And the countdown continues…
September 7, 2012
Yes Dear Dedicated Readers, we’re once again counting down…
Noah’s Artwork for the 2012 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
At the time of this writing it’s just over three weeks until the official opening date (September 28) of the 2012 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival (aka the Best Time of the Year)!
Over the past few years I’ve shared several recipes directly from, or inspired by, dishes served (or demoed) at the Festival.
Pam Smith hosting Chef Suvir Saran in the Festival Center demo kitchen
So I thought I’d give you a quick review/links to those posts so that you can try a dish or two (or more…) in the days leading up to the fun at Epcot!
Below are links to the recipes (I think I’ve gotten them all, if you catch one I’ve missed, please comment!). Take a look!
Shrimp Stew with Coconut and Lime
Sweet Potato Puree with Mango Barbeque Sauce
Black Bean Spare Ribs with Green Onion
Recipe prepared by Andrew Zimmern at the 2010 Festival.
Korean Lettuce Wraps with Roast Pork and Kimchi Slaw
This is one of the most popular posts/recipes ever on the blog!
Another very popular post…
Polynesian Pulled Pork Sliders
Trust me… make this one!
There you have it – a quick wrap-up of the Food & Wine Festival recipes from the blog. Hope you will give some of them a try!
Now back to the kitchen… and we’ll keep counting down to the 2012 Epcot Food & Wine Festival! See you soon!
Happy Third Birthday to La Cava!
August 31, 2012
It’s time for a few shots…
or maybe the margarita of your choice…
or even a bit of a snack…
what the heck – have them all! We’re celebrating!
This week marks the third anniversary of the opening of what I like to call “The Happiest Place in the Happiest Place on Earth” – La Cava del Tequila in the Mexico pavilion of Epcot.
Over the years I’ve spent many hours in the friendly confines of this now not-so-secret-spot… and I urge you to go back and read (or re-read) some of my very first posts here, which coincidentally happen to be about the opening days of this Happy Place…
“The Tease – Part One” chronicles the weeks before La Cava opened, while “The Tease – Part Two” brings us up to the day before the doors were to open to the public…
and the post “Finally…” gets us inside the doorway…
So once again, Happy Anniversary to all my hard-working friends at La Cava! I look forward to many more years!
Salud!
WDW Odds & Ends
August 28, 2012
Time for another random assemblage of stuff garnered from a few recent (and maybe not-really-that-recent) visits to the parks…
Let’s start at Miss Bonnie’s favorite park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
At what was the former Fastpass location in Discovery Island everyone’s favorite Wilderness Explorer Russell and his verbose canine pal Dug are having a meetup with their fans and fellow explorers.
Hello Russell!
As we wandered down the Pangani trail in Africa…
we came upon a fairly recent addition…
Termite Mound Display on the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
a cutaway display of the impressive construction talents of the little termite.
In one of the retail locations we found several pieces of merchandise featuring a nice new AK graphic.
Scarves, dinnerware…
trivets, notebooks…
and even ball caps are adorned with the attractive logo featuring the Tree of Life.
There were also a couple of nice tee-shirts.
With merchandise in mind, let’s make a quick trip over to Downtown Disney and visit the sports-themed store Team Mickey Athletic Club.
Phineas and Ferb, along with their pet Perry the Platypus (aka Agent P), are now seemingly ubiquitous around the World (and we’ll see even more on this later).
Looks like he can handle the ball, but how’s his three-point shot?
And Agent P seems even to have joined the NBA!
The Big Cheese Mickey Mouse is adorning the shirts of several colleges and universities…
Mickey says “Roll Tide”!!!
of course right in front of the display is Mickey on the shirt of the defending NCAA football National Champs, the University of Alabama!
Now let’s move over to my favorite park, Epcot.
France Pavilion Gift Shop
Lot’s of changes are going on in the dining scene in the France pavilion – most of which are behind the scenes… the upstairs restaurant, Bistro de Paris, is currently closed while undergoing a refurbishment, while the only overt evidence of big changes are the construction walls inside the gift shop.
Inside the France Pavilion Gift Shop
The current Boulangerie Patisserie will become the Glacier ice cream parlor, while the expanded bakery area under construction will have a larger menu of savory items in addition to the currently offered pastries.
Inside the France Pavilion Gift Shop
For more details on the changes coming soon in France check out “Major Makeover for the France Pavilion at Epcot” on the official Disney Parks Blog.
New Tutto Gusto Menu
Over in Italy the new menu has gone into effect at the Tutto Gusto Wine Bar (see the post “Go for the Gusto!” for a preview of the new menu).
Wine Flights at Tutto Gusto
Of course we tried out some of the new wine flights and food offerings… will give you details in another post…
La Sicilaina Plate at Tutto Gusto
At the outside merchandise kiosk in America is a new version of a World Showcase tee-shirt…
Looks like this could be the official “Eating (and Drinking) Around the World” shirt!
food and drink from each of the countries around the World Showcase adorns this cool shirt.
