food IS a theme park
We’ll admit it: we don’t really want to see the 2020 Taste of EPCOT Food and Wine Festival end (and as EPCOT hasn’t posted an end date yet, we might just get our wish!). But now, we’ve got ANOTHER food and wine event in the Orlando area!
Taste of Asia Station at Food and Wine Weekends
That event is Food and Wine Weekends, and it happens at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando and the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek!
A BRAND NEW hotel has just joined the ranks of the Bonnet Creek-area hotels, which are located INSIDE the gates of Walt Disney World.
Walt Disney World Resort entrance
The JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa opened July 1st and is located just down the road from other popular Bonnet Creek resorts the Hilton Orlando-Bonnet Creek Resort, the Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek, and the Waldorf Astoria Orlando.
If you are planning on visiting Walt Disney World this fall for the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Halloween in the Parks, or to see Toy Story Land, the seven hotels that make up the Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels are here to help you save money.
Disney Springs Pumpkin
You can stay within walking distance of Disney Springs, have easy access to new restaurants like Chicken Guy!, and indulge in milkshakes, bubble waffles, pineapple eclairs and more! [Read more…]
We’re finally in the know about the California Grill opening date!
New sushi options at California Grill!
Get ready to make your Advance Dining Reservations beginning August 26 (tomorrow!) for the restaurant’s September 9th opening date (and beyond)! We can’t wait to see the results of the restaurant’s renovations as well as sample new menu items!
Also, if your resort’s food court is an important element to your Disney World vacation, please review the news on the temporary closing of the All-Star Sports End Zone food court.
Don’t miss this week’s news. Time to catch up on your reading…
Interesting and delicious news this week!
Of course, there’s more! Check out all the latest Disney Food News — even the stuff we don’t mention in posts on the blog! — on our Disney Food News Pin Board, including The Great Irish Hooley at Raglan Road in Downtown Disney Orlando, Food of Life Event at Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek, and more.
If you find a fun new food — or other edible awesomeness — in or from Disney, share a photo with us on facebook or twitter so we can add it to our DFB Reader Finds each Sunday!
In our Reader Finds showcase this week — two new dessert options from Cinderella’s Royal Table in the Magic Kingdom! Thanks to Reader Kaitlyn for sending in these gorgeous photos!
The first is a trio — a warm pecan cake with caramel sauce, a triple chocolate mousse, and a meyer lemon tart.
Dessert Trio at Cinderella's Royal Table!
And check out a new signature dessert: [Read more…]
We’re just getting into Springtime in Orlando, and now is the perfect time to sit by the pool with a cocktail (or mocktail!).
So for your Friday Zen-ness today, I’ve got the perfect destination…
Aaaaahh...that's better, isn't it?
Beech Pool Bar at the Hilton Bonnet Creek Resort is one of the most relaxing spots I’ve visited within the gates of Walt Disney World.
A massive lazy river and pool complex is the perfect addition to a sunny Orlando afternoon…and the frozen hot chocolate doesn’t hurt either. But more on that later…
Beech Pool Bar
Let’s dive in!
Beech is more than your standard pool bar. There are plenty of tables and chairs for eating a full meal, but if relaxation is on the docket, consider curling up with a cocktail by one of the [Read more…]
One of our favorite Italian eateries in Walt Disney World, La Luce by Donna Scala, has thrown its hat into the Valentine’s Day ring with a special menu!
Seating at La Luce
The restaurant, located within the maingate of Disney World at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek, offers fresh and imaginative takes on Italian cuisine. You can read my review of a wonderful dinner here!
If you’re in town and don’t want to battle Disney crowds for Valentine’s Day, take advantage of this incredible menu. They’ll actually be serving the special menu February 14, 15, and 16.
La Luce Offers a Special Menu for Valentine's Weekend
My suggestion? [Read more…]
Whew! What a week!
As you know, I’ve been busy at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival eating my way around the World and updating ALL of our World Showcase Booth food pictures!!
But the best part? TV!! Those of you in Orlando may have seen me talking Food and Wine on Fox 35 News Orlando last Tuesday morning; and if you’re in Tampa you may have heard me chat about the Festival on WTSP 10 News yesterday morning!
Be sure to check out this clip all about my money-saving tips for the Epcot Food and Wine Festival!
But in addition to that, we’ve also got some fun new updates from the rest of the World of Disney to share with you… . Let’s take a look!
Get ready to dig in to this week’s sweet and savory headlines from Disney!
We’ve got additional food news (including a clawdaddy food truck at Downtown Disney, self-ordering kiosk at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, restaurant closure updates and LOTS more) on our Disney Food News Pin Board!
The 2012 Epcot Food and Wine Festival is in full swing, but we’re still updating our coverage daily with World Showcase booth reviews, new photos, and other news popping up from the Festival Center!
Check out this fun video of some Food and Wine Festival Entertainers in Future World!
Find all of the latest Epcot Food and Wine Festival News and Reviews here, and stay tuned this week for our take on several seminars and events around the festival (including exclusive pics of ME in WADERS in the OCEAN SPRAY CRANBERRY BOG!).
