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Now Serving Corn Dogs!

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…]

Disney Food Post Round-Up: July 4th, 2010

By AJ 4 Comments

Happy July 4th

Happy Independence Day!

The big news this week is: Only 90 days until the 2010 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival begins!! I’ve re-vamped the 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival page to be even more useful for your planning. (Breaking news, including the new info on the Grand Marnier Tasting event, is at the top of the page.)

Also, don’t forget that the new Taste of Africa Street Party is slated to begin this week in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. AND those Downtown Disney cooking classes are calling your name on July 10th!

Finally, stay tuned this week for more info about the WDW Foodie Fest meet-up on October 3rd, 2010!! Save the date!

Now, on to the round-up!

Food Finds With Robin showcases some delicious photography that captures some sweet treats in Disneyland.

Main Street Gazette takes us to Cafe Rix in Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.

A Taste of Disney whips up a batch of Le Cellier’s Beer and Cheese Soup in this cool video. He also gives you the recipe if you’d like to make it at home.

The OC Register reports that Disneyland Resort’s liquor license has been updated to allow special bar set-ups for this summer’s Glow Fest in Disney California Adventure.

Chip and Co takes a look at casual dining options in the Magic Kingdom.

Disney Shawn checks out Surf Doggies in Typhoon Lagoon.

The Daily Disney shares the recipe for Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli from California Grill. Yum!

All Ears Net has a fun photo gallery of the Polynesian Resort’s Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show.

Theme Park Insider has announced the winners for the 9th Annual Theme Park Insider Awards. Bistro de Paris and Chefs de France have taken top spots in the running! See Orlando Restaurant Guru Scott Joseph’s take here.

The Disney Parks Blog posted some great stories this week, from the wonderful (Coffee With Walt) to the helpful (Top 5 Restaurants Where You Get the Most for Your Money) to the delicious (Sweet Treats for Summer)!

photo source: burgers

Tigger Tails vs. Tiger Tails

By AJ 25 Comments

This is one of the fun posts I promised in my last Newsletter, and I’m pretty excited to explore the intricate differences between these two Disney favorites!

Disney World and Disneyland both have some great signature food items — Dole Whips, Mickey Premium Bars, popcorn, pretzels… but only Disneyland has Tiger Tails AND Tigger Tails! Now, the names can get confusing, so let’s check out how to tell them apart ;-):

Tigger Tails

If you like marshmallows, caramel, and chocolate — this is the treat for you. Named after everyone’s favorite bounceriffic tiger, Tigger, these treats are homemade in Disneyland’s Pooh Corner!

Pooh Corner in Critter Country

Tigger Tail

Now, I’ll be honest and say that I’m not a HUGE marshmallow fan. I like them best when they’re toasted and smushed between chocolate and graham crackers or spread between bread with some gooey peanut butter in a fluffernutter, so I wasn’t really expecting to like the Tigger Tail all that much. After all, it’s [Read more…]

Guest Review: World of Color Dining Package at Ariel’s Grotto

By AJ 14 Comments

Here’s how lucky I am:
1.) I was traversing facebook the other day and randomly found Heather Sievers, who just happens to be a Disney food expert;
2.) Heather and her family also just happened to have a reservation for the World of Color prix fixe dinner at Ariel’s Grotto a couple of days later; and
3.) Heather generously put together this awesome blog about her experience.
Lucky, right? I know. Seriously, I should play the lottery.
(By the way, Heather is the brilliant inventor of Time Out Spots. Don’t know what they are? Check ’em out! Personally, I like the t-shirts.)

July 18, 2010: Born and raised in Orange County, California, I’ve been lucky enough to have had regular visits to Disneyland since my first time on my 5th birthday. Over 15 years ago, my boyfriend (now husband) bought me my first annual pass for Christmas. We’ve renewed over & over and two kids later, our family has never skipped a year.

This means we’ve been closely watching the construction of World of Color since the Paradise Pier Lagoon was emptied nearly a year and a half ago. I knew I wanted to see the show as soon as possible, but I also knew that it would be nearly impossible to get near it…. Fans of all food Disney, I knew they had to have some dinners lined up that would include reserved seating for the show. So what did I do? I called Disney Dining every single day for about 6 weeks straight to ask about it. I know a bit extreme, but guess what? I got my reservation the DAY they started taking them.

Genie at World of Color

Specs
We all know that the show opened on June 11, 2010, but we had company coming the following week that wanted to join us, so I waited out one week and made the reservation for Friday, June 18th. (I’m sure you are thinking, “get to the food part, get to the food part;” I promise I am almost there.) My options for in-restaurant dining were [Read more…]

Snack Series: Churros!

By AJ 25 Comments

Churros are quickly joining popcorn, Mickey Premium Bars, Dole Whip Floats, and Mickey Pretzels as one of the go-to snacks in Walt Disney World and Disneyland!

Churro Stand in the Disneyland Town Square

These long, doughnut-y sticks dipped in cinnamon-sugar are a delicious, light snack for any time of day. I got mine while I was waiting for the next show with Mr. Lincoln!

Churro Stand Pricing

Churro Making

Standard Churro in the Parks

One little piece of info I concluded during my marathon Disney-World-to-Disneyland-in-two-weeks trip is that churros have a much bigger presence in Disneyland than in Disney World! While you can find them in the World, churro stands in Disneyland feel more prevalent and are intricately themed based on the land where they’re located. Here’s a [Read more…]

Gourmet Food Trucks Show Up in Disneyland

By AJ 4 Comments

Loukaniko Plate at Louks Gourmet Food Truck

Disney California Adventure guests are getting another option for quick-service dining in the park this summer: gourmet food trucks!

According to the OC Register’s Fast Food Maven, two trucks are currently serving guests each evening at the Glow Fest, an add-on Summer Nightastic dance event that debuted with World of Color.

For the first half of the event, Orange County’s own Louks Greek Gourmet truck and The Green Truck of Los Angeles are the featured food vans. Disney said park visitors can expect “more popular gourmet food trucks in Southern California” to join Glow Fest.

Trucker Sauce Served with Mother Trucker Vegan Burgers: The Green Truck

To date, the Greek (menu) and Green (menu) Trucks are the only gourmet trucks serving at Glow Fest, which runs from 6pm until park closing each night through August 22nd, 2010. A Spanish Tapas truck has confirmed to the OC Register that it will begin serving at Glow Fest on July 15th, 2010.

For more info and commentary: Source

Global Gummies

By AJ 22 Comments

Whether you like them or not, by now everyone’s at least sampled some gummi candy. In addition to the ubiquitous Gummi Bears, you’ve also got gummi worms, sour gummi staws, gummi vitamins, and even giant gummies.

Because the candy is taking the world by storm, Disney has jumped on the gummi bandwagon. They now sell a variety of gummi candy in their parks and resorts, and are even marketing their own Goofy’s Candy Company gummi brand.

So, while I’m sure that many of you are familiar with the standard gummi bear, how many of you have sampled gummi Salty Licorice Fish? How about Fruity Pasta gummi candy? Well, guess what — you can sample all of these, and more, in your favorite vacation destinations. Imagine that: rides, attractions, and a global selection of gummies in all in one place! One of the many reasons [Read more…]

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Now Serving Corn Dogs!

Disney Food Post Round-Up: July 11, 2010

Epcot’s Via Napoli Menu