News and Review: Pesto Knots at Magic Kingdom's Pinocchio Village Haus

News and Review: Pesto Knots at Magic Kingdom’s Pinocchio Village Haus

When you’re up for Italian fare in a Bavarian setting, there really is only one place to go… The Pinocchio Village Haus in Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland!

Learn About:Pinocchio Village Haus

Magic Kingdom
Disney World Restaurants

The main food news from Pinocchio’s as of late has mostly revolved around a rotation of slush beverages paying tribute to various characters from the Pinocchio film, such as the Jiminy Cricket Slush, and the current Lemonade and Blue Raspberry Slushes (said to be “favorites” of Pinocchio and the Blue Fairy themselves… according to the Pinocchio Village Haus menu, that is 😉 ).

Other than that, the menu itself hasn’t had much of an overhaul since it changed over from pizza to flatbreads over two years ago. While that remains the case, there were a couple of changes on my recent visit, including a new side item that I couldn’t resist.

The changes are so subtle that they’re pretty easy to miss on the scrolling menu, so it’s a good thing Cast Members hand printed menus to guests in order to keep things moving at this always hoppin’ spot.

Pinocchio Village Haus printed menu

For starters, the Barbecue Chicken Flatbread is now a Barbecue Beef Flatbread. A Spicy Chicken Sandwich has been added in case someone in your group isn’t in the mood for flatbreads or a sub sandwich, but that didn’t replace anything from the menu. (AJ tried the chicken sandwich on her last visit and will have a review of that for you soon.)

I almost didn’t notice a small change to the side items: the Bread Sticks have been replaced with Pesto Knots. Since I love the Garlic Knots served at a local pizza place, I had to give the Pesto Knots a try.

When I received my order, the first thing I noticed wasn’t the appearance, actually… although the braided bread does look pretty stellar.

Pesto Knots

No, the very first thing to greet my senses was [Read more…]

2014 Resort Cast Member Pumpkin Carving Contests

By Wendy 3 Comments

Didn’t get your fill of Halloween fun this year? Fret not, friends! Because we’ve got one more treat for you from the season of tricks…

On October 30th and 31st, Disney Resort Cast Members at resorts around the World competed in pumpkin decorating contests. I got to check out the displays at the Contemporary Resort and Port Orleans — Riverside, and wanted to share some of the fun with you today!

At the Contemporary Resort, individual Cast Members showed off their pumpkin carving skills. The display was huge, including well over twenty pumpkins!

Contemporary Resort Cast Member Pumpkin Carving 2014

Contemporary Resort Cast Member Pumpkin Carving display

Guests at the Contemporary placed their votes for pumpkins across a few categories. A member of the Security Team won “Best Overall” for this awesome [Read more…]

Review: Specialty Hot Dogs at Casey’s Corner in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom

By Wendy 9 Comments

“Take Me Out to the Ball Game…”

Learn About:Casey’s Corner

Magic Kingdom
Disney World Restaurants

Okay, we know… with the San Francisco Giants winning the World Series, baseball season is officially behind us for the year. But there’s one place where it’s always baseball season, and that’s Casey’s Corner in Magic Kingdom!

And what’s a baseball game without a hot dog… or three 😉 ? I know you agree. Let’s head in to the quintessential hot dog joint in Disney World for a bite.

Casey’s Corner

Atmosphere

Before you even step in the front doors, you’re “greeted” by a turn-of-the-century baseball player.

Casey’s Corner baseball player

Once you enter, the baseball theme really kicks into high gear, down to the Cast Member baseball player costumes (which might be my favorite costumes just about anywhere at Disney World).

Casey’s Corner

Vintage artwork and props (including ads for Coca-Cola) line the walls and top the shelves just about everywhere you look.

Vintage Coke Advertisement

Art at Casey’s Corner

Atmosphere Details at Casey’s Corner

The indoor seating does its best to place you outside, giving the impression that you’re at an outdoor ballpark. The scoreboard reflects a score that is much to the chagrin of the citizens of Mudville, thanks to the legendary strikeout of “Casey at the Bat.”

Scoreboard

There may be “no joy in Mudville,” since Mighty Casey struck out, but [Read more…]

Disney Food Post Round-Up: November 2, 2014

By Kim LaPaglia Leave a Comment

Recently, we sampled the Trattoria al Forno breakfast menu — it’s being served at Flying Fish Cafe ahead of the restaurant’s opening in December.

Trattoria al Forno Waffles

With two new restaurants headed to Disney Springs at Downtown Disney, we can’t wait to share all of the details as they emerge. See what we know so far about The Boathouse and Morimoto!!

