food IS a theme park
In case you hadn’t noticed, today is a VERY special day!
Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream
It’s Walt Disney’s birthday! And with us being…well…us…we think the best way to celebrate is WITH FOOD. So if you’re heading to Disney World OR if you’re just celebrating at home, we’ve got somee of Walt’s favorite foods that you can get at Disney World and recipes you can make at home!
If you’ve been following along at DFB for a while, you know that Via Napoli stole a pizza our hearts from the beginning. Even though there are plenty of exotic foods all around the World Showcase in Epcot, we find ourselves being drawn back to their classic Italian dishes time and again.
Via Napoli
It’s like a trusted friend or coming home after a long time away — it’s become a reliable and comfortable staple for us. So you won’t be surprised that we snuck another trip back to Via Napoli into our last trip to Disney World! We are reporting back on whether one of our favorite pizza spots lived up to our cheesy expectations!
The following is a guest post by my good friend Daniel Wanderman of WanderDisney.com. WanderDisney is a website (and instagram account!) dedicated to building a database of Disney related locations across the world, categorizing them and putting them on a map to make it easy for you to visit the next time you’re traveling the world or looking to expand your Disney knowledge. Daniel has been a friend since the early days of DFB and I’d be grateful if you’d take a peek at his amazing site!
The Carnevale festival takes place every year on the streets and canals of Italy’s island city of Venice. Dating back to the 12th century, Carnevale celebrates a political victory of the Republic of Venice. Upon hearing news of the win, the citizens took to town squares (or piazzas) to celebrate with music and dancing.
Dancing at Maria & Enzo’s Carnevale!
The festivities became so popular that this turned in to an annual event for the few weeks leading up to Lent each year. [Read more…]
It’s time to visit the newly refurbished Naples Ristorante in Disneyland Resort’s Downtown Disney. This popular table service restaurant is run by Patina Group, the same folks who run Via Napoli in Walt Disney World. And you know how we feel about that!
Naples in Disneyland’s Downtown Disney
Naples Ristorante is lookin’ sharp, y’all! The lovely new floors and bright interior is classic and simple — sort of.
Today, we are heading west for a visit to Wine Country Trattoria at Disney California Adventure! Located within the Pacific Wharf section of the park, Wine Country Trattoria is part of the Golden Vine Winery, celebrating the bounty and goodness of California wine country.
Wine Country Trattoria Plaque
Located centrally within the park, this spot makes for a beautiful haven during a busy day of park sightseeing. And if you’re planning to take in the spectacular World of Color light show, then you may also be interesting in booking a Dining Package for viewing the show later in the evening. The package includes a three-course prix fixe meal as well as access to a special viewing area for World of Color.
But would the food measure up to the beautiful surroundings? We wondered, too. Time to find out!
I love the look and feel of WCT. It has a relatively big footprint, with lots of indoor and outdoor seating. Your first view is this hand-carved limestone fountain and a low, wide arch into the dining room.
Fountain at the Entrance
Cool and rustic touches are all around you, with tile floors below and beamed ceilings above. The variegated plaster walls give way to murals depicting California wine country.
Indoor Seating with a Wine Country Mural
There’s ample seating indoors, even if tables are situated a bit close together for my preference.
Additional Indoor Seating
But unless it is extremely hot, I heartily recommend that you [Read more…]
My recent visit to Disney’s Art of Animation Resort left me with tons to tell you about! The Landscape of Flavors food court has seriously taken over as one of my favorite Disney counter service spots.
Erin told you about the Create-Your-Own-Pasta station here when the resort first opened, but I could not wait to try it for myself!
Create Your Own Pasta Menu Board -- Click to Enlarge
There are dozens of combinations available here! Seriously, tons of pastas, veggies, sauces, meats, and mix-ins to choose from. Even though this list is subject to change, here are just a few of the options you might have on your visit…
Pasta customization options.
But if you’re feeling like leaving the creativity to the professionals, no worries. You won’t go wrong by choosing from one of the Chef’s Suggestions.
Chef Suggestions, In Case You Need Some Ideas!
But don’t forget to take a gander at the customization options just in case something catches your eye!
Add-Ins for Create-Your-Own-Pasta
What’s great about the create-your-own pasta station — and most of the other stations at Landscape of Flavors — is the “freshness” of it all. No frozen spinach here. Butters, sauces, and vegetables are all fresh, and [Read more…]
For the run of Lady and the Tramp up at El Capitain Theatre in Hollywood, Disney’s Soda Fountain and Studio Store is offering another featured sundae! This time, it’s the L’amore e un Spaghetti Sundae — an adorable sundae designed to look like it came straight out of Tony’s Italian Restaurant from the movie.
