food IS a theme park
Christmas time is a wonderful but expensive time to be at Disney World!
Disney Characters really know how to celebrate the holidays!
Today, we’re looking at how much it would cost for a family of four to visit Disney World during Christmastime this year! [Read more…]
Welcome back, DFB friends! We’re here with another What’s New at EPCOT!
EPCOT
Between the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival kicking off in just a few days, new merchandise arriving in the park, and more construction updates on ongoing projects, we have a lot to cover! So, what are you waiting for? Let’s jump right on in!
We’re no strangers to eating our way around the “world” here at DFB! (The World Showcase, that is!) From checking out all the latest festival foods to keeping an eye on new and exciting snacks — we’ve got you covered on anything and everything EPCOT!
EPCOT snacks just hit different
But, we can’t help but shed a little tear every now and then (😢) when we think about all the tasty and unique bites people are missing out on during their globetrotting adventures! We get it, the World Showcase is FULL of hidden-away treasures — and it can be so easy to miss a few along the way — which is why we made this list of five treats you should DEFINITELY keep on your radar during your next visit!
Looking to bring some Disney magic to your dinner table? Many recipes from the Disney parks are accessible via our recipe page as well as various cookbooks that you can purchase online!
Minnie Mouse at Chef Mickey’s
Today we’ll be highlighting three Disney recipes that you can make tonight with ingredients you most likely already have in your pantry!
The Epcot International Festival of the Holidays has ARRIVED!
Epcot’s Festival of the Holidays
This annual Epcot Festival started on November 29th and runs through December 30, 2019. Featuring over a dozen international food booths and international Holiday Storytellers, guests can enjoy learning about cultures from ALL around the world!
BONJOUR! We are having a blast eating our way through the 2019 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.
2019 Epcot Food and Wine Festival
We’ve been jammin’ out to the Eat the Beat Concerts, spending too much $$$ on adorable souvenirs, and of course, eating our way around the 30+ Festival Kiosks. Thank goodness the festival is a record-breaking 87 days this year — there is so much to do! Including a recent return visit to one of our favorite Festival Special Events: the Parisian Breakfast.
If you’ve ever reviewed a list of dining options in Epcot’s World Showcase at Walt Disney World, you may have noticed that some pavilions have more eateries than others. France and Japan, in particular, not only have several restaurants each, they’re both in the process of adding new restaurants as well, which will bring the restaurant total in France to five and in Japan to four.
World Showcase
The answer to this question is a little complicated. You may think that the inequality is due to French and Japanese cuisine being more celebrated in the real world, and thus restaurants in these pavilions are naturally more popular. [Read more…]
Tucked away towards the back of Epcot’s France Pavilion is one of our favorite spots for French pastries, sandwiches and specialty items.
Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie in Epcot’s France Pavilion
And on our last visit to Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie in Epcot’s France Pavilion we noticed a menu item that seems like a combination of two of our favorite things: delicious croissants and breakfast!
Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie Menu
Under the Specialties Section of the menu is the Croissant Salé!
Alrighty, Guys — it’s time for another fun Disney Food Blog Challenge. And this one is definitely for the grown ups!
Everyone’s aware that craft Beer has become increasingly popular. Sure, through the years, you always had the garden variety options…
Honey Bee Citrus Blonde Ale at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
…but these days, Craft Beers and International Selections are where it’s at. So we thought that it was high time we take a closer look at some of the interesting beer that you can get throughout Walt Disney World.
In the interest of interactive fun, we decided to come up with another DFB Food — er, Beverage — Crawl, dedicated to the world of beer, and all that it encompasses.
And we know that there are LOTS of you out there who are serious about your study and research of this important subject. We are in it for the fun. 😉 So we definitely want YOUR comments below on what you think the Can’t Miss Beers of Walt Disney World are!
Because this is a rather weighty subject, we’ll spread it out over a 3 day visit. But feel free to consolidate as your tolerance level allows.
Grab some beer nuts, and let’s go!
We’ll start our 3-day Beer Crawl in the best place for sampling a wide variety of food and drink — Epcot!
When beer is the main attraction of the day, it’s a good idea to get some sustenance first thing. We love to enter Epcot via the International Gateway Entrance and start our day with a stop in Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie in the France Pavilion for a petit déjeuner of French Pastries and Coffee or Chocolat Chaud.
We especially love the Quiche Lorraine!
Quiche Lorraine
Fueled up and ready to go, it’s time to hit World Showcase!
We all have our traditions, and one that we love to embrace is the First Beer of the Day in Epcot. And that honor almost always goes to Moosehead as we begin our Drinking Journey around the World! Find it at the Canada Beer Stand located near the entrance to Le Cellier Steakhouse.
Moosehead
Stroll the area, making time to check out the Totem Poles before you head to your next stop.
With a small breakfast and your first brew under your belt, it’s time to stop for lunch and more beer in one of our favorite Epcot dining spots.
The Rose and Crown Pub and Dining Room in the UK Pavilion offers a wide array of beer and cider from the British Isles. Make your advance dining reservation ahead of time for a sit down meal, or take a gamble with finding a spot in the pub (it can get pretty crowded in there). Note that you can also get beers at a counter outside the restaurant and pub.
