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Disney Food Post Round-Up: August 1, 2010

Via Napoli

Greetings, Disney food lovers! As always, let’s start with the Disney Food News of the week:

Check out this amazing photo of the Via Napoli ovens posted by Disney social media director Thomas Smith last week! They’ve even painted each ovens’ name above their “faces!”
In 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival news, check out this cool photo of the new South Korea booth lettuce wraps! Also, here’s a sneak peek at the 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival pins!

In DFB news, I just finished a Food and Wine Festival project I was working on: To see information, menus, and photos of the individual Epcot Food and Wine Festival World Showcase booths (and even some photos of food items that will be on the menu for 2010!), click on any individual country name on our 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Booth Menus and Photos page. For example, check out pics of what you can order this year in the Brazil booth!

We’re looking forward to reports from Via Napoli this week as well, so stay tuned. And a huge thanks to Amanda Tinney of Disney Every Day for getting the word out about the 2010 WDW Foodie Fest!

And now, on to the round-up!

Main Street Gazette has a fantastic review of Disney World’s Nine Dragons!

DisZine has a great review of Disney World’s ‘Ohana with some gorgeous photos.

TouringPlans writer, Caroline Baggerly, has some great tips for how to navigate the Disney World dining reservations system, even when you don’t already have an ADR!

The Caribbean Beach Resort Fan Site surveyed their readers to find out about the favorite food choices at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort!

Rosie's Victory Garden

StudiosCentral has a great post about the “history” of the Victory Garden in DHS.

The Daily Disney reports that the Egg Rolls have vanished from the Anadapur Local Cafe counter service menu (i.e. the “Yak and Yeti counter service menu”). Can anyone confirm? So sad.

Everything Walt Disney World reports on a question for the ages: can you use kids’ quick service dining credits to purchase adult quick service meals?

Disney Wedding Blog gives us ten food and beverage Disney Wedding facts! Who knew?

Chip and Co reports on a an August 12th wine tasting event in Disneyland’s Downtown Disney.

Disney Parks Blog and Chef Kevin Dundon teach us how to make Irish Soda Bread!

DisUnplugged reviews Disneyland’s Celebration Round-Up.

To round out the week, here’s a great video from the Disney Parks Blog about everyone’s favorite Club Cool choice, Beverly!

And another great vid from Jeff Lange DVD of the outside of Via Napoli!

Disneyland’s Blue Bayou

By AJ 32 Comments

Ye come seekin’ adventure with salty ol’ pirates, eh? Sure you’ve come to the proper place. But keep a weather eye open mates, and hold on tight. With both hands, if you please.

Ah, yes. We’re headed to the Blue Bayou. All jazzy New Orleans Square on the outside and dreaded pirates on the inside, these are some of the most coveted tables in Disneyland.

Atmosphere

Coming in from the busy New Orleans Square Royal Street outside (those little winding alleyways make it seriously congested in NOS!), Blue Bayou is like a hushed hive of activity. From the lobby, you can only catch a glimpse of shadows scurrying everywhere underneath the Chinese lanterns of the restaurant. The rest looks like sheer blackness — pitch dark.

From the Lobby Into the Restaurant

After giving your name to the reservations CM (hopefully you made an ADR — Blue Bayou is one of the only Disneyland restaurants for which a reservation is practically a necessity), take some time to peek around the lobby. Take in the incredible detailing of the walls, windows, and ceiling. Every inch of Disneyland is packed with [Read more…]

“The Best Thing I Ever Ate in Disney!” Entrees

By AJ 56 Comments

Here’s the next post in our series based on the Food Network’s (very cool) show, The Best Thing I Ever Ate. As many of you know, due to some keen suggestions from readers we’re splitting our series up into different sections: breakfast, appetizers & side dishes, snacks & drinks, entrees (lunch & dinner), and desserts.

Today, we’re taking a look at entrees! I’ve done my favorite brand of informal polling (i.e. posted questions on twitter and facebook 😉 ) to find out others’ experiences of the “Best Thing They Ever Ate” in Disney parks and resorts.

The following are the answers received from our readers about their favorite main courses and entrees! If your favorites aren’t here, please add them in the comments section below!

Steaks

It’s no secret that Disney World does steak well. You’ve seen my votes for Five Best Steaks in Disney World, and a lot of these made the list in our poll as well! Here are the top contenders according to our facebook and twitter readers:

Mushroom Filet Mignon with White Truffle Butter Sauce and Micro Chevril.

Le Cellier:

BBQ Filet Mignon: This steak, recently pulled from the menu, was the restaurant’s signature filet served with cream cheese mashed potatoes and doused in barbecue sauce.
Filet Mignon with Mushroom Risotto: The current incarnation of the filet is this version. Situated on a bed of delicious mushroom risotto and covered in a white truffle-herb [Read more…]

RIP Figaro Fries

By AJ 22 Comments

Well, it’s happened. Sold for so many years at Magic Kingdom’s Pinocchio’s Village Haus, topped expertly with cheese, lettuce, ranch dressing, and tomatoes and desired by many, Figaro Fries lived a good life.

