Disney Food Post Round-Up: March 13, 2016

Happy Sunday and Happy Daylight Savings Day! We hope you’re having a wonderful weekend and that you remembered to spring ahead! Now it’s time to sit back, relax, and catch up on the latest Disney food news!

Even though we lost a much-needed hour of sleep we’re still celebrating Daylight Savings and Springing Forward with special savings at the DFB Store!

With our Daylight Savings Sale you can get the Everything Bundle and the DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining for 25% off! Just use code DAYLIGHT at checkout!

We have a lot to share with you this week, so let’s jump right in…

Disney Food News

Are you headed to the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival? We have the scoop on the best dishes to eat at the Outdoor Kitchens!
Disney has increased the prices for the Disney Dining Plan.
Two new challenges have been added to Disney’s Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend during the Epcot Food & Wine Festival!
The Jumbo Turkey Legs are no longer available at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
The Disney gift cards at the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival are orange-scented!
We reviewed the bite-size churros at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe in the Magic Kingdom! Yum!
The Mighty St. Patrick’s Day Festival is happening now at Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant in Disney Springs!

[Read more…]

Best of the Fest: What to Eat at the 2016 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival

By AJ and the DFB Team 22 Comments

There’s a lot to love about Epcot during just about every season. With the Epcot Food and Wine Festival in the Fall, and Holidays Around the World celebrating Winter holidays, this has truly become a festival Park!

But Spring in the park is especially beautiful as the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival gets going. (I know. It doesn’t feel like Spring everywhere. But trust me. It does in Florida.)

The Flower and Garden Festival, which runs through May 30, opened last week, and we were there for the very first day! After an afternoon of Eating and Drinking Around the World, we came away with pictures of all of the dishes — and more than a few new favorites! Today, we’d like to share with you our Best of the Fest — our top picks from the new dishes that you can enjoy when you visit this year’s Festival.

Jerk-spice Grouper (or Chicken) from La Isla Fresca

La Isla Fresca

debuted at the 2016 Flower and Garden Festival, and it brings with it the fresh flavors of the Caribbean. Everything that we tasted here was a winner!

La Isla Fresca Dishes

But we especially liked the option to choose between Jerked Grouper or Chicken (although we went for both! :-D) But seriously — not everyone is a fish lover, and not all folks eat chicken. So having a dish where you can decide, but still enjoy the flavors, is a great idea! [Read more…]

News: The Mighty St. Patrick’s Day Festival at Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant Starts TODAY!

By Brooke 2 Comments

It’s just about that time — St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner!

And if you happen to be in Orlando for the holiday, there’s just one place you’ve gotta be…Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant!

Year after year, Raglan Road continues to wow with this festival, which combines the best of Irish music, dancing, culture, and food. And even throughout the constant construction in Disney Springs, they’ve kept it going strong.

This year’s festival will span seven full days. The party starts TODAY — Friday, March 11 — and runs straight through St. Patrick’s Day on the following Thursday!

During the event, you can enjoy all of the wonderful food and drink that Raglan Road offers; and there will be complimentary face painting. Please note: seating will be first come, first served on St. Patrick’s Day, and a cover charge of $10 per person will be applied on that day only for all guests over the age of 18. It gets BUSY, so go early!

Let’s take a look at what you can expect in 2016!

Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival Special Culinary Events

Master Chef Kevin Dundon is sure to have something special in store for guests who attend Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival culinary events! Choose from a luncheon and culinary demonstration, or indulge in a special signature dining experience. [Read more…]

Celebrate Daylight Savings with…MORE Savings!

By AJ Leave a Comment

Coming up on Sunday we’ll be celebrating Daylight Savings and Springing Forward — and you know what that means: one less hour of sleep.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but let me also be the bearer of GOOD news: we at DFB have decided to add a silver lining to your weekend and offer some GREAT savings at DFBStore.com in honor of Daylight Savings time! [Read more…]

News: Two NEW Challenges Join the Wine and Dine Half Marathon in 2016!

By AJ 5 Comments

We don’t often report on runDisney news here at the DFB (unless it has to do with WHAT you’re going to eat BEFORE your race and WHERE you’re going to eat after to celebrate your accomplishment!).

But we make a small exception for the Wine & Dine Half Marathon… ‘cuz wine. And DINE! And also because it takes place in tandem with the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, our favorite celebration of the year!

So we thought we’d chime in with some news about the 2016 Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend, which will take place November 3 – 6, 2016.

Here’s the RUNdown, along with details on two NEW challenges debuting this year!

Wine and Dine Half Marathon

First:

the Half Marathon — typically a nighttime race — will take place in daytime hours moving forward, beginning at Epcot at 5:30 AM on Sunday, November 6th. An updated course will bring runners through Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Please note that the Post Race Party will take place on Sunday evening, and runners will have exclusive access during “later hours,” according to runDisney. (This is AWESOME, because it means you don’t miss out on party fun if you’re a slower runner…not that I have any experience in that department at all, of course. ;-D)

2015 Epcot Wine and Dine Medal

Wine and Dine 10K — NEW!

Second:

a Disney Wine & Dine 10K has been added to the weekend, with Chef Remy on the way to host the race! The race will start at Epcot at 5:30 AM on Saturday, November 6th. (There will still be a 5K race as well :-D; Mickey’s Holiday 5K will take place at Animal Kingdom on Friday, November 4.)

Lumiere’s Two Course Challenge — NEW!

