Dining In Disney – The Walt Disney World Food Blog

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Fine cuisine and wines from some of the best “foodie” cities in the world will take a bow at the 13th annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Sept. 26 through Nov. 9 at Walt Disney World Resort.

Epcot guests can explore these “Cities in Wonderland” — from trendy Cork, Ireland, to the melting pot of Cape Town, South Africa — around the World Showcase promenade while also discovering blissful bites at international and regional marketplaces brimming with exotic flavors and comfort foods. The six-week festival will showcase tastes from countries on six continents.

More than 25 international marketplaces will serve tapas-sized portions of regional specialties at $2-to-$5 each, and recommended wines and beers make perfect pairings at each kiosk. New festival flavors explore the culinary wonders of Lyon, France; Marrakesh, Morocco; Shanghai, China; Bologna, Italy; Tokyo and Mexico City. Exhibits along the promenade also will showcase entertainment and traditional crafts of several countries.

Daily complimentary wine and beer tastings serve up sips from around the world, and culinary demonstrations dish up featured taste treats. A series of special culinary programs features a lineup of renowned winemakers, guest chefs and speakers participating in elegant dinners, luncheons, seminars and wine schools.

“We wanted to take our guests on a grand gustatory expedition,” says Nora Carey, festival manager. “The cities that we’ll feature are known for great dining experiences, and the ‘Cities in Wonderland’ theme will inspire our guests to enjoy great food and wine in a fresh new way.”

The Epcot festival continues to grow dramatically, attracting a diverse audience of more than one million guests each fall — from wine connoisseurs and epicures to neophytes wishing to boost their wine IQs. Beer aficionados can raise their steins at several tasting locations, including Germany’s Biergarten, which specialize in brews from light to dark.

Musical entertainment pairs perfectly with culinary fun during the nightly Eat to the Beat! concert series featuring a varied lineup of classic rock, soul, R&B, oldies, jazz and funk hit-makers. Concerts are performed three times each evening at America Gardens Theatre along the World Showcase lagoon. New acts to appear include Kool & The Gang, Spyro Gyra, En Vogue and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. David Sanborn, Jon Secada and Otis Day and the Knights are among returning crowd-pleasing acts.

Other festival highlights include:

• The Festival Welcome Center, with a Champagne and Wine Bar, complimentary wine seminars and book signings, and festival keepsakes including exclusive festival pins and an official festival cookbook.
• Some 250 Disney chefs and guest chefs conducting culinary demonstrations and hosting elegant dinners and tasting events. Guest chefs are now being signed for the event; last year’s lineup included Cat Cora, Alan Wong, Jeff Henderson, Roy Yamaguchi, Todd English, G. Garvin, Suvir Saran, Warren Brown and many others.
• The weekly Party for the Senses grand tasting event featuring tempting tastes from eminent chefs, more than 70 wines and beers and live entertainment.Festival guests also can enjoy new Epcot experiences including the re-launched Spaceship Earth attraction in Future World, with narration by Oscar winner Dame Judi Dench, new scenes, sets and costumes, updated Audio-Animatronics figures, plus a touch-screen interactive ride sequence. In the World Showcase, there’s a new restaurant at the Italy pavilion, Tutto Italia, with cuisine from different regions of Italy. And the Japan pavilion just introduced its new Tokyo Dining and Teppan Edo restaurants. Mexico’s new tequila bar is perfect for cool sips on a warm autumn evening.Included with Epcot Admission:Wine and beer seminars, cooking demonstrations, special book signings at the Festival Center, Eat to the Beat! concerts, culinary and cultural exhibits, and all attractions and park entertainment are included with regular Epcot admission.Special Programming by Reservation:

  The weekly Party for the Senses grand tasting, Food and Wine Pairings at select Epcot restaurants, Regional Feasts, Epcot Wine Schools, Cheese Tastings, Sweet Sundays, and other special wine and culinary programs require reservations and separate admission.

