Disney Food Post Round-Up: July 17, 2011

2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Event Banner

We’re so excited about the response to our 2011 WDW Foodie Fest Snack Attack event. Tickets sold out within just a couple of hours on Friday!

For those who won’t be able to join us, we’d love to see you at the other WDW Foodie Fest events. You can check out the Schedule of Events here!

Disney Food News

Check out some of the latest news in the Disney food world!

Updates from the 2011 Food and Wine Festival Preview Dinner are in! Lots of great new events and details, as well as the overall theme of the festival, are included.
There were a few Le Cellier lunch menu changes recently.
A new refillable mug monitoring system using RFID chips will be tested at All-Star Sports Resort this week.
Epcot’s San Angel Inn unveils new menu items and decor.

New Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide Just Around the Corner…

Yep, we’re finishing up the final edits on our brand new Mini-Guide e-Book!

As you know, our DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining e-Book covers a wealth of information about Disney World food. But after hitting 250 pages, we reserved some of the more detailed info for our upcoming series of Mini-Guides.

The first in the series will be the Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide to Magic Kingdom Snacks, and it will be debuting very soon.

Detailed reviews, photos, prices, and snack-credit-worthiness of over 70 snacks in the Magic Kingdom are packed into this Mini-Guide, but, as always, we’ve included a few extras and bonus items as well!

We’ll have more information for you very soon; we can’t wait to hear what you think!

Let’s go…On to the Round-Up!

WDW for Grownups

checks out some Disney dining discounts!

Disney Tourist Blog reviews Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue in Disneyland Resort.

DisneyContemporary.com looks back at the Contemporary Resort’s Fiesta Fun Center.

Eating (and Drinking) Around the World looks at tuna-inspired dishes.

Main Street Gazette tours the Magic Kingdom restaurant signs that beckon us to dine.

Hoperatives reviews the brew pub, Big River Grille and Brewing Works at the Boardwalk resort. Find your “better beer”!

DLP.info shows updates us on construction at Colonel Hathi’s Pizza Outpost in Disneyland Paris.

4Parks1Blog.com reviews Kouzzina at the Boardwalk resort.

2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Preview Dinner Details

By AJ 20 Comments

Thanks to Zanna from Zannaland, who graciously agreed to cover the Tables in Wonderland 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Preview Dinner for us on July 16th, 2011! Here are a few tidbits of info she gathered at the event… . Please note that all photos are copyright Suzannah DiMarzio for Disney Food Blog and are not to be used without explicit permission from Disney Food Blog.

First, A Few Announcements:

The event revealed some important info, including the following:

The Festival Guide will be published on www.disneyworld.com/foodandwine on August 12th.
A weekly Festival Guide will be available at Epcot during the festival.
Reservations open August 16th at 7:00am ET — book events by calling 407-WDW-FEST (939-3378) or book online at www.disneyworld.com/foodandwine.
Epcot will close at 10pm on select Fridays and Saturdays during the festival.

Don’t forget to check out the 6-page Special Events Guide with all the details as published by Disney.

2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Theme

The new theme this year is a nod to travel from a pre-World War I perspective, with vintage luggage tags with a culinary flair and transportation icons.

2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Theme Intro

The banners that will be seen throughout the World Showcase will be [Read more…]

Dining in Disneyland: Lunch at Tangaroa Terrace

By Heather 7 Comments

Dining in Disneyland columnist Heather Sievers chimes in with her review of the brand new Tangaroa Terrace at the Disneyland Hotel!

Since the day it opened, I’ve been wanting to check out Tangaroa Terrace at the Disneyland Hotel. I had been by to take a peek, but had not had a chance to dine there. After the guest review posted here on The Disney Food Blog, I was so bummed to hear of a not so stellar experience, that I just didn’t make it a priority.

Restaurant Signage

And then I got an invite from a friend to meet her and her little ones for lunch… I am happy to report that I had a completely different experience and guess what? I absolutely LOVED it. Yes, LOVED in all caps.

Atmosphere and Ordering

We headed over for lunch about 1:30. The first thing I noticed is that there were zero people there. We walked through the empty patio seating area to the front doors without passing one person. My guess is that most guests were still in the parks and that there are still a lot of people who have no idea that this place even exists.

Empty Patio Seating

Ordering is simple, walk up to the kiosk, choose which type of menu you’d like to take a peek at, and [Read more…]

Le Cellier Lunch Menu Shifts

By AJ 10 Comments

Le Cellier gradauted its dinner menu to a Signature Dining option earlier this year (see our review here), but that wasn’t the end of the changes!

