There’s the Cuban, the lobster, the California Burger . . . and Chef Dan at ESPN Club on Disney’s BoardWalk can’t help but keep inventing new “extreme” burgers-more a meal than a sandwich. One of the newest is the PB&J Burger, a stack that starts with creamy peanut butter on a Kaiser roll and builds with an Angus Burger, bacon, pickled jalapeños and a generous slather of house-made blackberry. His latest is the Farmhouse Burger, beginning with potato pancakes instead of bread, then everything for a big breakfast is included: a fried egg, sausage, oven-roasted tomatoes, arugula – and an Angus Burger, of course. Take a look at my pal John Graham’s video.

Tagged: Dining, Video, WDW

Filed: Disney Dining, Walt Disney World Resort

Opa! A Celebration of Greece kicks off May 25 with all sorts of fun at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure parks. There’s live entertainment, line dancing, wine education and tasting seminars at Disney California Adventure park, Olympic training with Hercules at Disneyland park … but for us, it’s all about the food.

Each day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., activities at the festival center around “it’s a small world” Mall in Disneyland park and Paradise Gardens in Disney California Adventure park.

Authentic Greek tastes include thin flatbreads; a classic gyro, the Greek version of a quick-service sandwich with rotisserie meat and veggies; spanakopita swirl, a fun take on the traditional spinach pie; and melomakarona (meh-loh-mah-KAH-roh-nah), a delicious cookie with honey and walnuts. Look for the Greek goodies at Carnation Café, Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port and special carts in Disneyland park. At Disney California Adventure park, treats are at Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta, Paradise Garden Grill and special carts in Paradise Gardens.

At 8 p.m. on May 26, Executive Chef Christine Weissman and her team of chefs from Disneyland and Disney California Adventure parks will work alongside Greek celebrity Chef Argiro Barbarigou to creatively interpret her recipes at “Celebrate Greece: A Culinary Experience.” Greek winemaker Christina Boutari will join the chefs at the Golden Vine Winery in Disney California Adventure park for a four-course Greek dinner featuring cod croquettes with roasted beetroot, arugula and skordalia; salad with caramelized figs, walnuts, pomegranate and fresh goat cheese; tender braised osso buco; and a trio of Greek sweets for dessert. Reserved viewing for “World of Color” nighttime spectacular is included. Tickets are $150, including tax and gratuity (park admission separate). For reservations and tickets, click here.

Tagged: DCA, Dining, DL, DLR

Filed: Disney California Adventure Park, Disney Dining, Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort

It’s a feast for the eyes and the palate at this year’s Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, with a dozen new Garden Marketplaces adding to the beauty all around the park. Beyond a taste of global cuisine, each Marketplace features a gorgeous garden that showcases some of the fruits, veggies and herbs you can taste – and what a wonderful way to introduce little ones to how things grow, and how they are transformed into deliciousness.

We met two new friends at Epcot, Evy and Lucy, who were ready for a culinary adventure to check out some of the TRYit! dishes created just for youngsters. TRYit! dishes combine a familiar taste with something maybe not so familiar into something new . . . and these two girls gave the experience “two thumbs up!” Look for the TRYit! logo in Disney restaurants, too.

The festival runs through May 19, still plenty of time to come have a taste and stroll the World Showcase Promenade, with live music plus gardening and decorating seminars daily. For more information, go to www.epcotinspring.com.

Look below for more posts about dining at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival:

• Flower and Garden, Food and Beverage a Perfect Match at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival
• Top Five Best-Selling Dishes at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival
• Catch a Grilling Demo with PBS Chef George Hirsch at Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

Tagged: Dining, Epcot, International Flower and Garden Festival, Video, WDW

Filed: Disney Dining, Epcot, Walt Disney World Resort

In a super-close competition, Chef Andrew Sutton from Napa Rose at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa was edged out today by Chicago Chef Carlo Lamagna for top honors in the Skuna Bay Chef Challenge at the legendary “Taste of Derby” at the Kentucky Derby.

It’s a long road from Southern California to Churchill Downs Racetrack in Louisville, Ky., and Sutton started competing in March in North American regionals, sponsored by Skuna Bay Salmon. Thirty chefs entered their most impressive Skuna Bay salmon recipes, and Sutton was a regional winner. In April, the winning regional chefs went head-to-head in Round 2 in competitions in Los Angeles and Chicago. Sutton again was victorious.

The finals for “National Skuna Bay Craftsman Chef” were this week in Louisville, with Sutton going up against Chef Carlo Lamagna from Perennial Virant in Chicago. At each stage of the competition, Sutton crafted the same beautiful dish: an elegant, use-all-of-the-fish trio that included tangerine-cured salmon belly sashimi; a pan-roasted fillet with crispy skin on an English pea coulis, topped with house-cured salmon roe and Eureka lemon; and an escabéche featuring fresh salmon cut in perfect miniature cubes and tossed with cucumber, mint and cilantro. Each round started by breaking down and filleting a 10- to 12-pound Skuna Bay salmon. (Skuna Bay is along Vancouver Island, British Columbia, where waters are glacier-fed and the fish used in their feed is from sustainably certified fisheries.)

Along with competing in the prestigious culinary contest, Sutton gets a primo seat for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.

He offered his winning creation at Napa Rose before the contest, practicing to get it perfect. And we bet you’ll find it back on the restaurant’s menu.

Congrats, Chef Andrew!

