Guest Review: Andrew Zimmern Demo at Epcot Food & Wine Festival

The amazing Ms. Sarah Holodick is back to share some insights and pics of her recent encounters with two of TV’s most famous foodies — Robert Irvine and Andrew Zimmern! Don’tcha just wish you coulda been there? Stay tuned for the review of Robert Irvine’s demo. Below is the review of Andrew Zimmern’s demo.

Andrew Zimmern Demo: Saturday, October 23, 2010

On Saturday, October 23rd, Matt and I had the opportunity to see Andrew Zimmern’s Culinary Demonstration at the Festival Center of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. We had seen him at last year’s demonstration and book signing, and he did not disappoint! He is a sincerely personable individual, and his stories are not only entertaining — you truly learn from him. It’s entertaining to watch him cook (as opposed to eating grubs and durian)!

Andrew Zimmern

What stood out to me not only last year, but this year as well, was the slight fear among guests that he would prepare bugs or the like for us. Andrew has literally been typecast as “the guy who eats all that weird stuff on TV.” While this is true of what he often does on his show, he does in fact realize that most Americans probably [Read more…]

Best of the Fest: 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Favorites

By AJ 19 Comments

In honor of the 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival‘s final weekend, I’d like to rattle off a few of my favorite dishes from this year’s 15th Anniversary Event World Showcase Promenade! To see menus, pricing, and more food photos from the Festival, check out our Booth Pages!

Puerto Rico: Medianoche Sandwich and Bacardi Frozen Torched Cherry Colada
The Puerto Rico booth packs a punch this year, with just about everything on the menu being crave-worthy! We particularly loved the Medianoche Sandwich, partly for its name and partly for its incredible, savory taste. What a great mix of flavors!

The perfect accompaniment: a Frozen Torched Cherry Colada. A creamy, icy, sweet treat, this had a very distinctive flavor and texture — truly a winner.

medianoche sandwich

Bacardi Frozen Torched Cherry Colada

Canada: Chicken Chipotle Sausage with Sweet Corn Polenta and Nanaimo Bar
The Canada booth remains my favorite from the festival. The Chicken Chipotle Sausage (a miniature of [Read more…]

New Epcot Coffee Kiosk and Snack Stand Opens By Monorail

By AJ 18 Comments

Yowza!! Thanks to Amanda Tinney, who writes Disney Every Day, for sending along these photos of the brand new snack and coffee stand outside of Epcot.

New Epcot Snack Stand and Coffee Kiosk

This is located next to the monorail station outside of the main entrance of Future World. I love the EPCOT Center-esque fonts and [Read more…]

Review: Epcot’s Via Napoli

By AJ 33 Comments

Alrighty, folks, settle in — this is gonna be a long one! I very happily stuffed my face at Via Napoli twice on my last Orlando trip, and I’m pleased to share all the news on what has become one of my favorite restaurants in Walt Disney World!

Atmosphere

Located in Epcot’s Italy pavilion (walk straight to the back; you can’t miss it), this massive, airplane-hanger-of-a-room is cavernous, but beautiful and filled with light, hustle, bustle, and the most amazing smells.

Via Napoli Dining Room

Artisan tiles dot the floor; whimsical chandeliers hang like ornaments throughout the restaurant; chipping frescoes give depth to the walls; and old-fashioned travel-themed artwork reminds you of all the places in Italy you haven’t been. The warm, neutral colors with pops of [Read more…]

Food Network’s “24-Hour Restaurant Battle” Casting in Orlando This Weekend

By AJ 2 Comments

24 Hour Restaurant Battle, Food Network’s successful competition reality series, is currently casting for its second season and is holding an open casting call in Orlando on Sunday November 14, 2010.

We are looking for charismatic and outgoing two person teams with pre-existing relationships, who have always dreamed of running their own restaurant. Applicants may have lots of restaurant experience, no restaurant experience, or some combination of both. One member of the team will run the “back of the house” and one member will run the “front of the house”. As a team they must have the skills to open and run their own restaurant!

Specs

Sunday, November 14, 2010
10am-1pm
Holiday Inn Orlando
5905 Kirkman Rd, Orlando, FL 32819

Please click on the following flyer for [Read more…]

Slushies for Grown-Ups: Which Is Your Favorite?

By AJ 16 Comments

Don’t get me wrong, I love slush puppies and slurpees as much as the next kid-at-heart, but sometimes ya just need a little vodka.

Disney has been wowing guests for years with two citrus-y, slushie concoctions that you need to be above 21 to order; and at this time of year they a third to the mix — only in town for a limited time — that might just top the other two…

Grand Marnier Orange Slush and Grey Goose Citron/Lemon Slush
The Grand Marnier Slush and the Grey Goose Slush sit side by side in Epcot’s France pavilion at a little outdoor champagne kiosk across from Les Chefs de France.

