food IS a theme park
Dinner and dessert? We’re always up for a great meal and a delicious treat in Disney World!
Flying Fish at Disney’s BoardWalk
And, now we can celebrate girls’ night, date night, or even fun with the family because there are new AH-MAZING items for your evening out!
I’m already excited for one of my very favorite Disney World restaurants — the Flying Fish — to reopen from its current major refurbishment.
And now, we have more details regarding what some of the changes will be when this signature restaurant makes its debut as the Flying Fish (nope — “Cafe” will not be in the name moving forward).
But first, let’s take a glimpse at concept art for the updated interior of the restaurant, which will have a new kitchen and dining room (as well as new options for private dining).
The chandelier you see on top of the artwork “mimics a school of flying fish swimming overhead,” and golden-winged room panels are also being added to the main dining room. Looks like quite a change from the previous decor — a whimsical celebration of life on a turn-of-the-century Boardwalk! In fact, is anyone else getting a kind of Bluezoo vibe from this?
©Disney
Chef Tim Majoras — who will be leading the Flying Fish team (of which he’s been a member since 2011) shared a glimpse of what to expect from the refreshed menu. New among the starters will be a Seared Yellow Fin Tuna served with compressed watermelon, avocado slices, crisp radishes, and pickled daikon complete with a small edible viola flower and drizzle of blood orange oil. [Read more…]
There’s big news this week regarding chefs at some popular signature dining restaurants throughout Walt Disney World! Chef shakeups at three spots may mean changes at some of your favorites. Read on for all of the details.
Earlier this week, Chef Masaharu Morimoto and Patina Restaurant Group announced that Chef Yuhi Fujinaga had taken on the role of executive chef at Disney Springs’ Morimoto Asia.
Yuhi Fujinag, Morimoto Asia’s New Executive Chef (Photo ©Morimoto Asia)
Chef Yuhi first met the famous Iron Chef and restaurant mogul early in his career. “I met Chef Morimoto as a young chef in Hawaii, where I grew up. We bonded quickly over our love of fresh fish, big flavors and new cooking techniques,” said Chef Yuhi. [Read more…]
Disney is currently testing a new transportation method — complimentary direct taxi service — for guests dining at select signature restaurants while staying at Walt Disney World monorail resorts!
Monorail Orange at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Until June 30, 2015, some guests at the monorail resorts (Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and Contemporary) will be selected to participate in this Disney dining test. Those invited to participate will receive complimentary round-trip vouchers delivered to their room.
Participants will have the option of enjoying direct taxi transportation to [Read more…]
When most people think of Walt Disney World, they automatically think of visiting with friends or family, which is lots of fun.
But there’s another way that I really love to tour Disney World. And that’s solo.
Sure. It’s always awesome to experience the magic with others…to catch their smiles, impressions, opinions. But sometimes out of necessity, and sometimes out of preference, I find myself visiting the ‘World alone.
It may sound lonely, but it doesn’t have to be. After all, what better way to take advantage of that single rider line? 😉 You can also spend as long as you want drinking in every detail of attractions and other surroundings.
But even if you’re totally OK with doing attractions by yourself, dining may feel like another matter altogether. You may be tempted to just stick with a table for one in the counter service spots.
And that’s all good, if that’s what you want. But if you’re looking to enjoy some of the great dining choices Disney has to offer, we have some terrific Tips from the DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining for making this an awesome experience. And this is just one of the many unique ways of enjoying the World that we cover in the guide. There’s a chapter for everything, so be sure to check it out!
And if you find this information helpful, then be sure to pick up your copy of the Guide today for $4 off using code “2015” right here!
There is no shortage of great Disney restaurants with equally great views! Why not choose one of them for your next solo meal?
One of my favorites is Sanaa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Request a window seat and enjoy an ever-changing view of the animals that call Sunset Savanna home.
Watch the Wildlife as You Dine at Sanaa
And while you enjoy the live action through the window, the food incredible as well! The menu features East African and Indian-inspired dishes, and I can never pass up the opportunity to enjoy their incredible Butter Chicken.
Ya Gotta Try the Butter Chicken!