Our good friend Andy from Eating (and Drinking) around WDW recently sent over these photos of the new lunch menu at Le Cellier, which has been spiffed up a bit to accompany the restaurant’s new ‘spensive dinner menu.

Lunch Menu -- click for larger version

Gone are the Grilled Sirloin Salad and the Open-Face Canadian Cheese Steak Sandwich, replaced with a Crispy Fried Steak (roasted peppers, field greens, boursin cheese sauce (hubba hubba!!), and potato salad) and Le Cellier’s Steak and Potato Skillet (Beef tenderloin, mushrooms, and [Read more…]

Disney Dream Recipe: Smoked Bison from Remy

By AJ Leave a Comment

We’re still covering our visit on the January Christening Cruise, which we like to refer to as our Disney Dream Dine Around! And today I’ve got a recipe from the Disney Dream to share with adventurous chefs!

Smoked Bison at Remy

Where to Find It

At Remy aboard the Disney Dream, diners may want to enjoy this appetizer from the tasting or a la carte menu. In this French-inspired restaurant, at least you can pronounce the name of this selection! 😉

Remy is located on Deck 12 and is an adults-only restaurant that surpasses the luxury of the adjacent Palo. This is one of the finest dining experiences at sea!

How to Make It

OK, so this recipe is probably a bit too involved for me to try, but some of you adventurous chefs out there should be able to find the substitutes and give it a go! Let us know how it works out!

Smoked Bison with Melted Fennel and Leeks, Hearts of Palm Salad and Blood Orange-Tangerine Vinaigrette
Serves 8 as an appetizer

Bison Ingredients
1 pound buffalo tenderloin
3 tablespoons fennel pollen
Coarse salt, freshly ground black pepper

For the bison: [Read more…]

WDW Foodie Fest “Snack Attack” Special Event Tickets On Sale Now

By AJ 5 Comments

THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT. We hope you’ll come see us at other WDW Foodie Fest events the first week of October — check out our schedule of events here! Thank you!

The Disney Food Blog and WDW Foodie Fest are not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

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Great news!! Tickets now on sale for the Disney Food Blog’s Snack Attack, Featuring DFB Favorites!

Join me on October 4th at 8:30pm for Snack Attack, a new WDW Foodie Fest event combining some of your favorite Disney World snacks and an incredible view of IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth in Epcot!

And when I say “favorites,” I mean it! No boring, bite-sized desserts here! You’ve never seen a dessert party like this!

What’s the Snack Attack?

The Snack Attack, Featuring DFB Favorites is a dessert and fireworks party that will be held on a private terrace at the United Kingdom pavilion, and DFB has worked with Disney to provide a unique menu for our readers. Savor all of your favorite Disney snacks brought together in the same spot for one magical night! The dessert buffet will include our favorites:

Starring Rolls’ Butterfinger Cupcakes
Classic Disney Popcorn
Animal Kingdom Lodge Zebra Domes
Mickey Ice Cream Bars
Norway’s School Bread
Writer’s Stop’s Carrot Cake Cookies
Boardwalk Bakery’s Cheesecake Brownies
Starring Rolls’ Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes
And MORE!

While our DFB readers will certainly appreciate the one-of-a-kind menu, you’ll also be able to relax and enjoy an awe-inspiring view of IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, Epcot’s outstanding fireworks spectacular! No worries about where to locate your seat around World Showcase Lagoon. We’ll be sipping and noshing in our own private space!

IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth

Tickets are $40 per person (kids and adults) and include:
*Entrance to the event
*Access to the specialized menu dessert buffet
*Access to the private IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth viewing area
Families are welcome! Each member of your party will need a ticket for entry, regardless of age.

Only ticketed guests with their full names on our roster will be admitted to the event, so please pay attention to the instructions you receive after purchasing your tickets. Tickets are limited to 100 and will be sold first-come, first-served. Should the event be sold out, you can join our waiting list by emailing us at Support @ DFBGuide.com.

About WDW Foodie Fest

WDW Foodie Fest is a gathering of Disney Food fans in Walt Disney World during the opening week of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. Currently there are four events scheduled during WDW Foodie Fest, and there may be more to come! You can see the WDW Foodie Fest schedule of events here! In addition to the October 4th event, we’d love to see you at the WDW Foodie Fest Main Event on October 2nd!