Slush Machines in Epcot's France Pavilion

Nothing about the slush machines swirling those orange and yellow mixtures would tip newcomers off to the fact that these two drinks are some of the most highly-recommended and beloved signature cocktails in Walt Disney World, but every once in a while [Read more…]

The Big Deal About Butterscotch Pudding

By AJ 9 Comments

“Holy delicious!!” “Not to miss.” “Crazy good.” These are the kinds of reviews I’d been hearing about the butterscotch pudding at the new La Luce by Donna Scala at the Hilton Bonnet Creek Resort. That’s right; butterscotch pudding. Like, the stuff you remember from when you were a kid that came out of a box or a plastic cup and was pretty much what was left over after everyone else ate the chocolate pudding. I was skeptical to say the least. I’ve clearly never been a butterscotch pudding fan.

But my favorite review — and the one that made me finally want to close the book on this dessert — was from TampaBay.com’s food critic, Jim Webster: “There are other options beside the butterscotch pudding. They may even be good. Ignore them.”

It turns out this stuff even has its own facebook fan page.

Fast forward to my recent Orlando trip where we got the chance to head over to La Luce (the Hilton Bonnet Creek is located between Downtown Disney and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, inside the WDW gates) and finally try it.

La Luce Butterscotch Pudding

And, yeah. This is not the pudding you remember from your lunch box — or even from your grandma’s homemade recipe. Made with 12-year Macallan Scotch, the pudding is velvety rich, and creamy. There’s no hint of [Read more…]

Holiday and Christmas Treats in Disney World

By AJ 19 Comments

Yep — Christmas has come to Disney World! It showed up around Wednesday of last week and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing!

Lucky for you and me, my Mom and Dad are in Disney World this week and I’ve been getting a steady feed of photos sent to the coffer each day!

Candy Cane Garden next to City Hall and the Firehouse

So here are some of the Christmas- and holiday-themed goodies you can enjoy in Walt Disney World this season. (By they way, this is by no means an extensive list; I’ll be heading to WDW in early December to capture even more holiday snacks on camera as they come available. I can’t wait to see what Karamell Kuche will do…)

First off, everyone’s favorite holiday treat — pumpkin fudge!! They found this at the Confectionery on Main Street in Magic Kingdom.

Pumpkin Fudge

And a yummy-looking seasonal muffin from Writer’s Stop in Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Dad says its [Read more…]

New Restaurants on Track in Disney California Adventure

By AJ 3 Comments

As part of Disneyland Resort’s ginormous expansion and refurb of Disney’s California Adventure, the park is welcoming several new restaurants to the mix!

Paradise Pier

At Paradise Pier, you’ll soon find Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta and the Paradise Garden Grill taking up residence. You can see the concept art for the new restaurants here! Clearly Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy are very excited, as indicated by these fun construction walls set up in DCA (thanks to our Disneyland Correspondent, Heather Sievers, for the pics!).

Cars Land

And over in Cars Land, we’ll find three new spots to munch: The Cozy Cone Motel will sell “cone” themed goodies, Fillmore’s Taste-In will sell “natural snacks and drinks,” and Flo’s V8 Cafe will serve diner food inspired by the restaurants found along Route 66. The OC Register published an awesome map of the space recently, and they have more Cars Land info here.

Can’t wait!! (And for those who got the pun in the title, my apologies ;-D)

Disney Food Post Round-Up: November 7, 2010

By AJ 2 Comments

Brewer's Collection at Disney's California Food and Wine Festival 2010

Hey all — welcome to the Disney Food Post Round-Up!

The big — and sad — Disney food news this week is about Disneyland’s unfortunate announcement that Disney’s California Food and Wine Festival will be canceled in 2011 and 2012, with no promises that it will return in 2013. You can read my thoughts here.

Also, we’re going into the final week of the 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival! I hear the lines are getting really long, so plan ahead! You can see all of our coverage here, and World Showcase Booth food photos, menus, and prices here!

Now, on to the round-up!

Yesterland has a photo eulogy for the Disney World Downtown Disney McDonald’s — along with a couple of construction pics from the upcoming Pollo Campero!

Frugal Dinks has a great review of the Food and Sake pairing in Epcot’s Japan at the Food and Wine Festival!

Main Street Gazette has another peek into the Epcot Food and Wine Festival! Check out these gorgeous photos (and review) of the United States booth’s incredible heirloom tomato dish.

WDW Today Podcast has a very cool (if I do say so myself…) look at the new restaurants in Epcot’s World Showcase…and Karamell Kuche, too!

Mouseplanet has the dish on ordering celebration cakes in Disneyland!!

DisneyGeek has a pic of some Disney-branded potato chips in Disney California Adventure (Disney makes ‘tater chips?)

The Culinary Cellar enjoyed a wonderful visit to the Contemporary Resort’s California Grill, with a few extras thrown in!

Disney Parks Blog showcases the Thanksgiving Buffet at Vero Beach Resort, as well as this great video about creating quick, easy, and beautiful caramel ice cream toppers from one of our favorite Chefs — Kevin Dundon (see our interview with Chef Dundon here)!

Remember! The Orlando Food and Wine Festival is November 13-14 — learn more over on Watch Me Eat.

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