In honor of Imaginerding’s tribute to Ray Harryhausen, I thought it only fitting to do my own tribute…a la Monstropolis.
You’ll recall, of course, that Harryhausen’s was the place to dine in Pixar’s Monster’s Inc., and where Mike [Read more…]
Friday Happy Hour: Tune-In Lounge
Every once in a while I like to take a look at a favorite secret spot, and today — in honor of Friday Happy Hour — we’re headed to Tune In Lounge.
This super-friendly lounge is tucked between 50’s Prime Time Cafe and Hollywood and Vine Restaurants in Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Disney World.
While it shares its main seating area — Dad’s Living Room(s) — with the waiting area for 50’s Prime Time Cafe (con!), it has all kinds of kitschy-fabulous decor that will either remind you of your growing-up-years or your favorite episodes from early Nick at Nite (pro!).
One of Dad's Living Rooms
I can highly recommend getting there early — around 11am — and taking a look around the place. With several seating areas and “living rooms” to choose from, you’ll be able to take in [Read more…]
Tigger Tails vs. Tiger Tails
This is one of the fun posts I promised in my last Newsletter, and I’m pretty excited to explore the intricate differences between these two Disney favorites!
Disney World and Disneyland both have some great signature food items — Dole Whips, Mickey Premium Bars, popcorn, pretzels… but only Disneyland has Tiger Tails AND Tigger Tails! Now, the names can get confusing, so let’s check out how to tell them apart ;-):
Tigger Tails
If you like marshmallows, caramel, and chocolate — this is the treat for you. Named after everyone’s favorite bounceriffic tiger, Tigger, these treats are homemade in Disneyland’s Pooh Corner!
Pooh Corner in Critter Country
Tigger Tail
Now, I’ll be honest and say that I’m not a HUGE marshmallow fan. I like them best when they’re toasted and smushed between chocolate and graham crackers or spread between bread with some gooey peanut butter in a fluffernutter, so I wasn’t really expecting to like the Tigger Tail all that much. After all, it’s [Read more…]
Disney World Ice Cream Parlor Throw Down
I’ve loved pretty much every ice cream sundae I’ve ever had in the World, so you guys are going to be the deciding votes today on the:
BEST ICE CREAM PARLOR IN DISNEY WORLD
Any one of these ice cream parlors can provide bigger-than-life sundaes and ice cream concoctions full of chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, butter pecan, candy bars, strawberries, mint chocolate chip, sorbet, hot fudge, whipped cream, cherries, and more. And while each one has a different specialty, they’re all going to fit the bill when what you’re craving is some really great ice cream! Therefore, I thought it’d be fun to see which one of these ice cream palaces would win in a showdown with Disney Foodies as judges! Here are the Contenders: [Read more…]
ESPN Club Review: Preserving What We’ve Got
Editor’s Note: As of May 2013, hot dogs are no longer being offered and the nachos are served with BBQ Pork.
In light of the news that the Walt Disney Company has already closed or will be closing most of the existing ESPN Zone restaurants, I thought it was timely to pay homage to the ESPN Club in Walt Disney World. This place happens to be a favorite of ours here on Disney Food Blog, seeing as it’s one of the only places to get my favorite food: Buffalo Chicken Wings.
Atmosphere
Located on Disney World’s Boardwalk, the ESPN Club is more than a restaurant — it’s a sports fan’s dream come true. With televisions everywhere showcasing current ESPN sports, classic sports, and more; a live studio right in the restaurant; and a huge game arcade under the same roof, there’s really no reason to leave once you arrive! Speaking of arriving, be sure to do so EARLY on game days — this place fills up fast.
The Place Can Get Pretty Busy on Game Day
Once you enter the restaurant, you get to choose whether you’ll sit in the dining room or the bar area. How to choose? Easy: if you want the potential to watch Mike and Mike in the Morning do their ESPN show, sit in the Dining Room, which doubles as a studio. If you want to play computer games and have your own personal [Read more…]
“The Best Thing I Ever Ate in Disney!”: Appetizers & Sides
We’ve just started a fun new series based on the Food Network’s (very cool) show, The Best Thing I Ever Ate. Due to some keen suggestions from readers, we’re splitting our series up into different sections: breakfast, appetizers & side dishes, snacks, entrees (lunch & dinner), and desserts & drinks.
Today, we’re taking a look at Appetizers and Side Dishes! I’ve done my favorite brand of informal polling (i.e. posted questions on twitter and facebook 😉 ) to find out others’ experiences of the “Best Thing They Ever Ate” as far as appetizers and side dishes at Disney.
Soups
Soups were by far the #1 mentioned appetizer/side when I reached out to facebook and twitter folks for their favorites.