Special thanks to our 2011 Foodie Fest Sponsors!

MEI Mousefan Travel

Raglan Road Restaurant and Pub and Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic

Please note that the event ticket price goes toward paying the costs for the event: space rental, specialty food and beverage costs, event staffing, etc.

Guest Review: Private Mother’s Day IllumiNations Dessert Party

By AJ 12 Comments

Welcome to guest author Mark Diehl with an illuminating 😉 review of an Epcot dessert party he created to honor the “mothers” in his life! He also inspired our upcoming WDW Foodie Fest Snack Attack dessert and fireworks event on October 4th — stay tuned as tickets will be going on sale today!

This was the second Mother’s Day we spent in Disney World, so I did some research and finally settled on an event we all could enjoy: a private IllumiNations Dessert Party.

It was not cheap, and while it was successful enough that I would want to do it every year, it was expensive enough that it was probably once in a lifetime for us. I got all of the information from Disney World private dining and once my contact Chris Ware (highly recommended, he was fantastic) sent me the sample dessert menus, I decided I needed to make my own custom dessert menu.

Decisions, Decisions

After bouncing around a number of ideas, I was able to narrow it down to 2, and ended up going with…neither of them.

Party of 6

The first idea was a dessert menu from the countries of Epcot. Each country was to be represented with a dessert item. The following was my menu proposal:

School Bread from Norway, Apple Strudel from Germany, Napoleons from France, Churros from Mexico, Sticky Toffee Pudding from UK, Tiramisu from Italy, Kaki Gori from Japan, Baklava from Morocco, Caramel Ginger Ice Cream from China, Campfire S’mores from Canada, Funnel Cake from USA.

The price for this menu came back at $95 per person. That may not sound bad, but when you consider that this was only for food and did not include the location rental, table set-up fee, or drinks, you can see it adds up [Read more…]

WDW Foodie Fest Snack Attack Tickets Going on Sale Friday, 7/15

By AJ Leave a Comment

Hi all! I’ve had several questions about when the Snack Attack tickets will go on sale, so I just wanted to give the heads up on timing.

Tickets for the October 4th, 2011 WDW Foodie Fest Snack Attack, featuring DFB Favorites, will go on sale Friday, July 15th.

Details will be on the WDW Foodie Fest website when the tickets are available. Details will also be e-mailed to anyone who registered on that website by 5pm on 7/14/11 AND to subscribers to the Disney Food Blog newsletter, so sign up for the newsletter this evening if you’d like to receive the notification as soon as the tickets are available.

Tickets are limited!

We hope you’ll be able to join us for this exciting event!

Epcot Food and Wine Festival HGTV Seminar Details Announced

By AJ Leave a Comment

If you’re an HGTV fan, you might want to block out a few weekends during the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival!

The details were just announced that some of your favorite Home and Garden Television personalities will be leading free (yep! FREE with Epcot admission) seminars during the festival this Fall. Seminars will focus on home entertaining.

Vern Yip-designed Dining Room

Here’s the schedule:

When: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the Festival (Sept. 30-Nov. 13)
Where: [Read more…]

S’mores a la Wilderness Lodge

By AJ 12 Comments

Learn About:Roaring Fork

Disney World Restaurants

Disney World’s Wilderness Lodge carries the atmosphere of America’s great National Park Lodges — places where tall trees, fresh earth, clear lakes, and campfires are the backdrop for incredible vacations and explorations. And some quintessential eats at places like this are, of course, S’mores!!

For those who aren’t sure what S’mores are, they’re a campfire dessert made by smooshing a roasted marshmallow with a piece of chocolate (Hershey’s is standard) between two graham crackers. Sounds pedestrian, but it really is a very rich and satisfying dessert! The name? Just imagine kids saying, “May I have s’more?” after getting their first taste!

Wilderness Lodge offers two versions of S’mores in its restaurants: the S’mores cupcake at Roaring Fork, and the S’mores cheesecake at Whispering Canyon Cafe!

S’mores Cupcake

Over at Roaring Fork, Wilderness Lodge has introduced one of the most well-done S’mores cupcakes I’ve ever seen.

Usually, S’mores cupcakes use fully formed marshmallows, but I love that this version tops off with melted, gooey, browned marshmallow on top!

S'mores Cupcake

You’ll also find a graham cracker-flavored cake underneath the marshmallow topping. But where’s the chocolate? Two places! Inside the cake are hidden a couple of pieces of [Read more…]

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