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News! ‘Ohana Bread Pudding Now Available at Tambu Lounge in Walt Disney World’s Polynesian Resort

Well, we know that a lot of guests will be unhappy in the coming weeks and months as Disney’s Polynesian Resort undergoes some serious refurb and renovation — closing several of the dining locations on property.

But THIS is a welcome “benefit” of the whole situation!

We’re excited to let you know that everyone’s favorite Disney dessert (OK — my favorite dessert, but I know you guys like it, too!) from ‘Ohana is now available to any Tom, Dick, or Harry who strolls into Tambu Lounge!

‘Ohana Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Yep — this better-than-anything pineapple bread pudding topped with ice cream and covered in caramel sauce is more than the sum of its parts…and you can get your own personal serving at the Poly’s popular resort lounge. No more need to buy the whole dinner at ‘Ohana to get the very best part!

(You can see a review of other great Tambu Lounge goodies here!)

Tambu Lounge

We’ve been asking for years if we can get this must-have dessert at the Lounge, and while it’s happened a few times, the answer is more than often “no.” We’re thrilled that — at least for a little while — the answer will be a resounding “YES!!” Note that the serving will just be for one…you do NOT get that lovely all-you-care-to-eat bowl of the stuff here. 😉

We’re not sure how long this will be available, but it’s going to become a new Disney World First Day Tradition for me until it’s gone!

Can’t make it to WDW right now? Make this at home with our Bread Pudding Recipe!

Will Tambu Lounge be a stop on your Disney destination list now that the famous bread pudding is on the menu? Let us know in the comments below!

News! Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Boma Extends Brunch Hours for Easter Sunday and Mother’s Day

By AJ 2 Comments

Great news for fans of Boma at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge!

Learn About:Boma

Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney World Restaurants

If your Spring plans include a visit to Walt Disney World for either Easter Sunday or Mother’s Day, you can take advantage of extended hours for brunch at this fan favorite restaurant!

Normally, Boma serves breakfast from 7:30-11:00 a.m. But for these two special holidays, you can book your brunch table from 7:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 20, and Sunday, May 11.

Boma Buffet

Dinner can still be booked for the same times on both days — 4:30-9:30 p.m.

We recommend that you mark the special occasion with a glass of their amazing Jungle Juice!

Jungle Juice!

Then wend your way through the expansive buffet. There is a bounty

[Read more…]

Three Great Disney Pie Recipes for Pi Day!

By AJ 2 Comments

Well, it’s Pi Day! And we’ve got three of our favorite Disney pie recipes for you to try this weekend as you celebrate all things pie (as I KNOW you’ll be doing)! 😉

Chicken Pot Pie from 50’s Prime Time Cafe

Here’s a good one if you’re still stuck in the Polar Vortex! 50’s Prime Time Cafe‘s Chicken Pot Pie is the perfect comfort food…and it might just taste better than Mom’s!

Chicken Pot Pie at 50s Prime Time Cafe

But don’t tell her WE said that! Here’s the recipe… .

Peanut Butter, Banana, and Candied Bacon Pie from BoardWalk Bakery

This gorgeous pie features sweet, salty, and more in the perfect little package. So much flavor in one tiny treat!

Peanut Butter, Banana, and Candied Bacon Pie

You can find it at the BoardWalk Bakery in Disney World, or [Read more…]

News! Disney Food Merchandise Coming to Downtown Disney’s Marketplace Co-op

By AJ 15 Comments

As Downtown Disney begins its transformation in earnest to Disney Springs, there are already oodles of changes taking place. Just last week, Disney announced the closing date for Pollo Campero and NYC Babycakes in the Marketplace for March 19^th.

But we’re not just saying goodbye to things, thankfully. There are already some “hellos” on the way in the not-too-distant future! Specifically, the Marketplace Co-op — formerly Team Mickey — will open its doors in just a couple months (no official opening date yet!).

Former location of Team Mickey

Disney recently provided a glimpse at some of merchandise that will make it’s debut at this location. According to Disney, the Marketplace Co-op will feature six boutiques and “serve as a testing space” for new retail shops and products. I gotta say, the first glimpse of some of the dining and kitchen merchandise coming to the Disney Centerpiece boutique has already passed the test with me…

I love the Dole Whip air fresheners that showed up at Disney World several months ago, but now it looks like we’ll be able to bring home 3-D versions of this treasured treat in a miniature ceramic! How cute would that be on a desk or shelf? (You’ll notice right next to the Dole Whips is also a ceramic Orange Bird 🙂 .)

You know the last thing I need in my home? Another glass. Still… you know what I totally need? Those colorful Adventureland glasses… or perhaps the Aloha Isle hurricanes! What?!??!?!?!?!

Every time I look at this picture I notice something new. For instance, our friend, the Orange Bird, is perched on top of an Adventureland napkin or placemat.

I love the rest of the line inspired by Adventureland, and those nods to some of the details – and our favorite birds! – found in Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. All the plates you see in these images, by the way, are [Read more…]

Disney Food Pics of the Week: More Disney Waffles!

By AJ 4 Comments

We’re back with another crave-inducing installment of Disney Food Pics of the Week!

We all love waffles at Disney, right? I mean, there’s nothing better than digging into a Mickey Waffle for breakfast. 🙂

Mickey Waffle!

But did you know, there’s a TON of really interesting other waffles at Disney!

Today, we’re bringing you more of your pics, courtesy of our Flickr page, Disney Food Blog Photo Extravaganza! From snacks to sandwiches to Food and Wine Festival desserts, let’s take a look at your fantastic food finds!

Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote

Say it with me: It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! Yep — we’re talking about Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival!

Last year, the Belgium Marketplace Booth capitalized on the popularity of their dessert waffles by offering a savory version! But the sweets, like the Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote, are always a good choice!

Photographer: WDW Dorks

Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote from the Belgium Marketplace Booth at Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival

Ham, Prosciutto, and Swiss Waffle Sandwich

[Read more…]

Top 10 Disneyland Fast Food Joints

By AJ 12 Comments

Most of the time when I visit Disney, I indulge in a mix of meals. I may book a table service advance dining reservation for one part of the day, and leave the rest to chance — looking to discover new things at the parks’ kiosks and counter service spots.

Today, I’m counting down my favorite places in Disneyland Resort to grab a quick meal!

Disneyland is second to none (yep — even compared to Disney World) at putting together truly outstanding counter service, quick service, and fast food meals. And the one consistent theme that you’ll find in Disneyland counter service spots — a lot of the time, the food and venues feel like table service quality (right down to real plates!)

Let’s get started!

Plaza Inn

The Plaza Inn

is legendary for its beautiful atmosphere. Located where Main Street and Tomorrowland intersect, this charming spot has been open forever — and it’s been pleasing guests in search of a good meal all the while.

Even Walt was a fan!

Walt Disney enjoying a cup of coffee at Plaza Inn in 1966

A character meal table service location for breakfast, it morphs into a counter service buffet (sans characters) for lunch and dinnertime.

The Roast Beef and Pasta dishes here are both good choices. But ask most Disneyland food fans what the must-have dish here is, and you’ll get a resounding response: the Fried Chicken! The huge — and I mean HUGE — platter comes with three pieces of Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, a Vegetable, and a Biscuit. I shared this with a friend the last time I got it, and we still couldn’t finish!

Plaza Inn Fried Chicken

Incidentally, you should try and save room for dessert, too. (I know…I know.) When strawberries are in season, I’d definitely recommend the luscious Strawberry Shortcake!

Strawberry Shortcake

But the Carrot Cake is pretty awesome, too.

Flo’s V-8 Cafe

Dining at Flo’s V-8 Cafe within Cars Land at Disney California Adventure is an immersive experience. As with the rest of the spots in this newest Disneyland Resort section, you feel like you’ve wandered right into the animation!

But step inside the enormous restaurant, and you see all kinds of kitschy fun, inspired by the roadside diners that once peppered legendary Route 66.

Flo’s V-8 Cafe

The name of the game at Flo’s is the kind of comfort food that you’d expect to find in such spots, with spit-fired meats dominating the dinner menu. There’s also an inventive vegetarian option here — the Veggie Tater Bake!

But it’s Flo’s breakfast that we love love LOVE the most!

For a super sweet start to your day, you’ve gotta try the Brioche French Toast with Salted Caramel Sauce and Bananas. (Dessert for breakfast? you ask? Well, yeah; pretty much! But…bananas!!!)

Brioche French Toast with Salted Caramel Sauce and Bananas

Or, try the option that serves up a delicious Mexican food-inspired twist — the Chicken Tamale Breakfast with Scrambled Eggs and Salsa Verde.

Chicken Tamale Breakfast with Scrambled Eggs and Salsa Verde

And be sure to stop back by later in the day for dessert — Flo’s Signature Apple-Cheddar Pie-O-Rama is spectacular!

Pie at Flo’s

Rancho del Zocalo

The beautifully themed Rancho del Zocalo, located in Disneyland Park’s Frontierland, is a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach!

Gorgeous murals and lighting fixtures dominate the walls inside, while a beautiful patio covered with gauzy awnings wins our vote for best place to sit here.

Outdoor seating at Rancho del Zocalo

Following the pattern of many Disneyland counter service spots, Rancho del Zocalo is counter service with the feel of a cafeteria. Guests order their main entree, and then visit stations to pick up extra courses, like salads and desserts.

The Mexican influenced menu is small, but the ingredients and preparation are always high quality, and a cut above what we think of as fast food. One of my favorite options here is the Soft Tacos Monterrey with Fajita Chicken. (You can also get them with beef.)

Soft Tacos Monterrey with Fajita Chicken

The addition of Peppers as well as Sour Cream and Guacamole on the side makes this a winner for me. I look forward to having it whenever I have a chance to visit Rancho del Zocalo!

Hungry Bear Restaurant

If you like eating in a treehouse, then I have just the Disneyland spot for you! Hungry Bear Restaurant in Disneyland’s Critter Country recently underwent some renovations and [Read more…]

News! Epcot Food and Wine Festival Adds an Extra Week in 2014!

By AJ 21 Comments

OK, all, we’ve got some AWESOME news!!!!

The dates for the 2014 Epcot Food and Wine Festival (your favorite time of year and ours) have been announced, and…

THEY’VE ADDED AN EXTRA WEEK!

Yup, this year, the Epcot Food and Wine Festival will run from September 19th to November 10th — that’s 53 days of deliciousness! 🙂

Argentina Food and Wine Festival Marketplace Booth

As always, DisneyFoodBlog.com will be your one-stop-shop for all things 2014 Food and Wine Festival. We’ll be here with Booth Menus, Eat to the Beat Concert updates, Signature Dinner lineups, Food and Beverage Seminars, and more.

But for now, be sure to pre-order your copy of the DFB Guide to the 2014 Epcot Food and Wine Festival e-Book! With over 250 pages of details, information, advice, recommendations, and photos, it will have everything you need to know to plan your best Disney dining trip ever!

And, the best news? If you pre-order your copy of the 2014 guide today, we’ll send you the 2013 guide immediately for FREE! Start your planning NOW for this Fall! 🙂 Use code CHEFS to get a $3 discount here!

For all the details on the 2014 Epcot Food and Wine Festival, check out our 2014 Epcot Food and Wine Festival pages!

Review: Via Napoli in Epcot’s Italy Pavilion

By AJ 32 Comments

I’ve got a little secret, and it’s something you probably know if you’ve been reading the Disney Food Blog for a while. I have some serious favorites among Disney restaurants.

Learn About:Via Napoli

Epcot Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

But when it comes time to discuss great dining spots at Epcot, the competition suddenly grows fierce. Still, relative newcomer Via Napoli has won out as tops on my list since it opened a few years ago.

There are lots of reasons for that. The restaurant boasts the best pizza in all of Walt Disney World in my opinion — it comes closest to ideal than anything I’ve tasted since I moved from NYC a few years back. (Sigh. I still miss a Lombardi’s slice now and then.)

Via Napoli Window

And truth be told, we visit Via Napoli pretty much every time I set foot within those Big Purple Gates. But we are creatures of habit, so I try not to report TOO much on dishes that you’ve seen before. Recently though, we visited and ordered some new things! So it’s high time to share with you the story of our latest visit.

Atmosphere

Via Napoli is a study in contrasts. From the outside, the restaurant, which anchors the back of the Italy Pavilion, is stately and grand, with an imposing, almost temple-like facade.

Via Napoli — Outside

But inside, the space is one part grandiose, and one part whimsy, with just a sliver of chic thrown in for good measure. The feel here is that someone with a wonderfully modern aesthetic decided to open a restaurant in an ancient building. They kept the best of the old, and overlaid a feeling of modern and new.

Huge, floor-to-ceiling arched windows separate the waiting area from the dining room, and you begin to catch a glimpse of the action from here. Look up in the foyer to see this gorgeous, colorful chandelier that puts me a little in mind of Mardi Gras.

Entryway Chandelier

The main dining room is one huge, cavernous space (and LOUD!!!), but it’s broken up a bit by the ceiling of all things! Seriously — look up. There is a soaring atrium in the center, allowing for plenty of natural light. But you also have vaults supported by columns, which rescue the space from feeling like one large warehouse-type room.

Dining Room with Vaulted Ceilings and Arches

The actual walls of the restaurant are covered in frescoes that have been chipped at to convey a sense of age. The blue and green backgrounds of the paintings contrast nicely with warm colors on the floor and ceiling.

Seating is mixed, featuring both banquettes and chairs.

Via Napoli Seating and Frescoes

Hand-Painted Floor Tiles Contrast Warm and Cool Colors

While the building appears to be ancient, wall art also conveys a look at the past — the more recent past, though. You’ll find lots of interesting Italian travel posters throughout the restaurant.

