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Delicious Disney Just for Kids Cookbook Now Available

Great news for those of you who have kiddos clamoring to try their favorite Disney dishes in their very own kitchen!

On the heels of Chef Mickey Treasures From the Vault and in addition to the other wonderful Disney cookbooks, Pam Brandon and the Disney Chefs have released another new set of recipes that’s been in the pipeline for the past year! Delicious Disney Just for Kids inspires even the littlest chefs to innovate and create like a Disney imagineer!

The book includes recipes from Disneyland, Disney World, and the Disney Cruise Line — including some of your favorites like Jiko‘s Mac and Cheese and Sci-Fi Dine-In‘s BLT Tomato Soup! Expect lots of [Read more…]

Disney Food for Families Review: Behind the Seeds Tour in Epcot

By Erin 17 Comments

Disney Food for Families Columnist Erin Foster takes us backstage on on the Behind the Seeds Tour in Epcot’s The Land pavilion.

Back in the day, we pulled our girls out of school a few times to go to Disney World (shhh, don’t tell). To assuage my guilt, I tried to work some educational content into these trips. One of my attempts at intellectual betterment resulted in signing the family up for the Behind the Seeds tour at the Land pavilion at Epcot. Learning! About food!

As it turns out, we really did have such a great time learning about, and trying, the foods in the Land, we’ve been back on the tour twice more.

Behind the Seeds is an hour-long walk through much of the growing areas seen during the Living with the Land boat ride. If you’ve ever been on the boat and wondered who those rock star folks were walking around in the gardens, well, those are the Behind the Seeds people. Don’t forget to wave.

On the tour, you're actually in the attraction

Tours are lead by members of the botanical team at the Land. These are often graduate students in the agricultural sciences. Personally, I’m not a gardener, but if you did have a technical question, the guides would [Read more…]

2011 Disney World Wine and Dine Half Marathon Registration Open

By AJ 2 Comments

On your mark, get set, Register! Registration is now open for the 2011 Wine and Dine Half Marathon, which will take place at the beginning of the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival!

The race, scheduled for Saturday, October 1, 2011, will feature Disney entertainment along the course. Runners – and foodies – will be able to run a half marathon at night through three inspiring Disney parks! You can even split it up into a relay with a partner! Do not miss this motivating Runners’ Night Out, which rallied over 11,000 runners to participate last year and sold out two months in advance!

Specs

Once again, the marathon takes place at night, the first Saturday of the Food and Wine Festival. Prices, times and marathon features are subject to change.

Date: October 1, 2011, 10PM
Start: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
Finish: Epcot® World Showcase
Costs for Half Marathon:
$145 by March 27, 2011
$155 between March 28 and May 8, 2011
$165 on or after May 9, 2011

Participants must be 14 years of age or older. Currently, registration is open only for the half-marathon. Registration for the half-marathon relay and 5K will open soon.

With registration, runners receive: [Read more…]

Review: Kona Cafe

By AJ 25 Comments

Learn About:Kona Cafe

Polynesian Resort
Disney World Restaurants

We escaped to the Kona Cafe after a madhouse morning in the Magic Kingdom on a recent Disney World visit, and I immediately knew how I was going to frame Kona for this review — it is, indeed, an escape from the hectic theme parks. Located in the Polynesian Resort — a resort located on the Monorail loop — it’s very easy to get to from the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.

As a sister to the Polynesian’s more popular restaurant, ‘Ohana, many folks only try Kona Cafe as a last resort — which means those of us who know better get first crack at it!

This unassuming restaurant is actually a den of cult favorite menu items for many Disney World veterans. Home of Tonga Toast, the Big Kahuna, the Kona Kone, and some of the best steaks on property, Kona Cafe is a frequented and beloved staple for many Disney guests.

Kona Cafe

Atmosphere

Located in the Polynesian Resort‘s Great Ceremonial House, Kona Cafe is to the left of the entrance doors on the second floor of the lobby.

