Category Dining

Jul 16 2015

Celebrating National Ice Cream Month At Disney World

Ice Cream

Did you know that July is National Ice Cream Month? If you happen to be visiting Disney World this month, there are plenty of places to grab a frozen treat to cool off and celebrate! Here are a few of the favorites being served at Disney World this summer courtesy of WDW News:

Magic Kingdom

Dole WhipWhile strolling down Main Street U.S.A., the smell of freshly baked waffle cones wafts through the air. Follow the delicious scent and you will find the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. This is the home of many delectable ice cream delicacies, but one in particular takes the top scoop – the ice cream cookie sandwich. Two freshly baked chocolate chip cookies served with your choice of hand-scooped ice cream in the middle, creating the sweetest sandwich you will ever taste!

The other must-stop shop at Magic Kingdom is Aloha Isle, home of the legendary Dole Whip. This scrumptious soft-serve delight is a refreshing frozen treat blended in pineapple, vanilla or swirled flavors. For the more exotic palettes, try the Pineapple Dole Whip Float with Dole Pineapple Juice, as it will surely make you dole out a smile! Dole Whip also can be found at Pineapple Lanai at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.

Epcot

L'artisan Des GlacesCiao, gelato! Experience the sweet indulgence of Italian gelato at Gelati, the delectable dessert kiosk at the Epcot World Showcase Italy Pavilion. With a variety of tempting gelato flavors and ice cream specialties, the possibilities are endless. One of the fanciful “Gelato Creations” is the Coppa Amicizia, a blend of cookies and cream, strawberry, Fior di Latte (milk-flavored gelato), strawberry sauce, whole strawberries and whipped cream.

Fresh brioche bread and chilled ice cream – two of the world’s most delightful delicacies. L’Artisan des Glaces at Epcot’s France Pavilion combines these two treats into a heavenly combination with its Croque Glacé. Choose any one of this authentic French ice cream shop’s unique flavors, perhaps the coco-white chocolate ice cream, before it is sealed in a warm brioche with rich chocolate or raspberry sauce. This ice cream pastry is inspired by the tastes of Paris and will have guests saying “Bonjour!”

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Still have a passion for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Have no shame because this special Peanut Butter and Jelly Milkshake at 50’s Prime Time Café will help rekindle that passion for peanut butter and relive those tasty childhood memories. The ingredients are simple – peanut butter and jelly with milk and ice cream – but the flavor is indescribably bold and indulgently satisfying.

What is the last shop seen before and the first thing thought of after falling down an elevator shaft? That would be the delicious treats at Hollywood Scoops, the ice cream kiosk near The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. But not just any ice cream treat will do – Apple Crisp à la Mode is the must-try delight. This cinnamon apple dessert topped with old-fashioned vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and streusel is a perfect way to conclude a haunted stay at The Hollywood Hotel.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

In the heart of Harambe Village is the home of Tamu Tamu Refreshments, where hungry travelers can find unique frozen treats and refreshments for even the wildest of safaris. The most popular treat is the Pineapple Whip Soft-serve with Coconut or Dark Rum, a truly tantalizing tropical treat.

An old-fashioned root beer float is a classic ice cream novelty and a fantastic way to beat the heat. Try one of the soft-serve soda floats from the Anandapur Ice Cream Truck while trekking through Asia at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Downtown Disney

Boathouse SmoresStrike gold with the Gold Rush ice cream sundae at the Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop. It starts with a fresh waffle cone hand-dipped in rich Ghirardelli chocolate, filled with vanilla ice cream, and then covered in homemade hot fudge and peanut butter, whipped cream, chopped almonds, a cherry, and a Ghirardelli SQUARES Milk Chocolate. For those with a taste for milkshakes, the Sea Salt Caramel Banana Quake Shake is also an enticing option at this amazing ice cream haven.

For a photo-worthy, gargantuan treat, nothing tops the Gibsons S’mores Baked Alaska at The BOATHOUSE. This unbelievably sweet and visually breathtaking dessert is made with Häagan-Dazs rocky road ice cream, cascaded in marshmallow, then toasted with pieces of rich dark chocolate surrounding the outside. This is a four-person dessert, so be prepared for a larger-than-life serving.

Ever dreamed of traveling to Italy? Good news – there is no need to venture across the globe to taste the delicious flavors of Florence thanks to the new Vivoli Gelateria in Downtown Disney. This family-run shop was founded in 1932 in Florence, which means the flavors have been mastered to perfection. One of the guest favorites is the Caramello Salato, or salted caramel. Made with fresh, top-quality ingredients, this flavorful treat is adorned with a soft ribbon of caramel flavor, complete with crunchy salted caramel bits. For chocolate enthusiasts, the classic Cioccolato chocolate gelato will certainly satisfy any sweet tooth!

Disney’s Water Parks

Imagine a bright green sand pail and try to keep from smiling. Now picture a bright green sand pail filled to the brim with chocolate and vanilla soft-serve ice cream, waffle cone pieces, cookie pieces, hot fudge, caramel, strawberry sauce, whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry. And don’t forget the sprinkles! This sunny snack can be found at Happy Landings Ice Cream at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park and at I.C. Expeditions at Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park.

Walt Disney World Resort Hotels

Kitchen Sink“Everything but the kitchen sink.” Well this massive ice cream treat includes that, too. The Kitchen Sink at Beaches & Cream Soda Shop at Disney’s Beach Club Resort is a one-of-a-kind ice cream challenge with eight scoops of ice cream, every topping in the house, and a whole can of whipped cream. This dessert serves four people with an appetite, so bring family and friends and get those spoons in the air – it’s going to get a little sticky!

501 WaysHeading to Disney World soon?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

What is your favorite Disney World ice cream treat?
Please leave a comment!

Jul 14 2015

2015 Epcot International Food And Wine Festival Expands Into Future World

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival ©Disney

In January, Disney announced the dates for this year’s Epcot International Food & Wine Festival and in May, they released the Eat To The Beat Bands plus some first details. On Monday, even more exciting information was shared including details about the first ever expansion of the festival into Future World! Here’s the scoop from Disney:

Walt Disney World Resort announced today that four new food and beverage marketplaces will open in Future World during the 20th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival presented by Chase September 25 – November 16, 2015. It’s the first time in the festival’s 20-year-history that global marketplace experiences, now numbering more than 30, have expanded from the park’s World Showcase into Future World.

During the 53-day festival, the new Artistry of Wine & Cheese area featuring the Cheese Studio and Wine Studio marketplaces will evoke the ambiance of Napa Valley with grape vines and welcoming pergolas along the walkway to Future World West.

  • At the Cheese Studio, a cheese sample platter will be served on an artist’s palette to pair with wines.
  • The Wine Studio will serve premium wines on tap and showcase palate-pleasing wine varietals organized by color in artful displays.

At the new Next Eats area near the Epcot Character Spot, Sustainable Chew and Chew Lab marketplaces will be inspired by ABC’s Emmy-Award® winning lifestyle series “The Chew,” starring co-hosts Mario Batali, Michael Symon, Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly and Daphne Oz. “The Chew” announced July 2 that the show will broadcast from Epcot during the festival.

  • At Sustainable Chew Marketplace, guests can taste delicious dishes inspired by “The Chew” co-hosts.
  • At Chew Lab, food science meets the hottest culinary tech trends to present innovative dishes like the Liquid Nitro Chocolate Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey Caramel.

“The Future World festival marketplace expansion gives our guests more reasons than ever to help us celebrate 20 delicious festival years,” says Jens Dahlmann, general manager of Epcot Food & Beverage. “Adding even more sizzle, our collaboration with ABC’s ‘The Chew’ brings the cachet of a major daytime network television series and its celebrity hosts.”

More news to celebrate:

  • One of a series of popular Party for the Senses premium events will be the first-time Yelloween Masquerade Party for the Senses, an elegant, dance-the-night-away, gourmet tasting party with Champagne, wine, craft beers and specialty cocktails paired with food. Guests will be encouraged to masquerade in chic yellow and black. Reservations will open July 30, 2015, for festival premium events also to include the Mexican Tequila Lunch, Japanese Craft Beer Tasting, French Family Meal Traditions and dozens of events including Culinary Adventures in Signature Dining.
  • “The Chew” cast will host a new premium event: the Rockin’ Burger Block Party, with specialty burgers and sliders inspired by top names in the music industry such as Dave Matthews and his Dreaming Tree Wines and Carlos Santana’s Casa Noble Tequila. Two additional Burger Block Parties are set for Sept. 25 and Nov. 6.
  • The Dominican Republic Marketplace will return with fresh flair, serving new dishes including Pescado con Coco – seared grouper, pigeon peas with rice and coconut sauce. And at the Festival Center, the new Monday-through-Thursday “Spotlight on Dominican Republic” will showcase the country’s culture, crafts and culinary delights with artists and chefs at the Festival Center.
  • Two 20th-year celebratory wines were created just for this fall’s festival: a Napa Valley Festival Chardonnay and a Paso Robles Festival Cabernet Sauvignon. Guests will be able to purchase tastes of both wines at the Sustainable Chew marketplace, and the Festival Center Wine Shop will carry bottles.
  • At the new Artistry of Wine & Cheese, each keg of premium wine on tap will hold the equivalent of 26 wine bottles, eliminating bottle, cork, cardboard and paper waste from labels. Recycling and repurposing of glass bottles and corks from other marketplace locations will be part of the 20th-year festival story.

