Chef Mickey's Restaurant | the disney food blog

Chef Mickey’s Restaurant

Can you believe it?! Nearly a year of Disney Food Blog posts I haven’t done a Chef Mickey’s post yet! Well, this oversight shall now be rectified. I’m headed to Chef Mickey’s for breakfast…care to join me?

Chef Mickey's Sign

Found in the middle of the Contemporary Resort, Chef Mickey’s stands as one of the most popular character buffets in Disney World. With great food, lots of characters, and a convenient location, this buffet is a must-do.

Chef Mickey's Entry

What makes it so popular?
Here’s my analysis:

The Fab Five: You can find every member of the fab five — Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto — right here for breakfast, dinner, and, in the very busy seasons, lunch.
The Monorail: Kids love the monorail. It’s sleek. It’s up high. It’s like space transport. And it goes into the hotel — that’s right, it doesn’t just park outside of the hotel like it does at the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian — it goes into the hotel. That’s just cool. No matter how old you are.
Proximity to the Magic Kingdom: When you’re at the MK all day and need a respite, Chef Mickey’s gives a nice change of pace without taking you too far from the park.
Cheesy Potatoes and the Sundae Bar: Chef Mickey’s has legendary cheesy potatoes for breakfast, and it has a fantastic sundae bar for dinner. That’s enough for me.

Cheesy Potatoes on the Left

What’s the Atmosphere Like?
Dropped into the middle of the Contemporary’s Grand Canyon Concourse, the restaurant’s decor is a taste of Toon Town meets Tomorrowland. Lots of big splashes of color, cartoon-y cut-outs, Mickey shapes, and space-age banquettes.

Seating Area and Buffet

Chef Mickey's Seating

After checking into the restaurant, you’ll be sent to a line where you’ll wait to have your photo taken with the Chef Mickey’s iconic statue, and then you’ll head over to one of the newly-renovated waiting areas until your pager buzzes.

Photo and Waiting Area

Soon you’ll be escorted through the (usually loud and teeming) restaurant to your table; be aware that you might need to dodge a napkin-twirling Donald Duck or a curtsy-ing Minnie Mouse on your way.

A Second Seating Area

Table Setting

Settle in and order your drinks, and then you’re on your way to the delicious buffet!

So How About the Food?
The restaurant has a buffet, and the breakfast and dinner offerings are plentiful. For breakfast, our choices included biscuits and gravy, blintzes, cold and hot cereals, waffles and pancakes, omelets, turkey hash, breakfast meats, fruit, baked goods, boiled eggs, yogurt, and more. Here are a few of the items that were available on the day we were there:

Fruit and Baked Goods Station

Cheese Blintzes with Sauces

Cold Cereal

Syrup Container for Waffles and Pancakes

Breakfast Meats and Corned Beef Hash

Biscuits and Gravy

Vegetable Lasagna and Turkey Hash

Breakfast Pizza, Tots, Mickey Waffles

Fruit

Yogurt, Apples and Granola, Applesauce, Cottage Cheese

Plate 1

Carbo Plate

And here are the menus from that day as well:

Chef Mickey's Breakfast Menu

Chef Mickey's Dinner Menu

Don’t forget, the menus change all the time, so yours might not look just like these. Regardless, I can almost guarantee you’ll find something for everyone in the family.

And the Characters?
Yep — there are definitely characters! During our breakfast, we had the chance to hang out with each character twice — even though the restaurant was busy! Remember, though, that the characters have to get through the three main seating areas, so be patient.

Notice the fun chef-inspired outfits that the fab five are wearing!

Chef Mickey

Goofy

Chef Donald

Minnie

Pluto

Any Cons?
Cons would include the noise of the restaurant. This isn’t a quiet spot to have a nice breakfast. It’s loud, raucous, fun, and exciting — probably not the place to take Junior for a nap away from the park.

Also, this isn’t gourmet food. If you want five-star or very healthy food, consider another restaurant. But the food is good, plentiful, and worth the price.