Portobello Soup at Artist Point
- Most beloved are the soups found at Boma in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. These vary every day, but the varieties specifically mentioned by readers as the Best Thing They Ever Ate! were: Mushroom Soup, Mulligatawny Soup, and Butternut Squash Soup. (Personally, the chicken corn chowder is my favorite!).
- Of course, you can’t post a series like this without a few votes for Le Cellier Steakhouse‘s famous Cheddar Cheese Soup! This comes heartily recommended by Disney Food Blog readers — and yours truly, of course!
- The Grand Floridian also racked up a couple of votes from our readers! The cashew cream soup from Victoria and Albert’s comes was noted, as was the cheesy tomato soup at the Grand Floridian Cafe (yum — doesn’t that sound good?!?).
- Finally, that delicious Mushroom-Soup-That-Doesn’t-Taste-Like-Mushrooms was voted [Read more…]
Disney Food Post Round-Up: June 27, 2010
The Frito Kid
It’s been another big week in Disney Food news! Here are a few of our favorite stories from the past few days:
- Animal Kingdom welcomes the Taste of Africa Street Party this summer. This event is free to park guests. Click the link to learn more!
- Lots of new 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival info, including: a list of 2010 International Marketplace booths, timing for many of the Food and Wine Festival events, and more! Check our “Breaking News” section of the 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival info page for details
- Tables in Wonderland July Events were announced, including two more dinners IN the Great Movie Ride
Also, just some quick reminders:
1. Disney Food Blog now has a Flickr Group — Disney Food Blog Photo Extravaganza! If you’re a flickr user, come peruse and post Disney Food pics!
2. The Disney Food Blog Foodie Fest is scheduled for October 3rd, 2010! Save the date, and sign up for The Disney Food Blog newsletter for all the latest updates on this and other Disney Food Blog events.
Now, on to the round-up!
Kevin Kidney, whose blog is one of the most interesting things in the Disney space, has sent me into Disney Food heaven with this post on the Frito Kid. You MUST (must, must, must) click this link of Jim Campbell’s Frito Kid “interactive experience.” Just drop the coin in the slot to sample a taste of Disney history. (Click here to read the history of the Frito Kid. To see more of Jim Campbell’s work, click here.)
Cookie Madness (hands-down one of my favorite baking blogs of all time) has put together a new recipe for Minnie’s Bakeshop Inspired cookies! Yum!
The Disney Blog has details on Adult Cooking Classes in Disney World’s Downtown Disney on July 10th, 2010! If you go, send pictures! 🙂
Party Through the Parks has taken Drinking Around the World to a new level.
Main Street Gazette Heads to two rarely-open Magic Kingdom counter-service spots!
Scott Joseph Orlando shares a rumor that the Empress Room might make a reappearance — for one night — this Fall.
50's Prime Time Cafe Malted Milkshake
Touring Plans had a foodie kind of week on their blog! Two of my favorite bloggers showcased favorite treats in Disney World and a meal at the 50’s Prime Time Cafe!
The English Disney Blog reviews dinner at the California Grill.
Chip and Co. posted a video about the central Disneyland Resort bakery and the work they do throughout the resort.
WDW Public Affairs released info about a Disney World-sponsored Chef’s Gala raises $170,000 for a local United Way Chapter. Thanks to StitchKingdom.com for the tip.
The Disney Website has a couple of fun interactive games for kids that will help them learn about food groups and how to choose healthy foods. I liked Mickey’s Mess Hall and Lilo’s Luau — just watch the animation and click to train for and play the games.
Tables in Wonderland July Events: Great Movie Ride, Food and Wine Festival, and More
Tables in Wonderland events for July are available!! Be sure to sign up fast, as these are SURE to go quickly! With a sneak peek into the 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival and two Great Movie Ride dinners, these will be the hot tickets for July! Good luck!
Sneak Preview: Epcot® International Food and Wine Festival, Celebrating 15 Years of Delicious Discoveries
Where: Epcot® – Wonders Retreat, located on the 2nd floor The Wonders of Life Pavilion
When: Thursday, July 8, 2010; 6:30 – 9 p.m.
Price: $95.00 per person, plus tax. Gratuity is included.
With the 15th annual Epcot® International Food and Wine Festival just around the corner, we would like to invite Tables in Wonderland members only to a “sneak preview” of this year’s Festival!
Be the first to sample the food and hear speakers talk about what new and exciting things we have in store for you this year! Learn what new marketplace kiosks will be added this year, as well as new special events. You will find out all of the information before it goes live on the website, and before reservations open to begin booking the events. Be the first, and be “in the know” as we celebrate 15 Years of Delicious Discoveries!
To keep up with all the current news and information about the 15th Annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, be sure to check out our 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival page! Check out the info in red for new marketplaces, new events, and other breaking info!
Click on Link for Larger Image and Full Menu:
The Wave . . . of American Flavors Discovery Dinner
When: Thursday, July 15, 2010; 6:30 p.m. Reception 7 p.m. Dinner
Where: The Wave . . . of American Flavors at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Please meet at restaurant’s main podium
Price: $92 per person, includes tax and gratuity
Dress is Casual Evening Attire
Brooks Tropicals has been growing tropical fruits and vegetables in Florida and the Caribbean since the 1920s. Brooks sells more than 28 different tropical fruits and vegetables; its specialties are SlimCado avocados, Caribbean Red papayas and Florida starfruit. Representing Brooks Tropicals at this event will be Mary Ostlund, director of marketing
Hispanics call Caribbean Red papayas by the nickname “fruta bomba,” literally “bomb fruit.” One look at the three-to-five-pound fruit will tell you why. Consumers sometimes wonder whether the Caribbean Red is genetically modified, which it is not. It is naturally large and naturally good for you.
The SlimCado has a great avocado taste; it’s a much lighter-tasting avocado. It should be, with less than half the calories and a third less fat than the Hass avocado. And it’s so much bigger! SlimCado avocados can be three to five times larger than a Hass avocado.
Last but not least, the last tropical fruit star of the menu for this event is a star in itself – the starfruit. Brooks Tropicals was a U.S. pioneer for this Asian treat. Starfruit grow under the canopy of the rainforests in Southeast Asia. In Florida, Brooks grows them in the sandy soils of Pine Island on the west coast of Florida.
Click Photo to Enlarge and See Full Menu:
Special Event The Great Movie Ride Dinner
Where: Disney’s Hollywood Studios™
When: Friday, July 16 and Saturday, July 17, 2010; 7:30 – 10 p.m.
Price: $155.00 per person, plus tax. Gratuity is included.
Arrive at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ and walk through the courtyard of the Majestic Graumann’s Chinese Theatre. Then you will be invited to come inside The Great Movie Ride after the attraction is closed with exclusive backstage VIP access!
We’ve cleared the track for you to walk through and dine inside the attraction where you will experience some of the most classic scenes in motion picture history. Sets from Busby Berkeley musicals, crime dramas, old-fashioned Westerns, and more!
We were lucky enough to post some fantastic photos from a friend’s special event dinner in the Great Movie Ride! While the Tables in Wonderland event won’t be this fancy, you can still get the idea! Click here to see photos from a special event dinner in the Great Movie Ride!
Click to Enlarge and See Full Menu:
Guest Review: World of Color Dining Package at Ariel’s Grotto
Here’s how lucky I am:
1.) I was traversing facebook the other day and randomly found Heather Sievers, who just happens to be a Disney food expert;
2.) Heather and her family also just happened to have a reservation for the World of Color prix fixe dinner at Ariel’s Grotto a couple of days later; and
3.) Heather generously put together this awesome blog about her experience.
Lucky, right? I know. Seriously, I should play the lottery.
(By the way, Heather is the brilliant inventor of Time Out Spots. Don’t know what they are? Check ’em out! Personally, I like the t-shirts.)
July 18, 2010: Born and raised in Orange County, California, I’ve been lucky enough to have had regular visits to Disneyland since my first time on my 5th birthday. Over 15 years ago, my boyfriend (now husband) bought me my first annual pass for Christmas. We’ve renewed over & over and two kids later, our family has never skipped a year.
This means we’ve been closely watching the construction of World of Color since the Paradise Pier Lagoon was emptied nearly a year and a half ago. I knew I wanted to see the show as soon as possible, but I also knew that it would be nearly impossible to get near it…. Fans of all food Disney, I knew they had to have some dinners lined up that would include reserved seating for the show. So what did I do? I called Disney Dining every single day for about 6 weeks straight to ask about it. I know a bit extreme, but guess what? I got my reservation the DAY they started taking them.
Genie at World of Color
Specs
We all know that the show opened on June 11, 2010, but we had company coming the following week that wanted to join us, so I waited out one week and made the reservation for Friday, June 18th. (I’m sure you are thinking, “get to the food part, get to the food part;” I promise I am almost there.) My options for in-restaurant dining were [Read more…]
Snack Series: Churros!
Churros are quickly joining popcorn, Mickey Premium Bars, Dole Whip Floats, and Mickey Pretzels as one of the go-to snacks in Walt Disney World and Disneyland!
Churro Stand in the Disneyland Town Square
These long, doughnut-y sticks dipped in cinnamon-sugar are a delicious, light snack for any time of day. I got mine while I was waiting for the next show with Mr. Lincoln!
Churro Stand Pricing
Churro Making
Standard Churro in the Parks
One little piece of info I concluded during my marathon Disney-World-to-Disneyland-in-two-weeks trip is that churros have a much bigger presence in Disneyland than in Disney World! While you can find them in the World, churro stands in Disneyland feel more prevalent and are intricately themed based on the land where they’re located. Here’s a [Read more…]
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