Kick Off St. Patrick’s Day March 15 at Raglan Road in Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World Resort
posted on February 17th, 2012 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer
The best excuse to eat and drink in March is St. Patrick’s Day – the “feast day of St. Patrick,” by the way, has been observed in Ireland on March 17 for centuries but we’re starting a couple of days earlier at Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant. (March 17 falls during the fasting season of Lent, but on St. Patrick’s Day the prohibitions against eating meat were lifted, and the Irish would celebrate their patron saint with dancing, drinking, and feasting.)
The fun this year begins at the Downtown Disney restaurant at Walt Disney World Resort with Chef Kevin Dundon onstage for a four-course kickoff lunch and culinary demo at 1 p.m. on Mar. 15. Chef Kevin will show how to make each course, then you get to taste with wine pairings.
We had the pleasure of attending last year’s lunch and, needless to say, many of the dishes involve rich Irish cream and butter. This year it’s darne (thick-cut) of hickory-smoked Irish salmon served warm on buttered leeks with mead cream reduction; espresso of roasted tomato and gin soup; loin of traditional Irish bacon with Irish Mist glaze on colcannon potato with parsley cream sauce; and a jam jar of silky rhubarb jelly panna cotta.
Cost is $45 plus tax and gratuity. Call 407-938-0300 or 407-WDW-DINE, or visit www.raglanroad.com.
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It’s All About the Food at New Orleans Bayou Bash! at Disneyland Park
posted on February 13th, 2012 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer
New Orleans Bayou Bash! kicked off February 10 with fantastic live music, Disney characters and over-the-top street performers, but let’s be honest – for some of us, it’s really all about the food!
From 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on select dates through March 11 in Disneyland park, you can nosh on everything from bacon-cheddar popcorn to a steaming bowl of bouillabaisse with lobster, red snapper, cockle clams, shrimp and mussels at Blue Bayou Restaurant.
Other savory favorites include Fat City Snapper at Café Orleans with pan-seared snapper topped with tomato Scotch Bonnet sauce and mango pineapple relish, served with crispy onion straws, asparagus, rice and red beans; Mardi Gras Southern meatloaf and a French-style chicken-pork sausage sandwich with homemade apple-carrot slaw, both at French Market Restaurant; and Mardi Gras Southern corn chowder in a sourdough bread bowl at Harbour Galley.
Oh, the sweets are hard to resist: fresh fried apple fritters a la mode at Blue Bayou Restaurant; chocolate and red velvet cupcakes (almost too beautiful to eat) and bananas Foster cheesecake with caramel rum sauce at French Market Restaurant; Royal Street bananas Foster crepe at Café Orleans; beignets at the Mint Julep Bar; and apple fritters rolled in cinnamon sugar at Royal Street Veranda.
It will take several visits to try it all – have you found a favorite?
Remaining dates are February 17-21; February 24-26; March 2-4 and March 9-11. Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Wow Your Valentine With This Gluten-Free Treat from Disney’s Hollywood Studios
posted on February 10th, 2012 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer
Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. We keep this recipe just for special occasions – an old favorite from The Hollywood Brown Derby at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. You won’t find it on the menu right now, but we’re sharing in case you’re home for Valentine’s Day dinner with your sweetheart. (And if your Valentine’s Day includes dinner at the Derby, try the Chocolate Three Ways dessert they’re starring now.)
We don’t bother with frou frou garnishes, but it’s delish with fresh raspberries or strawberries. And you can make it a day ahead. Just add a flute of bubbly – or a glass of ice-cold milk, whichever your sweetheart fancies.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Makes 12 individual cakes
Flourless Chocolate Cakes
1 cup butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons freshly brewed espresso or instant espresso
2 tablespoons hot water
6 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons rum
Ganache
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup dark chocolate chips
For cakes:
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease two 6-cup silicone muffin molds.
- Combine butter and chocolate chips in a glass bowl and microwave on high for 60 seconds. Stir until smooth. If not melted completely, return to microwave for 15-second intervals, stirring between each until melted. Set aside.
- Combine cocoa powder, espresso and water in a separate bowl. Stir until smooth and set aside.
- Combine eggs, sugar, and rum in a large mixing bowl, whisking thoroughly. Add cocoa-espresso mixture to egg mixture, then stir in melted chocolate mixture. Whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Pour batter into prepared muffin molds and bake until cakes puff slightly and surfaces are set, about 22-25 minutes.
- Cool, then refrigerate for at least three hours.
For ganache:
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add heavy cream and bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips; whisk until smooth.
To serve:
- Remove cooled cakes from molds.
- Set a wire rack over a large bowl, and one cake at a time, place on wire rack and coat with ganache, making sure to cover sides.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Favorite Quick-Service Vegetarian Options at the Disneyland Resort
posted on February 9th, 2012 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer
I just spent a week tasting my way through the Disneyland Resort and some of my favorite tastes were vegetarian – deliciously beyond salads and pastas.
