleasure Island in Disney World’s Downtown Disney, and they look pretty stunning.
While the plans are vague and don’t seem to include a central theme, yet, we do know that the 120-acre “waterfront complex” themed after an old-fashioned entertainment pier will include “diverse eateries, [which] will expand dining availability at Downtown Disney by more than 25 percent.”
A couple of the new dining options will take place somewhere you’d least expect them: the AMC Movie Theater! The Disney Parks Blog promises that the theater will add a “Concession Stand of the Future” along with “Florida’s first Fork & Screen Theater” (think Studio Movie Grill to get an idea of what [Read more…]
Disney Food for Families columnist, Erin Foster, takes a look at baby food options in Disney parks and resorts. You can read about Erin and read her other columns on our Disney Food for Families page!
Many families make their first trips to Walt Disney World while at least one of their children is in the baby mush stage of eating. A question I often hear from these families is, “What do I do about baby food while on my Disney vacation?” This information may not be as exciting as news about the latest gonzo cupcake creation, but it can be of critical importance to those traveling with a toothless crew.
Magic Kingdom Baby Care Center
Where to Find Baby Food on Disney Property
Baby food is not a menu item at any of the Disney restaurants. However, you are welcome to serve your baby food purchased elsewhere while you dine. Disney stocks a limited selection of baby food products in the resort gift shops, always Gerber brand. The flavor assortment may vary slightly, but generally you can expect to find [Read more…]
Orlando’s new Waldorf Astoria is a sister hotel to the legendary Waldorf in New York City. We were lucky enough to dine at the hotel’s steakhouse, The Bull and Bear, which is patterned after The Bull and Bear Steakhouse in New York’s Waldorf.
The Bull and Bear feels like an exclusive club, and it’s not a place to go if all you want is a quick meal — this is where you go when you want a meal to treasure. The entryway is stacked with the best wines, the cozy dark woods and brass decor will immediately make you feel as though you’ve walked into a Rockefeller’s library, and attentive and smoothly-running service will ensure that you feel like the most important person in the room. Dining here means being pampered, and everyone deserves that once in a while.
Entryway
But, surprise, you’re not in an upscale vintage Steakhouse in Manhattan; you’re in the middle of Walt Disney World property! That’s right — when you get a “theme park view” at the Waldorf, you really can see the theme parks…and Downtown Disney, and Pop Century Resort, even. [Read more…]
Holiday and Winter Cookies
In Disney Food news this week:
Plus, sadly, today is the final day to enjoy the Epcot Food & Wine Festival of 2010. It’s been a great ride; be sure to check out all of our coverage here and let us know how we can do better next year! Have a drink for me! I’ll see you September 30, 2011!!
And now, on to the Round-Up!
Outside the Berm has a blast from the past: a 1942 menu from Walt Disney’s Studio Restaurant. One Monte Cristo sandwich fried in butter, please! (Thanks to George Taylor for the heads up!)
DF ’82 shows us around some of the dining establishments in Disneyland Resort Paris’ Hotel Cheyenne!
Pasture Prime Family Farm shows what the Epcot Food and Wine Festival looks like from the perspective of the food — their Mangalitsa Pork was the star of a demo done by bluezoo Chef Chris Windus!
Samland’s Disney Adventures has pics of some of my favorite Disneyland treats, along with the Halloween “Oogie Boogie” Roastie-Toastie at the Haunted Mansion popcorn cart!
etckt showcases a few more incredible photographs from his lunch around the World at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival.
Main Street Gazette has an incredible (and thorough) collection of photographs of the Italy travel posters that hang in the back of the new Via Napoli. Definitely worth a look!
Disney Everyday has the details on the Wine & Dine Walk at the Children’s Miracle Network Classic this weekend.
Everything Walt Disney World looks at Annual Passholder dining discounts vs. Tables in Wonderland discounts.
Update: Beaches and Cream is no longer serving the Kitchen Sink sundae unassembled.
Many Disney food fans know about the Beaches and Cream “Kitchen Sink Sundae” — a monstrous dessert filled with multiple scoops of ice cream, Oreo cookies, candy bars, cake, bananas, cherries, brownies, all of the toppings in the house, and an entire can of whipped cream — at Disney’s Beach Club Resort.
Kitchen Sink Sundae at Beaches and Cream
It’s clearly meant to be shared by multiple eaters, and while the Sink is served with dishes for each individual guest, a major complaint about the dessert is [Read more…]
Alrighty, folks, settle in — this is gonna be a long one! I very happily stuffed my face at Via Napoli twice on my last Orlando trip, and I’m pleased to share all the news on what has become one of my favorite restaurants in Walt Disney World!
Located in Epcot’s Italy pavilion (walk straight to the back; you can’t miss it), this massive, airplane-hanger-of-a-room is cavernous, but beautiful and filled with light, hustle, bustle, and the most amazing smells.
Via Napoli Dining Room
Artisan tiles dot the floor; whimsical chandeliers hang like ornaments throughout the restaurant; chipping frescoes give depth to the walls; and old-fashioned travel-themed artwork reminds you of all the places in Italy you haven’t been. The warm, neutral colors with pops of [Read more…]
“Holy delicious!!” “Not to miss.” “Crazy good.” These are the kinds of reviews I’d been hearing about the butterscotch pudding at the new La Luce by Donna Scala at the Hilton Bonnet Creek Resort. That’s right; butterscotch pudding. Like, the stuff you remember from when you were a kid that came out of a box or a plastic cup and was pretty much what was left over after everyone else ate the chocolate pudding. I was skeptical to say the least. I’ve clearly never been a butterscotch pudding fan.
But my favorite review — and the one that made me finally want to close the book on this dessert — was from TampaBay.com’s food critic, Jim Webster: “There are other options beside the butterscotch pudding. They may even be good. Ignore them.”
It turns out this stuff even has its own facebook fan page.
Fast forward to my recent Orlando trip where we got the chance to head over to La Luce (the Hilton Bonnet Creek is located between Downtown Disney and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, inside the WDW gates) and finally try it.
La Luce Butterscotch Pudding
And, yeah. This is not the pudding you remember from your lunch box — or even from your grandma’s homemade recipe. Made with 12-year Macallan Scotch, the pudding is velvety rich, and creamy. There’s no hint of [Read more…]
As part of Disneyland Resort’s ginormous expansion and refurb of Disney’s California Adventure, the park is welcoming several new restaurants to the mix!
At Paradise Pier, you’ll soon find Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta and the Paradise Garden Grill taking up residence. You can see the concept art for the new restaurants here! Clearly Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy are very excited, as indicated by these fun construction walls set up in DCA (thanks to our Disneyland Correspondent, Heather Sievers, for the pics!).
And over in Cars Land, we’ll find three new spots to munch: The Cozy Cone Motel will sell “cone” themed goodies, Fillmore’s Taste-In will sell “natural snacks and drinks,” and Flo’s V8 Cafe will serve diner food inspired by the restaurants found along Route 66. The OC Register published an awesome map of the space recently, and they have more Cars Land info here.
copyright Disneyland; published by OC Register
Can’t wait!! (And for those who got the pun in the title, my apologies ;-D)
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