Inside the pyramid of the Mexico pavilion is a new display in the entrance way (which of course you have to pass through to get to La Cava…) showing a bit of what life was like in ancient times in Mexico.
A replica of an Aztec Calendar Stone sits in the middle of the room.
Aztec Calendar Stone
Along the walls are several displays.
Anyone for a game of horse?
There is some pretty interesting stuff here – well worth stopping for a few minutes on your way to (or back from) having some tasty tequila.
Also in Epcot the Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure is now in full swing.
We had the chance to play-test the game before the official opening and have done a couple countries since it’s been in operation.
Can you help save the World Showcase from the evil ideas of Dr. Doofenshmirtz?
We’ve enjoyed what we’ve seen of it so far, and it’s looks like the Imagineers have added a few more wrinkles on top of the former Kim Possible game, so Miss Bonnie and I look forward to more adventures with the heroic Perry.
There’s still a ton of stuff going on at the Magic Kingdom, so let’s see what’s up in the new Fantasyland and elsewhere around MK.
Both of the Dueling-Dumbo spinners have been up and running for a few weeks now, and the new play/wait/don’t-call-it-a-queue area is also open.
The play area is very cute – we’ll see how the parents hold up to the screaming, running hordes while waiting for their turns on Dumbo when the crowds really attack Fantasyland…
maybe they should add a bar in the waiting area for the adults…
and this could become “Drink While You Wait”… I can dream, can’t I?
Nearby, the incredibly wet Casey Jr. Splash ‘n’ Soak Station has been open since mid-June.
This well detailed area features Casey Jr. and several circus train cars and their respective inhabitants. Here you see the giraffe and elephant train cars on the weekend the area opened:
Now let’s look at the elephants train car about two months later:
Notice anything different???
Nut allergies be damned!
Yes boys and girls, the elephants former basketful of fruity goodness has been replaced with peanuts…
And while on the subject of changes in the area, let’s look at the restrooms… yes, the restrooms… at least the gentleman’s side…
Back in March we shared some, well, interesting signage in the new bathroom area (you can now pause and go read, or re-read, Thanks for the heads up…).
Directly above the urinals in the mens room was the sign noting the porcelain fixture used non-potable water… as if anyone would be taking a quick sip from same fixture…
Well now the urinals are sans-signage, as the “Non Potable Water in Use” message has been removed from above the urinals…
and in the entryway to the facility is this relatively generic message:
I’m guessing Disney Legal finally decided they really didn’t need to tell us not to drink from the toilet…
At one side of the Fantasyland train stop there is some luggage that looks to have been just unloaded from a train…
and it looks to be the baggage of some of the circus performers.
And one piece appears to be an homage to the recently departed Toontown:
Just up the way is the ever-popular construction walls…
While much of the major construction on the new Fantasyland is nearing completion (with most of the new area scheduled to open by the holiday season of 2012), the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride (and surrounding mountainscape) is still in the early stages.
Here’s a more recent view (taken August 11, 2012) than the prior two that were taken a couple of weeks before:
And just for fun, here’s a couple of more shots over the construction walls:
And if you can’t look over the walls…
one can always try to peek through he cracks…
Now let’s head over to Tomorrowland for a couple of quick things.
A while back, the big thing at The Lunching Pad was the specialty hot dog (see Magic Kingdom Odds & Ends… from September 3, 2010). The weenie-selection changed a bit over time, but the hot dogs were the featured menu item:
Part of the Lunching Pad Menu from 2010
It will not shock Dedicated Readers that I will stop by places just to check out menus and see if there is anything new, or perhaps to see if anything has been taken away… so we stopped by Fantasyland to look at the Lunching Pad.
Part of the Lunching Pad Menu from 2012
The specialty dogs have disappeared from the overhead menus, but if you go up to the window, you’ll see a small plastic menu with the dogs still on them.
I’d imagine this signals their ultimate dining demise here, but time will tell…
We’ll make a final stop in the gift shop at the exit of Space Mountain.
Here we came across a few Princess shirts neither Miss Bonnie or I had noticed anywhere before (not that I’m constantly looking for Princess-garb, mind you…).
These four tees were a bit more sassy, sorta sultry, and well, just more mature than your typical Princess merchandise.
A couple of odd things about these – one was they are being sold in the Space Mountain gift shop, and B, they were only in children’s sizes… (Bonnie searched for one that would fit her to no avail).
These looked like something that would be much more at home on the racks at TrenD, and perhaps these are left-overs from some other merchandise location… have you seen these before? If so, please post a note in the comments! Actually I really liked the images of the Princesses shown here – how about a few 8 x 10’s of these??? I’d put them on my wall…
Okay, we’ve gone on long enough for one post – hope you’ve enjoyed this version of Odds & Ends!
Now it’s time to get back to the kitchen – see you again soon!
WDW Weekend Eats
August 5, 2012
Last weekend Miss Bonnie and I made a quick trip to the World, and even though it wasn’t a full weekend, there was plenty of good and interesting eats to share, so let’s dive right in!