[Read more…]

News: Disney Dining Plan Price Increase

By AJ 19 Comments

Are you in the midst of planning your next Walt Disney World vacation? Then you’ll want to know that Disney has increased the price of the Disney Dining Plans for the Quick Service, Standard, and Deluxe Dining Plans as of March 9, 2016.

Disney Dining Plan Prices as of March 9, 2016

Quick-Service Dining Plan

$44.13 per night ages 10 and up
$19.04 per night ages 3 to 9
(Increase from earlier 2016 pricing of $42.84 and $17.47)

Standard Dining Plan
$63.70 per night ages 10 and up
$22.85 per night ages 3 to 9
(Increase from earlier 2016 pricing of $61.84 and $20.96)

Deluxe Dining Plan
$115.08 per night ages 10 and up
$35.49 per night ages 3 to 9
(Increase from earlier 2016 pricing of $111.57 and $32.56)

This pricing was obtained through booking online reservations on DisneyWorld.com.

Wondering Whether the Disney Dining Plan Will SAVE You Money?

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With more than 530 pages, The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World® Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We’ve done the research for you, so you’ll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family’s needs, how to save dough on your Disney dining, and more!

With sample dining itineraries, plus multiple bonus features and reusable worksheets, you’ll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to get your copy of The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World® Dining E-book — and use code HAPPYPLACE for an extra $4 discount for a limited time!

What are your thoughts on the latest pricing information for the Disney Dining Plan? Please chime in with a comment.

Dining in Disneyland: Afternoon Tea at Disneyland Hotel’s Steakhouse 55

By Heather 10 Comments

Up until recently, Steakhouse 55 in the Disneyland Hotel has only offered breakfast/brunch and dinner. This past January, they opened their doors for a lovely Classic Afternoon Tea.

Steakhouse 55 Located Inside the Disneyland Hotel

When I first heard about the tea offering, I knew I wanted to try it out. Steakhouse 55 has always been one of my favorite Disneyland Resort restaurants. I especially love the atmosphere here, so I was really excited to have a new Steakhouse 55 experience. Breakfast at Steakhouse 55 is what I believe to be one of the very best breakfasts on property. Dinner is wonderful too, so I was sure afternoon tea would be a delight as well!

I tried to book immediately, but it was full almost a month out! So, I booked my month out and waited patiently. Checking in for tea is the same process as a meal. Just head on up to the podium and you will be escorted back to the dining room.

Check In Podium

When the time came, I was joined by my best pal. We took the first reservation of the day, which was at noon, and when we got there it was basically empty. By the time we left, there was not one open table! [Read more…]

Review: Bite-Size Churros from Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe in Magic Kingdom

By AJ 6 Comments

Who’s up for some CHURROS?

Learn About:Pecos Bill’s Tall Tale Inn and Cafe

Magic Kingdom
Disney World Restaurants

We sure are! (Then again, when aren’t we?!) So our Magic Kingdom stop today is Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe in Frontierland!

Perhaps you were expecting a visit to the Frontierland Churro Cart or the Storybook Pretzel Cart? Fret not, you can still find them there, along with Mickey Pretzels and cold drinks to wash down your snack of choice. But when the menu at Pecos Bill’s underwent a complete change from burgers-and-fries to Mexican fare, Churros suddenly appeared as a dessert option here as well (along with some no-longer-available Sopaipillas).

The take is a bit different, though, at the Tall Tale Inn, so we’re here to have a peek… and a bite or two, of course 😉 .

Here we go!

Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe

Of course, Churros have been a long-time favorite of ours (and possibly yours, too). They’re a go-to snack for many guests in both Disney World and Disneyland. So it wasn’t a huge surprise to spot Churros on the updated Pecos Bill menu. [Read more…]

Review: Territory Coffee Company (Territory Lounge) in Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

By Wendy 11 Comments

These days, lots of Disney World guests make a beeline for the nearest Starbucks on property to get their morning caffeine fix.

Learn About:Territory Lounge

Disney World Restaurants

Epcot’s Fountain View, Magic Kingdom’s Main Street Bakery, Animal Kingdom’s Creature Comforts, and the Trolley Car Cafe at Hollywood Studios are understandably popular spots — especially in the early morning park hours.

But if you’re someone who stumbles to the coffeemaker first thing in the morning before you can form a complete sentence [sits at computer, points to self] and you happen to have a stay at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge in your future, you might be interested to learn about Territory Coffee Company.

You may already be familiar with the Territory Lounge in Wilderness Lodge. It’s one of our absolute favorite Disney bars thanks to some really great noshes and cozy atmosphere.

Territory Lounge

But with a typical opening time of 4:30 pm, this beautiful space sat empty most of the day until last summer, when the Territory Coffee Company opened for what was originally a test run. [Read more…]

News: No More Jumbo Turkey Legs at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

By AJ 13 Comments

So, you’ve likely heard the news that the official debut for the Rivers of Light Evening Spectacular coming to Animal Kingdom is set for April 22, 2016! Yay!!

The Harambe Wildlife Parti and Discovery Island Carnivale street parties are also in the works, as well as a chance to see the Tree of Life “awaken” in the evenings. And of course, we can’t wait for the arrival of Signature Dining at Animal Kingdom with Tiffins, and the accompanying Nomad Lounge.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

So, yeah. LOTS of good and exciting stuff on the way to Animal Kingdom! But have you heard what’s GONE from this transforming park? [Read more…]

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