Review: Olivia's Cafe at Disney's Old Key West Resort

Review: Olivia’s Cafe at Disney’s Old Key West Resort

Olivia’s Cafe over at Old Key West in Walt Disney World is just about the most homey restaurant in Walt Disney World. Its only rival would be Trail’s End, and I see them both as a great place to meet up with old friends year after year.

These are the types of restaurants that inspire memories of heading off on summer vacation, reuniting with friends you haven’t seen in a while, and enjoying some good food together in an atmosphere that’s as familiar to you as your own kitchen. I guess that’s what Disney was going for with the Disney Vacation Club, and they’ve achieved it at Olivia’s.

Atmosphere

In fact, when I walked into Olivia’s, it almost felt as though the needle scratched off of the record in the jukebox and everyone turned to stare at the newcomer. Because I’m not a regular at Old Key West, it really did feel like I was a bit out of place at this restaurant that’s frequented by Disney Vacation Club members who are owners at Old Key West.

Olivia's Sign

Olivia's Open Sign

Of course, that was only my perception. After checking in, we were [Read more…]

New and Expanded Restaurants at Disneyland’s Main Street USA

By Kim LaPaglia 3 Comments

More Disney food news and updates — this time, we’re back in Disneyland Park…

Jolly Holiday Bakery and Cafe Replaces Blue Ribbon Bakery

Recently, the Plaza Pavilion at the end of Disneyland’s Main Street USA has been used as the Annual Pass Processing Center. For foodies, this is just wasted space! The good news is that January 2012 will see the opening of the Jolly Holiday Bakery and Cafe at this location. Look for an expanded menu and outdoor seating!

Inspired by the “Jolly Holiday” song in Mary Poppins, I wonder if they’ll offer “raspberry ice…and then some cakes and tea”. For certain, the next part of the song will not be reproduced: “Order what you will; There’ll be no bill; It’s complimentary.” 😉

At the same time, the Blue Ribbon Bakery will shut its doors as part of the Main Street, U.S.A. revitalization.

Carnation Cafe Indoor Seating

Carnation Cafe

(circa 1997) will then close for refurbishment at the beginning of the year. When it re-opens, the table-service restaurant will offer indoor seating once again as [Read more…]

Disney Food Post Round-Up: August 21, 2011

By AJ Leave a Comment

Cupcakes at the D23 Expo

We’re having a great time gathering all the news from the D23 Expo! See some of the latest below…

Latest Disney Food News

News from D23 Expo, including scoop on the Carthay Circle Restaurant and D23 Expo Reception Eats.
Updates on food-themed Vinylmation!
Oh, yes! Mickey-shaped pretzels were spotted in the Magic Kingdom!

We’ve got more news coming out today, so stay tuned!

Reminder: The DFB Mini-Guide to the 2011 Epcot Food & Wine Festival e-Book Now Available!

Our guide includes over 130 pages of information about this year’s Festival! It’s written as a planning guide for veterans of the festival and those visiting for the first time!

One of our favorite bonus items is a daily schedule to help you plan your most delicious adventures!

You can get your own copy of our new mini-guide here! Remember to use code CHEF for $2 off the regular price! 😉

On to the Round-Up!

Daveland

takes us back in time to the Contemporary’s Top of the World. See more photos here.

Main Street Gazette reminds us that ordinary WDW food is special too! Root beer floats!

Gorillas Don’t Blog show us vintage popcorn boxes!

MSNBC Food And Wine gives a culinary shout-out to Disney dining! You might want to check out the slide show to see some familiar photos from one of your favorite food blogs… 😉

The Disney Blog shows us the changes made in the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue song due to a copyright issue.

Disney Parks Blog begins a new series highlighting the beautiful cakes made at WDW. Yes, bake me a cake, too!

“it’s a small world” Artwork-Inspired Tableware Now Available

By Kim LaPaglia 15 Comments

The World of Disney Store and other locations in Disneyland Resort have a selection of adorable it’s a small world Disneyland Park items. Inspired by Mary Blair’s original artwork, these items are great collectibles commemorating the 45th anniversary of this beloved park attraction.

Teapot

While the catchy tune is still stuck in your head, Mary Blair’s artwork takes you on a journey around the world as your boat floats by each scene. Look for a Mary Blair exhibit in the Disney Gallery at the Disneyland Park, which celebrates the [Read more…]

Carthay Circle Restaurant and More Food News From D23 Expo

By AJ 6 Comments

Some exciting (and, unfortunately, vague) news came out of the D23 Expo Disney Parks and Resorts event today! Here’s what we heard about food and restaurants:

Carthay Circle Restaurant
As we reported back in 2009, the Carthay Circle Theater replica, which will soon take center stage in Disney California Adventure, will house an exclusive restaurant. Acclaimed Napa Rose Chef Andrew Sutton is in charge of menu development for this new dining spot, and we expect it to be extremely high end.