After a Saturday morning spent checking out the construction walls in the Magic Kingdom (more on that in another post), we boarded the monorail for the ride to Epcot for lunch.
On our way to Italy, we passed yet another construction wall in the World Showcase…
Outside our lunch destination, Tutto Gusto, was a sign touting their new wine seminars.
We made our way into the cool interior and were able to snag a seat on one of the sofas in the room next to the fireplace (of course you need a fireplace in Florida in July…).
View from the couch…
We ordered a couple of adult beverages while we perused the menu…
we ordered the marinated artichokes to start.
Marinated Artichokes (Carciofi)
Tender and nicely flavored from the olive oil, we both enjoyed this as a light starter to share.
We then decided to split one of the corkscrew pasta dishes…
and settled on the Gamberetti.
Gamberetti (corkscrew shaped pasta with shrimp)
With a few large, nicely cooked shrimp and a sauce with just enough bite from the calabrian chili to make me happy, yet not scare off Miss Bonnie, this was a “two thumbs up” from both of us (so I guess that would be four thumbs up?).
Chalkboards around Tutto Gusto now highlight several of the wines served
All in all a nice, relaxing lunch in the midst of a huge theme park.
It was during this meal we learned of the new menu change to occur at Tutto Gusto (see the post “Go for the Gusto“), and now we’re even more eager to return here to see what new is in store!
Afterwards we headed to the Mexico Pavilion to meet a certain Disney-celebrity-blogger friend at La Cava for margaritas (oh, twist my arm!).
La Cava del Tequila Margarita Menu
A couple of new drinks have been added to the margarita roster since our last visit.
La Cava del Tequila Margarita Menu
So of course we had to try the “Organic Skinny Lime” and “Milagro Pomegranate” margaritas. Both were good (the pomegranate the better of the two), but neither we thought among the best that La Cava has to offer.
We sadly said our goodbyes to our friend, and La Cava, to return to our room at the Dolphin resort.
And yes… as we left the pyramid in Mexico we were met with yet another (albeit small) construction wall…
Only the anticipation of our upcoming dinner could ease the sting of leaving La Cava…
As you might guess, that evenings repast was scheduled at Cat Cora’s Kouzzina restaurant on the Boardwalk, a short walk from the Dolphin resort.
I have dined at Kouzzina a few times, while this was Miss Bonnie’s first time there, and she was quite looking forward to trying the menu there.
No, Chef Cora was not there that evening, but I’ll use any tenuous excuse to show this pic of myself with the petite Iron Chef… so shoot me…
We ordered beverages (Miss Bonnie selected one of the wine flights that would highlight her eventual entree selection while I tried the Caymus Red Conundrum) and started by sharing the baked goat cheese appetizer.
Goat Cheese Sto Fourno: Baked Goat Cheese, Pequillo Peppers, Kalamata Olives, Artichoke Hearts, Olive Oil served with bread and a bit of salad
I’m a sucker for goat cheese, and this heated and adorned version was quickly downed (and yes, we did now have our Total Minimum Daily Requirement of artichoke). We were also served bread with a couple of types of Greek olive oil for dipping along with a few cured olives – Miss Bonnie adored the oil (and I couldn’t argue with her in the least about this simple culinary pleasure of nice, spongy bread and flavorful oil).
Not able to decide on a single entree, Miss Bonnie went for the Kouzzina Trio.
Kouzzina Trio (Cinnamon-stewed Chicken, Greek Lasagna and Lamb Burger ) with flight of Coranation wines.
This “combo platter” has tender cinnamon-scented stewed chicken served with herbed orzo pasta (we both liked), a nice portion of the Greek-style Lasagna (pasta, cinnamon-stewed meat sauce, and bechamel sauce – as a full dish this perhaps would have been too much, but in this sampler portion it was well liked) and a slider-size Char-grilled Lamb Burger (this was the only item that is not offered as a separate entree option).
Char-grilled Lamb Burger
The burger was actually quite good, and would be a nice lunch option if Kouzinna was open for lunch (which it isn’t…). Our served warned us that the burger was “very spicy”, but even Miss Bonnie’s more tender taste buds didn’t detect any excessive heat.
I was in the mood for some Serious Meat, so I was torn between the Braised Short Ribs, Wood-grilled Rib-eye and the Oak-fired Pork Tenderloin. I asked our server her recommendation and she quickly answered “the pork”.
Oak-fired Pork Tenderloin with Feta Gremolata, Broccoli Rabe and Corn Pie
The huge piece of pig was perfectly cooked to medium and topped with a feta gremolata. Broccoli rabe and a cornbread-like concoction rounded out the plate.
The back side of pork!
I was very happy with this dish and would certainly order it again.
Overstuffed, we passed on the dessert options and made plans to waddle ourselves to Epcot for a post-dinner viewing of Illuminations.
Miss Bonnie was enthralled by the restaurant, and now thinks she has found one of her new favorite eateries in the World. My only disappointment was not getting to speak to Chef Dee (Dee Foundoukis, who runs the kitchen) – I guess now that Bonnie has expressed a desire to return, the Chefs Table here will have to be in our future…
Sunday began with a visit to Animal Kingdom (we were a bit disappointed that we didn’t happen to come across any construction walls here…).