Prefer serenity to scenery? Grab a table at one of Flame Tree Barbecue’s many pavilions. (Flame Tree Barbecue has been closed for refurbishment, but we expect it to re-open very soon.)
Many Disney table service restaurants feature chef’s counters or bars where you can dine while you watch all of the exciting action of the kitchen. Sitting at these high-energy spots was a favorite tip that I received from my friend Gray at SoloFriendly.com. And if I’m choosing some of my favorite bar seating, it has to be [Read more…]
Fun news for those of you visiting Disney World this week!
Slow Food Orlando is sponsoring Eat Local Week in The City Beautiful — and it’s happening right now!
While the event showcases eating, drinking, and shopping local throughout the Central Florida Region, there are opportunities to celebrate local growers and producers by dining in some of our favorite Disney Restaurants.
Enjoy menus featuring locally-sourced ingredients all this week, showcasing ingredients from Florida farms, ranches, and fisheries.
And the list of participating Disney restaurants includes some of our tried and true favorites. Choose from The Wave…of American Flavors or California Grill in Disney’s Contemporary Resort. We’ve enjoyed delicious seasonal dishes in both.
A Beautiful View and the Season’s Best Flavors at California Grill
At Disney’s Grand Floridian, dine slow-food style at the beautiful Citricos. Or hop over to Disney’s BoardWalk for dinner at Flying Fish Cafe — hands down, one of my absolute favorite spots! (Read our latest review of Flying Fish here.)
The Flying Fish Cafe is Always an Excellent Choice, Especially for Seafood, Like Their Killer Crabcakes
But we aren’t finished! Yachtsman Steakhouse, known for perfectly prepared steaks and seasonally-inspired sides, will also be participating. Finally, end your Eat Local tour at [Read more…]
We are happy to start a little early celebrating National Margarita Day tomorrow, February 22! Now, this is a holiday I can get behind!!!
If you’ve been here for any amount of time at all, then you know I lurve a good Margarita. (If you’re new here at DFB — welcome…and FYI, I love margaritas!) And some of my very favorites can be found right at Walt Disney World.
Grab some limes and tequila and let’s take a look at our must-drink margs!
The Aguacate — Avocado Margarita — from La Cava del Tequila has been one of my very favorites from the first time I sampled it!
It’s a wonderful, made-to-order concoction that blends Avocado, Lime Juice, White Tequila, and Melon Liqueur for a flavor that’s like no other!
Avocado Margarita
My favorite thing about this drink is the perfect balance of the creamy consistency with a sweet flavor — not to mention the tequila :-). A little Agave Nectar and the liqueur balance the flavors nicely.
And thanks to an awesome reader, you and I can even make this one at home today with this recipe, and celebrate this holiday in style!
Blood Orange
is one of my favorite flavors. After all, with the complex, less sweet, almost bitter taste it imparts, it’s a little more interesting than plain old orange…orange.
And it’s especially delicious when paired with other flavors in a margarita. We’ve enjoyed versions of this festive cocktail at San Angel Inn Ristorante, but my favorite one can be found at Flying Fish Cafe.
Blood Orange Margarita
If you’re anything like me, if you order this, it’ll be gone pretty quickly! SO good!
One thing that you can count on at Disney when it comes to food and drink is a fun, fusion approach to some of your favorites. Case in point: the Italian Margarita in Epcot’s Italy Pavilion!
I first discovered this delicious drink at Via Napoli, the Italy Pavilion’s fantastic spot for pizza.
Italian Margarita
But it’s proven to be so popular, it’s also been available at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival in recent years! And fortunately, you can still order it at Italy’s Gelato Stand.
Italian Margarita at the Food and Wine Festival’s Italy Booth!
Flavored with a smooth combination of [Read more…]
With an open kitchen and whimsical decor, Flying Fish Café boasts an impressive menu where diners enjoy a relaxing, “seaside” setting at the BoardWalk Resort in Walt Disney World. Join us in welcoming back Guest Author Paul Kuconis! His latest review features a steak dinner (that’s right, landlubbers!!) at this restaurant.
The Epcot Resorts provide a very nice respite from the hustle and bustle of Future World and World Showcase, not to mention awesome restaurants and watering holes.