Carthay Circle Theater Will House a New Restaurant

Possible Club 33 Program Extension
In fact, in that long-ago reporting, we mentioned that Disneyland was looking to extend its exclusive Club 33 membership program and that the Carthay Circle Restaurant could be a new exclusive club option (“The Carthay Circle Club”, or Triple C). Today, Disney execs again mentioned a teaser about [Read more…]

Dining in Disneyland: D23 Reception Eats

By Heather 8 Comments

Dining in Disneyland columnist Heather Sievers reporting (almost) live from the D23 Expo…

Last night, AJ and I attended the D23 Media Reception over at the Anaheim Convention Center. Not only did we get an amazing preview of the expo, but they fed us too! Here are some of the delicious goodies that we got to sample.

Fruit Skewers

Can you believe it? Monte Cristo!

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

Although we were VERY excited to see these famous sandwiches, we were really wishing there was [Read more…]

Top Five Disney Brownies

By AJ 47 Comments

They may not be as fancy as cake or as rich as fudge, but they sure are a great compromise! Brownies are a true comfort food, and Disney has figured out several ways to make them even more special. Check out our top five Disney brownies below!

Cheesecake Brownie

This gorgeous confection is brownie on the bottom and cheesecake on the top. A perfect mixture of “classy” and “comfort!” Find this one at the Boardwalk Bakery in Disney World’s Boardwalk Inn.

Boardwalk Bakery Cheesecake Brownie

Brownie-Frosting Sandwich

Found at Earl of Sandwich, the brownie-frosting sandwich is pretty true to its name. Two of Earl’s incredible, chocolate-chip packed brownies sandwich some incredible buttercream frosting. You’ll definitely need to share this one!

Earl of Sandwich Brownie-Frosting Sandwich

White Chocolate Chip Brownie

Get this one over at Starring Rolls Cafe in Disney’s Hollywood Studios! While it may be upstaged by its cupcake counterparts, the white chocolate chip brownie is well worth [Read more…]

Tips from the Mini-Guide: Food and Wine Festival Daily Schedule

By Kim LaPaglia 4 Comments

The DFB Mini-Guide to the 2011 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival e-Book is our new guide to help you navigate the flavors, feasts and fun offered at this year’s Epcot Food and Wine Festival! (Don’t forget to use code “CHEF” for your $2 discount!)

Find the Info That’s Helpful for YOU

Finding your way around the largest food and wine festival in the world can be daunting. For many people, searching through every event listing is tiring and frustrating, since most of us will only be at the festival for a day or two.

To help cut down on planning time, we’ve broken down every published event into an easy-to-read, day-by-day schedule so that you can quickly find out what is being offered on the day (or hopefully days!) of your visit to Epcot. There’s no need for you to wade through details of events that are happening when you’re not there — use our schedule to review only the information you need to make your Food & Wine Festival visit as magical as possible.

Here’s a sample page to show you what we mean… [Read more…]

Ode to Mickey Beignets

By AJ 24 Comments

We made it to Disneyland! We arrived Wednesday morning, and what’s the first thing we did? Eat beignets. A lot of beignets!

As you may know, one of our favorite restaurants in Disneyland, Cafe Orleans, offers Mickey-shaped beignets as a dessert menu item. Beignets are a New Orleans staple (which is why you’ll find them at Cafe Orleans and at the Mint Julep Bar in Disneyland’s New Orleans Square) — rich, buttery pastry fried in hot oil until it turns into a golden brown pillow of deliciousness.

Mickey Beignets with Raspberry Coulis and Vanilla Bean Creme Anglaise

The beignets are doused in powdered sugar and artfully stacked upon one another to form a towering pile of dessert. And, at Cafe Orleans, the beignets are served with [Read more…]

Disney Foodie Vinylmation Update

By Erin 2 Comments

Disney Food for Families columnist Erin Foster is our Vinylmation guru, too! Check out these cute new food Vinylmation figures and ear hats!

We’ve covered the world of foodie Vinylmation several times in the past, from a Rice Krispie create-your-own to sushi and, of course cupcakes.

Since then, there have been some additions to the Vinyl food world. The Urban 7 series of Vinylmation figures was released in July. I couldn’t resist adding this spaghetti and meatballs figure to my buffet of food-themed Vinylmations.

Spaghetti and meatballs front.

Isn’t it adorable? Makes me think of [Read more…]

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