In Harambe, we noted that the Dawa Bar was still offering the tasty Sugar Cane Mojito even though the Sundowner Celebration has ended.
After a ride on the safari and some wandering around, we looked for some light sustenance and decided to take a another go at the Summer Rolls from one of the carts along the path between Africa and Asia.
Summer Rolls
Served cold, these rice paper enrobed veggie-and-rice pasta filled wraps are a refreshing change of pace on a hot summer day.
Summer Rolls
These now are served in a “two-pack” and comes with a yummy hoisin-based dipping sauce (the original offering here was a single roll served with a sweet chili sauce). I really like that we have a healthy and light alternative to most of the other snack options available in the parks.
Now sufficiently sated to trek elsewhere for Sunday lunch, we moved on to the recently opened Art of Animation Resort.
Exterior of the Art of Animation Resort
We had scoped out this incredibly well-themed resort a few weeks back, but despite the initial good reports on the eats at the food court, this was our first chance to eat there.
Part of the main pool area at the Art of Animation Resort
We wandered around and explored a bit – the “Cars” area had just recently opened.
Entering into the “Cars” section of the Art of Animation Resort
Cozy Cone Motel sign in the “Cars” area of the Art of Animation Resort
We then went into the main Animation Hall building to find the Landscape of Flavors food court.
The roomy food court area is, like the food courts at the other value resorts, broken down into sections, each with a similar food theme…
Video screens above each section show the menu for that area on one side and large pictures of featured items on the other.
Burger Shop Menu
Burger Shop Menu
The two pages of each menu alternate on the right side of the screen, while pictures of several of the featured items rotate on the left side.
The photos pixilate as they change from one image to another – a simple but cool effect.
The kitchen area, unlike most other of the food courts, is wide and open, allowing you to see the food actually being prepared. They even have shiny high-tech tandoori ovens for making several of the Indian-inspired items.
Tandoori Ovens in the open kitchen at the Landscape of Flavors
Based on what we’d heard from others who had already eaten then, as well as from one prior visit when we scoped out the eats but didn’t partake, we knew pretty much what we were going to have… but that didn’t stop us from eyeing the other sections menus before we ordered.
Salad and Sandwich Menu
Pizza and Pasta Shop Menu
Pizza and Pasta Shop Menu
We had decided to eat from the Tandoori and Mongolian Grill area, so the next decision was what exactly to have from there…
Tandoori and Mongolian Grill Menu
Tandoori and Mongolian Grill Menu
We eyeballed the display plates of food while chatting up the amiable castmembers behind the counter – asking them their preferences of the items being offered.
Display plates at Tandoori and Mongolian Grill station
Miss Bonnie chose the Acorn Squash as her main and I selected the Tandoori Chicken Thigh. We got a variety of sides (we were actually given three sides each, if you count the rice – not sure if the rice was considered part of the meal or if the servers were just generous on that day) and made our way to pay and find a table.
There are several large dining areas, each themed to one of the movies represented in the different sections of the resort. It was not crowded when we visited, and we found a table among many of the ones open in the Little Mermaid seating area.
Tandoori Acorn Squash, Spinach with Paneer Cheese, Lentils, Basmati Rice and Nann Bread… and yes kids, that’s real silverware… and a real plate…
We eagerly dove in, and were quite pleased with was was on our plates. Bonnie found the roasted acorn squash to be a revelation!
Tandoori Chicken Thigh, Spinach with Paneer Cheese, Roasted Cauliflower with Tomatoes, Basmati Rice and Nann Bread
The chicken held up well to the high heat of the tandoor, and was full of flavor while not being dry. Alongside was a spiced, yoghourt-based sauce. The veggies were good, even though be both thought the spinach could have had a bit more spice. The freshly baked naan was great, and if there had been more room in our stomachs we would have gladly devoured more of it.
I’ve eaten more than my share of Indian food in my day, and this certainly wasn’t the best, but it was far from being the worst… Miss Bonnie and I agreed that if we had been served the same meal in a sit-down establishment and charged twice as much, we would have still been very happy. The portions are generous (even without a third side, I don’t think we could have finished our plates without being overly stuffed), and the quality was very good. The food here is also a fairly good value – our two entrees and two non-adult beverages came to just over $20 after the Tables in Wonderland discount (yes, they do take it here – yea!).
Even though we were both feeling full, Bonnie couldn’t resist a trip for something sweet…
The Market Shop section of the food court has a variety of smoothies, specialty beverages, sweets, and Miss Bonnie’s choice for the day: gelato.
Smoothie Menu
Market Shop Menu
There were several flavors of gelato to choose from (along with toppings if desired) and Miss Bonnie was glad to take sample tastes of all of them before settling on a combo bowl of pistachio and torrone (don’t ask me what that flavor is, all I know is it’s Italian-something…).
Gelato at Landscape of Flavors
The gelto flavors are displayed in a fun way, with hidden (and not-so-hidden) Mickeys!