Figaro Fries

It was touch-and-go there at the end. Even after they were discontinued from the menu, Figaro Fries held on, coming back again and again for limited times. However, it seems as though this time, our delicious friends are gone for good.

Now, I know we could take this time to mourn, but instead, let’s be thankful for what we still have. (One thing we’ve learned about Disney restaurants is that they’re always changing; as Pocahontas says — you can’t step in the same river twice (that was her, right?).) So let’s take today to celebrate our crispy, salty, oily, and cheesy cravings for french fries by honoring what we’ve got left!

The Newspaper Chip
Thanks to Rose & Crown and the Yorkshire County Fish Shop, we’re still good to go on the chips-served-in-fake-newsprint!

Rose and Crown Newspaper Chips

Yorkshire County Fish Shop Newspaper Chip

The Waffle Fry
Found at T-Rex in Downtown Disney, the waffle fry offers consolation with seasonings and ideal texture. The surface area means [Read more…]

2011 Disneyland and Disney World Food and Wine Festival Dates

By AJ 1 Comment

I know we’re pretty enmeshed in the 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival info right now, but I was excited to see a press release in my inbox today from Disneyland announcing their 2011 Food and Wine Festival dates! I was also excited to see on the back of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival Guide that the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival dates are already set as well! So, for future reference:

2011 Disney’s California Food and Wine Festival

The sixth annual California Food and Wine Festival will run from April 29th to June 12th — later than last year’s festival — and will include locations in both Disney California Adventure and Disneyland! (I’m excited to hear that the original park will be included, too!) You can see my coverage from the 2010 Disney’s California Food and Wine Festival here!

2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

The 16th annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival is now scheduled to take place September 30th through November 13th! There are no other details at this time, but you can always check out the coverage of the 2009 and 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festivals to get an idea of what to expect!

Happy Planning!

“The Best Thing I Ever Ate in Disney!”: Snacks and Drinks

By AJ 53 Comments

We’ve recently started a fun new series based on the Food Network’s (very cool) show, The Best Thing I Ever Ate. Due to some keen suggestions from readers, we’re splitting our series up into different sections: breakfast, appetizers & side dishes, snacks & drinks, entrees (lunch & dinner), and desserts.

School Bread

Today, we’re taking a look at Snacks & Drinks! I’ve done my favorite brand of informal polling (i.e. posted questions on twitter and facebook 😉 ) to find out others’ experiences of the “Best Thing They Ever Ate” — snacks and drinks style — in Disney parks and resorts. To be sure, the answers sounded veeeery similar to our recent post about the Best Value for your Snack Credits, but we had a few different ideas as well!

[Read more…]

Now Serving Corn Dogs!

By AJ 13 Comments

Heather Sievers, a Disneyland food expert, Mom, and inventor of Time Out Spots, is back! And today she’s sharing a bit of exciting news about the Bountiful Valley Farmers Market in Disney California Adventure — they’re Now Serving Corn Dogs! Read her delicious review of one of her (and my!) family’s favorite Disneyland meals…

There aren’t too many food items my entire family can agree on for a Disney dinner on any given night. There is, however, one thing that goes over well no matter what. A Disney corn dog. There is the ever popular Corn Dog Cart at the end of Main Street in Disneyland, but the line there is almost always ridiculous. You know what that means though? Long line = good food (well, usually that’s what it means; we’ve probably all waited in a long line that may have not been “worth it” at some point). Disney corn dogs are worth the wait, but if you’ve got a park hopper ticket, skip the line and head over to California Adventure.

When the Corn Dog Castle closed its windows a while back (due to the construction of The Little Mermaid ride), we were beyond upset. That is, until we saw the sign at The Bountiful Valley Farmer’s Market that reads “Now Serving Corn Dogs.” [Read more…]

Disney Food Post Round-Up: July 11, 2010

By AJ 6 Comments

This going to be a BIG week, fellow foodies! Disney’s set to announce the 2010 Food and Wine Festival official details on Monday. But in the mean time, check out our 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival pages for breaking news; details, times, menus, and Chefs for special events and demonstrations; International Marketplace kiosks; and more!

The big news this week on the F&W Festival front:

A sneak peek of the brand new Belgium and South Korea booths, including menus, pics of food, and more.
The Grape Getaway: an exclusive, 100-spot vacation package for the truly die-hard foodie.
More F&W Festival special event listings, including celebrity chefs, pricing, and times.

Also in the “big news” category, many menu items have been revealed from Epcot’s new Via Napoli menu — and the restaurant will be opening early! Next month!

And don’t forget to check out the DisMarks Disney Blog Carnival, 6th Edition, out this week! Great Disney reading from your favorite new and veteran Disney bloggers.

Now, on to the round-up!