  Guests can call 407/WDW-FEST (939-3378) for information and to make reservations for special events and programs. Festival details are available at the Web site: disneyworld.com/food.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Pastry chefs throughout Walt Disney World Resort make things a little sweeter with deliciously decorative displays and sugar shacks made of yummy ingredients during the winter holidays. These candy-decked dwellings adorn the lobbies at various Walt Disney World resort hotels beginning in November. On the menu this holiday season at Walt Disney World Resort: Read the rest of this entry

Because I think these are one of the best little desserts in Walt Disney World, I thought I would post a few pictures of this perfect little treat.  Found at many counter service restaurants (this one in particular was purchased at Cosmic Ray’s in Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom) this chocolate cake tastes just like Mom’s signature recipe.  It’s very sweet and hits the spot on those days you need a little extra sugar rush to get you through that 10th time on Space Mountain.  Plus, it’s also part of the Disney Dining Plan so you can use your snack credit for it as well! Read the rest of this entry

Hello everyone!

I finally got around to posting the pictures of the Boma buffet from our September trip.  You can check it out by clicking here:

http://www.diningindisney.com/animal-kingdom-lodge-boma-flavors-of-africa/

Just a quick story about our dinner at Boma (which was back at the end of September.)  We arrived for our 4:40pm advanced reservations about 20-minutes early and there was a little bit of a crowd already waiting so I had to stand in a short line to get checked in.  We ended up waiting for about 10-15 minutes before they actually opened up the restaurant so I was able to walk through and get some pictures of the untouched buffet!  (before all the hungry crowds jumped on it.)  Read the rest of this entry

The new chef for Jiko – The Cooking Place, the featured restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, has been announced. Chef Brian Piasecki has previously been head chef at another top Disney World restaurant, Le Cellier at Epcot.

Arguably one of the best restaurants in EPCOT, Le Cellier is very popular for their outstanding steaks and probably the best Cheese Soup you’ll find anywhere. Read the rest of this entry

Largest Single-Site Purveyor of Wine in the World:
Disney’s Wide World of Wine

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — As baby boomers — the first generation to grow up with Disney theme parks — return to Walt Disney World Resort, they’re demanding a new level of sophistication, especially in the realm of dining.

In the past 10 years, world-class restaurants have been introduced — California Grill, Flying Fish Cafe, Cítricos, Artist Point, Jiko-The Cooking Place, and with each new dining room, wine choices have increased dramatically. Read the rest of this entry

Here are some great Walt Disney World Fun Food Facts!

• Take your pick. . . There are over 300 places to dine across Walt Disney World Resort. And that’s not counting the portable food carts. In all, more than 6,000 different food items are available.
• Someone’s in the kitchen . . . There are more than 350 chefs on staff at Walt Disney World Resort.
• Serving the wine . . . More than 625 sommeliers have been awarded the Court of Master Sommelier Introductory Certificate at Walt Disney World Resort, with more than 300 sommeliers currently in restaurants.

Read the rest of this entry

It’s that time of the year where the leaves are changing and the air is getting a little chilly (at least up North where I am) and it just feels like Halloween.  And what would Halloween be without PUMPKINS!

A few weeks ago we were fortunate to be at Walt Disney World where we saw some of the HUGE pumpkins being grown in the “Living With The Land” attraction. Read the rest of this entry

Per a press release from Disney:

“Two new themed restaurants. Walt Disney World guests will have two new restaurants to choose from when they visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney.  The restaurants will be operated by

Landry’s Restaurants, which operates the Rainforest Cafés at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney. Read the rest of this entry

Living in Pennsylvania, we’re always trying to find a way to ‘get our fix’ since we live so far away from Walt Disney World.  Luckily we’re within a few hours drive to some very nice amusement parks including Dorney Park, Knoebels, Great Adventure (NJ) and one of our favorites Hersheypark.  We decided a few weeks ago that we wanted to visit Hersheypark as we wanted to see what they call “Hersheypark in the Dark” which is their Halloween celebration.  Knowing how much we loved going to Walt Disney World during their “Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party” we thought it would be a good way to again, ‘get our fix.’

You’re probably wondering where this is going since this site is all about Disney Dining.  Well, I’m here to officially announce that DINING IN DISNEY IS NOT EXPENSIVE when it comes to counter service meals.  Why do I say that?  Well, let me tell you about our experience this past weekend in Hersheypark. Read the rest of this entry