Gelato (pistachio on bottom, torrone on the top)
The food court also has a nice selection of grab-and-go items…
including sandwiches, sushi, fruit, and baked goods (including vegan goodies from Babycakes).
Pre-packaged Sushi
Even the beer and wine selection was a few notches above the norm, including several Florida-brewed specialties.
Mmmm… beer….
We’re looking forward to trying some of the other offerings here – has a food court actually become Destination Dining?
It will be interesting to see if the quality and service changes as the rest of the resort rooms are opened (at the time of our visit only two of the four sections of the resort had opened) and the number of dining guests increases greatly.
So there you have it Dear Dedicated Readers – some more vicarious dining for you… we really enjoyed our three main experiences (Tutto Gusto, Kouzinna and Landscape of Flavors) and are actually looking forward to re-visiting them all soon – not a bad percentage!
Time to get back to the kitchen – see you again soon!
Go for the Gusto!
August 1, 2012
And check out the new menu at the Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar in Epcot’s World Showcase!
Only open for three months, this cozy venue next the Tutto Italia restaurant in the Italy pavilion is already refining it’s bill of fare.
Recently Miss Bonnie and I had lunch there, and during conversation with our server he mentioned that the menu would soon be changing (and of course that we should re-visit soon the see said changes). And that in fact those changes (as we noted in “Even more to wine about around Epcot…“) would be coming the next day.
As we continued our conversation, he pulled out a couple of sets of folded and highlighted papers that he had been provided with to familiarize himself with the upcoming changes. Of course I not-so-discreetly asked him if there happened to be extra copies of same that I might take with me… unfortulnately he said no, but I was able to snap some photos of them and now we can give you a preview of the changes.
The biggest change is the addition of several wine flights.
There is a nice variety of themes to the flights – most are three 2 ounce glasses and will run from $14 to $18 per flight.
For $28 you can take the Grand Tour of six pours.
I think the addition of the flights is a genius move – while not cheep, the prices (as noted on these pre-menus) are not out of line either. Our server noted that the plan was to change the selections in the flights from time-to-time… a great idea for returning/frequent guests. The current wine list (which I assume will still be in place) is huge and unless you already have a familiarity with Italian wines (or wines in general) it can be quite a daunting and intimidating tome.
The food choices are also getting a makeover.
Several of the “small plate” offerings are being combined into what is being called “Gusto Plates for two or more”.
There is a suggested wine flight for each plate.
We’ll have to see what the portions served are, as the combos shown are more expensive than the current menu if you ordered each item separately. Hopefully the items will still be offered as individual plates for you to chose from.
The corkscrew pastas are still offered (and according to these menus, the prices are actually slightly less).
And there is the addition of two “Gusto Specialities” pasta items.
The Panini offerings look to be slightly different, and there is a Caesar salad “wedge” now on the side. The prices are significantly higher than the prior menu (the single sandwich was $9 while two was only $13), so we’ll have to see if the sizes are larger or if the new salad is at least large enough to justify the additional cost.
The dessert options look to be the same, but with a slight price reduction ($1 less each).
So if what we were told is accurate, this new menu should now be in place. It will be a couple of weeks before we have a chance to make our way back there, so if any of you have the chance to visit and report on the changes, please post your thoughts in the comments section!
Although it hasn’t surpassed La Cava in our hearts, Tutto Gusto has quickly become one of our favorite places in the World, and we’re eager to get back soon and check out the changes for ourselves, and of course, we’ll let you know what we think!
See you soon, it’s time to get back to the kitchen…
Even more to wine about around Epcot…
July 28, 2012
Things are going to get even better at the recently opened Tutto Gusto wine cellar at the Italy pavilion in Epcot.
Starting tomorrow (July 29, 2012) there will be a revised food menu, and…. wait for it… several wine flights!
This will give guests the ability to sample multiple types of wines in a single setting and determine their favorites. The ultimate will be the “Grand Tour” of six wines ($28) to “explore Italy in depth”.
More details to follow… bottoms up!
Margarita of the Month: July
July 21, 2012
Margarita of the Month: July
Cucumber-Jalapeno Margarita
With a big celebratory day coming up next week (and if you don’t know what that is, tune in on Tuesday…), it’s time for another margarita recipe!
This one is similar in flavor to a fave from LaCava, and is inspired from a recipe printed in the August 2012 issue of Redbook (yes Redbook… go figure…), so let’s dive right in!