Over a tofu scramble for breakfast at Tangaroa Terrace – Casual Island Dining (with a splash of Thai hot sauce), I counted off some of the best vegetarian finds of the week.
Other breakfast finds included the egg white and spinach burrito at Taste Pilot’s Grill at Disney California Adventure park, generously loaded with Portobello mushrooms, bell peppers and feta cheese, wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla.
At Disneyland park, I love anything sweet from the new Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe, but opted for the savory Jolly Holiday Caprese sandwich with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, lettuce and basil vinaigrette on toasted focaccia – a stick-with-you breakfast.
For lunch or dinner, it’s the fried green tomato sandwich at Hungry Bear Restaurant at Disneyland park, the fried tomatoes layered with fresh ones, topped with cheese, creamy remoulad and jicama-mango slaw on a multi-grain bun. You can share this one. Also at Disneyland park, we liked the vegetable po’boy at River Belle Terrace, a warm, tomatoey jumble of veggies on a sub roll.
Over at Disney California Adventure park, skip the dog and go for a Portobello mushroom Philly at Award Wieners with grilled portobellos, onions & bell peppers sautéed in Hefeweizen (wheat beer), topped with pepper jack cheese. Or the soft tacos with roasted veggies topped with cheese at Cocina Cucamonga. Yum!
Finally, it’s back to Tangaroa Terrace – Casual Island Dining, where I’ll mention just one salad: the crispy tofu salad with ginger-soy marinated tofu fried crispy in coconut panko bread crumbs, sitting atop fresh greens with a citrus vinaigrette. Behaving on vacation was never this easy.
What’s your favorite Disneyland Resort vegetarian meal?
Look for These New Kids’ Menu Items Starting Feb. 15 in Magic Kingdom Park
posted on February 8th, 2012 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer
While some little ones are content with mac ‘n cheese or a burger, other young guests have a, well, more sophisticated approach to dining. Four Magic Kingdom Park table-service restaurants are adding some delicious new dishes just for kids for ages 3 to 9. At Tony’s Town Square, look for a steak skewer “spiedini” with roasted sweet potato fries and fresh fruit (spiedini refers to cubes of meat cooked on a skewer, an Italian specialty). Also at Tony’s, a grilled cheese sandwich on multigrain bread sliced into “dippers” with tomato sauce on the side should appeal to just about any child.
Liberty Tree Tavern is featuring a new barbecued chicken and pineapple flatbread pizza with a side of crisp veggies and apples, or oven-roasted turkey with mashed potatoes, veggies and fruit.
At Cinderella’s Royal Table, youngsters can try the new chicken drumette with rice and broccolini, grilled beef skewers with mashed potatoes and corn, or a chicken pot pie topped with a biscuit crust. (We want to try that one.)
And The Plaza Restaurant has a kids’ plate with grilled chicken slices, cous cous and a fresh fruit skewer. Ah, to be a young ‘un again.
Landscape of Flavors at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort at Walt Disney World
posted on January 30th, 2012 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer
“Better-for-you” options at five mini shops serving breakfast, lunch and dinner is the overarching theme of the new Landscape of Flavors food court still being tweaked for Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, opening in May. The new restaurant will be adjacent to the lobby.
“The idea is that you customize your choice,” says Chef Ed Wronski, Director, Food & Beverage Concept Development, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “From burgers to pasta, salads, ethnic flavors, omelets, even parfaits and gelatos, everything is made fresh as you order.”
There’s a big focus on beverages, too. Fresh fruit smoothies are made to order, ditto for lemonade and pomegranate limeade. They’re stocking organic teas, beer (including gluten free), wine, coffee and juices. You can get a plain cup of coffee or a French vanilla or mocha iced. And half bottles of wine are paired with cuisine from the food shops.
We got a sneak peek at the menu, and here are some of the highlights:
- The Soup-Salad-Sandwich Shop lets you create your own salad (with beef or chicken) and offers a caprese sandwich with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes on focaccia, or a Buffalo-style turkey sandwich with arugula and a blue cheese-Buffalo sauce-mayo spread. Both are served with delish house-made potato chips.
- The World Flavors Shop adds Indian-African flair to breakfast, too, with scrambled eggs, tandoor potatoes, Portuguese sausage, slab bacon and a mini-naan; or a veggie flatbread sandwich on naan with cauliflower, spinach and paneer. Lunch and dinner is a choice of tandoori chicken or shrimp, Mongolian beef with vegetables, mahi mahi, Portuguese sausage or roasted acorn squash served with sides and naan bread.
- The Pizza Shop features make-your-own pasta, cheese and pepperoni pizzas and meatballs on ciabatta bread. Room delivery is an option, too.
