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Disney Food Post Round-Up: July 4th, 2010

Happy July 4th

Happy Independence Day!

The big news this week is: Only 90 days until the 2010 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival begins!! I’ve re-vamped the 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival page to be even more useful for your planning. (Breaking news, including the new info on the Grand Marnier Tasting event, is at the top of the page.)

Also, don’t forget that the new Taste of Africa Street Party is slated to begin this week in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. AND those Downtown Disney cooking classes are calling your name on July 10th!

Finally, stay tuned this week for more info about the WDW Foodie Fest meet-up on October 3rd, 2010!! Save the date!

Now, on to the round-up!

Food Finds With Robin showcases some delicious photography that captures some sweet treats in Disneyland.

Main Street Gazette takes us to Cafe Rix in Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.

A Taste of Disney whips up a batch of Le Cellier’s Beer and Cheese Soup in this cool video. He also gives you the recipe if you’d like to make it at home.

The OC Register reports that Disneyland Resort’s liquor license has been updated to allow special bar set-ups for this summer’s Glow Fest in Disney California Adventure.

Chip and Co takes a look at casual dining options in the Magic Kingdom.

Disney Shawn checks out Surf Doggies in Typhoon Lagoon.

The Daily Disney shares the recipe for Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli from California Grill. Yum!

All Ears Net has a fun photo gallery of the Polynesian Resort’s Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show.

Theme Park Insider has announced the winners for the 9th Annual Theme Park Insider Awards. Bistro de Paris and Chefs de France have taken top spots in the running! See Orlando Restaurant Guru Scott Joseph’s take here.

The Disney Parks Blog posted some great stories this week, from the wonderful (Coffee With Walt) to the helpful (Top 5 Restaurants Where You Get the Most for Your Money) to the delicious (Sweet Treats for Summer)!

photo source: burgers

Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe Review

By AJ 24 Comments

Today, we’re heading to one of my favorite quick-service spots in Disney World — Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe. Tucked in between Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, and Cinderella Castle, Cosmic Ray’s has one of the biggest, most diverse menus of all Disney World quick-service locations.

Atmosphere
Cosmic Ray’s is a giant, bright, semi-circular room situated around three food ordering “bays.” With each bay selling different types of food, be sure to check out the menus for all three before choosing your bay!

Bays at Cosmic Ray's

The theme is vintage space-age Tomorrowland, with lots of aquas and purples, trapezoids, and triangular furniture. There’s brushed chrome everywhere and signage in the same types of fonts you’d expect to find in early Space Mountain queue lines. Overall, if you loved the Jetsons and find the metal palm trees in Tomorrowland to be just about the coolest foliage ever — Cosmic Ray’s general decor will be ideal for you (and me).

Outdoor Seating

Pragmatically, what you need to know is [Read more…]

Party in the Magic Kingdom!

By AJ 5 Comments

One of our favorite bloggers, Leigh Caldwell of ThemeParkMom.com, was lucky enough to attend the Orlando International Pow Wow last week, which launched with a party at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom on Sunday evening! She’s put together a little review and shared with us some awesome pics of the delectable goodies available to attendees. Thanks, Leigh!

Have you ever wondered what it’s like inside the Magic Kingdom during one of those “The park will close early for a special event” nights? Now I can say that I know. I attended the International Pow Wow (a travel industry convention) in Orlando last week, and the opening night party was at the Magic Kingdom. I snapped plenty of pictures to try to show you the kinds of food available.

The first thing to note is the first thing I saw – beer! on Main Street U.S.A.! When we walked into the party, we were greeted by servers offering trays of beer and wine right on Main Street. And the usually forbidden alcohol continued to flow after that, with bar set-ups in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, where most of the party was centered.

But enough talk, you guys came here to see food pictures, right? It was quite dark throughout the park, so these aren’t the greatest, but I did my best:

First up was this cup of smoked tomato soup, accompanied by two tiny sandwiches — one smoked salmon, the other prosciutto. The sandwiches were threaded on a skewer.

Tomato Soup with Skewered Sandwiches

Shrimp gyros served cone style. I’m [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.

Magic Kingdom’s Plaza Ice Cream Parlor

By AJ 4 Comments

One of the shops you can find on just about every “Main Street USA” in the world is an ice cream parlor, and the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor in the Magic Kingdom is one of the best.

Atmosphere
Many of us have a magical memory that begins with being lured into the parlor by that delicious (and occasionally piped in) smell of fresh waffle cones! Located at the end of Main Street, just before the castle hub and right next to the Plaza Restaurant, the Ice Cream Parlor is the perfect place to get dessert after a hot dog at Casey’s Corner!

Plaza Ice Cream Parlor

Offering ice cream cones (Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Cookies and Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip, and [Read more…]

Updated: Wishes Dessert Party Coming Back March 28th? Rumors…

By AJ 9 Comments

UPDATE 3/24/10:

Heard via reader email that a CM at Disney dining confirmed that the party would start up again on the 28th. (Note: We still consider it a rumor until Disney confirms via official channels.) Not sure if they’re booking yet, so keep on calling! 🙂
__________________________________

Hearing on the message boards this morning that the hugely popular Wishes Dessert Party might be on its way back to the Magic Kingdom as soon as March 28th. When I called Disney Dining to confirm, I was told that the event will be returning to the Magic Kingdom soon, but that booking details were not available for release and I should call back in a week.

My best guess? For those of you headed to WDW in the next few weeks or months who want to book the Dessert Party, start calling every morning to see what you can find out.

Good luck!

In the meantime, check out our photos and info about the Wishes Dessert Party!

For more breaking Disney Food news, see our Disney Food News bulletin list.

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Tony’s Town Square & the “Boo to You” Parade

By AJ 14 Comments

I’m so excited to talk about this experience. While Tony’s Town Square Restaurant‘s Italian fare is far from 5-star cuisine, the memories you can make there — if you’re savvy and just a little bit lucky — are second to none.

Atmosphere
The restaurant is located in the Exposition Hall right next to Disney World’s Train Station. You’ll remember from Disney’s Lady and the Tramp the restaurant upon which Tony’s is styled — in the alley behind it was where Lady and the Tramp shared their famous spaghetti dinner! And you’ll find several Lady and the Tramp references throughout the restaurant. (Check out this post from SamLand’s Disney Adventures for one very special tie-in!)

Lady and the Tramp Appear on Windows...

...And in Statues

They Even Appear on TV in the Lobby

The restaurant includes a plush lobby and three main dining areas: an indoor room with booths and tables, a “sunroom” that floods with light during the day, and [Read more…]

Ice Cream Double Take

By AJ 25 Comments

You might think that all of the Disney parks sell the same ice cream treats — Mickey Premium Bars, Strawberry Bars, Itzakadoozie Pops, etc. But, would you believe, it looks like not all of the ice cream stands sell the same products!

I did a little experiment and took photos of ice cream stand menus in each park. Here are the results:

The Animal Kingdom ice cream board:

Animal Kingdom

[Read more…]

Restaurant Review: The Wave

By AJ 21 Comments

I posted a brief mention of the Contemporary Resort’s newest restaurant a few weeks ago, but I wanted to get a full review up of the The Wave as soon as possible. It’s one of Disney World’s most recent additions, and it’s getting pretty good marks from what I’ve seen.

Contemporary Resort's The Wave Restaurant

Atmosphere
The Wave is located on the Contemporary Resort‘s lobby level. (It’s tucked back into the space that used to house the Food and Fun center.) You’ll enter the restaurant through an archway and a tubular hallway — reminds me of the old Journey Into Imagination rainbow walkway after the ride — through blue and bubbles and other [Read more…]

Disney World’s Main Street Bakery

By AJ 12 Comments

The first bakery to be highlighted in our Disney World Bakery Throwdown is: Magic Kingdom’s Main Street Bakery!

Main Street Bakery

Atmosphere
Main Street Bakery fits right into the turn-of-the-century atmosphere of Main Street USA.

Main Street Bakery Window

With brass, period light fixtures; wrought iron chairs; and walls covered in tile and mirrors, you really will feel as though you’ve stepped back in time when you walk through the doors of the Bakery.

Main Street Bakery Ordering Line

Main Street Bakery Seating

There’s even a collection of dishes and teapots in the seating area:

Main Street Bakery China Cabinet

Main Street Bakery Teapot Collection

Good Eats
One of the most well-known Disney bakeries, Main Street Bakery has been made famous by its French Toast Loaf and Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches.

Homemade Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich

But you can find a large assortment of other baked goods and snacks at the Bakery as well!

Treat Options at the Main Street Bakery

Cakes

Cupcakes and Danish

In the center of the Bakery is a circular, refrigerated section with drink choices.

Drinks at Main Street Bakery

The Main Street Bakery is a great place to stop for breakfast on your way into the park, or for a rest as the park is closing — those are definitely my two favorite times to visit! If you’re a fan of the Main Street Bakery, be sure to vote for it in the Bakery Throwdown!

Bakery Throwdown
This is the first post in our Bakery Throwdown; the other four bakeries will be highlighted over the next month. To participate, cast your vote for your favorite bakery on the poll posted below. You can check the results throughout the month over in the right-hand sidebar!

What's Your Favorite Bakery in Walt Disney World?

Boulangerie Patisserie (Epcot) (40%)
Main Street Bakery (Magic Kingdom) (27%)
Kringla Bakeri og Kafe (Epcot) (13%)
Boardwalk Bakery (Boardwalk) (11%)
Starring Rolls Bakery (Disney's Hollywood Studios) (8%)
Other (1%)

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If you have a stand-out favorite bakery, weigh in with your comments via twitter, facebook, or email.

In January, I’ll post the results, along with any reader insights as to what makes those particular bakeries so special. If you have another bakery you like better, vote “other.” (I’d love to hear what the “others” are as well!)

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