Cucumber-Jalapeno Margarita
The raw ingredients…
For each drink:
1/4 cup peeled and finely diced cucumber
1/2 fresh jalapeno, diced (this makes a pretty hot drink – for a milder version, take out the seeds and cut down to about a 1/4 of a pepper)
1/4 cup packed Cilantro
3/4 ounce fresh Lime Juice
1/4 ounce light Agave Nectar (or you can use Simple Syrup)
2 ounces good-quality Silver tequila
1/2 oz Cointreau (or other good orange liquor)
The chopped veggies…
Put the cucumber, jalapeno, cilantro. lime juice and agave nectar in a shaker and muddle well to break down the veggies and release all their flavor…
Adding the agave…
Throw in a couple big handfuls of ice…
Ice, ice, baby…
Then measure out and add the Cointreau and Tequila to the shaker…
Add the booze…
shake your little heart out and strain into a salt-rimmed glass and garnish as desired…
and drink… repeat as needed…
Enjoy your weekend – now back to the kitchen… and the bar…
It’s a Brave new world…
June 20, 2012
with a Brave new princess…
Merida, the latest in a decades-long lineage of Disney Princesses (and the first in a Pixar branded film), makes her official film debut in just a few days, and the film, and it’s ginger heroine, have been heavily promoted in the parks for the past few weeks.
Like many new face characters, Merida made a few test appearances at an off-the-beaten-path part of Epcot before moving to her new digs in the Magic Kingdom.
The Fairytale Garden area (most recently the home to the Rapunzel meet-and-greet, and prior to that Belle told her story here) has been transformed into the Meridia meet-and-greet…
Outside the Fairytale Garden prior to the doors opening
Outside the Fairytale Garden prior to the doors opening
Details abound in the small space…
An errant arrow
while one of Merida’s friends aids young archers in developing their skills.
The feisty young Princess meets her fans…
and introduces them to three little bear cubs who are hanging around.
And will even give an archery lesson if asked…
and Miss Bonnie took the opportunity to improve her form.
The cubs seem to approve
Not surprisingly, the Merida merch machine is already in full swing…
the cart nearby the meet-and-greet is full of Brave goodies, and more is available in the shops along Main Street.
But the Brave in-park promos don’t stop in the Magic Kingdom…
in Epcot along the Rose Walk path there is a giant, detailed sand sculpture (which now seems Disney de rigueur for any new film).
See the Hidden Mickey?
Right next to this edifice is the Highland Games Tournament.
The decidedly low-tech events are designed with the younger set in mind, but it sure seemed that there were plenty of “big kids” trying their hand at the games of skill.
After spinning a wheel to find out which family you will represent…
you got to give archery a shot, flip a “Haggis” and toss a “Cake” (there’s your requisite food references for this post)…
and wind up with the Caber toss.
Across the walkway posters promote the film…
giving a brief into to the plot.
And in the name of synergy…
Adventures by Disney has a trip to Scotland inspired by Brave.
As the opening of any Pixar film is usually something to celebrate (considering their track record of fab films), we’re looking forward to finally seeing Brave on the big screen, and the in-park promos have done nothing but enhance this desire… let’s hope that this new Princess lives up to the hype… we’ll see very soon…
Is it too early???
June 9, 2012
To start thinking about this year’s Epcot International Food & Wine Festival?
Well, considering I dreamed about it last night, I guess not… okay, I start thinking about the next year’s event the second one is over… okay, I really start thinking about the next event while one is going on… so I guess it’s never too early…
And since Disney started releasing some official info in the past couple of weeks, I figured we better start our countdown… 111 days at the time of this writing…
The 17th annual festival will officially open on September 28 of 2012 and run a record (by one day I believe) 46 six days (yea!) through the 12th of November.
Some notable news about the upcoming event are the inclusion of an all-Vegan marketplace (the TERRA Marketplace) as well as a kiosk featuring the regional foodstuffs of Epcot’s home state of Florida.
On Wednesdays you can wander the World Showcase with the festival chefs and learn the inside scoop on the foods (and beverages!) of several of the featured marketplaces.
Pam Brandon (who has to have what appears to be one of the best jobs on the planet!) has the official preview (with some savory pics) in a post over at the Disney Parks Blog, so click on that link and check it out!
Let the countdown continue!
WDW Weekend Eats
June 1, 2012
Once again it’s time to take a look as some eats & drinks from a recent weekend trip to the World… let’s look at the food, beverages and just for fun a few other random and related things from WDW that weekend.
Miss Bonnie and I decided we wanted to hit the last weekend of the Flower & Garden Festival at Epcot and the first weekend of Star Wars Weekends at the Studios (which happened to be the same weekend), so we headed to WDW on that Friday.
We were staying at Saratoga, so while I was waiting for Bonnie to arrive I sauntered over to Downtown Disney to survey the scene there…
Thinking I would need sustenance for the long trek around DTD, I stopped in at the Margarita Bar which sits on the water (roughly across from the Tren-D Store) on the Marketplace side…
on a prior visit to DTD, we had seen this same sign advertising a Grapefruit Margarita, but we didn’t have time to give it a try (shocking I know, too busy for a new margarita, even surprised myself…). Needed to rectify that oversight…
Grapefruit Margarita
And I was glad I tried it – this is a refreshing and delicious drink that ranks up there with many of the offering at La Cava! Especially great on a hot day, this drink has a nice fruit flavor, without any of the bitterness you might expect from grapefruit juice. I’ve had some really good drinks before at this locale, so don’t hesitate to give one a try there if you’re so inclined next time you’re in Downtown Disney.
So now fortified, I wandered over to the West Side to see what was going on at the under-construction Splitsville. And knowing how much my dear Dedicated Readers love pictures of construction walls, I expected there to be some to show you, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Splitsville
Taking over the old Virgin Megastore building, this dining, drinking and entertainment venue is scheduled to open this fall.
Bowling, billiards and dancing are mixed with an upscale (somewhat retro) environment with a menu that is a step, or three, above what you may find at your local bowling alley.
The other Splitsville locations have a policy of 21 and up only after 8 PM (and a dress code after 7 PM)…
this will be an unusual policy to enforce at Disney, but if it is the same at this location it could signal a welcome (to many at least) return to a more adult-themed entertainment area as Pleasure Island once was… maybe the start of something interesting?
Splitsville at Downtown Disney Concept Art
If you want to check out their website to see samples of the menus, etc at other locations, go to splitsvillelanes.com.
There is a location not too far from the Eating (and Drinking) Around the World kitchens, so if we get to check it out before the new location opens, we’ll give you a semi-preview.
After Miss Bonnie arrived, we made our way to Epcot to spend Friday evening around World Showcase.
Prior to eating and drinking (okay, I had a beer with me…) we went to see My-Favorite-Monkee, Mickey Dolenz at the last of the Flower Power Concerts. Mickey was a late replacement for fellow Monkee, and Flower Power regular, Davy Jones who sadly passed away (way too young!) earlier this year.
After a couple of songs, Mickey made a heartfelt tribute to his late band mate and launched into “Daydream Believer” (on which Davy originally sang lead). As one who grew up watching (and loving) the Monkees during their original run (yes, I’m an old man…) this was actually quite emotional for me, and yes, a few salty tears made their way down my cheeks as I sang along…
More hits followed, and the set wound up with the Neil Diamond-penned “I’m a Believer” – Mickey prefaced the song by pointed out to the youngsters in the crowd that he had performed the song long before a guy named Shrek… It was an enjoyable, nostalgic and just a bit sad start to the weekend, and one of the main reasons I wanted to be there on this date…
Now on to the food… and drink…
Tutto Gusto Wine Bar
On a recent trip (see WDW Odds & Ends from May 24) we checked out the newly-opened Tutto Gusto Wine Bar, but didn’t have a chance to sample the goods. On this night we made up for it.
Castello Beer and an Italian (duh…) Moscato Wine
We perused the huge list of wines and other adult beverages and made our order while also thinking about the food…
Mmmm… meat… cheese… Finocchiona (at bottom), Asiago and Parmigiano Reggiano (with Focaccia bread)
While we were waiting to be seated, we queried one of the hostesses (a native Italian, of course) as to her favorites on the menu – she suggested three of the meat and cheese choices and we took her recommendations – and she was right on…
The flavorful Finocchiona (a fennel and pepper enhanced salami) was thinly sliced and a perfect, fatty foil to the cheeses. The hostess noted she had never had this in her native country, but since trying it here it was her favorite, and we could see why!
The Asiago and crumbly Parmigiano Reggiano were just amazing (especially the latter) – if you think of the green can when you think of Parmesan, think again… you’ll never buy it again after you have the real thing…
We also ordered some marinated olives and the Polenta with Mushrooms and cheese.
Olive Finocchio e Arance
The olives were briny and delicious, and converted Miss Bonnie into an olive-lover!
Polenta Funghu e Fontina
Fancy-Italian-Grits with sauteed mushrooms and cheese – how bad could it be?
More cheese? Yes, please!
The polenta was actually our least favorite item of the night – but it was still very good! Everything else was just that much better!
And to top it all off – yes, they do take the Tables in Wonderland card!
After catching the tail end of Illuminations we made our way back to the resort to catch a few winks before the early morning start at the Studios on Saturday.
A couple of strange characters in stage… and a couple of even stranger ones in front of the stage…
With Star Wars Weekends started we make our way to the merchandise tent to check out the goods…
and even inside Darth’s Mall, we found some food…
Snacks and beverages were available here…
many items being served in a cute R2-D2 container.
The same droid holder was seen throughout the park with different items being offered at various food locations.
From here we made our way over to Ehco Lake…
for an early lunch at Min & Bill’s.
Min & Bill’s Dockside Diner Menu
The main attraction here are the stuffed sandwiches: a baguette is stuck down upon a metal device and hollowed out…
Bread being prepped
and the rest of the sandwich ingredients are stuffed inside.
Chicken Caesar Sandwich
Miss Bonnie chose the Chicken Caesar Sandwich (chicken with salad greens, Parmesan cheese and Caesar dressing) while I had the Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions.
Italian Sausage Sandwich with Peppers and Onions (insert your own joke here…)
The Sausage Sandwich was big and filling – the sausage itself was fine, but the peppers and onions were a bit on the bland side – overall it certainly needed the help of a couple of mustard packets. Not bad, but I’m not going to run back to have it again.
Italian Sausage Sandwich with Peppers and Onions
The Chicken Caesar Sandwich however was a “two thumbs up”.