Plus, click below for all the details on this week’s Disney Food News…

Disney Food News

Enjoy a sneak peek at Trattoria al Forno breakfast at Disney’s BoardWalk!
Two new restaurants — The Boathouse and Morimoto — are coming to Disney Springs at Downtown Disney, Orlando.
Find out What’s New around Walt Disney World — treats, and more!
Check out the incredible pumpkin carvings at the Disneyland Resort!
The UK Pavilion is now selling Rose and Crown Pub and Dining Room merchandise!
Disney California Adventure is celebrating the season with Pumpkin muffins and Caramel Apple Smoothies.
A Candy Corn Cupcake is now on the menu at The Mara at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Check out all the latest Disney Food News — even the stuff we don’t mention in posts on the blog! — on our Disney Food News Pin Board, including restaurant closures, and more!

We’ve got all the latest for you, so check it out before you go.

DFB Reader Finds

If you find a fun new food — or other edible awesomeness — in or from Disney, share a photo with us on facebook or twitter so we can add it to our DFB Reader Finds each Sunday!

Our Facebook Friend, Margaret, shared a French style cheesecake served at Sonya’s and Green Cabin Room at Disney’s Vero Beach resort.

French Style Vanilla Cheesecake

Next up: Grilled Mahi from Wolfgang Puck Cafe, courtesy of Facebook Friend Akemi.

Grilled Mahi

Do you have a Favorite Find? Please, share with us!

DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining On Sale!

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The fully updated DFB Guide to Walt Disney World® Dining 2014 e-Book is an instantly downloadable PDF guide, featuring over 450 full-color pages of photographs, information, and advice about our favorite subjects — food and dining in Walt Disney World.

It’s guaranteed to help you navigate your way to delicious dining on your next trip! And if you’re ready to get yours now, head on over to DFBGuide.com to pick it up!!

What’s In The Guide?

As thousands of repeat customers already know, the Guide includes:

A 5-Step Strategy for Disney Dining Planning, covering everything you need to know from budgeting and booking to kids’ meals, dining discounts, and fireworks.
A comprehensive and in-depth look at EVERY Disney World restaurant, kiosk, bar, and lounge, including our personal tips to ensure a positive and stress-free dining experience.
Four free, downloadable worksheets for planning your trip. These worksheets are designed to help you execute all the steps of planning the perfect Disney dining experience. And they’re reusable for all of your future trips!
Seven sample one-day dining itineraries for a head-start on planning.
A comprehensive index of bars and lounges. An often under-appreciated option for both dining and entertainment, the e-Book devotes a whole index to the topic.
The ability to be read on your mobile device or computer! It’s fully portable right in your pocket!

Samples Pages of the DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining 2013

Here’s Just Some Of What You Get With Our 2014 Guide:

Over 450 Pages of Disney Dining and Planning information, tips, reviews, and recommendations!
An in-depth Disney Dining Restaurant Reviews section, covering all Disney restaurants, food kiosks, bars, and lounges
An updated Disney Dining Plan section and price analysis [Read more…]

2014 Epcot Food and Wine Festival: Food for Thought with Chef Rick Bayless

By Brooke 1 Comment

With a full week plus a weekend, there’s still plenty of time to enjoy the 2014 Epcot Food and Wine Festival, going on right now at Walt Disney World!

Welcome to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival!

Today, I’m back to tell you about one of the Food and Wine Festival Special Events I had the opportunity to attend recently.

While I love spending time strolling the Promenade around World Showcase and taking in all of the fantastic food and drink, there’s so much more to the Festival than the International Marketplace Booths.

Each year, I also enjoy attending a sampling of the Low Cost Demonstrations and Seminars as well as Festival Special Events. And one of the biggest highlights is enjoying time with chefs whom we’ve admired in an up close and personal way!

Recently, I was given the opportunity to attend Food For Thought, a Festival Special Event that’s new for 2014. Replacing the Kitchen Memories series from past years, Food For Thought events allow guests to hear the story of a favorite chef before he or she walks the audience through a demonstration of dishes.

Food For Though at Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival

I was so excited when I learned that one of my favorites, Chef Rick Bayless, would be rejoining the Festival line up after an absence of several years! Bayless is the Chef and Owner of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo in Chicago, in addition to a collection of quick casual dining spots.

In addition, he’s about to begin the tenth season of his critically acclaimed PBS cooking show Mexico — One Plate at a Time. You can also find his line of Frontera Food Products throughout the country.

My Place Setting

Join me as we listen into his conversation with Disney’s Pam Smith, and watch as he puts his apron on and provides us with a dose of kitchen wisdom via authentic Mexican flavors.