Finally, Advanced Dining Reservations can be hard to get. This restaurant is as popular as Le Cellier and Cinderella’s Royal Table these days, and getting a reservation can be tricky. Don’t forget that you can now call/go online to get an ADR at 180 days in advance of your vacation.

I hope this primer has helped you to see a bit deeper into Chef Mickey’s — a restaurant we’ve all heard of, but some of us might not have had the chance to visit. It’s truly an iconic Disney restaurant, so if you have the chance to make it there for a meal someday, I’d encourage it!

A Chocolate Mickey Waffle and Holiday Dole Whip?! It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas…

By AJ 13 Comments

Extra, extra! Read all about it! The holidays bring even more fun changes to the Walt Disney World resort dining experience!

Who ever thought they’d see a chocolate Mickey waffle?! Well, here it is! This was found by Erin Foster and family at the Crystal Palace buffet!
choc mickey waffle

And when you order your Dole Whip at Aloha Isle this holiday season, get ready for a shock! It’ll be green if you order pineapple, and green and pink if you order a swirl!
holiday dole whip

Stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for more edible Holiday treats, including a round-up of the Gingerbread Resort decor, as the season rolls on!

Thanks again to Erin Foster and family for the great photos! (I feel like I was right there on vacation with them…how about you?)

Disney World Fudge: A Primer

By AJ 34 Comments

DHS vanilla

Fudge is synonymous with the holidays for me. My Dad has perfected his fudge recipe over the years, and when the smells of bubbling chocolate, butter, and sugar start wafting from the kitchen, I know I’m truly home for the holidays.

So when Erin Foster, Disney Moms Panelist and Disney Fudge connoisseur, recently requested that we do a fudge post on the Disney Food Blog, I knew the beginning of the holiday season would be perfect timing!

Thanks to Erin and her family for sampling the newest holiday flavors in Disney World over the past week, and for providing many of the fudge photos below!

Disney Fudge Basics
There’s nothing like staring at the rows and rows of fudge in Disney World candy stores and trying to decide on a purchase. In fact, I’ll never forget buying a sampler tin of Disney fudge at the Main Street Confectionery during my first trip to Disney World as a grown-up. I became a Disney Foodie right then and there!

Disney Fudge Displays

Disney Fudge Display

That daunting array of flavors is going to greet you no matter where you buy Disney fudge, so be prepared! Disney makes most of their fudge right there in the World; in fact, if you hang around at the Magic Kingdom Confectionery for long enough, you’ll surely see them putting together a few pans.

Weighing the Cinnamon for Pumpkin Fudge

Pans of Candy Cane Fudge Cooling

By the way, if you can’t decide on a flavor, consider purchasing a few squares at the beginning of your trip, then heading back to the store to purchase more of what you liked best at the end of the trip.

NOTE: You can use your Disney Dining Plan snack credits to buy fudge, so this is the perfect way to use up those leftover snack credits!

Snag a Square for a Snack Credit

And speaking of basics, “fudge lady” Erin Foster posted a few of her own fudge-related insights in a recent Moms Panel answer:

* There are sometimes discounts for purchases of large quantities of fudge.

* The mint flavors must be wrapped separately because the intense (and intensely delicious) aroma transfers to the other flavors.

* If you want to bring fudge home, try purchasing it on your last day at WDW for maximum freshness.

* Tightly wrapped, the WDW fudge lasts for about a week — not that I’ve ever had a chance to test that out 🙂

Sampler Box of Disney Fudge

Ask About Discounts on Fudge

Disney Fudge for the Holidays
In addition to other flavors, Disney creates flavors for holidays and special promotions, such as Reese’s Pieces and Pumpkin for Halloween, and Peppermint and Eggnog for Christmas.

Reese's Pieces Fudge for Halloween

Disney's Candy Cane Fudge for the Christmas Season

No matter when you go to the World, you’re likely to find a special flavor for that time of year or for the Disney promo happening at the time.

Where to Find Disney Fudge
You can find different flavors of Disney fudge throughout the parks and resorts. Some of the most common spots with the widest selection are: the Main Street Confectionery at Magic Kingdom, the Scary Apothecary candy shop at Hollywood Studios, Bayview Gifts at the Contemporary Resort, and Goofy’s Candy Company at Downtown Disney.