Chicken Caesar Sandwich
The filling was tasty, and the portion size is good. We both agreed we’d be glad to have this one again… At about nine bucks each, these are both actually a good value considering the size (and they include a side of chips) – if you’re not starving, these could even be split between two people.
After our meal we walked over to Epcot for some final Flower & Garden goodness.
Miss Bonnie graciously allowed me to ogle the comely HGTV celeb Genevieve Gorder for a while before we made our requisite visit to La Cava.
I stood in line a while to order one of my favorites, the Jalapeno Margarita.
Jalapeno Margarita – with something extra…
I asked the bartender to make my drink extra spicy, so he added a whole jalapeno to the chopped cucumber and mashed them together before adding the rest of the margarita goodies. After I took a quick sip, he asked if it was hot enough.
“Its’ good, but I could take hotter,” was my response.
“I have a habanero…” he said.
I paused.
“I have a habanero…” he repeated.
“Go for it,” I said and handed the drink back to him.
He smashed a whole (seeded) habanero pepper and added the drink back to the shaker and now infused the insidious fiery fruit into the drink. “You’ll remember me in the morning,” he said as he handed it back to me.
Wow… hot, flavorful, fantastic… it’s not going to be my regular drink, but for fiery sipping and savoring on a hot day, it’s a great choice if you can take the heat.
Miss Bonnie dipped the tip of her pinkie finger in and tried just a couple of drops – she was on fire for hours afterwards… this isn’t a drink for everyone… but if you’re the heat-loving adventurous type, ask if they have a habanero handy the next time you’re at La Cava!
Jalapeno – Habanero Margarita. The drink of the Gods!
We wandered the World Showcase for a while, and then made our way back to the Studios for the evening.
Bonnie had a Jones for the Darth Vader cupcake that was being offered at several locations throughout the park during Star Wars Weekends. So we made our way to the ABC Commissary to sample one…
Darth Vader Cupcake
adorned with chocolate sprinkles a white chocolate light saber…
Shouldn’t ALL light sabers be made of white chocolate???
this chocolate-cakey-cupcake held a gooey surprise inside…
Deconstructed Darth… exposing the peanut butter for all to see…
Chocolate and peanut butter – genius! How come no one thought of combining them before?
Okay, I guess the peanut butter wasn’t that much of a surprise… it was on the sign…
So after dessert-as-an-appetiser, we went in search of some real food (or at least as real as quick service in the Studios would be).
After traversing the park several times and with much discussion and compromise, we finally settled on the Studio Catering Co.
Deciding to eschew our usual favorite of the Grilled Vegetable Sandwich, we split the two Pressed Sandwiches: Tuscan Deli and Turkey Club.
Sandwichfest! Grilled Turkey Club an the Grilled Tuscan Deli
Both were actually pretty good – but we gave the Tuscan a bit of an edge over the turkey.
After dining, we made our way to view the Hyperspace Hoopla, with a stop on the way at the Tune in Lounge.
To keep us busy and hydrated while waiting for the show to start, we got a couple of Patron Margaritas to go made by my Favorite Blonde Czech Bartender Alena.
Despite the huge crowd, the show was, as always, a lot of fun.
Afterwards we made our way back to Saratoga Springs to await the culinary fun on Sunday.
The morning started with a bit of exercise to try and work off the cupcake calories (we laced the running shoes up – get your collective minds out of the gutter), and after we packed up the cars, we sauntered over to Downtown Disney to eat at one of our favorite overlooked spots.
Cookes of Dublin
Even though it’s a place we’ve passed by countless times, only fairly recently have we discovered the great eats available at Cookes of Dublin in Downtown Disney. And now it’s among our favorite places to eat on WDW Property.
Cookes of Dublin Menu
We ordered some Whiskey and Pepper Glazed Wings (which like many menu items, come with chunky fries – aka “Chips”), and needing even more spuds, we added an order of the Skinny Chips with Thyme and Rock Salt along with Cheese and Bacon Dip.
Miss Bonnie secured us a table while I went next door to The Hole in the Wall bar to secure myself an IPA…
The Hole in the Wall Bar
Thyme and Rock Salt Skinny Chips
The “Skinny Chips” are more the size of a McDonalds-type fry – these had fantastic flavor all on their own, but if you want to add an extra layer, dunk them into one of the available dips or some of the Dalkey Mustard from the condiments area.
Thyme and Rock Salt Skinny Chip heading into the Irish Vintage Cheese and Bacon Dip
The wings here have become one of my favorites anywhere, on or off Property. Big and juicy, they have been cooked perfectly and freshly every time we’ve tried them. The sauce has just enough bite from the black pepper (even if I do add some Tabasco on occasion…) and great flavor from the whiskey.
Chicken Wings in Whiskey and Crushed Pepper Glaze
Now properly sated, we called an end to the weekends eats at WDW. A great start at a new place, a good end at a new/old favorite, and some acceptable quick eats in-between… and a few drinks as well… all-in-all another fun and flavorful weekend at the World!
Back to the kitchen – we’ll see you soon!
Eating (and Drinking) around the World 