Kona Cafe Dining Room

Open to the lobby, the restaurant has the general feel of any ho-hum hotel restaurant, but you might find a few interesting shapes in the bright floral [Read more…]

Disney Food Post Round-Up: February 13, 2011

By AJ 1 Comment

It’s hearts week in the USA as Valentine’s Day approaches! Happy Hearts Day everyone! In Disney food news, we’ve got a few interesting tidbits to share:

El Pirata y El Perico has changed its name to Tortuga Tavern. Check out menu pics here.
There’s still time to book these great Valentine’s Day options in Disney parks and resorts!
We’ve put together a primer on Disney Dining Plan changes for 2011.
Disney World’s Toontown Fair closed this week. While not necessarily “food” news, we will miss all of those giant, colorful, Mickey-shaped veggies in Mickey’s garden…
We’ve got some pics of the new menu at Disneyland’s Village Haus.

And now, on to the round-up!

WDW for Grownups has compiled some great Disney World dining tips from their facebook fans.

Progress City USA shares the news about a new book, Four Decades of Magic: Celebrating the First Forty Years of Disney World, written by some extraordinary Disney historians and bloggers.

Main Street Gazette heads to Yak & Yeti in Disney’s Animal Kingdom (and doesn’t quite [Read more…]

Disney World and Disneyland Dining for Valentine’s Day

By AJ Leave a Comment

Romance can be found all over Walt Disney World and Disneyland. And at these dining venues, there won’t be a single character in sight! Some restaurants feature special menus for Valentine’s Day.

Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World Sweetheart Dinners

These special meals for two are offered all year-long at Walt Disney World, and Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to splurge on this decadent dining experience.

Enjoy a 3-course, prix-fixe meal that includes an appetizer, entrée and a shared dessert. Toast your love with a selected beverage in etched champagne flutes, then take [Read more…]

2011 Disney Dining Plan Changes

By AJ 21 Comments

It’s a new year, and we wanted to walk you through the ins and outs of what’s changed and what’s stayed the same when it comes to the Disney’s Dining Plan (DDP) in 2011! Fans and critics of the DDP will notice only a few changes this year:

Disney Dining Plan Snack Credit Logo

Standard Disney Dining Plan

The standard DDP was $41.99 per adult per night and has been bumped to $45.99 for the value and regular seasons. The rates for kids ages 3-9 remained the same at $11.99 per night.
Peak season 2011 rates will apply February 17-26, March 11-April 30, June 3-August 13 and December 21-31. Adult rates rose from $46.99 per night to $47.99. The nightly rate for children age 3-9 remained the same at $12.99 per night.
For Quick-Service, Table-Service and Private In-room meals, the option to order juice at breakfast in addition to a non-alcoholic beverage was deleted. Perhaps guests were [Read more…]

Disney World’s Toontown Fair — A Foodie Farewell

By AJ 12 Comments

As you know, Mickey’s Toontown Fair will close Friday, February 11, 2011, to make way for the new, expanded Fantasyland in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.

As a farewell to a land many of us grew up with (and watched our kids grow up with), Erin Foster suggested we gather a few of our favorite photos and brightly-colored, cartoon memories of Toontown, food blog style.

Mickey and Minnie’s Houses
It looks like food played a big part in the ‘Toon’s lives. Mickey’s and Minnie’s country houses in Toontown both featured very busy kitchens! Minnie was always cooking up yummy sweets and giving us recipes for her favorite cookies; and Mickey — in the midst of a remodeling contest — had a some bigger [Read more…]

Review: Disney’s Soda Fountain & Studio Store in Hollywood

By Heather 7 Comments

Dining in Disneyland columnist Heather Sievers has an awesome review of a Disney food location that many of us haven’t seen…

When most people hear the word Disney, they don’t think of Hollywood. However, located right across the street from Grauman’s (aka Mann’s) Chinese Theatre, there is a very fun place that many Disney fans may have not had a chance to visit.

Disney’s Soda Fountain & Studio Store is conveniently connected to [Read more…]

New Menu at Disneyland’s Village Haus

By AJ 17 Comments

Disneyland’s Village Haus has some delicious-looking new menu items! Thanks to Jobber99 (aka Jon Chua) and he and his wife’s trusty flickr photo streams, we have some pics! Thanks again, guys!

The new menu includes…

Angus ⅓ lb. Pastrami Cheeseburger
Angus chuck burger, pastrami, pickles, caramelized onions, Swiss cheese, lettuce and a creamy horseradish sauce

Angus Pastrami Burger

Chicken Sausage
Topped with sauerkraut served in [Read more…]

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Delicious Disney Just for Kids Cookbook Now Available

Disney Food for Families Review: Behind the Seeds Tour in Epcot