Ah…Napoli

Once you’re in the main dining room, you’ll spy [Read more…]

News! 2014 Epcot Flower and Garden New Booths and Dishes!

By Brooke 15 Comments

We were so excited to bring you word that Epcot’s International Flower and Garden Festival this Spring will once again offer Food Kiosks in 2014. And today, we have more news about some of the things you can expect to see this year!

New for the 21st Annual Festival, the kiosks have officially been given the name Outdoor Kitchens. This distinguishes them from their Food and Wine Festival cousins, the Marketplace Booths, which tend to be themed mostly to countries. (If you want to see last year’s Festival Eats, check out our full review!)

In all, expect to see 11 Outdoor Kitchens at this year’s festival, which are sure to pair delicious foods with a full array of beverages once more.

Watermelon Salad with pickled Red Onions, Baby Arugula, Feta Cheese and Balsamic Reduction

Some popular items are expected to return, but chefs promise that there will be plenty of new dishes to pique our interest as well.

NEW Urban Farm Eats Outdoor Kitchen Debuts at the 2014 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival

This year, guests who attend the festival will be treated to a brand new Outdoor Kitchen featuring a hot new growing trend. The Urban Farm Eats Kitchen will feature sustainably farmed food, such as tilapia and eggplant. Dishes will include Land-Grown Eggplant “Scallop” with Romesco Sauce as well as Ghost Pepper-Dusted Tilapia served with Winter Melon Salad and Mango Chutney. To round out the menu, you can enjoy Vegan Wines in both Red and White Varieties, as well as Gluten-Free Beer.

How awesome is it that we’ll be enjoying foods grown right in The Land Attraction?!

Delicious New Dishes at Smokehouse BBQ

Some of the most highly anticipated treats will be featured at the popular [Read more…]

Our Favorite, Must-Eat Disney Cakes!

By AJ 29 Comments

Editor’s Note: The Cheshire Cake Cups have been discontinued as of late Summer 2015. We’ll update you if/when they’ll return (because there will be shouts of rejoicing.)Oooooh, we’re talkin’ CAKE TODAY!!!!!

Okay, okay — so technically, National Cake Day was yesterday, apparently. But since we had so much fun with National Pie Day last week, I thought it would be awesome to start sharing some of my favorite Disney cakes. (I’m pretty shocked I haven’t done a cake post before — so much goodness to talk about!)

So here’s the deal with cake at Disney. It can take many forms… . And we’re going to include a bunch of ’em! In honor of National Cake Day, let’s take a look at some of our favorite entries into the category of cake!

Gourmet Cake Cups at Cheshire Cafe

I recently discovered Cake Nirvana at Disney. Because, in my universe, eating cake is usually a thinly-disguised, socially acceptable way to consume as much frosting as possible.

If you’re giving me a piece of cake, I’m getting a corner piece, with as many frosting roses as possible. That’s just how I roll.

So it’s always pretty great when a bakery can get on board with the “Frosting is the Whole Point!!” perspective. And Cheshire Cafe at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom has done just exactly that.

With their beautifully themed Gourmet Cake Cups, you can choose from a Vanilla Cheshire Cake Cup or a Mad Hatter Mocha Cake Cup. Characters from Alice in Wonderland are silk-screened onto a sweet round of white fondant and top each of the cake cups. (Sometimes. Sometimes you don’t get the characters. But who cares.)

Themed Cake Cups at Cheshire Cafe

THIS is what you get when you order. Confetti cake. FROSTING. Confetti cake. FROSTING. Confetti cake. F R O S T I N G!!!!!!

Cheshire Cake Cup at Cheshire Cafe

Yep. That’s all frosting on top. There’s no cake there my friends. And it’s glorious. Thick, bakery buttercream that’s so sugary it’ll make you sick. LOVE!

Frosting!!

I know a lot of you don’t have the love affair with frosting that I do, but for those who feel the same — you’re welcome! 😀

Butterfinger Cupcake at Starring Rolls

And how could we pay homage to cake without mentioning the original single serving cake? We are talking Disney Cupcakes, of course!

One of my favorites from way back at the beginning of the Cupcake Renaissance is still around and garnering rave reviews — the Butterfinger Cupcake at Starring Rolls Cafe!

Butterfinger Cupcake at Starring Rolls Cafe in Disney’s Hollywood Studios

This is one monster chocolate cupcake that you must experience to believe. Well, the cake is chocolate. And so is that incredible fudgy middle. But the pile of frosting on top is pure heavenly vanilla, topped with a crown of [Read more…]