Dining in Disneyland: Paradise Garden Grill

Dining in Disneyland columnist Heather Sievers checks out one of Disneyland’s newest additions!

After a few months of being open, my family and I finally made it over to check out the Paradise Garden Grill at California Adventure. I’d actually been hearing pretty good things about the food there, and I’m excited to say that the things I’ve heard are true!

Atmosphere

Nestled in between Goofy’s Sky School and Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta, the Paradise Garden Grill is a small counter service restaurant featuring Mediterranean eats. This place seems to be a hidden gem. I’ve never once seen a crowd lined up to order, but the folks I’ve talked to that have eaten there rave about it (except for the baklava, we’ll get to that later).

The outdoor seating at Paradise Garden Grill is shared with Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta, so there are tables aplenty. We’ve never had a problem finding a nice spot to sit in this area, even on a [Read more…]

Food & Wine Festival Merchandise at Disneystore.com

By Kim LaPaglia 5 Comments

Epcot International Food and Wine Festival merchandise is on sale at Disneystore.com!

No plans to visit the festival this year? Bring the festival to your home with one of these commemorative items. Did you tour the festival and forget to get a souvenir? Order your favorite items now by clicking the appropriate links below!

Sold Out items have been noted. Check back frequently to see if new inventory is available!

Four unique stemless wine glasses perfect for toasting your Food & Wine memories!

Stemless Wine Glasses

Cheers to Food and Wine with these two wine glasses!

Make a toast!

Wine lovers will adore this [Read more…]

Adventures by Disney Meets Disney Cruise Line: A Private Meal at Palo

By Erin 8 Comments

Disney Food for Families columnist Erin Foster takes us with her on her summer vacation, European travel — Disney style. This was a three-part trip which included two Adventures by Disney packages (Barcelona Escape and Mediterranean Magic), plus a Mediterranean cruise on the Disney Magic, all sandwiched together. Her trip of a lifetime included culture, relaxation, breathtaking scenery, and of course, plenty of food.

My recent Mediterranean Magic Adventures by Disney trip was slightly different than most. While the lunches and daytime excursions were completely run by Adventures by Disney (AbD), our lodging for the evening was not a hotel.

Instead we spent the night sailing and sleeping aboard the Disney Magic cruise ship. This meant that our dinners took place in the regular Magic restaurants. Most dinners were spent with our individual families rather than the group. However, one evening our guides, James and Dusty, treated the adults in the group to an amazing private meal at Palo, the ship’s most deluxe dining venue.

Palo place setting.

Atmosphere

This happened to be my first meal at Palo so, while I had read several reviews of the restaurant here on Disney Food Blog, I didn’t fully know what to expect.

Based on the dress-code, I had anticipated an ultra-lush atmosphere like the Grand Floridian’s Victoria and Albert’s. However, while the room and mood were lovely, they were more in step with [Read more…]

Epcot Food and Wine Festival Food Pictures: Brazil and Mexico Booths

By AJ 10 Comments

We’ve been exploring the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival booths for a few days now, and you can see photos of just about every food and drink menu item available on our Epcot Food and Wine Festival Booth Pages! But we also enjoy sharing quick reviews of the booths during the festival.

Mexico
Mexico is a true winner this year. The booth brought out a favorite from the La Hacienda de San Angel restaurant — shrimp tacos!

Crispy Shrimp Taco -- $3.75

The rib-eye tacos were MY favorite, though. (Are you surprised? I’m pretty sure my middle name is rib-eye at this point.) Flavorful and tasty!

Rib Eye Tacos -- $5.50

The flan was a [Read more…]

You Know You’re Eating In Disney World When…

By Kim LaPaglia 38 Comments

Let’s face it. There are a few foodie experiences at Walt Disney World and Disneyland that we don’t normally find at our hometown restaurants!

We thought it would be fun to put a few “You know you’re eating in Disney World when…” thoughts together, and we’d love to hear your additions!

Leave us a comment with your own “You know you’re eating in Disney World or Disneyland when…” experience! 😉

You Know You’re Eating In Disney World When…

There are strangers eating in the back seat of your car.

Who's in the Back Seat?!?

You memorize the color of the soap in the bathroom while your kids willingly set the table.

Setting the table

You can’t wait to take a bite out of a mouse ear.

That's better!

You get bragging rights for eating dinner while watching fireworks.

Fireworks and castle from Narcoossees

You ask a yellow bear if [Read more…]

Guest Review: Planet Hollywood

By AJ 12 Comments

Learn About:Planet Hollywood

Disney Springs
Disney World Restaurants

Bill Iadonisi returns with a star-studded review of a Downtown Disney restaurant – Planet Hollywood. Take it away, Bill!

No one can mistake the iconic “Planet Hollywood” restaurant. With its girded blue starred globe and flying saucer overhang over the entrance, it’s like nothing else around.