My travel agent’s favorite restaurant is Flying Fish Café. Every time they visit Walt Disney World they book an Advance Dining Reservation (ADR). So, I figured, why not, let’s try it. This trip we decided to give it a whirl!
Using the My Disney Experience app I made a 4:30PM dinner reservation for two. Rather early, but given the temperature, humidity, and heat index, it turned out be a good move.
The Long, Hot Walk
We decided to walk over rather than take the boat. Either way, both involved no air conditioning!
We Hit the Boardwalk
We reached the Boardwalk and stepped back in time. After a quick stop at the ESPN Club for a soft drink, to cool off, and to kill some time, we ventured on.
Flying Fish
There it is! Nicely tucked away. The setback pulls the restaurant away from the hustle and bustle of the Boardwalk and provides a little quiet. Depending on your approach, the Café can be easily missed. After checking the posted menu we headed inside.
Flying Fish Door Pulls
The flying fish theme begins right at the front door.
But, before we head inside, a question; why the name ‘Flying Fish’? It fits with the Boardwalk theme and evokes the roller coaster ride of yesteryear at Coney Island called Flying Turns.
While we waited to be seated I took in the décor.
Ferris Wheel
Fish Hook Light Fixture
Murals of Yesteryear Fun
Roller Coaster Motif
Seating Area
The Bar
Flying Fish Light Fixture
It was at this point I started to think of the name ‘café’ and how it contrasted to the structure itself (I don’t want to call it a ‘restaurant’). Dictionary.com defines café as: 1) a restaurant, often with an enclosed or outdoor section extending onto the sidewalk (nope, didn’t see that), 2) a restaurant, usually small and unpretentious (not from my view), and 3) a barroom, cabaret, or nightclub (not really). Maybe more of an oxymoron? Or just a play on words? Something to ponder.
As we waited by the reception desk I scoped out the seating area and determined where I wanted to sit.
Kitchen
This spot looks good to me. Now, can I convince the Cast Member to seat us here?
Reception Desk
I asked, and was granted, seating at the Chef’s Counter, the closest thing to the Chef’s Table you can get. (Editor’s Note: Flying Fish does do a “Chef’s Counter” meal, but outside of that seating, other guests are able to have their meals here at the Chef’s Counter.)
My View From the Chef’s Counter
My Place Setting
Disney does it up well. Granite counter top and linen napkin with the Flying Fish motif embroidered. Nice touch!
First off, we looked over the wine list.
Black Stallion Chardonnay Menu Item
We selected the Black Stallion Chardonnay.
Black Stallion 2012 Chardonnay
We enjoyed it very much, noting a lovely nose of green apple, lemon zest, and vanilla followed by flavors of citrus, brown butter, pear, and flint. The 2012 Chardonnay is soft and round on the palate with bright fruit and creamy notes that lead into a long, elegant finish.
Now we get down to the business of the menu and what to order.
The Menu
During my visits to Walt Disney World, I always check out Cast Member name tags. I want to know their name and am curious as to where they moved from. Tim, our server for the evening, grew up in the city next to where we live. In fact, he is familiar with our neighborhood. How cool is that!
Potato Bread
Tim brought us Potato Bread to munch on while we perused the menu. A very interesting bread with a nice, airy texture with pieces of potato throughout. That’s the cool thing with many Disney restaurants. They do not serve just ‘bread’ or ‘rolls’; at least at the restaurants I have visited.
Choosing the appetizer was rather easy. I like to try different offerings where possible to enjoy the Chef’s take and development of the ingredients. So I selected the crab cake.
Flying Fish Café Crispy Crab Cake Menu Item
Wow! Look at the plating! We eat with our eyes as we ‘see’ the food before we taste it. If it is visually appealing it enhances the experience.
My Crab Cake Appetizer
Almost too pretty to eat. Nah! Because of the extreme heat, humidity, and heat index I wanted to eat light tonight. This was not a heavy appetizer.
