Why Disney World Needs An Automat

Automats are 1. Fun, 2. Out-of-the-Ordinary, and 3. Nostalgic. Wouldn’t that fit right into what you’d expect in Disney World? But let’s begin at the beginning…

What’s an Automat?
What’s an automat, you ask? Nope — it’s not a laundromat. It’s a construct of the first half of the 20th century — a restaurant + vending machine combination. Automats offered individual servings of freshly made food that were placed behind little windows. If you wanted one of the items, you dropped your nickels in the slot, opened the little window, and took out the plate. The ultimate in “fast food” before fast food joints existed!

Automat Photo (c) National Geographic

Automats were prevalent and prominent in New York City and Philadelphia — primarily run by Horn and Hardart; they popped up in [Read more…]

News: Wine Tastings and Wine Dinners at Jiko

By Kim LaPaglia 10 Comments

South African Wine at Jiko

Where do you go to enjoy one of the finest South African wine collections on the North American continent? Jiko-The Cooking Place at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in Walt Disney World! Sommeliers at Jiko have great reason to boast about their vintages!

Thankfully, they enjoy sharing their knowledge (and wine!) with guests.

Jiko Wine Tastings
On Wednesday afternoons from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., stop by Jiko to sample three South African wines paired with cheese and fruit.
The cost is $25 plus tax and gratuity and you should make a reservation by calling 407-938-7149.

Jiko Wine Dinners
Looking for South African wines paired with incredible cuisines? There are six dinners planned where guests will savor their meals while the winemakers and chef are on hand to describe each course!

May 4 – Post House Winery with Nick Geber. The Post House farm is part of a popular winery in South Africa’s Stellenbosch region.

June 8 – This meal features winemaker Alex Dale, founder of [Read more…]

Review: Epcot’s Bistro de Paris

By AJ 21 Comments

Learn About:Bistro de Paris

Epcot Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

One of Disney World’s “signature” restaurants, Bistro de Paris is a truly elegant getaway from stereotypical theme park dining.

The restaurant is the concept of French chefs Roger Verge, Paul Bocuse, and the late Gaston Lenotre; these three also created concepts for — and originally ran — Chefs de France downstairs from the Bistro and the Boulangerie Patisserie next door. Today, Chef Bocuse’s son keeps an eye on the proceedings here.

Bistro is expensive and high-end, and service is usually excellent. I’ve heard raves about this restaurant, but I’ve also heard that it can be disappointing. My review lands somewhere in the middle.

Atmosphere

The entrance to the restaurant can be tough to find! Guests must walk into the France pavilion and all the way around Chefs de France before coming to a small, residential-looking door marked with a small Bistro sign and menu. I can imagine wandering around the pavilion for quite some time if I were looking for this place in the dark!

Once you enter, things become much more…refined. The general feeling of the Bistro lobby is one of richness.

Entryway Ceiling

Lighting

The deep red carpeting, brass fixtures, milk-glass light treatments, and drop-dead gorgeous art nouveau staircase and “chandelier” are [Read more…]

Tables in Wonderland April 2011 Events

By Kim LaPaglia 3 Comments

Click on image for larger version

click on image for larger version

Cairo Buffet Dinner Show

Date and Time:

Saturday April 30, 2011 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Location: Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Indiana Jones™ Epic Stunt Spectacular
Cost: $160 per person, plus tax. Gratuity is included.

Indy and Marion need YOU to be on the set for this live show featuring awe-inspiring action and adventure!

Thrill to the pulse-pounding explosions, crashes, clashes, and death-defying stunts of Indiana Jones’ onscreen adventures. Enjoy a close-up view to this stage spectacular that reveals some of the moviemaking magic responsible for Indy’s triumphs over deadly traps, bad-guy battles and epic-scale obstacles. Inspired b [Read more…]

Review: Disneyland’s Rancho del Zocalo

By AJ 17 Comments

In an effort to finally finish out my reviews from my trip to Disneyland last year, you’ll see a few of my own Disneyland-related posts alongside Heather’s over the next few weeks/months! Today, we’re visiting Rancho del Zocalo in Disneyland Park!

This gorgeous counter-service restaurant is found in Disneyland Park’s Frontierland features Mexican favorites that rival anything you’d find in [Read more…]

Disney Food for Families: The DVC Villa Kitchens, Part 2

By Erin 12 Comments

Erin Foster, our Disney Food for Families columnist, is back with another useful post about making food when staying in the Disney Vacation Club villas!

In part one of The DVC Villa Kitchens series, I showed you the tools you’ll have to work with if you’re cooking in a Walt Disney World Vacation Club villa kitchen. Here in part two, I’m going to show you what foods you’ll have ready access to cook.

