food IS a theme park
Welcome to our latest roundup of What’s New in Disney’s Animal Kingdom!
Expedition Everest
It was a dreary day in the park, but that didn’t stop us from checking out all the new items, including a super cute cookie! Let’s dive into what we found.
Jambo
from Disney’s Animal Kingdom!
Time to visit one of our favorite character dining locations: Tusker House! Tusker House is located in Animal Kingdom’s African village of Harambe and offers a character buffet for breakfast and lunch and a “family style dinner buffet” (really just a buffet — no family style service), also with characters!
One added element of dining at Tusker House is the opportunity to reserve the Rivers of Light Dining Package here, which saves a seat at Animal Kingdom’s newly-revamped Rivers of Life: We Are One nighttime spectacular. Generally, the price differential between the character meal and the dining package is pretty small here, so you may find it’s worth the slight splurge to score that reserved seating.
We weren’t after the Dining Package this time, but we sure were excited to see if the food and experience at Tusker House lived up to its past quality. And we ended up eating TWO full meals at once, which we really didn’t expect! (Read on to find out how we did it!)
Tusker House Entrance
Tusker House is a charming restaurant located on your left-hand side in Harambe as you head toward Kilimanjaro Safaris. Check in is at a stand near the Dawa Bar, and you’ll be given a pager. Here you’re welcome to glance at the menu — but keep in mind it’s pretty generic because it’s a buffet! (Don’t worry: we’ll get more specific, and we have photos of EVERYTHING below!)
June 9, 1934 delivered the animated debut of Donald Duck in the Silly Symphony, “The Wise Little Hen.”
Donald Duck
And this weekend (and, in some cases, longer), guests in Disneyland Resort will be presented with several ways to celebrate Donald’s 85th birthday! [Read more…]
Looks like Donald Duck is getting his due in more ways than one in Disney Parks these days…
Donald Duck Headband
Check out this new Donald Duck Tail headband! [Read more…]
Oh, it’s a jolly holiday with DONALD? Finally, Donald is taking his place in the sun with this new treat at Jolly Holiday Bakery and Cafe in Disneyland!
Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe
We’re so excited for our little fluff butt as he will soon be a big STAR in the new Mickey’s PhilharMagic attraction coming to Disneyland. PhilharMagic has been at Disney World since 2005, but it will be opening at the Sunset Showcase Theatre in Disney California Adventure THIS MONTH! Get all the details here!
So exciting! We are happy to report that the Disney Park fan favorite Mickey’s Philharmagic 3D movie musical is coming to the Disneyland Resort! But do not let the title fool you, Mr. Donald Duck himself is the star of this show!
Philharmagic
Mickey’s Philharmagic is where Disney music meets Disney magic in perfect harmony in a spectacular 12-minute 3D fantasy adventure. In the show, Donald is unexpectedly swept into a dreamworld and you are taken along for the ride. Disneylanders will be treated to Disney animation and music classics like “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast and “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid!
One of my favorite stores to visit in Disney California Adventure is the “Off the Page” gallery located next to the Art of Animation building in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot. They always have fun items ranging from fine art, to tech gadgets, to kitchen goodies and statuettes.
On a recent visit I noticed these cute “Foodie” statues and thought it would be fun to share them on the blog.
My favorite of the statues is this Donald Duck piece with Chip and Dale behind him sneakily stealing his ice cream. The statue is pretty large, 17 inches tall, and designed by Disney artist Brian Blackmore. It’s hand painted sculpted resin and sells for $199.95.
Donald Duck Ice Cream Statue
Sneaky little Chip n' Dale!
Next up we’ve got Chip and Dale “sharing” a peanut. Also made of hand painted sculpted resin, this statue stands 12 inches high and was designed by Disney Artist Costa Alavezos. It’s $99.95.
Chip and Dale Peanut Statue
Chef Goofy in “Goofy as French Chef” is stirring up a pot of boiling water while his [Read more…]
Well… sort of. 😉
During a design experiment, the advertising agency STOYN took iconic figures easily recognized in global culture and made them into ice cream images (Um…awesome!!).
In August 2011, this ice cream art was on display and for purchase at the Fountain Art Fair in Miami. Check out a few of these rockin’ creations!
Darth Vader is flavored with blueberry and licorice:
Darth Vader
Donald Duck’s all about the bananas and chocolate!
Donald Duck
Mickey Mouse is an icy [Read more…]
One of the newest additions to my home library is Menu Design in America, a lavishly illustrated history of, you guessed it, menu design in America.
This book is a fabulous resource for any student of food history or graphic design, but as a Disney foodie my favorite page is the one dedicated to the commissary breakfast menu at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, circa 1942.
The grumpy Donald on the cover is a nice comic touch, giving a sense that Disney was a fun place to work right from the start. “Good Morning!,” shouts an unseen lark. “What’s good about it?,” replies Donald. Maybe they were only serving Nescafe 🙂
The menu items are both educational and amusing. Buttermilk as a standard beverage! Coffee for a nickel! Pound cake as a breakfast item! Stewed prunes, my grandma’s favorite!
And I was left with some questions: [Read more…]
Donald Duck announces new lunch!
It was an exciting week with the announcement of a new character meal hosted by Donald Duck that will be offered at Tusker House in the Animal Kingdom.
And we’re getting so close to the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival now that we’re already planning our touring strategy. You can too — just check out the information in our mini-guide below! We got some great reviews this week!
We’re honored that our newest Mini-Guide is getting such positive reviews! One of the most recent is from Kristin Ford with the Orlando Sentinel’s A Mom and A Mouse! Here’s some of what she has to say about the Mini-Guide…
Like her other projects, AJ Wolfe’s new e-book is thorough. She, of course, explains the many components of the festival, such as seminars, celebrity chef meet-and-greets, signature tastings and concerts. It’s all valuable information laid out in an easy-to-find and easy-to-read format. …I especially like the “With the Kids Strategy” in The Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide to the 2011 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. Wolfe offers ideas to engage the kids throughout the park so that the family is moving around World Showcase, allowing parents to sample much of the food.
Read the rest of the review here. Thanks to Kristin and the Orlando Sentinel!!
The Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide to the 2011 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival e-Book has over 125 pages of information you need to dive right into the festival. Start YOUR planning with the purchase of your guide.
Meet the World in Progressland
Has a compilation of photos of Tokyo Disney Resort’s popcorn stands! This is from 2009, but it’s awesome! Love the Roastie-Toasties!
The Disney Blog tells us how to eat cheap at Disneyland!
Main Street Gazette takes us to the River Roost Lounge for evening entertainment and eats! Yee-Haa!!
Eating (and Drinking) Around The World shows us how to make Tuna Poke, Aulani Style!
All Ears Net‘s Jack Spence talks restaurants at Epcot’s France Pavilion. We love it when he does that.
DisMarks has released their 29th Disney Blog Carnival! Lots of great articles on your favorite topics over there.
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We’re thinking today of the men and women who lost their lives on 9/11/01 and of the friends and family they left behind, many of whom are still fighting fear and loss with strength and resilience.
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