Imaginerding shares three patriotic recipes from Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Cookbook: Yankee Noodle Dandy, Cherry Vanilla Freeze, and Blueberry Crunch. I don’t know, George… not sure I could pull off that Yankee Noodle Dandy recipe…

Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily preview their incredible Disneyland 55th Anniversary popcorn box and coffee cup.

2010 F&W Gift Cards

The Givens Chronicles makes Bailey’s Chocolate Lava Cake from the 2009 Epcot Food and Wine Festival.

Imagineering Disney posts even more wonderfulness about Frito Kid and the Frito Bandito!! Those Fritos sure are deeeeeeeeeeee-licous!

Watch Me Eat has a great review of Paradiso 37 (one of my favorites…)

Touring Plans blogger Caroline Baggerly takes us to Beaches and Cream!

Dan Goodsell‘s Darth Bacon sculpture heads to auction. Also, don’t miss this Tron, The Legacy Mr. Toast. It’s important.

Studios Central gives a review of eating low-carb at Hollywood and Vine.

Main St Gazette reminds me that I really need to get back to Yak and Yeti and its environs…if only for the drinks alone.

Concept Art for F&W Festival South Korea Booth

Babes in Disneyland has some great tips about the various places to get ice cream and cool treats in Disneyland.

DisneyShawn continues his tour through Typhoon Lagoon and visits the water park’s watering holes.

2719 Hyperion remembers late night fun full of Make-Your-Own-Pizza at Trail’s End.

Chip and Co gives reasons to make ADRs and plan your dining ahead.

DisUnplugged reviews the new Taste of Africa Street Party in Animal Kingdom.

Disney Parks Blog shares more imagineering prowess in the form of Magic Kingdom’s Sleepy Hollow Refreshments.

Epcot’s Via Napoli Menu

By AJ 23 Comments

Disneyland's Naples Pepperoni Pizza -- Sister Restaurant to Via Napoli

Update: This restaurant is now in soft opening! See full Via Napoli menu here.

Thanks to Pam Brandon and the Disney Parks Blog, we now know that Via Napoli will be opening early — next month! — and we have a good idea of the menu for the upcoming Via Napoli in Epcot’s Italy pavilion!

Appetizers will include:

Sicilian eggplant with olives and raisins
arancini (fried saffron risotto balls) with meat ragù, mozzarella and pomodoro sauce
corn-crusted fried calamari
minestrone with basil pesto
A shareable plate of arancini, mozzarella, calamari, portobella mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini and carciofi (artichokes) is also available

Main course salads

will include:

Manzo (filet of beef) with greens, red onion, gorgonzola, apple and cucumber with a red wine-mustard vinaigrette
chopped salad with lemon chicken, greens, cantaloupe, cucumber, red pepper, green beans, onions, almonds and pasta crisps with honey-citrus vinaigrette
calamari with arugula, carrots and fennel with orange vinaigrette

Pasta dishes

will include:

candele (long, tube-shaped pasta) with sausage ragù
linguine with seafood; malfadine (ribbon pasta) with guanciale (unsmoked Italian bacon) and pomodoro sauce
lasagna verde

The Wood-fired pizzas, which is what Disney is hoping the restaurant is known for, will be made with caputo flour imported from Southern Italy, San Marzano tomatoes, handmade mozzarella, and water from a local spring just like in Italy’s Campania region. The 10-inch, 20-inch or 1/2 meter-sized pies will come in a dozen choices, from a simple pizza Margherita with tomato, mozzarella and basil to carciofi with artichoke, potato, pecorino cheese, prosciutto and cantaloupe.

Also available will be Piatti alla Parmigiana, which are dishes topped with Parmesan and mozzarella gratinée. These will include veal, chicken, and eggplant.

Finally, the desserts! These will include:

tiramisù
zeppole di ricotta (ricotta cheese-fried dough, whipped cream and chocolate sauce);
apple cake with almond sorbetti
vanilla gelato with almond cookies and amarena cherries

The pictures I’ve linked to in this post are what we sampled at Naples in Disneyland, a restaurant also run by The Patina Group. You can see the full review of Naples here.

To see more of our coverage of Via Napoli, along with specifics about the restaurant’s interior decor, three massive pizza ovens, and more, check out this page for links.

As always, check out the Disney Parks Blog for further info on Via Napoli.

Popcorn Personalities

By AJ 14 Comments

Popcorn is a staple in Disney parks, and while the buttery, salty treat is always a pleasure, Disneyland has a few personalities who make it especially so.

Tour through the Disneyland popcorn carts to see a few hardworking Cast Members churning the popcorn and making sure it’s extra special. Of course, they’re all dressed appropriately based on the “land” where they’re working — Walt wouldn’t have it any other way.

Main Street USA

Main Street Popcorn Man

Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland Popcorn Kiosk

The Rocketeer Popcorn Man

There are more… [Read more…]

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Disney Food Post Round-Up: August 1, 2010