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EPCOT Festival of the Holidays

Category: Animal Kingdom Lodge

Play and Dine at Hollywood and Vine

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When it’s time to break bread with giant, plush Playhouse Disney characters, it’s time to go Play and Dine at Hollywood and Vine.

That’s right folks, this is your opportunity to make your kids’ favorite TV stars come to life…and eat breakfast, too!

Atmosphere
Hollywood & Vine is located in the beautiful Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. Shades of mauve and aluminum chairs are the most descriptive decor, but there are some great photos of old Hollywood, along with some pretty fantastic murals [Read more…]

The Five Best Steaks in Disney World

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Have you ever wondered what the best steaks in Disney World are? Well, you’re in the right place!

The Boathouse steak, served medium-rare

If you’re all about some great beef, there are some unique and incredibly tasty options in Disney World — you just have to know here to look. Just note that this post isn’t about the best steakhouses in Disney World — that’s another post altogether!

[Read more…]

“The Best Thing I Ever Ate in Disney!”: Appetizers & Sides

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We’ve just 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, entrees (lunch & dinner), and desserts & drinks.

Today, we’re taking a look at Appetizers and Side Dishes! 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” as far as appetizers and side dishes at Disney.

Soups

Soups were by far the #1 mentioned appetizer/side when I reached out to facebook and twitter folks for their favorites.

Portobello Soup at Artist Point

  • Most beloved are the soups found at Boma in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. These vary every day, but the varieties specifically mentioned by readers as the Best Thing They Ever Ate! were: Mushroom Soup, Mulligatawny Soup, and Butternut Squash Soup. (Personally, the chicken corn chowder is my favorite!).
  • Of course, you can’t post a series like this without a few votes for Le Cellier Steakhouse‘s famous Cheddar Cheese Soup! This comes heartily recommended by Disney Food Blog readers — and yours truly, of course!
  • The Grand Floridian also racked up a couple of votes from our readers! The cashew cream soup from Victoria and Albert’s comes was noted, as was the cheesy tomato soup at the Grand Floridian Cafe (yum — doesn’t that sound good?!?).
  • Finally, that delicious Mushroom-Soup-That-Doesn’t-Taste-Like-Mushrooms was voted [Read more…]

The Most Popular Disney World Restaurants (And Alternatives When They’re Full)

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Chef Donald

You guys remember when we covered the Top Ten Disney Dining Tips, right? Overwhelmingly, the tip that was mentioned the most by Disney Food Blog readers was making Advanced Dining Reservations for high priority meals at Disney parks and resorts.

While this might be obvious to many, not everyone knows which Disney restaurants fill up the fastest when it comes to reservations. Having a little frame of reference on this might be extremely helpful as you’re planning your Disney dining and trying to determine what meals are high priority for you. So, I’ve prepared a little primer on which Disney restaurants are the toughest to book, along with great alternatives if you don’t happen to get your favorites!:

1. Le Cellier

Le Cellier Steakhouse

has been, for years, one of the toughest tickets in Disney World for both lunch and dinner. Seriously, I have heard Le Cellier cast members mention more than once that they’re continuously booked up for lunch and dinner 6 months in advance, with walk-up reservations rarely an option. In my opinion, this is due to three things: [Read more…]

Disney Online Dining Reservations 190 days out?

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Due to what appears to be a glitch in Disney’s Online Reservations System, guests have been able to make reservations 190 days out — even without a valid resort reservation number.

The site’s booking calendar extends 190 days from today, and when a date is chosen that exists outside of the 180 day window, guests are prompted to enter their resort reservation number as usual. Interestingly, when I entered “12345678” for a reservation number, I was easily able to book a reservation for dinner at Le Cellier, breakfast at Chef Mickey’s, and dinner at Boma 190 days out (December 13th).

Interestingly, Cinderella’s Royal Table is considered in “invalid” restaurant when searching this way.

Maybe this is beta testing for a new system, or maybe it’s a glitch with the new online reservation system. Remains to be seen.

Thanks to Chris for the heads up!

Managing Your Diet Plan in Disney World: Low-Carb Diets

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One thing I haven’t been able to master is staying on a specialized diet plan in Disney World. Luckily, I have a few friends who

have been able to be diet plan superstars while on vacation, and they’ve agreed to share some of their secrets with you! This series will include information about vegetarian, vegan, and low-carb dining, as well as dining in Disney World after having weight loss surgery.

Today, we welcome guest author Christina Relacion again to the food blog. She’s been successful with the South Beach low-carb diet in Disney World and has some great tips and tricks!

Good vibes -- Posted in Disney's Hollywood Studios

Healthy dining at Walt Disney World. That sounds like an oxymoron. With fried foods, hamburgers and devilish desserts around every corner, it must be impossible. I’m always trying to watch my weight, and being a foodie, that can be hard with all the great choices at home and on the road, especially at a place like Walt Disney World.

Fruit at Boma in Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

Last year, I started on the South Beach Diet, a diet plan created by Arthur Agatston that helps you determine good carbs from bad carbs and good fats from bad fats. One of the first things I thought of when beginning the diet was: [Read more…]

Disney Food Round-Up: May 30th, 2010

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Cat Cora's Ouzo-tini at Kouzzina

Welcome to the Round-Up! In Disney Food news this week:

And here are some great Disney Food stories from around the web:

What Now?!?!? (a.k.a. Moms Panelist Kathie F.) makes California Grill’s Pea Risotto (with some gorgeous pics to go along!)