Also, our great DFB Deals of the Week for the Epcot Food and Wine Festival Opening Week have been extended!!
Check out the awesome discounts we have available on our Disney Dining e-Book Bundles and our 2012 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Guide!
More to come… stay tuned!
Mickey Fix
shares some very cool Alice in Wonderland teacups and saucers (which I haven’t ever seen before)!
Walt Disney World for Grown Ups sips on a Caramel Apple Frozen Margarita at Boardwalk Joe’s.
Passport to Dreams takes us on a vintage tour of Disneyland’s food service history. Wow!
Studios Central reminisces about extinct food once served at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Gorillas Don’t Blog discovers a vintage picture of Disney Legend Ginny Tyler sitting in front of Hills Bros. Coffee House in Disneyland.
Main Street Gazette dishes up Jerk Spiced Chicken Drumettes from the Caribbean marketplace at the Food and Wine Festival.
All Ears shows us the history of Dinoland, including the Restaurantosaurus.
Disney Parks Blog unveils the recipe for Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli served at the California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
Courtesy of Andy Jackson from Eating (and Drinking) Around the World, we have a review of last year’s Barbecue Weekends at Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. This year’s BBQ weekend begins August 10th! Get details here!
The Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek resort, located in the middle of Disney World property, offered up a couple of food-related events during the summer of 2011. As part of their “SummerBlast!” promotion the hotel hosted a weekend devoted to Cupcakes, and followed that up with two weekends of Barbecue festivities.
So with the 2012 BBQ Weekend about to begin, I thought it was time to look back at the events from 2011.
I’d heard a lot of positive things about this resort (as well as the adjoining Waldorf Astoria), and especially its restaurants (I believe a certain Ms. Wolfe is a big fan…), so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to check it out. The resort is located smack-dab inside of Disney property, even though it is not a Disney-owned or run hotel.
The weekend was advertised as featuring cooking demos, cook-offs between the chefs of the various restaurants on the property, a Barbecue buffet, and a beer sampling. Most of the restaurants at the Hilton were also featuring special BBQ items on their menus while all the bars were offering themed drinks during the weekend. In addition there were to be BBQ-themed kids activities such as the [Read more…]
Carthay Circle Theater and Restaurant in Disney California Adventure
This week we had fun sharing the new dessert and cocktail menu items at La Luce. And check out all the news pouring out from Disney California Adventure!
We’ve got more delicious news (including Cool Wash Pizza closure, Palo High Tea discontinued, extended hours at Land Pavilion, and Vinylmation So Tasty Series info) on our Disney Food News Pin Board, where Disney Food News is updated on a regular basis!
We recently announced the grand launch of the DFB Guide to Walt Disney World® Dining 2012 e-Book! It’s an instantly downloadable PDF guide, featuring over 310 full-color pages of photographs, information, and advice about our favorite subjects — food and dining in Walt Disney World.
We’ve updated our 2012 edition with over 60 new pages of details along with more photos, coverage of new Disney dining experiences, exclusive games, and more! This is the ONLY Disney Dining Guidebook you’ll need for your upcoming Disney World trip. It’s perfect for long-time Disney fans, and those brand new to the theme parks. Get your copy today at DFBGuide.com!
If you DID purchase the 2011 Guide and would like to purchase the 2012 Guide, we’ve got a special discount for repeat purchasers. Email us here to get a limited-time, one-use, exclusive discount code to purchase the 2012 Guide at a $6 discount. Please include the email address you used to purchase the 2011 Guide in the body of your email.
Walt Disney World for Grown Ups
visits Les Vins de France Wine Shop and Tasting Room.
DisneyContemporary.com shares three favorite cupcakes from the bakery at the Contemporary Cafe.
AllEars.Net visits Flying Fish Cafe and Deb Wills explains why it’s a memorable meal for non-seafood lovers too!
Kevin Kidney celebrates the return of the Citrus Swirl and Orange Bird.
Main Street Gazette savors Beef Nachos at Tortuga Tavern in the Magic Kingdom.
StudiosCentral.com summarizes changes made to table-service restaurant menus at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
the magic kitschdom tackles home-made Zebra Domes.
A few weeks ago I had the superb luck to head over to La Luce at the Hilton Bonnet Creek Resort (inside the gates of Walt Disney World) to sample a brand new dessert and some innovative cocktails they’ve just added to the menu!
La Luce
Mixology is a passion for the bartenders at La Luce, and their seasonal cocktail menu clearly shows that. This season’s list includes three infusion-based drinks, which basically means that the drinks are made with alcohol that’s been flavored with fruits, vegetables, or other foods. For example, in one La Luce drink, you’ll encounter a Cocoa and Chipotle-infused Vodka while in another, you’ll find a Cranberry-infused Tequila.
Infusions -- citrus, tomato, and Buddha's Hand
If you think those jars of infusions are beautiful; wait until you see the drinks.
Infusions and Drinks
First up, a drink made with a tomato-infused Gin, along with Campari (a bitters flavored with a bitter/sour Italian citrus fruit) and a honey truffle syrup. There’s a bacon rim on this one to give a [Read more…]
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