Standard Flavors

Scary Apothecary Fudge Counter

Goofy's Candy Company Fudge Counter

Contemporary Resort Fudge Counter

And while you can usually count on most candy counters to carry the standard flavors, you never know what you’ll find! According to an email from Erin (and her kids, who are star fudge reporters),

We encountered fudge today at both Goofy’s Candy Co. at Downtown Disney and at
the gift shop at the Contemporary. The selection at each place was quite different, and also different from the selection at the Confectionery. We found today the following flavors that they didn’t have at the MK: vanilla raspberry, creamsicle, chocolate pecan, espresso, maple nut, maple pecan (looked totally different), chocolate caramel, Snickers, turtle cheesecake, chocolate cheesecake, and vanilla caramel.

I guess the moral of the story is, if you’re looking for specific flavors, you have to shop around.

Good to know!

Disney Fudge Recipes
I know how many of you love sampling Disney recipes, so I scouted around the internet for a few Disney fudge recipes (or recipes inspired by Disney fudge). Be sure to let me know how these turn out if you sample them!:

Cooks.com Disney World Vanilla Fudge

Cookie Madness Disney World S’mores Fudge (GREAT Disney s’mores fudge photo here!)

AllEarsNet Food and Wine Festival Canadian Maple Walnut Fudge

How About You?
Do you have a fun fudge story or recipe from Disney? Let us know via twitter, facebook, or email.

Thanks again, Erin and family!

Disney Food Post Round-Up: November 29, 2009

By AJ 3 Comments

Eat here NEWS!

A couple of very exciting news items to start out with this week!

First: have you heard about the new Surf’s Up! character meal in Disneyland? There aren’t a lot of details yet, but we’ve posted a few of the offerings as posted on the @DisneylandNews twitter account.

Also: Fulton’s Crab House is hosting a Holiday Wine Dinner on December 13th. The dinner is $49.95 and begins at 7 PM. Call 407-934-2628 for reservations.

__________________________________________
ROUND-UP
And now, it’s on to the week’s Disney Food Round-Up! Be sure to bookmark these websites — loads of great info and content:

Mommy Musings has a fun post and photo blog about her evening with Princess Tiana and Tyra Banks. Check out the lifelike edible teacups!

Around The Mouse has posted their take on the Best and Worst Counter Service locations in Disney World.

At Gorillas Don’t Blog, Major Pepperidge has posted a couple of old-timey (circa 1959) photos of Aunt Jemima herself in front of her Disneyland Pancake House.

Main Street Gazette shows us around the Pinocchio Village Haus in Disney World. “Always let your conscience be your guide…”

Imaginerding has a recipe for Disney-influenced, Christmas-themed dog treats — can you get more seasonal than that?!

Global Disney Pinvestigation has put up a Wishes Dessert Party review…I don’t remember seeing those yummy-looking canoli at my dessert party…

__________________________________________
SHOUT-OUTS TO NEWSWORTHY DISNEY FOODIES
Finally — I want to give a couple of shout-outs to some Disney foodie friends of mine:

First, a HUGE congrats and shout-out to one of my favorite food blogs — Tasty Chomps — for finishing as a finalist/runner up in the Best Local Blog/Blogger category in Orlando Sentinel’s Best Bets for 2009!

Also, remember when I posted an interview with Dawn Viola, a National Pie Champion, Orlando chef, and volunteer Disney sous chef? She was recently highlighted on the news in Orlando as a featured chef — there’s even a great video where she demonstrates the secrets to making her blue-ribbon-winning Apple Pie! Congrats, Dawn!

New Surf’s Up! Breakfast with Mickey & Friends at Disneyland’s PCH Grill

By AJ Leave a Comment

Exciting news! Starting December 11th, 2009, the Aloha Breakfast with Lilo and Stitch will switch to Surf’s Up! Breakfast with Mickey and Friends!

According to @DisneylandNews on twitter:

Beginning Dec. 11, the character breakfast at Disney’s PCH Grill will change to “Surf’s Up! Breakfast with Mickey & Friends.” New breakfast buffet will include flatbreads from a wood burning oven & signature chilaquiles with shredded beef, salsa verde & queso fresco.

Sounds good to us!

Disney Foodie Black Friday!

By AJ 6 Comments

Thus begins our weekly “Disney gift-giving” post series! Wondering what to give your favorite Disney foodie — or wondering what to put on your own Christmas list? I’ll put up one post a week with some great ideas!

Customized Disney M&Ms: If you love M&Ms, you’re going to love these best! Personalize your M&Ms with your favorite Disney characters, or have some made up for your little princess or pirate!

Disney Funny Food Songs: A fun collection of, you guessed it, funny food songs! If you have friends with kids who listen to albums over and over and over again, this is a great choice 😉

Disney’s A Christmas Carol Collectible Gift Tower: The perfect gift for any Jim Carrey or Disney Christmas Carol fan! Cookies, chocolate-covered pretzels, nuts, and more! Bring it as a gift to your next Christmas party — chances are the host will put it out for guests and you can snag a taste…

Personalized Mickey and Minnie Placecards: These will be perfect for your Christmas or New Year’s parties!

Disney Minnie Mouse Cupcake Playset: I was sad when I realized those cupcakes were fake. They looked so good! Regardless, your little princess (or your sibling’s little princess) will LOVE this!

Send Your Suggestions for Disney Food Gifts!
If you see any fun Disney foodie gifts, let me know so that I can highlight them for other Disney Food fans! You can contact me via twitter, facebook, or email. Looking forward to your suggestions! 🙂

Please note: By making purchases via certain links, a tiny percentage of what you spend goes toward supporting the Disney Food Blog. This week, the first four links will return that benefit.

A Few Things We’re Thankful For…

By AJ 6 Comments

Everyone’s favorite snack: The Dole Whip Float

Dole Whip Floats

Hot, plastic-y cheese on french fries

Cheese Fries

A homemade ice cream sandwich from the Main Street Bakery

Homemade Ice Cream Sandwich

Park Popcorn

Popcorn

Chef Mickey’s Cheesey Potatoes

Cheesey Potatoes from Chef Mickeys

Cheese Soup at Le Cellier

Le Cellier Cheese Soup

Yummy dinner at California Grill

Pork and Gratin Polenta from California Grill

And, of course, Walt Disney, his incredible vision, and those who have executed it so well

Walt and His Vision

Finally, we’re thankful for YOU, the incredible friends and readers who have made it so much fun to write the Disney Food Blog every day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Note: Obviously these are a few of our favorite foods; to see some of Walt’s favorite foods, visit the “Recent News” section of the Friends of the Walt Disney Family Museum‘s Facebook Page.

Thanks to George Taylor at Imaginerding for showing me that great link.

Tried and True (and Some Very New!) Disney Character Foods

By AJ 30 Comments

I recently realized that you’re nobody in Toon Town if you don’t have your own food product line. Used to be only Mickey had his own ice cream bars…maybe a bag of pasta or two. But these days, you’re simply not A-list Toon material if you’re not selling your personalized line at the Main Street Emporium.

Let’s take a look at a few of the brands you can now purchase — endorsed by your favorite characters, of course! Some of them are actually pretty new on the scene…

Minnie’s Bake Shop
You can tell from our tour through Minnie’s kitchen that she’s a baker; luckily, we now get a chance to sample her recipes (and NOT the diet ones!):

True, this looks a bit like a re-brand of Mickey’s old cookie company, but, alas, who are we to judge?

Minnie's Bake Shop Cookies

These, I think, are entirely new. Love the spoons attached!

Minnie's Bake Shop Mixes

And here’s a quick sampling of other Bake Shop items:

More Minnie's Bake Shop Items

Wonderland Tea
One of my favorite New York City haunts is called Alice’s Teacup, and I wonder if they’ll start carrying Wonderland’s newest tea line there! This line of teas, tea china, and tea accessories — straight from the Mad Hatter’s tea party — should please any Alice fan.