No Filler Here
The slaw was made with cabbage, red and yellow peppers, carrots, and finely shredded cucumber and the light vinaigrette provided a nice amount of acidity to balance the crab cake. Mix that with the dots of roasted tomato coulis (adding a little sweetness) along with the slight hint of heat from the ancho chile remoulade (WOW!), that makes for a nice, balanced bite, with no single flavor overpowering the other — especially the crab cake — the star of the dish. Topped with micro basil, it brings the whole thing together. Nicely done! Oh, and there was more crab than filler in the cake — can’t beat that!
Now for the entrée. A tough choice. All offerings looked sooooo good. What they need to do is offer a ‘menu sampler’. Tiny bites of everything. Why not, they do it with beer! Where is the suggestion box?
Char-Crusted Angus New York Strip Steak Menu Item and more!
Well, this is a first! This was supposed to be a picture of the daily quote. I neglected to take a full, clean shot of my menu item. But you can get the general idea of the entree. I settled on the steak over Panzanella Salad.
One of Those Steaks is Mine
One of the advantages of sitting at the Chef’s Counter is [Read more…]
Welcome back to the Flying Fish Cafe!
While all the dining talk on Disney’s BoardWalk has centered around the opening of the brand new Trattoria al Forno as of late, I wanted to bring you back to the Flying Fish, which is not only my favorite restaurant on BoardWalk, but also one of my very favorites in all of Disney World. Period.
During the interim between the closing of Kouzzina and the opening of Trattoria al Forno, the Flying Fish served a stint as a breakfast location, previewing some of the dishes that are now on the breakfast menu at Trattoria al Forno.
But this signature restaurant is now back to its regular dinner-only schedule, and if you haven’t enjoyed dinner at Flying Fish before, I’ve gotta say it: it’s practically a must-do.
Flying Fish
Come see what I mean…
The decor of the Flying Fish pays tribute to two things: first, the atmosphere honors its place on Disney’s BoardWalk through some insanely fun murals depicting things like turn-of-the-century roller coasters, those old school parachute swing rides, and other carnival-style attractions.
Boardwalk murals
Boardwalk murals
The theme is continued as you move further into the restaurant with a gorgeous backlit ferris wheel, and the most enviable seating space of all right underneath the circus tent.
Backlit Ferris Wheel
Circus Tent seating
The second design element plays on the star of the culinary scene here: seafood. And nowhere is that theme more evident than in the parachuting fish “flying” above as you dine!
Flying Fish!
Notice the bait hooks mixed in with some of the underwater themed lighting fixtures.
Lighting fixtures
With everything going on, you may not notice the open kitchen (unless you’re seated at the Chef’s Counter directly in front of the show), but try to take a moment to observe, since what happens in this kitchen is some of the best of Disney culinary feats in action.
Chef’s Counter in front of the kitchen
Of course, if you’re just looking for a quick dinner, the bar area is very comfortable, too.
Bar area
I have no idea if “upscale-whimsy” is an interior design term, but if it is, that pretty much sums up the Flying Fish. It manages to be both sophisticated and super fun at the same time.
The name of this restaurant gives guests an idea that there is a focus on seafood at the Flying Fish, but don’t let that scare you or anyone in your party off who isn’t a seafood fan. Remember, I said this was one of my favorite restaurants, and seafood isn’t exactly my ultimate choice in cuisine. There’s plenty of meat and pasta to go around, too.
But I’m getting ahead of myself… let’s start with the complimentary bread served with butter, which was hard to hold back on thanks to the unique touches of herbs and cheese tucked inside the nooks of the rustic bread.
Bread
My friends and I enjoyed some the bread while scoping out the [Read more…]
Disney World continually seeks ways to help guests with food allergies feel more at ease during their travels. If you or any member of your traveling group has a food allergy, you may be interested to hear about a current test underway at a few dining locations in Disney World.
For a limited time, select Disney World restaurants are offering menus specifically geared towards those with food allergies to allow ease of ordering directly from the menus. Test locations at the resorts include World Premiere Food Court at All Star Movies Resort, Flying Fish Café at Disney’s BoardWalk, and Kona Café and Captain Cook’s at the Polynesian Village Resort.
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, The Hollywood Brown Derby, Sci-Fi Dine-in Restaurant, and ABC Commissary are taking part in the test.
ABC Commissary
In these beginning phases, ABC Commissary’s menu [Read more…]
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