Tagged: Dining, DLR

Filed: Disney Dining, Disneyland Resort

Still no exact opening date, but “early fall” is the best guess for the re-imagined California Grill to debut at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Meanwhile, Chef Brian Piasecki is working on the new menu in an off-site kitchen, snapping photos like these as he creates deliciousness.

He has a few favorites, like the three-meat meatballs he shared at a recent media event. “We’re really trying to think of creative new ways to use our wood-fired oven,” says Piasecki. Those meatballs are one way, with pork, lamb and veal spiced with house-made harissa. An oaky, crispy crust makes them perfect for dredging in Meyer-lemon-scented chimichurri with a side of marinated picholine olives and a little orzo. “Perfect for sharing,” says Piasecki.

Piasecki is sourcing as much as possible locally, like the Cape Canaveral prawns, “still alive when they arrive at the kitchen door,” he says. He roasts them head on in the wood-fired oven and serves with oven-roasted tomatoes, charred lemon and a handful of peppery baby arugula. (And he’s using the shells to make prawn oil.) Light, crisp, contemporary cooking.

He’s playing around with house-made charcuterie – prosciutto, sausage, rillettes, butter and mousse, all made with duck and served with house-made pickles, chutneys and an earthy whole-grain mustard.

A delectable new entrée includes beets roasted three ways with pan-seared halibut, and the beets share a starring role on the plate: salt-crusted and oven-roasted, with beet syrup and beet microgreens. Pair that with parsnip “silk” and a rich macadamia nut vinaigrette for a sublime plate of healthful eating.

Speaking of fish, the kitchen will have new custom, cast-iron planchas (flat-top grills) just for cooking fish. “Dual temperature zones so we can sear the fish on one side, then slide to the other with a lower temperature for cooking the rest of the way,” says Piasecki. State of the art and a chef’s dream come true.

The new kitchen also expands the sushi area with a classic look, including a glass case to showcase the beautiful seafood. A fun new feature is a 12-course “omakase” menu, which essentially leaves the selection up to the chef, with a chance to show off a little and showcase some unusual presentations you won’t taste otherwise.

Aside from the kitchen, new tables and chairs are arriving, and the new lighting fixtures are “spectacular!” says Piasecki. Stay tuned for updates on the dining room.

Tagged: WDW

Filed: Disney Dining, Hotels & Resorts, Walt Disney World Resort

Get ready for some super new taste sensations when the BoardWalk Bakery reopens bright and early Friday morning – 6:30 a.m. to be exact.

“The new location is twice the size of the original bakery, themed to the 1920s Jersey shore,” says John Berko, manager of food & beverage at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn and Villas. Dark wood and colorful tiles and mosaics add a new brightness to the space.

Beyond sweets, the new menu includes hot breakfast items, salads and sandwiches – like a Maine lobster roll and a pork loin sandwich with creamy apple slaw.

But it’s the sweets that get the most attention, and plenty of favorites are back, including chocolate croissants, cupcakes and cinnamon. Newcomers include eclairs, cannoli, salted caramel ganache and an amazing peanut butter-banana-candied Nueske’s bacon pie. We begged for the recipe, and already made this one at home. There’s not a morsel left.

The bakery is open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., and is Disney Dining Plan eligible.

Peanut Butter-Banana-Applewood Smoked Candied Bacon Pie
Makes 9-inch pie

3 thick slices applewood smoked bacon
1/4 cup brown sugar
9-inch store-bought chocolate graham cracker pie crust
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup cream cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup whipping cream
2 bananas, sliced

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper, and place a wire rack over the baking
   sheet.
2. Coat bacon on both sides with brown sugar. Place on rack and bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until crispy, depending on thickness of bacon.
3. Remove from oven. Once cooled, dice and set aside.
4. Cream together peanut butter, cream cheese, and sugar until smooth.
5. Whip cream to soft peaks in a separate bowl; gently fold into peanut butter mixture.
6. Fill pie shell halfway with mixture, then evenly top with banana slices. Top slices with remaining mixture.
   Sprinkle with chopped bacon. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tagged: Dining, Gallery, Recipe, WDW

Filed: Disney Dining, Walt Disney World Resort

Blue Bayou fans have some new dishes to try and can revisit classics that have been lovingly tweaked. No worries, the favorites are there, but some delicious creations have been added – like the new sweet potato biscuits that come to the table along with the popular sourdough rolls, perfect with the new herb-crusted rack of lamb.

 
Every meal at Blue Bayou starts with an appetizer – gumbo or salad. But now you can opt for a shrimp cocktail (for an additional $5.99). “We’re adding lighter dishes with the menu makeover,” says Christine Weissman, executive chef at Disneyland park. And even classics like the jambalaya get a flourish of healthful micro-greens. No worries, the Monte Cristo sandwich is still there, served with fresh fruit, a perfect complement to the rich sandwich. Also back is the braised short rib and Tesoro Island chicken breast, both tweaked just enough to keep the original flavors but bring a freshness to each dish.

Pan-seared salmon is no longer stuffed with cheese, but instead served with rich sweet corn risotto, tangy citrus mousseline and a dollop of salsa verde. The favorite of vegetarians, the portobello mushroom and couscous macque choux, is another keeper.

The new menu officially debuts today. For reservations, call 714-781-DINE or email dining reservation requests to dine@disneyland.com.


Look below for more posts about dining at the Disneyland Resort:

• Delicious Ideas for Mother’s Day at the Disneyland Resort
• Top 10 Favorite Cool Drinks at the Disneyland Resort
• Disneyland Resort Chefs Cook Up Tasty Vegetarian Dishes

Tagged: Dining, DL, DLR

Filed: Disney Dining, Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort