food IS a theme park
Disney’s What’s HapPINing Blog gives us quick mini-look at some of this year’s 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival specialty pins today!
Here’s the exclusive Annual Passholder pin:
Annual Passholder Exclusive Pin
This pin is exclusive for Disney Vacation Club Members: [Read more…]
We’re gearing up for the 2011 WDW Foodie Fest events, which begin the first week of October — check out our schedule of events here!
Isn’t Disney food even better when we share it with friends? We designed the WDW Foodie Fest as a party for Disney Food fans as we celebrate the opening days of the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival!
Currently there are four events scheduled during WDW Foodie Fest!
Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011: WDW Foodie Fest Main Event
Let’s all meet at Ariel’s in Disney’s Beach Club Resort from 11am-1pm.
This FREE event is available to everyone, and is an [Read more…]
The D23 Expo in Anaheim is right around the corner, and those of us who have never been are starting to think about what and where to eat while we’re there! Welcome Carrie Hayward, author of PassPorter’s Disney Weddings & Honeymoons, as she gives us a primer on dining options at the D23 Expo! Thanks, Carrie!
If you’re a reader of The Disney Food Blog and you’re headed to Anaheim for the D23 Expo, 2011, you are probably wondering what sort of dining options will be available at the convention.
The first thing to know is that all concessions are handled by Aramark, whose food you may recognize from arenas, convention centers, and stadiums across the country. Disney will augment these offerings with a few treats brought in from the parks, namely Mickey premium ice cream bars and Mickey pretzels.
Two other Disney park favorites—churros and fudge—will be made by Aramark. However, you’ll find that their churros taste familiar because Aramark also makes the ones sold in the parks. And you might even like their fudge better than Disney’s!
D23 Expo Fudge (Those are totally not teeth marks—honest!)
The D23 Expo Show Floor will occupy only two of the facility’s four ground-floor exhibit halls this time around, and most of the event’s food service has been consolidated within them. This leaves just two indoor counter-service spots, one outdoor spot, a lunch cart on the second floor, and a coffee stand in the lobby. Gone are the rooftop kabob stand and access to the Arena Grill, which had the most diverse offerings and the freshest food at the last Expo.
Let’s take a look at dining options in each area of the convention center so you’ll know what’s nearby as you wander the show floor or wait in line. I’ll also offer tips for making the most of your D23 Expo dining and snacking experience.
Anaheim Convention Center First Floor Plan -- Click for Larger Image
Eco-Grounds
This specialty coffee stand will offer packaged salads, sandwiches, and wraps, along with freshly made mini-doughnuts. Fresh funnel cakes will be available in the afternoon.
Located in Halls A and B, the D23 Expo Show Floor is where you’ll go to see Imagineering’s handiwork in the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Pavilion, track down rare items in the Collectors’ Forum, purchase official [Read more…]
The Disney Parks Blog gave us a quick mini-look at some of this year’s 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival merchandise today!
Sneak Peek at Food and Wine Festival Merchandise
And there’s also a dedicated Vinylmation that’s been created just for the Festival!
We love the box [Read more…]
Reader Venessa H. recently sampled some of the Green Tea Ice Cream at the brand new Kabuki Cafe in Epcot’s Japan pavilion and sent us a mini-review.
Green Tea Ice Cream
When I thought “green tea ice cream,” I thought it would be creamy and scooped out onto a little bowl — it’s texture would just melt in your mouth. Yet, it was packaged and hard and kind of like the Gelato you get over in the Italy stand (which isn’t even Gelato anymore).
Even when I let it melt a little, it just didn’t feel right. It was somewhat refreshing and it had that artificial green tea flavor. By all means people should [Read more…]
Found at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Sanaa is a full-service restaurant offering fantastic meals with Indian and African influences.
From the floor-to-ceiling windows of the restaurant, guests have a fantastic view of the safari animals on the Sunset Savanna, meaning you’ll have a stellar show of zebra, giraffe, African birds, and several other breathtaking animals.
And while the animal viewing is a great draw for Sanaa’s guests, the interesting menu, food quality, and great service will surely bring them back time and time again. And the new test-phase of the Dine with an Animal Specialist program is surely going to bring plenty of folks to Sanaa!
Sanaa is located in Kidani Village, which is the Disney Vacation Club Villas section of Animal Kingdom Lodge. It sits next door to Jambo House, the main and original part of the Lodge.
Outside of Sanaa
A major complaint about Sanaa is its distance from the parks and other resort hotels in Disney World — you will have to use a Disney Transport bus, your own car, or a taxi to get here — but with all of the great [Read more…]
A brand new caramel apple has debuted in Disneyland, and our Dining in Disneyland columnist, Heather Sievers, has the details!
Went on a little dinner/movie outing to Downtown Disney last night and had to stop by Marceline’s for a quick inventory check and a caramel apple to go. We went for the standard “Minnie” apple, but upon check-out I noticed these adorable new “Belle” caramel apples.
$14.95 Each, Wow.
At $14.95 a pop, I was not willing to take one for the team. I did however ask the cast member to take an up close shot to share here on the blog. The cast member also told me that yesterday was the very first day they were being offered. So ladies and gentlemen, I give you the brand new [Read more…]
Kevin Kidney's WDW ceramic paper cup
Two words sum up this past week: Free Dining! It’s now available for the rest of 2011 and Spring 2012! See more details below.
After you book your vacation package, make sure to reserve your ADRs early! Any time free dining is offered, table service restaurants tend to be in high demand and often fill to capacity.
Our friends over at Walt Disney World For Grown-Ups were inspired to create a list of their top five Magic Kingdom snacks after checking out our newest e-Book, the Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide to Magic Kingdom Snacks! Many thanks, WDWFG!
You can get your own inspirational copy of our new mini-guide here! 😉
Progress City, U.S.A.
shows us a coaster from World Showcase! Hint: It’s not a thrill ride.
Studios Central helps us stay cool with refreshing beverages at Hollywood Studios. Bottoms up!
Bonnet Creek Blog shows Florida’s largest cupcake created during Cupcake Lovers Weekend at the Hilton Bonnet Creek Resort!
Eating (and Drinking) Around the World salutes National Tequila Day!
Main Street Gazette visits the Anandapur Local Foods Cafe this week!
The AllEars Blog takes us up close to the new restaurant complex at Disney California Adventure. Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta and Paradise Garden Grill serve up yummy eats at Paradise Pier!
All Fare’s Food Blog shares a personal experience with obtaining Disney’s Advance Dining Reservations for dining. And she even uses The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining for guidance! Woo-hoo!
Every once in a while we have a little fun posting some interesting Disney-related kitchen products, and our recent trip over to Think Geek has me thinking it’s time for a little Christmas in August post. 😉
Stock your kitchen with this exclusive Star Wars stuff!
Star Wars Cookbook
Outlines Galactic recipes to make in your own Cantina! The whole family will enjoy making out of this world cuisine such as Wookiee Cookies, Jedi Juice Bars, and Twin Sun Toast.
I wonder what Tusken Raider Taters are… Get the Wookiee Cookbook here!
Death Star Giant Cookie Jar
Place your cookies inside the Death Star to protect them from outside forces. Everyone will join the Dark Side in order to reach in for a tempting treat!
The best part is, half the people who come to your house won’t even know what it is, so they’ll just think you’re all post-modern. Get yours here.
Darth Vader Cookie Jar
If the Death Star doesn’t do it for you, maybe Darth himself will! He’s sporting his Lightsaber, so you can always pretend to win a duel to get your cookie, therefore deserving it that much more. Darth Vader Cookie Jar here (cookies not included).
Star Wars Vader’s Dark Side Roast Coffee
Don’t let a day in your universe begin without coffee manufactured by Stormtroopers. We can’t vouch for the taste, but surely it has to be better than Nescafe.
Have a cup while raiding your Death Star cookie jar. Get yours here.
Star Wars 10 oz. Glasses
Let the Force flow through you when enjoying your favorite Jedi Juice in these [Read more…]
If you’ve got a love of food and want to wear your heart on your sleeve, or rather your stomach on your chest, then Disney has a way to make that happen.
We saw the launch of food-themed clothing a while back with these fun cupcake patterns and, of course, the Turkey Leg T-shirt:
But the trend continues! The recently retooled merchandise shop at Epcot’s America pavilion now stocks a selection of non-Disney food-themed tee shirts and baseball caps. These items evoke Americana nostalgia, much like the shop’s new candy selection. Take a look:
Buckeye Donuts.
Joe's Cable Car Restaurant.
Otto's Sausage Kitchen and Meat Market.
Fuggedaboutit Pizzaria.
Gino's Deep Dish.
Loveless Cafe.
Capone's Root Beer.
Chicago Style Hot Dog.
Superdawg Drive In.
Manny's Cafeteria and Deli.
Over in the Germany pavilion, they’ve also got a collection of German food-themed [Read more…]
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