Beach Club one-bedroom villa kitchen and dining area

If you have a car, your own or a rental, you can easily make a stop at a local supermarket to get any of your favorite food items. There are also a number of local Orlando area services that will deliver grocery items to your hotel. Among the most popular of these is Garden Grocer at gardengrocer.com. I’ll get to exploring those options in my next post. For now, I’m going to go over what types of foods you’ll typically find for sale at your WDW resort hotel.

What Groceries Will I Find At My Disney Vacation Club Resort?

The good news for guests wanting to do some bare bones cooking during their vacation is that the resorts that house the villa-style rooms all have a mini convenience store section in their gift shops and all DVC resorts also offer guests the chance to order groceries ahead of time to be in the room when they arrive.

The foods and supplies listed below can be found at [Read more…]

Disney Restaurants Offer Easter Meals in 2011

By Kim LaPaglia 4 Comments

Many WDW restaurants will have special meals for Easter. If you’ll be dining on more than chocolate eggs, make sure to make an Advance Dining Reservation at one of these locations!

HOPPY EASTER IN THE MAGIC KINGDOM

Captain’s Grille: Easter Brunch Buffet
The menu at Captain’s Grill will include cheese, soups and salads; pork loin, carved roast beef, and glazed ham; and a cold seafood bar. Multiple desserts, including a gelato bar!, will be included. Cost: Adults $28.75, Children $12.77.

Cape May Cafe Easter Dinner:
The menu at Cape May Cafe includes Clam Chowder, a carving station, a spicy seaweed salad with mussels, and barbecue pork ribs! End your meal with the famous Oreo Bon Bons from [Read more…]

Snack Series: Oreo Bon Bon Cupcake and Peanut Butter Cupcake

By AJ 27 Comments

A reader/cast member tipped me off to some new cupcakes being offered over at the Boardwalk Bakery!! While these may change monthly or seasonally, I just had to share ’em with you!

Oreo Bon Bon Cupcake
Likely named after the famous Oreo BonBons at Cape May Cafe‘s evening clam bake, the Oreo Bon Bon cupcake is massive and Mickey-fied!

Oreo Bon Bon Cupcake

Interestingly, the Oreo cupcake is a yellow vanilla cake (who’d a thunk it?) with vanilla frosting. A ribbon of Oreo crumbs coats the bottom of the frosting, and two little Oreos make a Mickey Mouse out of the whole thing.

The frosting is a bit light for my taste — closer to that on the Black Forest Cupcake than the Marble Cupcake — but it’s very tasty.

The Oreos stuck into the top were, [Read more…]

Disney Food Post Round-Up: April 10, 2011

By AJ 8 Comments

Casey's New Specialty Hot Dogs

I’ve been having fun sharing my latest restaurant reviews and there’s lots more on the way from our March trip to Disney World.

Plus, stay tuned this week for a 2011 WDW Foodie Fest announcement.

Let’s start with the latest news:

The Disney Food Blog Restaurant Search Tool was launched in Beta. Search for your dining locations now!
New specialty hot dogs at Casey’s Corner
Vinylmation cupcake designs coming soon
Disney focuses on healthy food

DFB Guide News & One-Day Discount Sale

And there are more stellar reviews of our e-Book, The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining to share this week. Hooray! About.com Theme Parks Guide, Arthur Levine, gave us a shout-out. Read it here. All’s Fare Food Blog also gave the book a thumbs up. Learn why the book is helpful to veteran visitors to WDW here.

You can purchase your own copy here: http://DFBGuide.com. Use code: DFBA11 for a 20% discount today only!

Now, on to the round-up!
Disney History shows a vintage commercial for Baker’s Instant Chocolate with Jiminy Crickett.

Eating (and Drinking) Around WDW creates Korean Lettuce Wraps with Roast Pork and Kimchi Slaw from the 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival South Korea booth!

Main Street Gazette taste tests a Mickey’s premium ice cream bar.

Imaginerding shares an early Disney marketing effort for the Globetrotter milk and bread program.

StudiosCentral shares a fun look at some photos with the theme of “drink.”

Disney Parks Blog highlights wine tastings and five-course specialty dinners offered at Jiko.

The Disney Go To Girl: A Luxury Travel Blog takes us to France. Well, Epcot’s France and highlights Les Chefs de France with a beautiful picture tour.

Illuminating Epcot braves the “Battle of the Steaks”.

Disney Food Pics of the Week: Anniversary Desserts

By Kim LaPaglia 7 Comments

Thank you for submitting your pictures to the Disney Food Blog Photo Extravaganza! Viewing your photos is a lot of fun and definitely tides us over between trips!

The Disney Food Pics of the Week this week feature desserts served to celebrate an anniversary. In honor of the Disney Food Blog’s two year anniversary, we want to thank our readers with these creative treats!

This anniversary dessert was served at Citricos in Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort.
Photographer: Carlos and Jen

Citrico's Anniversary Dessert

Chef Mickey’s presented a happy couple with [Read more…]

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