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The Hidden Laws of the Magic Kingdom

On a visit through Adventureland and Frontierland last month, I noticed that some of the local restaurants had rules I wasn’t even aware of… . Figured I’d share them here with you so that you can avoid finding yourself in a sticky bind in the future…

Should you find yourself wandering into Tortuga Tavern, remember the Code of Conduct below (be sure to click to enlarge — you’ll need to read it all), including “Every man has equal right to fresh provisions (iffin he has the gold),” and “A witness shall be present for gaming at cards or dice. (Short drop and sudden stop for cheatin’ scallywags.).”

And, of course, no monkeys.

Tortuga Tavern Code of Conduct

Next door at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe there is a shorter list of rules, but they’re no less important (after all, this is the Code of the West). Methinks the last one is likely the most [Read more…]

Disney Food for Families: Counter Service Dining with the Adventurous Child

By Erin 11 Comments

Disney Food for Families columnist Erin Foster has a very adventurous eater in her family — her daughter, Josie! Here are some great suggestions for kids who want something a bit different than the standard kids’ meal fare!

I’ve written before about my finicky, fearful daughter Louisa who never met a chicken nugget she didn’t like.

As it turns out, her twin sister Josie has a completely opposite dining profile. Josie will try anything, loves exploring new foods, and craves variety to spice up her meals. An endless stream of pizza bores her. If you have an adventurous eater in your life, you’ll want to find options beyond the ubiquitous pizza, pasta, hot dogs, and nuggets.

Josie enjoying the meat of a giant bird

In recent years, Disney has done a somewhat better job of providing a range of healthy and innovative foods on their childrens’ menus. Here I’m going to focus on some of the out-of-the-pizza-box Walt Disney World children’s counter service meal and snack options for those looking to avoid the kid food basics while on the go.

Magic Kingdom

Columbia Harbor House

and Cosmic Ray’s offer mixed greens with chicken for [Read more…]

Disney Food Post Round-Up: April 17, 2011

By AJ Leave a Comment

Peanut Butter Cupcake

Welcome to the DFB Round-Up! An exciting announcement about the WDW Foodie Fest is coming up this week, but first, let’s talk food news…:

Latest Disney Food News

Mark your calendars for the 2011 Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic
Two new cupcakes make their debuts at Boardwalk Bakery in Disney World
Jiko announces wine tastings and wine dinners
Tables in Wonderland April 2011 Events were announced

And I’ve got some more awesome reviews of our e-Book, The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining to share with you! Check them out below.

Recent Reviews of the DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining

Zannaland

is impressed with the information and photos in the book. Check out her review here.

SamLand’s Disney Adventures exclaims “Even veterans will get a lot out of this. This book will save you money.” Read his review here.

SoloFriendly likes the information on solo dining at WDW and says “the book is jam-packed with useful information for Disney World newbies as well as experienced visitors”! Check out her review here. Thanks for the fantastic reviews!

Now, On to the Round-Up!

Parkeology

reminisces about decoding El Pirata Y El Parico as a child.

Walt Disney World for Grown-Ups shares some details about the “Be Our Guest” restaurant that will open with the new Fantasyland expansion.

Imaginerding mentions reading our DFB guidebook while traveling to WDW.

Stuff from the Park transports readers back to the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship Restaurant in Disneyland’s Fantasyland.

Main Street Gazette reviews La Cantina de San Angel.

Disney Parks Blog explains rotational dining aboard the Disney Dream and shares some favorite menu items. (By the way — check out our ongoing reviews and recipes from the Disney Dream here!

Tortuga Tavern Opens in Disney World’s Adventureland

By AJ 19 Comments

Let’s all take a deep breath and prepare for the dramatic changes at Tortuga Tavern in Disney World. Okay, maybe you don’t need to breathe that deeply because it doesn’t appear that much has changed.

As you may know, the rarely open, El Pirata y El Perico has been recently re-named the Tortuga Tavern. What other changes await us? Here’s the new menu:

Tortuga Tavern Menu -- click image for larger version

You may notice some distinct similarities to the menu from this guest review by Sarah Holodick (who also provided this new picture). In fact, let me know if you notice any dissimilarities. As far as we can tell [Read more…]

Guest Review: El Pirata Y El Perico

By AJ 14 Comments

My friend and fellow Disney fan, Sarah Holodick, headed over to El Pirata y El Perico last week to enjoy the last few days of this restaurant’s “busy season” run. You’ll be hearing from Sarah a few more times over the next couple of weeks, too! Take it away, Sarah!Atmosphere

Not so long ago, I had the pleasure of trying a “new to me” restaurant as well as a couple old favorites. First, I will highlight my experience at the ever-elusive El Pirata Y El Perico. I went solo on Thursday morning and was surprised to see the menu was different from what I had previously seen at various sites online. I had read it would be from August 15th – September 4th for lunch to help accommodate free dining, so I knew this was my chance to try it out, and I’m [Read more…]

Disney Food Post Round-Up: August 15, 2010

By AJ 7 Comments

It's Open It's Open!

But first…the news!

The Karamelle Kuche, or Caramel Kitchen, in Epcot’s Germany has a reported opening date!
Disney World’s Magic Kingdom will be expanding dining offerings during the summer and free dining seasons. This is your chance to see what some of those “never-open” counter service spots look like!
The Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resorts are introducing an annual Food and Wine Classic this year during the Epcot Food and Wine Festival! Check out the details for info on seminars and samplings as well as some great hotel rates.
Touring Plans tipped us off to a potential extension of Disney World Free Dining. Hopefully we’ll find out more soon.

AND… Disney Food Blog and WDW Foodie Fest t-shirts are now available! You can check them out over on www.Zazzle.com/DisneyFoodBlog. Remember, you can purchase any design on any size/style shirt, so feel free to mix and match. While the designs are different, the back of each shirt carries our acronym — DFB for Disney Food Blog — and tagline, “Food is a Theme Park!”

And now — on to the round-up!

Stuff From the Parks has a couple of posts showcasing photos from the Tahitian Terrace a la 1966 — check out Part I and Part II.

Pop Century Site explores unique food items at Disney’s Pop Century Resort.

Touring Plans‘ blogger Todd Perlmutter has a great homage to Saratoga Springs’ Turf Club Bar and Grill.

Chefs de France Mac and Cheese

Parkeology remembers the Disney Handwich (and scorns the up-and-coming copycats).

Theme Park Mom allowed yours truly to do a fun guest post on Character Meals in Disneyland! Thanks, Leigh!

Everything WDW has an in-depth review of Chefs de France in Epcot.

Pee Dee Foodie takes a look at the Main Street Confectionery in Walt Disney World.

Main St Gazette has pics of the Via Napoli bathrooms! (Oh, and the pizza, too. 🙂 )

Disney Parks Blog showcases their pastry creations (and pastry chefs!) in a cool video.

Magic Kingdom Expands Restaurant Capacity During Free Dining in Disney World

By AJ 5 Comments

As we saw last year, several rarely (if ever) open restaurants will be serving steadily through the weeks when Disney World is offering its free dining promotion. Here are the details:

Tomorrowland Terrace Cafe Will Offer a Table-Service Buffet on Sunday Evenings
From 5:30pm to 9pm on Sundays, beginning August 22nd and running through September, Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland Terrace Cafe will offer a dinner buffet for guests. Pricing currently stands at: Adult: $37.28, Child: $19.17. The menu for the buffet will include beef and pasta dishes, vegetables, fried rice, rolls, and desserts. Booking is available on the DisneyWorld.com site.

Also, the Tomorrowland Terrace “Noodle Station” has changed up its menu to serve American classic fare (burgers and sandwiches, chicken nuggets, salads, etc.) for lunch and will switch to its Asian menu after 4pm.

El Pirata Y el Perico Restaurante Will Be Open for Lunch
This Adventureland location serving quick-service Mexican cuisine will be open for lunch from August 15th through September 4th, 2010.

Diamond Horseshoe Will be Open for Dinner
This Frontierland eatery will extend its hours through dinner time (5-9pm) from August 15th through the 28th, and from September 19th through October 2nd, serving a table-service style turkey dinner akin to what you’ll get at Liberty Tree Tavern next door (via WDWMagic; booking for September/October dates not available on Disney site at time of this writing). Counter-service lunch will still be available at the Diamond Horseshoe from 11am-3pm serving sandwiches and other grab and go items.

“Is This Place Ever Open?”: El Pirata y El Perico

By AJ 26 Comments

There are a couple of dining spots in Disney World that seem to always be closed — at least when I’m there — and El Pirata y El Perico is one of them!

El Pirata y El Perico

Located near Pirates of the Caribbean in Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland, El Pirata y El Perico (The Pirate and The Parrot) is themed to represent a Caribbean village eatery, and with dark woods, beautiful tiles, and mosaics, it seems to be an extension of the ride itself!

El Pirata y El Perico themeing

El Pirata y El Perico Ordering Area

It is considered to be “open seasonally,” which can mean just about anything! In the past several years, it’s occasionally been open during Disney’s busy seasons (summer and Christmas season), and most often serves counter-service meals. Usually the restaurant serves Mexican food, including tacos and taco salads (see the DisneyWorld.com Magic Kingdom dining page for this description), but the day I was there, the restaurant was standing in for the closed-for-refurbishment Pecos Bill’s Tall Tale Inn and Cafe next door. Thus the menu below displays foods better associated with that establishment.

El Pirata y El Perico Board (standing in on this day for Pecos Bill's)

The open-air seating areas are the perfect place to relax and take a break from the Florida heat. Even when the restaurant isn’t open, a lot of these seating areas are still accessible for relaxing and people-watching.

El Pirata y El Perico Seating Area

When I was wandering around taking photos, the restaurant was actually just about to open believe it or not. Because it was “standing in” for Pecos Bill’s, there was a “fixin’s bar” for the burgers:

El Pirata y El Perico

Have you ever eaten at El Pirata y El Perico when it was serving its Mexican menu? What did you think? Let me know via facebook, twitter, or email! Also let me know of places that never seem to be open when you’re in Disney!

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The Hidden Laws of the Magic Kingdom