Sampling British beers is your goal here, so we recommend the Imperial Sampler, which normally includes pours of Bass, Harp, Boddington’s, and Guinness.
Rose & Crown
Alternatively, you can choose from a long list of Pub Blends, which are half-and-half mixes of some of the beer on tap. You’ll never go wrong with a Black and Tan — half Bass Ale and half Guinness.
Of course, if you have a favorite beer among those on tap, enjoy a pint of that one instead.
Shamrock Design on Top of Guinness
We especially love to order a Guinness, served with its famous Shamrock Head!
With a little lunch under your belt, it’s time to hit up the Japan Pavilion for another unique stop on your beer tour. Kirin Frozen Beer comes with a fluffy, semi-frozen head that keeps your beer cold a little longer in that warm Florida sun.
You can find it at Kabuki Cafe (or YeSake Kiosk if you’re in Disney Springs)!
Frozen Kirin Beer in Epcot’s Japan
Take in some time listening to the drummers or checking out the [Read more…]
Ready to dine around Epcot? Yep, me too! Join me in welcoming guest author Anita Theiss with her review of some great Epcot eats!
My husband and I recently spent a day at Epcot celebrating our anniversary. While there, we decided to taste a little something from each of the nations represented in the World Showcase. An “Eat Around the World” challenge, so to speak. It was a lot of fun, and we really enjoyed discussing which foods we liked best and which we liked the least. We followed a few simple rules for our self-assigned challenge.
Rule One, choose one country-specific food item (no generic cookies or fries) to order from each nation and share it. (We had a slight breech of etiquette on this rule when we got to France, but more on that later.) Sharing meant that we could discuss what we thought of the item, and it kept us from eating too much.
Rule Two, go to counter service restaurants, kiosks, or food stands only. It just didn’t seem right to take up a reservation spot for just one item.
Rule Three, rate each food item on a scale of one to ten, with one being not quite so palate pleasing, and ten being the best thing to ever grace your taste buds.
Our digestive expedition started in Mexico at La Cantina de San Angel with an order of nachos. The nachos come with ground beef, beans, cheese, tomatoes, jalapeños, and sour cream. We ordered them with the tomatoes and jalapeños on the side -— my husband loves them, but I am not a fan.
Nachos
I enjoyed the nachos, but we both found them to be a little heavy on the cheese (if food can be too heavy with ‘plastic cheese’) and not heavy enough on the meat and beans. They had just the right amount of spice, and the chips were crisp. The portion was perfect for a meal, but these nachos are a great shareable snack as well. My husband gave them a 4, and I gave them a 6.
We moved on to Norway and stopped at the Kringla Bakeri Og Kafé. There were several items on the counter that looked good, and I could not decide between the Troll Horn and the Viking Mousse. I asked the cast member behind the counter which of the two she recommended, and she suggested the Troll Horn, which is filled which cloudberry cream.
Troll Horn
The cloudberry cream was smooth and sweet, but not too sweet, and the pastry was tender but a little bland. The sugar crystals sprinkled on top added a nice sweetness and crunch, but overall the Troll Horn was just meh (how do you like that technical culinary term?). We both gave it a 4 on our grading scale — not horrible, but we won’t be rushing back to Norway to get one during our next trip.
After a ride on Maelstrom (RIP), we headed to China. We stopped at Joy of Tea to place an egg roll order. An order of egg rolls actually includes two nice-sized pork and veggie egg rolls, which was a pleasant surprise considering how very delicious they were. (My husband had already snagged his and started munching when I took the picture which is why there is only one pictured.)
Egg Roll
The egg roll wrapper was both tender and crunchy, and the filling was flavorful with seasoned pork and crisp veggies. There were packets of soy sauce (and other condiments) which just added another layer of fabulous flavor. We both gave the egg rolls an 8.5; we would definitely get them again and feel that they would be an excellent use of a snack credit if you are on the Disney Dining Plan since they are easily shared.
We moved on from China to Germany for a stop at Sommerfest. To be honest, I had my heart set on wrapping my lips around a Nudel Gratin for days, but I was starting to get full and knew that such a dish would be both rich and heavy. So, I passed on the Nudel Gratin (which I now regret — I really should have persevered) while my husband ordered a bratwurst. He loves a brat, and this one did not disappoint.
Bratwurst
Bratwurst Cross Section with Mustard
The bratwurst comes on a very large crusty bun topped with loads of sauerkraut. He said the sauerkraut was alright and the bratwurst itself was delicious, but he felt that there was just too much bread. The bun was quite large and had a pretty tough and crusty consistency. He still enjoyed it and gave it a score of 6.
After a quick shopping break in Germany, we headed to Italy, which had me a little worried because there is no counter service restaurant. But as we were walking into Italy, I spotted Gelati — a nice little gelato stand, so I stopped for a cup of chocolate gelato.
Gelato
It was smooth, thick, creamy, quite tasty, and reminded me of a cold version of hot chocolate. It would definitely hit the spot on a hot summer day in Florida. My husband had a taste or two of it, but he is not much of a chocolate fan and didn’t like it as much as regular ice cream. I, on the other hand, much prefer the thicker consistency of gelato to its thinner American counterpart and gave it a 7.
After Italy, it was time for a return to our homeland of America. Now during our last trip to Disney a few months ago, I fell in love with the [Read more…]
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