L'amore e un Spaghetti Sundae Description
Strawberry & vanilla ice cream are swirled with strawberry & chocolate sauces, then topped with two “meatless” balls (aka chocolate truffles) accompanied by a serving of “spaghetti” icing. Isn’t it [Read more…]
When I think of Lady and the Tramp, my mind immediately goes straight to the “Spaghetti Kiss” outside of Tony’s Italian restaurant where the cute pups enjoy their first date. Well… that and the Siamese cat scene.
This year, Disney’s Soda Fountain and Studio Store in Hollywood is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a very special candlelight dinner where you can engage in your own spaghetti kiss, if you please…
Here comes the spaghetti kiss!
My family and I headed to Hollywood on a family “Valentine’s Day” date night to check it out.
Disney's Soda Fountain
The first thing I noticed was the adorable set up. The decor included red and white table cloths, candlelight, and even bread sticks. Just like the movie. Disney even added an extra touch, a [Read more…]
Join me in welcoming Maxime from the Designing Disney Blog with a fun, Disney-inspired recipe creation!
Everybody remembers that romantic moment in Lady and the Tramp with the yummy plate of spaghetti, right?
Here’s a fun, easy recipe to recreate it!
Ingredients
1 pound ground sirloin
1/4 cup minced fresh onion
2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 (25.5-ounce) jar fat-free tomato-and-basil pasta sauce, divided
Cooking spray
5 cups hot cooked spaghetti (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
5 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Combine the first 6 ingredients and 2 tablespoons of pasta sauce in a medium bowl.
Combine ingredients
Shape the meat mixture into 25 (1-inch) [Read more…]
Pinvestigator Cody, who writes the Global Disney Pinvestigation blog, has graced us again with another round of incredible food photos and a great restaurant review. This time, we get insight into lunch at Tutto Italia, the restaurant that recently replaced Alfredo’s in Epcot’s Italy pavilion. Thanks again, Pinvestigator!
Epcot's Italy Pavilion
Arriving at the quaint little Italian restaurant in the back of the pavilion I was a bit nervous…for many reasons. One: I am very picky about my Italian food, because I’m not a HUGE fan of tomatoes. (I was worried, along with my mother, that there were going to be giant chunks of tomatoes in the sauce.) And two: I’ve heard mixed reviews in general of the Italy pavilion food, about both the previous and this restaurant. But I was pleasantly surprised.
We were right on time, arriving at Tutto Italia at 3:10 with a 3:15 ADR. We checked in and sat down right away. The waiting room was not full, but the seating area (dining area) was! Lunch was ending at 3:30, and dinner beginning 4:00.
Tutto Italia Dining Room
After being seated, we had to wait a bit for our waiter. While we were waiting, the host brought us a basket of bread and a plate of oil, which he poured for us right there. There were two types of white bread, several HARD breadsticks, and a curved, cracker-like bread. We enjoyed them all.
Bread and Oil
The oil was very spicy! It looked normal, so I drenched my bread in it and took a huge bite. (This was BEFORE our waiter came and took our drink order!) The oil was fine at first, then hit the back of my throat with the spiciness. It was OK, just surprising.
Tutto Italia Bread-Making Room
The waiter came to take our orders, and within about 15 minutes our food arrived. I got the Lasagna al Forno, which had meat ragu, bechamel, and parmesan. It was delicious…and BIG — about 5in by 5in square in the dish. And although I was skeptical about the sauce (as I mentioned before) the tomatoes were small, and I could hardly taste or feel them. The dish was SOOOO cheesy and surprisingly really good.
Tutto Italia Lasagne
My dad had a Bucatini Gratinati dish with Italian prosciutto, peas, and parmesan cheese. He really will eat anything, but he really liked it.
Bucatini Gratinati
But the real deal breaker on whether we would ever come back is my mother. She just got Spaghetti with Veal Meatballs and Pomodoro Sauce. It came in a BIG dish with about six, one-inch round meatballs. She liked it, and felt the same about the sauce as I did. So overall, the meal was good.
Spaghetti with Veal Meatballs
As I sat in the restaurant during lunch, I saw MANY different desserts pass by. I got the Profiteroles, which were puff pastry with vanilla gelato and hot chocolate syrup. It arrived quickly with two CMs; one gave me the dish, then the other poured the GRAVY BOAT full of chocolate syrup on the three profiteroles.
Profiteroles with Hot Chocolate Sauce
While I’m not a very adventurous eater, I definitely would go back…but Tutto Italia is NO Le Cellier!
Rating: 4 of 5
Accepts Tables in Wonderland Dining Discount Card?: yes
Food: 4 of 5
Thanks, Cody! Click here to see our review of Carnivale at Tutto Italia!
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