Epcot | the disney food blog

Disney Food Pics of the Week: Comfort Food

We love the new pictures we’ve been receiving in the Disney Food Blog Photo Extravaganza! Warning: Don’t try looking at them when you’re hungry! 😉

The Disney Food Pics of the Week this week feature Comfort Food. For a taste of home, try one of these comforting menu items!

Mom loves an excuse not to cook! This Mom’s Night Out tray from Pop Century’s Everything Pop Food Court makes a hearty meal of Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans & corn bread.
Photographer: Chrissy Field/siriusthinking

Mom's Night Out Special

Home-style meals such as Mom’s Chicken Pot Pie are available at the 50’s Prime Time Cafe in [Read more…]

What’s Your Favorite New-To-You Disney Food?

By AJ 37 Comments

We’ve all experienced it — that moment when you first bite into something you’ve never had before…and realize you now have a new favorite food to add to your list of must-eats! I’ve had that experience multiple times in the past year, and thought it might be fun to trade stories with you guys.

First up, and probably my very favorite, is that completely-pre-processed-and-I-know-it fried ice cream at the ~~American pavilion in Epcot~~ stand on the Boardwalk! I mean, come on. Melty ice cream goodness covered in crunchies, fried, and drowned in dark chocolate syrup?! GIMB! (Translation — Get In My Belly!)

Fried Ice Cream Close Up

Next, I’ve got to give the spotlight to the Disneyland hand-dipped corn dog. I know this isn’t a “new” item at all, but it’s new to me this year, and I’m in love.

Corn bread just tastes better in Disneyland — at least I think so — and when you wrap it fresh around a savory hot dog and stick a few fries on the side, it’s like heaven in a basket. You may have [Read more…]

Disney Food for Families: It’s a World of Candy

By Erin 41 Comments

Disney Food for Families columnist Erin Foster and her daughters toured World Showcase with an eye for candy!

You’ve probably heard of the Drink-Around-The-World activity where you and some strong-stomached companions visit each country at Epcot’s World Showcase and partake of a signature adult beverage in every land. Sounds good to me too, but unfortunately that’s not going to work when your touring partners are a couple of 11-year-old girls.

When my twin daughters, Josie and Louisa, and I were recently faced with an afternoon at Epcot and a two-hour wait for Soarin’, we decided to do what any good Disney foodie would do: eat. Specifically we decided to undertake the G-rated version of country crawl: Candy-Around-The-World.

World Showcase

We set up a few rules for ourselves:

We had to buy and sample a candy in each Epcot country. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it. 🙂
The candy had to be as native as possible.
When in doubt, get a recommendation from a cast member from the represented country.

And off we went to create an international sugar coma. When we started our trek, we happened to be near [Read more…]

Tables in Wonderland: May 2011 Events

By Kim LaPaglia 7 Comments

Check out these fun May 2011 Tables in Wonderland events in Walt Disney World!! Details can be found below the photos. Click on photos for larger version!

click image for larger version

Flower Power Happy Hour

Date and Time:

Sunday May 8, 2011 6:00pm – 8:30pm
Location: American Adventure Parlor at Epcot
Cost:$35 per person, gratuity is included

The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is a special spring event filled with a colorful array of flowers, lush gardens, topiaries, live music, unique shopping, and educational programs. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the festival, finish off the day with a melodious evening at the America Gardens Theatre adjacent to the American Adventure Pavilion and enjoy music from the 1960s and 1970s during the Flower Power Concert Series. Join your fellow Tables in Wonderland members for a cocktail hour and then reserved seating for the concert of the ever-so-dreamy Davy Jones, best known as the front man for the 60’s sensation “The Monkees”.

Click on image above for menu.

For reservations, e-mail [email protected] with the following information: your interest to book, your name, daytime phone number, home address, and the number of people in your party. You will be notified on a “first-come, first-served” basis. Your credit card will be taken over the phone once your reservation is confirmed. The event is limited to 60 Guests. The event is exclusive to Tables in Wonderland members.

Illuminations Dessert Party

Date:

Sunday May 28, 2011
Time: 8:00pm – 9:30pm
Location: Isle de France at Epcot
Cost: $50.00 per person, plus tax. Gratuity is included.

Platters of rich, moist, delectable, and delicious desserts. A sky filled with glowing balls of fire and emblazoned with piercing streaks of light. The evening air rich with the sounds of an orchestral score. You are invited to a private Tables in Wonderland Dessert Party! Come enjoy a front row presentation of the premier nighttime spectacular at Epcot, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, while you sample platters of exquisitely prepared delectable desserts and rich coffees.

Click above image for menu.

For reservations, e-mail [email protected] with the following information: your interest to book, your name, daytime phone number, home address, and the number of people in your party. You will be notified on a “first-come, first-served” basis. Your credit card will be taken over the phone once your reservation is confirmed. The event is limited to 100 Guests. The event is exclusive to Tables in Wonderland members.

The Wave . . . of American Flavors Discovery Dinner

Date:

Thursday, May 19, 2011
Time: 6:30 p.m. Reception; 7 p.m. Dinner
Location: The Wave . . . of American Flavors at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Please meet at restaurant’s main podium.
Dress: Casual Evening Attire
Price: $92 per person, includes tax and gratuity

Highlighting Hank Scott, President of Long & Scott Farms, who represents the third generation of the Scott family’s farming tradition. Scott Farms was established in 1963 by Billy Long and Frank Scott, Jr. who were childhood friends from the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Hank, who has worked on the farm since he was a boy, returned to the farm full-time after graduating from the University of South Florida.

Click on image above for menu.

For reservations, e-mail [email protected] with the following information: your interest to book, your name, daytime phone number, home address, and the number of people in your party. You will be notified on a “first-come, first-served” basis. Your credit card will be taken over the phone once your reservation is confirmed. The event is limited to 44 Guests. The event is exclusive to Tables in Wonderland members.

Guest Review: Nine Dragons Restaurant in Epcot

By AJ 28 Comments

Learn About:Nine Dragons Restaurant

Epcot Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

Our Guest Reviewer today, Derek Newton, shares a critical review of Nine Dragons in Disney World’s Epcot. Let us know your own personal experiences at this restaurant in the comments below!

As a restaurant in one of Epcot’s original countries, Nine Dragons at the China pavilion is often overlooked. It should be. I wanted to write that Nine Dragons deserves a second look, but one look was enough.

Atmosphere
We chose Nine Dragons because it was one of perhaps two or three restaurants in Epcot we had not tried. Our reservation was for 7:30 pm on a Friday and we arrived early (by a good 20 minutes) to find the undersized reception area literally overflowing with guests.

After finally making my way to the check-in desk and having my name located on the reservation list, I was given a light-up, vibrating coaster similar to those guests receive at suburban chain restaurants like Chili’s or Friday’s. The comparison was truer than I knew.

To the staff’s credit, we were seated in fewer than five minutes – still 15 minutes before our reservation time. And in general, the staff from reservation desk to wait staff did their best to accommodate a cramped, uninspired décor and predictable, bland menu.

Before being seated it was clear Nine Dragons was no place for [Read more…]

New Menu Item: Appetizer Trio at Epcot’s Rose & Crown Restaurant

By AJ 28 Comments

So, we chatted a few weeks ago about a food trend that seems to be taking Disney World by storm — trios! And we’ve found another new menu trio over at the Rose & Crown Restaurant that we thought was pretty great — almost as good as the English Bulldog!!

While the Yorkshire Dales was definitely on the tip of my tongue to order, that appetizer trio is new on the menu since my last visit, and I couldn’t wait to try it. It included Rose & Crown’s delicious Potato & Leek Soup — a strong contender for my favorite soup on property, scotch eggs, and Beef Pasties. The trio comes “to share,” so there’s two of everything — perfect when you don’t want someone stealing any of your soup!!!

Rose & Crown Appetizer Trio

First, I dug into that delectable soup. That stuff is cream + butter + salt + cream + [Read more…]

Review: Epcot’s Bistro de Paris

By AJ 21 Comments

Learn About:Bistro de Paris

Epcot Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

One of Disney World’s “signature” restaurants, Bistro de Paris is a truly elegant getaway from stereotypical theme park dining.

The restaurant is the concept of French chefs Roger Verge, Paul Bocuse, and the late Gaston Lenotre; these three also created concepts for — and originally ran — Chefs de France downstairs from the Bistro and the Boulangerie Patisserie next door. Today, Chef Bocuse’s son keeps an eye on the proceedings here.

Bistro is expensive and high-end, and service is usually excellent. I’ve heard raves about this restaurant, but I’ve also heard that it can be disappointing. My review lands somewhere in the middle.

Atmosphere

The entrance to the restaurant can be tough to find! Guests must walk into the France pavilion and all the way around Chefs de France before coming to a small, residential-looking door marked with a small Bistro sign and menu. I can imagine wandering around the pavilion for quite some time if I were looking for this place in the dark!

Once you enter, things become much more…refined. The general feeling of the Bistro lobby is one of richness.

Entryway Ceiling

Lighting

The deep red carpeting, brass fixtures, milk-glass light treatments, and drop-dead gorgeous art nouveau staircase and “chandelier” are [Read more…]

Menu Spotlight: English Bulldog at Rose & Crown Pub

By AJ 21 Comments

Editor’s Note: As of 2013, the English Bulldog is no longer on the Rose & Crown pub menu.

So, I was looking at the Rose & Crown pub menu one day and I saw this:

Yes, PLEASE!

It took a while for me to get back to the World and get my hands on one, but I was thrilled when my buddy Lisa from Babes in Disneyland agreed to head to the pub with me to try one last month!

Rose and Crown

Atmosphere
We arrived right at opening to a nearly deserted pub and quickly [Read more…]

2011 United Way Chef’s Gala To Be Held in Epcot on May 21st

By Kim LaPaglia 2 Comments

Benefiting Heart of Florida, The United Way’s Chef’s Gala will be held in Epcot’s World Showplace on Saturday May 21, 2011. The 19th annual Chef’s Gala touts the event as “A Tasteful Way to Make a Difference” which raised almost $170,000 last year! Walt Disney World has hosted the Chef’s Gala since its inception with over a million raised in that time!

Chef's Gala

Specs
The festivities begin at 6:45 pm. with a cocktail attire dress code.

6:45 – 8:15 pm Champagne Served and Martini Bar Opens
7:30 – 10:00 pm Chefs Begin Serving

Guests will enjoy a silent auction and wine reception. This tasteful event continues with a scrumptious tasting featuring over 20 top chefs (and restaurants) from Central Florida. There will also be paired fine wines, desserts and specialty coffees. For questions about wine and wine pairings, Sommeliers will be on hand.

Participating restaurants include: Artist Point, Kouzzina by Cat Cora, La Luce by Donna Scala, Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant, Sanaa, Todd English’s bluezoo, Tony’s Town Square Restaurant, Tusker House Restaurant, The Wave…of American Flavors, Disney’s Contemporary Resort Bakery, Epcot Bakery, Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea Company.

Ticket Info: [Read more…]

Review: Sake Bar in Epcot’s Japan

By AJ 13 Comments

For all of you drinking-around-the-World fans, it’s time to dive into Sake! If you haven’t had the chance to sample it, Sake is a Japanese alcohol made from rice. Like wine and beer, it has multiple varieties, flavors, and “faces,” and exploring it can be a full-time job! For those who want a full history of Sake, the Wikipedia version is a good one.

Today, I had the chance to spend an hour or so with friends Sarah and Matt (many of you know Sarah Holodick from her many guest articles on this blog) at the Sake bar in the very back of the Mitsukoshi Department Store in Epcot’s Japan pavilion.

Mitsukoshi Department Store

I’ve never seen this little tasting area very full, and today — during Spring Break — the line was long for the cash register, but the Sake bar itself was still quite barren. I chalk that up to not enough advertising, because spending time sampling at this little location is a great way to relax and refresh during a long day at Epcot.

The menu offers 10 different sake varieties to choose from, all of which are sold by the [Read more…]

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Disney Food Pics of the Week: Comfort Food

What’s Your Favorite New-To-You Disney Food?

Disney Food for Families: It’s a World of Candy