Food For Thought with Chef Rick Bayless

My husband and I have followed the career of Rick Bayless for a while. We were first inspired to explore authentic Mexican cuisine by cooking our way through his books. Having the opportunity to hear more about his journey in such an intimate setting was a great way to spend the morning.

Food For Thought with Chef Rick Bayless and Disney’s Pam Smith

If you’ve watched his PBS series Mexico — One Plate at a Time, then you know that Chef Rick excels at telling a good story and conveying the excitement of an experience. That combination, along with his wry sense of humor, made for an interesting chat session. Having grown up working in his family’s restaurant, his passion for Mexican cuisine was born out of his study of and love for that country’s rich culture.

Chatting with Chef Rick Bayless

Soon, however, it was time to turn our attention to the food! At that point, Chef Rick and Pam made their way to the exhibition kitchen for a demonstration of the food and drink we’d be sampling.

Cooking Demonstration

While a big draw of Food for Thought is getting to hear the backstory of a culinary notable, the event also makes for a delicious morning, as the featured chef shares a few of his recipes.

It’s always fun to see what the suggested pairings are for courses during an event. Typically, guests enjoy a few different wines with tasting portions of dishes, but on this occasion, we had the chance to enjoy a beer pairing instead. A glass of Negra Modelo stood at each place setting.

Negra Modelo Beer

Normally, servings are tasting portions, but we enjoyed a full glass of beer as we’d be pairing it with each of the three courses. In addition, we learned how we might use the beer to create a delicious Fall-themed [Read more…]

Dining in Disneyland: The Incredible Pumpkin Carvers of 2014

By Heather 7 Comments

Happy Halloween everyone! In honor of this spooktacular holiday, we thought it would be fun to keep with the tradition of sharing some fabulous Disneyland Pumpkins with you.

The Incredible Pumpkin Carvers are back at the Big Thunder Ranch Halloween Carnival and they’ve been busy!

Jack Skellington Shares a Spot with the Haunted Mansion Hat Box Ghost

Carved and decorated by a small handful of Disney artists, I noticed two incredible talents that were at the ranch on several occasions during Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort. Both Disneyland carving veterans, Bridget McCarty and Joe Yakovetic can turn a pumpkin into a masterpiece.

Mickey Mouse with Mini Pumpkin Ears

Some pumpkins are carved, some are painted, some are carved and painted. There are sparkly pumpkins, embellished pumpkins and even pumpkins on pumpkins.

Anna, Elsa & Olaf

They’re all so unique, but what they do have in common??? Their awesomeness. Let’s take a look at some of these [Read more…]

Spotted! Rose & Crown Pub and Dining Room Merchandise in Epcot’s UK Pavilion

By Wendy 9 Comments

Is the Rose & Crown Pub and Dining Room your home away from home while you’re in Disney World? If so, you might enjoy knowing there are a few ways to take a piece of the Pub back home with you!

Rose & Crown Pub and Dining Room

We’d enjoyed seeing some of the merchandise dedicated specifically to the Rose & Crown during a tour of the Food & Wine Festival Center, but I had no idea how extensive the line was until a recent visit to the Sportsman’s Shoppe in Epcot’s UK Pavilion (just across the path from the pub itself).

How long has it been there? Honestly, I don’t know. It’s been a while since I’d paid a visit to the Sportman’s Shoppe in particular. But it was fun to check out all the goodies dedicated to the place “Where Jolly Good Times Happen on This Side of the Pond,” and we thought fans of the pub might enjoy a glimpse, too!

Rose & Crown merchandise display

“Where Jolly Good Times Happen on This Side of the Pond”

From barware to clothing, this stuff runs the gamut. If you’ve enjoyed a pint (or two!) at Rose & Crown, you might like any of the collection of glasses, from pints to [Read more…]

Review and Preview: The Causeway at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic

By Brooke 10 Comments

It’s almost time! The Fifth Annual Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic is just around the corner!

This event, which takes place concurrently with the 2014 Epcot Food and Wine Festival, is a fantastic evening for food and wine lovers.

This year’s Food and Wine Classic will take place on Friday, October 31 (yep! Halloween!) and Saturday, November 1. The two-day event consists of food and beverage tasting booths set up on the resort’s beautiful causeway each evening. And new for 2014, a Beer Garden experience has been added for even more great food and drink.

Guests can also take part in a number of special food and beverage seminars for an additional fee. Seminars take place at 4:30PM both days, and the Causeway booths are open from 5:30 until 9:00PM on Friday and Saturday.

We’ve enjoyed the event every year since it began, and 2013 was no exception! We thought a look back at last year’s event was the perfect way to get excited about what’s in store for 2014. Let’s head out to the Causeway for a delicious evening.

Dining al fresco on the Causeway at the Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic!