food IS a theme park
It was another beautiful day in Hollywood…Hollywood Studios that is! We found some new updates including progress on Star Wars — Galaxy’s Edge!
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
We’ll start this update out on Hollywood Boulevard.
in Disney’s Wilderness Lodge can always be relied upon for a filling and entertaining meal. And now we are happy to see a long-awaited vegan option pop up on their menu!
Whispering Canyon Sign
Vegan Skillet Y’ALL!
In the pantheon of character meals at Walt Disney World, there’s only one where you can dine with big, fluffy friends straight out of the Hundred Acre Wood — and in a classic Magic Kingdom location: Crystal Palace!
Truth be told, we’ve had a bit of a roller coaster relationship with Crystal Palace over the years. Some visits have been good (like this lunch four years ago and like breakfast here back when you could get into the nearly-empty park!), and one was particularly awful (dinner at the end of the night = icky buffet remnants…I didn’t even do a post about it).
But the opportunity to dine with Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger is pretty much a Disney World rite of passage and something that every Disney fan should do at least once. And dining in the Crystal Palace — a gorgeous building that’s been a mainstay since Magic Kingdom opened in 1971 — is a lovely experience.
But what about the food — arguably the most important aspect of any restaurant? It’s standard, but acceptable on most visits, with breakfast having, perhaps, the most interesting options with Pooh’s Breakfast Lasagna and Puffed French Toast being crowd favorites. And so I returned recently, for lunch this time, to see how things are going.
Welcome to Crystal Palace!
Vegan and vegetarian friends (and those who like a plant-based meal once in a while!), Casey’s Corner in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom has heard your cries! Guests can now get their hungry little hands on a vegan-friendly hot dog!
Happy Halloween Decor at Casey’s Corner
Say you’re lounging poolside at arguably the best pool at Walt Disney World — Stormalong Bay at the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts — and you’re craving a sweet frozen treat. We all know Beaches and Cream is just a hop, skip, and a jump away, but it can be downright impossible to get in there.
Thankfully Hurricane Hanna’s Waterside Bar & Grill is serving up a super healthy, low-calorie frozen treat that, frankly, some of us need while on vacation (to balance out all the snacks!): Frozen Grapes!
Hurricane Hanna’s Waterside Bar & Grill
This snack credit-eligible bite is $3.99, and you’ll find them advertised adjacent to the other healthy option here: Seasonal Sliced Fruit.
[Read more…]
You know it! You love it! You have to have it! It’s Dole Whip (affectionately called Pineapple Soft Serve a lot of the time), and it’s been a staple of Walt Disney World for years. Of course you know where you can find it in Adventureland at Aloha Isle (Disney World) and the Tiki Juice Bar (Disneyland) in the shadows of the Tiki Room (you can even bring your sweet treat inside to eat during the show!).
Dole Whip at Aloha Isle
Hey Guys! We’re back with another DFB Video today, and we’re sharing one by popular request: we’re talking about the BEST Disney World Restaurants for vegan and vegetarian fare!
Falafel Burger at The Mara
We are always thankful to our DFB Readers who send great tips and info from their own Disney dining experiences. But today’s video is especially a group effort, as our vegan and vegetarian friends have shared some of their favorite restaurants and dishes with us. And we, in turn, are sharing them with you in case you (or anyone in your traveling group) follow a vegan or vegetarian diet. There are plenty of options in the parks, but places on our list can be found in the Resorts or Disney Springs, too, ranging from Counter Service to Table Service. And, as a bonus, we’ll talk about some favorite snacks, too! [Read more…]
Welcome to the brand new Ale & Compass Restaurant in Disney’s Yacht Club Resort!
The Ale & Compass Restaurant has taken the spot of Captain’s Grille as the casual Table Service Restaurant option in the Yacht Club. (The Resort’s other Table Service restaurant, Yachtsman Steakhouse, is a Signature Restaurant.) It comes to us as part of the new Ale & Compass dining concept for the Resort, which also includes the newly reopen and majorly refurbished Ale & Compass Lounge as well as The Market at Ale & Compass which opened earlier this year.
The Captain’s Grille was — in my opinion — something of a hidden gem. It offered a cheerful, comfy nautical feel and some decent options for surf-and-turf style eating for lunch and dinner, and a terrific breakfast which featured not only a buffet, but also a better-than-average a la carte menu.
The Ale & Compass Restaurant, though, has been completely re-imagined with its own unique feel.
Ale & Compass Restaurant Sign and Entrance
Let’s step in!
If you ever paid a visit to Captain’s Grille, you’ll remember a somewhat busier appearance to the entrance, since the check-in took place just outside the restaurant. Now, you step inside to see if there is walk-in space available (there was plenty on opening day), or check in for your Advance Dining Reservation. [Read more…]
It’s high time for more 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival fun!
Once again, we’re going beyond the Marketplace Booths for a Special Event that is new to the Festival this year: Mix It, Make It, Celebrate It! Hands-On Workshops. Similar to the Festival’s Culinary Demonstrations and Beverage Seminars, this new offering takes place daily in the Festival Center. However, the Mix It, Make It, Celebrate It! sessions offer an interactive element unique to this Special Event where participants can take tips directly from leaders in the culinary industry.
The choice of topics is extensive, ranging from forming sushi rolls to pasta making and vodka tasting to pumpkin decorating (and beyond — check out the full list of options here). We attended The Art of Pastry Making with Erin McKenna.
You might be familiar with Erin McKenna as the founder of Babycakes or the owner of Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC in Disney Springs (or even her shops in New York and Los Angeles). If so, then you know that her focus is on creating tasty vegan and gluten-free goods. Since baking gluten-free items is not something I have previously attempted, I thought this would be a great opportunity to learn something new!
So join me in the Chef’s Showcase at the Festival Center to check out this new Special Event!
Food and Wine Festival Center
Long tables are set up in front of the stage so there’s plenty of room for lots of would-be pastry-makers! [Read more…]
In Disney Springs and in need of some pizza STAT?
Then look no further than the brand new Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza! (OK, anyone else wondering why there’s an apostrophe in “Fire’d”? Isn’t the apostrophe supposed to stand in for a letter? What letter is missing here? Isn’t Fast Fired OK? But I digress.)
You may already be familiar with Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza if you live near one of its existing locations in the United Sates or Canada.
If not, your next trip to Disney Springs may offer you your first opportunity to try a Blaze artisanal pizza pie fired up in an open-flame oven in 180 seconds (that’s the FAST part!).
Blaze joins the ranks of spots like D-Luxe Burger, Earl of Sandwich, and Cookes of Dublin as another Counter Service option for Disney World’s shopping and dining district.
Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza
Here we go!
[Read more…]
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