This Hollywood themed restaurant was the brainchild of Robert Earl, a prominent figure in the food and beverage industries, specializing in themed based eateries. His financial backers at the start were stars Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Baron Montague.

At its peak there were over one hundred restaurants worldwide, now only 20 remain.

View from Upper Level

Hanging Props

Planet Hollywood is a themed restaurant in the style of Rainforest Café and T-Rex, other Downtown Disney watering holes. If you love anything about Hollywood, blockbuster movies and film stars, this is the place to dine.

It’s three floors of [Read more…]

Disney Food Post Round-Up: October 2, 2011

By AJ Leave a Comment

Hooray! Today begins WDW Foodie Fest 2011, our annual Disney Food Blog meet-up!

For those of you in Walt Disney World, we hope to see you at Ariel’s Restaurant at Disney’s Beach Club Resort today between 11am-1pm. Our meet-up is free and we can’t wait to meet you.

For more details about WDW Foodie Fest, check out www.WDWFoodieFest.com.

Disney Food News

Here’s the latest in the Disney Food World this week…

The Epcot Food and Wine Festival has begun! We have photos of all of the food available in the World Showcase booths as well as breaking news and a peek at new festival merchandise. Check out our 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival pages for details.
Sanaa’s Dine With An Animal Specialist lunch has been expanded and is now offered on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Beaches and Cream has two brand new desserts! We review them here.
We’ve reviewed Sci-Fi Dine In Theater’s new menu as well!

The DFB Mini-Guide to the 2011 Epcot Food & Wine Festival e-Book Reviews

More great reviews for our newest DFB Mini-Guide! We hope this book is helping lots of folks who are visiting the festival this weekend! Pick up your copy of the DFB Mini-Guide to the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival e-Book today!

Samland Disney recently reviewed the guide; here’s an excerpt:
Bottom line. If you are going to the Food and Wine Festival in 2011 then you should have already purchased this e-book. If not, but are a big fan of the event, you may want to consider buying it as it is one of the most comprehensive summaries of the festival with lots of photos.

Read the full review here! You can also see Sam’s review on MiceChat.com!

Here’s what Walt Disney World for Grown-Ups has to say:
I missed a lot of the festival last year trying to tackle it without a plan. Not this year though; I’ve downloaded the Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide to the 2011 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival to my iPhone and all the information I need will be right at my fingertips throughout vacation.

Read the full review here!

On to the Round-Up!

A Wedding Cake Blog

features a Mickey and Minnie pumpkin cake topper. Fall cuteness!

Yesterland.com has his first Food & Wine Festival overview up!

Main Street Gazette reviews the new Columbia Harbour House menu!

AllEars.net Has gathered photos of Festival Merchandise as well! A cute Chef Goofy big fig is in the mix!

Karen and Mike Westfall posted a pic of their new little girl’s very first Dole Whip! I couldn’t help but post that!

First Dole Whip

News! Walt Disney World 40th Anniversary Cupcake!

By Melissa 4 Comments

Happy 40th Birthday to Walt Disney World!

Lines were long for the special 40th Anniversary Cupcake available in the Magic Kingdom! Flavor choices were the classic chocolate or vanilla.

WDW 40th Anniversary Cupcake

Did you get to try one?

What’s New For 2011 at the WDW Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic

By AJ 2 Comments

Just one more week until the Second Annual Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic, which will take place Friday, October 7, and Saturday, October 8, 2011.

Check out loads of new menu photos and information here!

We’ve interviewed one of the head honchos (and Riesling Rendevous seminar teacher!) to give you a sneak peek into this year’s event — which has tripled in size!

Event Details From Luciano Sperduto, Assistant Director of Food & Beverage

As Assistant Director of Food & Beverage for the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, Luciano is part of the leadership team responsible for planning and overseeing the execution of the Food & Wine Classic.

More Food and Beverage Booths Will Appear This Year

This year, look for 26 beverage booths and more than 11 food booths, including a new addition from the Garden Grove!

garden grove jumbo lump crab cake slider

The pastry booth alone will have eight to ten items to nosh on!

Cocktail 101 Seminars Introduced

When guests requested more spirits, Cocktail 101 seminars were devised.

In these 15-minute seminars, you’ll learn how [Read more…]

First Look! 2011 Epcot Food & Wine Festival Merchandise

By AJ 16 Comments

We gave you a sneak peek of some of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival Merchandise here, but, as usual, there are a few more pieces added in once you arrive at the Festival Shop in the World Showcase!

As always, read all about the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival, see booth menus and photos, and more, on our Epcot Food and Wine Festival pages!

Food & Wine Festival Coffee Mugs

The Food and Wine Festival Cookbook is extremely popular every year, and they only sell it for a limited time! Check out the UPC code below and order one! To order, call 407-363-6200 or email [email protected] to place an order.

2011 Food & Wine Festival Cookbook

Price and Code for Cookbook

And are we surprised to see [Read more…]

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