- The Burger Shop includes a breakfast burger with chicken breakfast sausage, cheese and scrambled eggs on a multi-grain bun, and a steak-and-eggs breakfast burger with a burger topped with fried eggs, cheese and bacon. Besides the traditional burgers, lunch and dinner includes a surf and turf burger with crab cake and fried popcorn shrimp, and a pastrami cheeseburger topped with pepper jack cheese and a slice of fried green tomato.
- The “grab ‘n go” Market Shop offers drinks, yogurt, bagels, pastries, gourmet cupcakes, cookies and gelato.
The food court will be part of the Disney Dining Plan, details to follow.
A Winning Recipe from Downtown Disney District – Just in Time for the Big Game
posted on January 26th, 2012 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer
Big Game parties are the perfect time for indulgent dips and fried things that we try to avoid with New Year’s resolutions. Well, at least this divine dip from the ESPN Zone in the Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort has spinach and artichokes – and you can nibble with carrot and celery sticks (but it’s really delish on garlic bread).
Gooey, hot . . . it goes fast.
Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Makes 8 cups
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup diced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups whole or 2% milk
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
2 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons hot sauce, such as Tabasco
8-ounce package cream cheese, cut into cubes and softened
2 1/2 (10-ounce) boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 (14.5-ounce) cans quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 cup shredded mozzarella
Tortilla chips, carrot and celery sticks, garlic bread, for serving
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté 2 minutes.
- Add flour; cook for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in cream and milk, then bring to simmer, whisking often until sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon.
- Add white pepper and Parmesan, stirring until well incorporated. Remove from heat. Add salt, pepper, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Mix well.
- Fold in cream cheese, stirring well until cream cheese is completely incorporated. Add spinach, stirring to combine. Add artichoke hearts, stirring gently so as not to break up the artichokes.
- Pour mixture into a 9×9-inch baking dish and sprinkle mozzarella evenly on top.
- Bake 15 minutes, or until cheese on top is completely melted and bubbling.
- Serve hot with tortilla chips, carrot and celery sticks, and/or garlic bread.
New Tastes at Crossroads at House of Blues in Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World Resort
posted on January 24th, 2012 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer
We’re fans of House of Blues just for the incredible collection of folk art – we visit just to enjoy the fantastic paintings. When we headed back last week, we found some new menu items – and tweaks to old favorites.
If you loved the HOB shrimp and grits, the new version is just as delicious, but now the grits are fried in a crispy cake, smothered in a chipotle garlic cream sauce with six pan-seared shrimp. If you’re trying to behave, the new grilled flatbreads are a winner: they grill the dough then finish it in the pizza oven. The simple basil pesto and tomato was our favorite.
Cornbread is back minus the rosemary, jambalaya returns without shrimp, but with a hefty serving of chicken and spicy Andouille sausage. The diverse menu runs the gamut from lobster mac & cheese to street tacos and generous salads, but we have to say that the new Juicy Lucy burger topped our list of favorites. The Angus beef was stuffed with cheese and Applewood bacon, then topped with crispy pickled jalapeños and chipotle mayo. We split it three ways.
The wine list is all new, and you’ll find 15 beers plus local micro brews and a full bar. When you’re really hungry, end with an order of bourbon bread pudding, now served with a splash of bourbon, or the new molten chocolate cake – then stroll Downtown Disney end to end to burn those calories.
A Lesson in Tonga Toast at Disney’s Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney World Resort
posted on January 23rd, 2012 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer
We can’t imagine there’s any Disney fan who hasn’t tasted the indulgent Tonga Toast, on the menu at Disney’s Polynesian Resort since 1971. In case you haven’t tried the deep-fried concoction, check out this “Taste of Disney” video, part of the series for Disney.com. Chef Lawrence Searl from Disney’s Kona Cafe shows you how to make this delicious breakfast treat at home. For the full recipe, go to www.disney.com/taste.
Disneyland Resort Favorites for National Pie Day
posted on January 19th, 2012 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer
Who knew that National Pie Day is Monday, Jan. 23? And for those of us who love nothing more than mile-high meringue on dark chocolate, or a big slice of warm apple pie with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, it’s the perfect excuse to celebrate. With pie(s), of course.
Happily, I’ll be at the Disneyland Resort that day, and I’m heading straight to Disneyland park to dig into two of my favorites. The mini blueberry pie at Hungry Bear Restaurant tops the list – a mini-pie that I can devour without much guilt, served with a sugary latticed crust. Running a close second is the apple pie at the new Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe – again, personal-sized with that same fantastic crust, both the creations of Disneyland Executive Pastry Chef Jean-Marc Viallet.
Even better news ahead, fellow pie fans: the new Flo’s V-8 Café in Cars Land, set to debut this summer at Disney California Adventure park, already has four pies on the menu: Dutch apple-cheddar, strawberry rhubarb, Mississippi Mud and blueberry. My first order will be the rich Mississippi Mud.
Do you have a favorite Disneyland Resort pie?
