Naples Review: Is This What We Can Expect from Epcot's Via Napoli?

Naples Review: Is This What We Can Expect from Epcot’s Via Napoli?

In Disneyland last week, I chose to have lunch at Naples, a restaurant/pizzeria located in Disneyland’s Downtown Disney area and run by the Patina Group — the same folks who will be running Via Napoli in Epcot’s Italy!

As you know, Via Napoli will be opening as a Pizzeria in Fall 2010, just in time for the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, and we’re all eager to determine whether this will be the opportunity to get some really great pizza in Walt Disney World.

We dined here primarily to see what we might be getting in Disney World this fall, but we had a wonderful experience that makes Naples one of our new favorite and [Read more…]

Free Dining at Disney World Announced for 2010

By AJ 4 Comments

It’s here, as we’d hoped! Walt Disney World has announced their Free Dining package for Fall 2010. Here are the details:

You must book a full-price WDW vacation package, checking in *most nights* between 8/15 and 10/2.
You must stay at least three consecutive nights at an official Walt Disney World hotel (i.e., a hotel that is owned and operated by Walt Disney World) and at least a 2-day theme park ticket.
If you stay in a Value Resort: You’ll receive the Magic Your way Plus Quick Service Dining package for the price of a standard Magic Your Way package. You can upgrade to the regular Dining Plan for $10 per adult per night and $2 per child (age 3-9) per night, or you can upgrade to the Deluxe Dining Plan for $40 per adult per night and $12 per child per night.
If you stay in a Moderate, Deluxe, or Villas Resort: You’ll receive the Magic Your Way Plus Dining package for the price of a standard Magic Your Way package. You can upgrade to the Deluxe Dining Plan for $30 per adult per night and $10 per child per night.
This offer must be booked by August 14, 2010, and the number of packages is limited (so book fast!)

To learn more about Disney World’s Dining Plans, check out our Disney World Dining Plans reference page!

To learn more about how to make dining reservations in Walt Disney World, check out our Advanced Dining Reservations reference page!

Disney Food Post Round-Up: May 2, 2010

By AJ 3 Comments

Our Goodies at the Wishes Dessert Party

We’re nearing the end of our whirlwind Disney World and Disneyland back-to-back trips, and there’s lots of news and info to share! Here are a few of the main items:

And now, on to the round-up! The first batch of links are from some colleagues of mine who attended the recent “From 5 Stars to Mickey Bars!” Disney World dining event with me.

What Now?!?!?, a fun blog written by Disney World Moms Panelist, Kathie F., showcases some shots from our Disney dinner at Flying Fish Cafe. Be sure to scroll through her other posts from our WDW weekend, too!

About.com: Theme Parks shares a photo gallery and review of Walt Disney World’s Sanaa Restaurant.

Chef Druck Musings has an awesome article covering some great counter-service finds in Epcot’s World Showcase.

Haute Travels reviews Todd English’s bluezoo.

Live and Learn has a fun break-down of what happened during our culinary weekend, as well as a hat tip to some great blogs and publications.

Studios Central tells us why NOT to book the Fantasmic Dinner Package.

GrubGrade shares the latest about Burger King’s Whiplash Whopper, created to commemorate Disney’s Iron Man 2.

Babes in Disneyland has some fun facts about Disneyland dining.

Passport To Dreams Old and New shares a piece about Ben Franklin, a mysterious Disney World portrait, the Hall of Presidents, and Liberty Tree Tavern.

Chip and Co has a fun look at creme brulee in Disney World.

Scott Joseph Orlando brings us to Victoria and Albert’s Queen Victoria Room.

Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival Specialty Item Review: Chicken Wrap and Cheesecake

By AJ 4 Comments

As I mentioned previously, Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival is highlighting several specialty items inspired by the festival’s “Art of Flavor” tagline and sold at counter service locations throughout the park.

Yesterday, I reviewed the pulled pork sandwich and mangia meatballs, and today I’m taking a look at the Festival Chicken Wrap and the Dulce de Leche Cheesecake.

Festival Chicken Wrap
The Festival Chicken Wrap can be found at the Bountiful Valley Farmers Market near Pacific Wharf in Disney’s California Adventure theme park. This item consists of a spinach tortilla filled with Buffalo-sauced chicken tenders, crumbled blue cheese, and diced celery.

Bountiful Valley Farmers Market

Festival Chicken Wrap Sign

When we received the wrap, it was ice cold and felt like it was taken directly out of the refrigerator. This was really surprising to us, as the description of a “crispy chicken strip” made us think “hot.” The chicken strip was a standard Disney chicken finger doused in Buffalo sauce. It was accompanied by what looked like fresh spinach as well as the promised blue cheese crumbles. We couldn’t find any diced celery in the wrap, so we assumed the spinach was taking its place at this point.

Festival Chicken Wrap

While we liked the overall taste of the sandwich and thought the fresh spinach was a nice touch, the cold chicken was soggy, and we couldn’t get over the feeling that it was supposed to be served warm. At least, we certainly would [Read more…]

Rumor: Wishes Dessert Party Booking Summer 2010 Dates

By AJ 9 Comments

Thanks to R. O’Neil who just posted on the Disney Food Blog Facebook Fan Page that there have been reports of folks booking the Wishes Dessert Party for dates in June, July, and August 2010.

Sounds like this is a recent development, so several of the CMs at the phone banks are having to do some digging to find the info in the system.

Were you able to book the Dessert Party into the summer months? Let us know your experience! Call 407-WDW-DINE to book.

Click here to see our photos and review of the Wishes Dessert Party.

Have You Used a Tagine?

By AJ 4 Comments

I was browsing in one of the Epcot Morocco shops recently and found a very interesting display. While I like to think I’ve had experience with many different kinds of food and cooking, I hadn’t yet heard about the Tagine:

Decorative Tagine

Basically, it’s a Mediterranean crock pot!

Interestingly, I’ve heard people speak about tagine-cooked meals several times since finding this display, so maybe it’s just in my [Read more…]

Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival Specialty Items

By AJ 2 Comments

We headed back into Disney’s California Adventure to sample two of the Food & Wine Festival‘s signature items this year. Signature items are located at counter-service spots around the park, and the two we sampled were found in Taste Pilot’s Grill and Award Weiners.

These signature dishes are sized larger than the tapas that can be found at the “Taste of California” area in the Festival Center. They are served as standard counter-service meals, including a side dish — usually fries, chips, or apple slices. The cost for the larger items is reflective, sometimes topping out in the teens!

Mangia Meatballs
The Mangia Meatballs are a cross between an Italian Sausage and a meatball sub sandwich. The three meatballs on a cornmeal hoagie roll were accompanied by marinara, onions, and peppers, creating a slightly spicy dish.

While the meatballs tasted pre-packaged and had a mushier texture than I was anticipating, the marinara with onions and peppers was quite good. The whole thing was topped off with fresh mozzarella cheese — un-melted — which added positively to the taste. Overall, I wouldn’t get it as an entree if I had other choices, but it wasn’t the worst meatball sub I’ve ever had. I’d give it a 6 out of 10. This dish can be found at Award Weiners.

Mangia Meatballs at Award Weiners

Meatball Close Up

Pulled Pork Sandwich
The pork sandwich surprised us both. We were expecting dry, over-cooked meat with too little taste (so often the case with mass-produced pulled pork), but the sandwich was actually quite good. The serving of pulled pork was extremely generous, and the taste — with just the right amount of BBQ sauce [Read more…]

2010 Free Dining for Visa Cardholders

By AJ 6 Comments

The time is nigh!!!

Disney has announced that Visa cardholders booking a full-price vacation package can get free dining for check-in dates between 8/15 and 10/2, 2010. Here are the details:

You must book three consecutive nights in a Disney hotel and purchase at least a 2-day theme park ticket using your Disney Visa Rewards card.
Guests of value resorts get the quick-service dining plan, while those in moderate, deluxe, and villas get the regular dining plan.
The regular dining can also be upgraded to the deluxe plan for $30 per adult and $10 per child per night, or $40 and $12 for those staying in a value resort.

Learn more about the Disney World Dining Plans on our Disney World Dining Plans reference page.

Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival — First Food Reviews

By AJ 5 Comments

I finally get to share some food pics and reviews from Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival Center! I’ll be putting together blog posts specifically about merchandise and the Festival Center soon, but I always give the food pics priority, as you know 😉 Here’s how the Festival Food (beer and wine will be discussed separately) is set up, for those of you who might not have been here, yet:

The Festival Center: Here, you can find the “Taste of California” items — eight tapas-sized portions of food representing California, the Festival Center “Wine Seller,” other festival merchandise items, a Stella Artois-hosted “Star Lounge” and Belgian Brewers Collection, and one of the festival seminar locations.

Around Disney’s California Adventure: Throughout DCA, you can find six dining locations offering “festival-inspired” dishes, like “Mangia Meatballs” and Award Weiners!

Eats

Today, I headed to the Festival Center to nosh on several of the “Taste of California” Marketplace items as well as try out the brand-spanking new, still-in-testing-stages, 106-flavor, “PurePour” Coke Machine…which I’ll be telling you all about in the next week or so. Here’s the full list of food items available. These all cost between $3 and $5:

We started out with a selection of Artisinal Cheeses:

This included three extremely mild cheeses — the Cheddar had [Read more…]

Walt Disney World Wrap-Up: News and Photos From My WDW Weekend

By AJ 8 Comments

UPDATE: Read about the Opening Date for Be Our Guest Restaurant and Reservations Info!

As you know, I spent this past weekend exploring and enjoying Disney food along with some fellow bloggers and writers at a Disney-sponsored culinary event called “From 5 Stars to Mickey Bars!”

All in all, we nibbled, tasted, sampled, noshed, and all-out devoured our way through some of my favorite Disney restaurants, including Flying Fish Cafe, Hoop Dee Doo Revue, Cape May Cafe, and Kouzzina! I had the chance to meet and chat with some Cast Members charged with not only developing concepts for new Disney restaurants, but also with ensuring that Disney Food and Beverage is running smoothly day-to-day.

For some people, a Disney “Dream Come True” trip includes a stay in the castle or special VIP time with Mickey. All of that is nice, but this past weekend was a Dream Come True trip for a Disney- and Food-lover like me!

I posted a few of the highlights last week, but wanted to share a few more with you as well — including some tidbits of info I picked up along the way!

We began the weekend with a cocktail and appetizers party in The Attic of Disney’s Boardwalk Resort, a small, cozy event space. We were joined by some true Disney elite, including Mickey and Minnie themselves, but the appetizer spread was what truly caught my eye…

Eats in the Attic

While chatting with some in-the-know Disney cast members at this event, I heard a few interesting [Read more…]

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