The LA Times Daily Travel and Deal Blog has a great story about Tamales on Main Street…Main Street in Marceline, that is…

AKL Resort pays homage to the Bars and Lounges of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

The Web Gangsta has the Unofficial Official Rules for Beers Around the World at Epcot.

DisZine contemplates concern about potential pricing at Epcot’s Via Napoli.

Main Street Gazette visits Paradiso 37 with some pals.

Chip and Co highlights some of their favorite casual dining meals in WDW.

The Disney Blog pays tribute to his Top Five Places to Enjoy Ice Cream at WDW.

WDW Radio has some scrummy pics of Tonga Toast at the Poly.

The Disney Parks Blog talks vegan and vegetarian dining at Kouzzina by Cat Cora.

Pop Century Site captures via photograph the Pop Century Food Court menus (and the Peace of Pizza menu!)

Also, don’t forget to check out:
My Touring Plans post about Delicious and Convenient Disney Food for Busy Days

And the 4th Edition of the DisMarks Disney Blog Carnival has been published!

Guest Review: 1st Anniversary Dinner at California Grill

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This blog has allowed me to meet so many talented and dynamic individuals, one of whom was kind enough to put together this guest blog about one of my favorite spots, California Grill! Kristen Heptinstall, of Southern Web Girl, visited the Contemporary Resort’s top floor with her husband a while back. Take it away, Kristen!

Hi! I’m Kristen. My husband Brian and I live in Birmingham, Ala., where I work as a Web editor and he works as a chef.

Brian and I returned to Disney World the last week of April 2010 to celebrate our 1st anniversary. On our anniversary, April 25th, we celebrated by going to the Magic Kingdom for the day — a bonus was that MK was on Extra Magic Hours that day and open until 2 a.m.!

We decided to have our anniversary dinner at our favorite signature restaurant from our honeymoon in 2009, California Grill at the Contemporary Resort.

(Note: We have been to 2-credit signatures Jiko, Narcoossee’s, Citrico’s, California Grill, and Hollywood Brown Derby, but have yet to go to Artist Point, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Flying Fish or Victoria & Albert’s. So we’re about halfway there. Whoaaaa livin’ on a prayer!).

We left MK in the evening, changed at our resort, then returned to the Contemporary. Storms were threatening, and it had been overcast all day, so I was checking my iPhone constantly for radar [Read more…]

Disney Food Post Round-Up: May 16th, 2010

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Disney's California Food & Wine Festival Discoveries

Welcome to the round-up this week! Some pretty cool news popped up this week — Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports is selling tickets to the Wine & Dine Half Marathon’s After-Party! Let me know if you’ll be there!

And we’re still adding posts to our coverage of Disney’s California Food and Wine Festival — check it out!

Finally, be sure to check out our Guide to WDW Table Service Restaurants! It includes detailed information about every table-service restaurant as well as an index of Disney Food Blog mentions of each restaurant! Very useful if you’re planning where to dine in Disney World. Now — on to the round-up!

Progress City USA has a pretty “juicy picture” from 80’s Disneyland…

Cakewrecks has a series of “Mickey wrecks.”

Touring Plans heads to Jiko in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

etckt has more great photography in his review of Italy’s Tutto Italia.

The Disney Blog has news of progressive kids’ cooking classes in Downtown Disney on June 12th.

Main Street Gazette showcases one of our favorite menus in Disney World.

Meet the World has an awesome series on Club 33 in Disneyland: Part I: Before Arriving, Part II: Arriving and Exploring, Part III: the Food.

Theme Park Insider visits Disneyland’s Troubadour Tavern.

Only WDWorld shares a tour of Sanaa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge — this is a tour anyone can take, so feel free to visit yourself!

Chip and Co shares some favorite counter service meals in WDW.

Disney’s Hollywood Brown Derby

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Note: See answers to last week’s photo quiz at the bottom of this post!

One of my new favorite restaurants on Walt Disney World property is one I’d never set foot in during all my trips to Disney World: the Hollywood Brown Derby in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

I’d always looked at the menu and figured, “Too expensive. Too hoity-toity,” and never gave it a second thought. But since starting the Food Blog — and embarking on an adventure of eating in every Disney restaurant I could — I was excited to finally have a reason to try this place out. After all, I’ve always heard glowing reviews. And, let me tell you, they’re deserved.

Atmosphere
Disney’s Hollywood Brown Derby is a replica of the famous Vine Street Brown Derby, originally built in 1928 and home to dozens of famous Hollywood rumors and stories, including Clark Gable’s proposal to Carole Lombard in booth #5 and Lucille Ball’s dinner roll food fight. Disney World’s Brown Derby is an officially licensed Brown Derby Restaurant, and is the fifth Brown Derby Restaurant to be built.

Brown Derby History -- Click Image for Larger View

The likeness to the original restaurant is uncanny — the covered entryway, signage, dining room, and even decor are identical to the namesake. And those well-known caricatures grace [Read more…]

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