Be sure to read the Wonderland Decree on the box,

Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrarywise — what it is, it wouldn’t be. And what it wouldn’t be, it would.

Alice's Teapot and Tea Display at MouseGears

Alice's Tea

Alice's Tea Accessories

And here’s a great display at the Writer’s Stop at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Alice's Tea Display

Disney Princess Pasta
Even the princesses have gotten into the Food Product Line groove at Disney. What little princess wouldn’t love some noodle soup or homemade mac and cheese showcasing pasta shaped like her favorite female idols?

Disney Princess Pasta

Goofy’s Candy Company
Of course, you all remember the sensationally successful Goofy’s Candy Company — well known throughout Disney to be the primary supplier of Halloween candy, gummies, and sour pucker powder!

Goofy's Candy Company

A Sampling of Goofy's Candy Company Items

Chip and Dale Snack Company
For those of you who want to preserve your diet — or at least have a semi-healthy snack — while on vacation, head straight to the Chip and Dale product line (do NOT pass go…). These are the healthiest pre-packaged snacks you’ll find on property (besides the packaged fresh fruit, of course), and the line includes dried fruit mixes, trail mix, pretzels, many different kinds of natural nuts, etc.

Chip and Dale Food Products

Mickey’s Many Product Lines
I’m sure I haven’t captured all of Mickey’s product lines here, but I’ve at least snapped photos of some of the newest items on the scene. We’re all familiar with Mickey’s “Really Swell” Coffee Brand, and, of course, Mickeyroni and Cheese! But have you sampled his Resort Delights island-inspired products, or his Chocolatears-brand gourmet chocolate bark?

Mickey's Really Swell Coffee Brand Treats

Mickey's Really Swell Flavored Coffee Collection

Mickeyroni and Cheese

Mickey's Resort Delights Taffy

Mickey's Resort Delights Punch and Iced Tea Flavors

Mickey's Resort Delights Coconut Patties

Mickey's Chocolatears Gourmet Chocolate Bark

What’s YOUR Favorite?
While you may be partial to the old school classic Mickeyroni and Cheese, I can’t wait to sample some of that gourmet chocolate bark! Would love to hear from some of you who have tried the Resort Delights line as well — any good?

Kona Island Sushi Bar Review and Photos

By AJ 15 Comments

Many thanks to Amanda Tinney, writer of the fantastic DisneyEveryDay.com, for guest blogging about this fun food spot! Can’t wait to try it!

Kona Cafe Sushi Bar

Ah YES…Joy and Rapture! Disney has added another Sushi Bar to the Walt Disney World Resort! As a Disney Veteran I am embarrassed to admit that I just recently found out about this latest addition last month and come to find out… they have been serving up Sushi for about a year now. Shameful!

Welcome Disney epicureans to the Kona Island Sushi Bar!

Wall Menu

Specs and Eats
If you’re guessing that this Nosh Spot is in the Polynesian Resort…You are correct! The Kona Island Sushi Bar is situated right next to the Kona Café on the second floor of the Polynesian. In the morning this hot spot is the Kona Coffee Bar, but it is magically transformed in the late afternoon to serve Sushi to hungry tourists and locals alike.

1coffeebar

The bar is open from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. and has two seating areas, which will accommodate roughly twenty people, total. A little over half of the seating is at a bar on a glass wall that overlooks the beautiful gardens and water features that make up the entrance to the resort. The remaining seats are directly in front of the bar where the chefs prepare the sushi. But do not despair if you can’t get a seat at the bar; the full sushi menu is served at Kona Café and vice versa — the full Kona Menu is served at the Sushi Bar.

Here’s a peek at the Sushi Menu…

Kona Sushi Bar Menu

We sampled the Volcano Roll, Dragon Hand Roll, and California Luau Roll. Everything we had was delicious!

The California Roll was a nice surprise as it had pineapple in place of the standard cucumber and the citrus flavor made it taste even fresher than sushi normally tastes.

Kona Sushi Bar California Roll

The Volcano Roll, made with Spicy Tuna, Seafood Lau’ai and Tempura Crunch, filled the entire plate….

Kona Volcano Roll

I was so excited to eat the Dragon Hand Roll that I forgot to take a picture of it. I am a big fan of eel and had never eaten a hand roll before so I dug in without thinking…sorry.

But! While we were at the bar, someone ordered the Tuna Poke. When the chef placed it on the bar I snapped a picture of it. It was beautiful! It looked like three large tortelloni (a tortellini-ravioli hybrid) with diced tomato on top, but was actually the most perfect, red tuna salad served over round crisps.

Kona Sushi Bar Tuna Poke

And here’s a shot of the Shrimp Tempura Roll, which consists of Tempura Shrimp, fresh mango, and Lilikoi (Passion Fruit) Sauce:

Kona Sushi Bar Shrimp Tempura Roll

…and the Kona Crab Cake Roll which is made with a Fresh Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, avocado, and Asian tartar sauce…

Kona Sushi Bar Crab Cake Roll

Costs and Cocktails
If you think you’ll have to break the bank to eat here, think again. Prices are very reasonable considering the quality of food that you will get for your money. The chefs that we spoke with that night had worked at The California Grill at the Contemporary. Plates start at $8.99 and go up to $15.99.

I was also surprised to discover that Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale is served here! I got a chance to sample it at the 2009 Epcot Food and Wine Festival and gave it a rave review!

Kona Sushi Bar Cocktails Menu

The Kona Island Sushi Bar also serves traditional sake as well…

Wine and Sake Menu at Kona Sushi Bar

If you decide to check out this eatery on your next visit make sure to look for the Hidden Mickey in the bar.

Kona Sushi Bar Hidden Mickey

As a local…I will definitely be returning for some nom nom’s at the Kona Island Sushi Bar! Amanda Tinney signing out! Dewa kore de! Bye for Now!

Wine with a Twist at The Wave

By AJ 6 Comments

When I learned last year that the Contemporary Resort’s new restaurant, The Wave, opened with one of the only (if not the only) wine programs in the country offering all screw-top wines, I couldn’t wait to explore.

The Wave

The Bar at Disney's The Wave Restaurant

Choosing The Wine for The Wave
The choice to make the screw-top wine list was instituted in part as way to avoid “cork taint,” which is a chemical compound called TCA. With it, mold, chlorine, and other organic compounds can combine to produce a musty smell and flavor to the wine, which has been a particular problem with corked wines. (One interesting twist is that, while The Wave promotes a menu and spirit based on sustainable and environmentally-friendly dining, the screw-cap might not be the best environmental choice.)

Wines at the Wave

A second twist to the wine list is that it is focused on wines from the Southern Hemisphere — bottles from Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, etc. This creates a fun contradiction to the Northern Hemisphere-focused wine list of the California Grill upstairs in the Contemporary Resort.

The Wave Wine Cellar

Another Wave Wine Fact: Keeping It Fresh
So you can bet that, as soon as I took a seat at the bar, I started asking questions! I even got a demonstration as the answer to one of my questions: How do they keep all of those wines fresh when they’re serving by the glass?

The bartender was willing to share the secret with me: vacuum-sealing! While this isn’t a new technology to keep wines fresh, it was new to me, and I was duly impressed.

Wave Wine Stoppers

Simply put in this little rubber cork, then suck out the air with the vacuum pump. Brilliant. The best part is, you can snag a wine vacuum sealer for yourself from shops like sharper image.

Vacuum Sealing Wine at the Wave

Relaxing at The Wave
I’ll be putting up my full review of The Wave soon, but I highly recommend heading over to the restaurant’s lounge and sampling some Southern Hemisphere favorites that you haven’t tried before. The cool, comfortable atmosphere and knowledgeable cast members make it a fun spot to unwind after a long day in the parks.

FYI, if you need a suggestion, John Blazon, master sommelier and manager of wine sales and standards for Disney, has said that the Veramonte Reserva Chardonnay from Casablanca Valley, Chile, is a top seller.

Looking for something?

STAY CONNECTED