Included with Epcot Admission:

Back to Basics series, Ocean Spray Cranberry Bog, special book signings, Eat to the Beat concerts, cultural adventures, Marketplace Discovery Passport and attractions and park entertainment are included with regular Epcot admission.

Special Programming by Reservation:

The Party for the Senses grand tasting events, and other special beverage and culinary programs require reservations and separate event admission. Reservations will open July 30, 2015, for all premium events including the new Rockin’ Burger Block Party. Guests can call 407-WDW-FEST (939-3378) and get details at EpcotFoodFestival.com beginning July 15.

This year I am very lucky to be planning a visit to Disney World during the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. If you get the opportunity to visit during the celebration, I highly recommend it. It is tons of fun for the whole family!

501 WaysHeading to Disney World soon?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Will you be attending the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival?
What is your favorite part? Please leave a comment!

Jul 8 2015

The Planet Hollywood Redesign

Planet Hollywood Observatory

Another exciting change is coming to Downtown Disney aka Disney Springs – Planet Hollywood is getting a complete redesign! Scheduled to close on January 1, the transformation process should be complete by summer 2016. Here’s what is in store for us when it reopens:

  • The restaurant will be reimagined to become an observatory to fit the turn-of-the-century mining town theme of Disney Springs.
  • Planet Hollywood ObservatoryThe name will be changed to Planet Hollywood Observatory.
  • Once complete, the globe will be surrounded by a brick exterior.
  • Outside, the neon Planet Hollywood Sign will be reworked into a water tower.
  • An outdoor terrace and bar space called Stargazers will be added and will feature live entertainment.
  • The music in the main dining room is to feature a DJ.
  • The interior will be changed and will feature a high-tech planetarium with constellations and stars on the ceiling.
  • Hollywood movie features will still be able to be played to hold true to the restaurant’s original vision.
  • Both the restaurant and lounge will continue to showcase Hollywood costumes and props to keep with a “Dine Amongst the Stars” theme.
  • The food menu will also get an overhaul; keeping some classic favorites as well as adding some new flavors.
  • Look for a revamped beverage menu to include an eclectic mix of sodas, shakes, smoothies, beer, wine, and cocktails.
  • The price point should remain about $20 per person.

Heading to Disney World soon?

501 WaysIf you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Are you excited about the reimagined Planet Hollywood Observatory?
Please leave a comment!

Jun 24 2015

Zuri’s Sweets Shop Now Open And The New Poop Treats

Zuri's Sweets Shop

Updated June 27, 2015: It is being reported that Disney has removed the new poop treats from Zuri’s Sweets Shop as of today.

Have you heard the news? Zuri’s Sweets Shop is now open in the new Harambe Marketplace of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Here are the latest details courtesy of Disney:

Guests can take their taste buds on a mouth-watering safari with a visit to Zuri’s Sweets Shop at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This new merchandise location at Harambe Market in the Africa section of the park offers an assortment of wild new treats and eats.

Zuri's Sweets ShopZuri’s Sweets Shop features 80 exclusive food items inspired by the sights, sounds and flavors of Africa. Guests can purchase themed decorative candy apples, assorted bulk trail mixes, uniquely flavored chocolate bars and delectable popcorn with a touch of African spices. Guests with a taste for barbeque also can find the signature sweet and spicy sauce from the park’s popular Flame Tree Barbecue.

This unique location also includes a colorful confectionary case filled with a variety of candies and baked treats. Guests with a sweet tooth will be thrilled to find tiger-shaped sugar cookies, elephant-shaped caramel apples and colorful giraffe marshmallow pops alongside Disney confectionary classics, such as Mickey Mouse chocolate chip cookies and tasty chocolate fudge.

In addition to the festive themed food items, Zuri’s Sweets Shop also offers items for the home, such as decorative “Blessing Baskets” and African-inspired dinnerware and décor.

Now what Disney’s press release doesn’t happen to mention is that Zuri’s Sweets Shop is home to the new poop treats. That’s right folks, if you haven’t already heard this unbelievable news, Disney is selling treats that look like animal poop! The official name is “Match The Species Treats” and they come in elephant, giraffe, hippo, and cotton top tamarin varieties. From what I hear, if you can get past what they look like they are all tasty chocolate desserts. Here are the descriptions:

  • Zuri's Sweets ShopElephant Poop – Chocolate peanut butter fudge with sweet rolled oats and coconut flakes.
  • Giraffe Poop – Rolled chocolate fudgy brownie and freshly made caramel.
  • Hippo Poop – Chocolate fudge caramel brownie with peanut butter and rolled oats.
  • Cotton Top Tamarin Poop – Pretzel pearls coated in chocolate peanut butter fudge with sweet rolled oak flakes.

Zuri's Sweets ShopThese treats are just $3.99 a poop (I mean, a pop 😉 ) or one Disney Dining Plan Snack Credit. My money is on the giraffe variety. I think it is the only one I could get myself to actually try!

Will you be trying Zuri’s Sweets Shop on your next visit?
What do you think about the poop treats? Please leave a comment!

Jun 12 2015

Animal Kingdom’s Harambe Market Now Open

Harambe Market at Night

Have you heard about the latest addition to Disney’s Animal Kingdom? The Harambe Market offers another interesting dining spot for guests to try. At this location, you’ll get the chance to taste some unique African flavors. Here are all of the details courtesy of Disney:

Harambe Market, a bustling marketplace alive with the aromas and flavors of African street foods, adds an exciting new dimension to the expanded Harambe Village experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park in Walt Disney World Resort.

Built around a Colonial-era train depot design complete with a 1960s water tower, Harambe Market invites Disney guests to sample true flavors of Africa before or after they embark on the Kilimanjaro Safaris wild animal adventure. Four themed shops offer fresh meals, snacks and beverages like those found in an African street market.

Each quick-service shop window built into colorful store fronts reflects the shop owner’s personality and offers plenty of guest dining options, including:

  • Kitamu Grill featuring skewered chicken and a kebab flatbread sandwich.
  • Famous Sausages showcasing a corndog made with a South African boerewors sausage dipped in curry-infused corn batter.
  • Chef Mwanga’s spice-rubbed Karubi Rib paired with green papaya-carrot slaw.
  • Wanjohi Refreshments (wanjohi means “brewer” in Swahili) quenches thirsts with craft draft beers like Safari Amber Lager; six South African wines by the glass, The Starr of Harambe frozen drink with Starr African rum and mango puree in a souvenir mug, red Sangria with Van der Hum tangerine liqueur, and non alcoholic tangerine lemonade or fountain beverages like Sparberry from Zimbabwe.

“Boats, trains and travel led to the discovery of exotic spices that were traded and brought from foreign lands,” Chef Lenny DeGeorge says. “These foods have been tailored for the locals. With the ribs, we have a ras el hanout spice blend, which has about 20 different spices mixed in. The berbere spice is on the chicken skewer and the kebab sandwich. We used madras curry powder in the corndog batter.”

Walt Disney Imagineering developed the authentic Harambe Market concept during travel and research in Africa, says Walt Disney Imagineering art director Joan Hartwig.

“When guests come to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we want them to be excited by the adventure of experiencing different cultures,” she says. “For Harambe Market, we had the opportunity to travel in east Africa and bring back details that our guests will be able to experience here. So when guests finish their safari, they can come to a real east African marketplace and sit down and enjoy the authentic flavors of Africa.”

With the recent addition of the Festival of the Lion King theater district and the new market, Harambe Village has nearly doubled in size and “you feel like you are actually in a real village in Africa,” says Walt Disney Imagineering show producer Emily O’Brien.

“You have the whole gamut of experiences, with the central area, the theater district, specialty vendors and a great market. Guests will really feel like they’ve been transported to another place for a really fun experience.”

Harambe Market offers shaded tables for dining, and area shops sell wares from Africa. The marketplace will offer direct access to Kilimanjaro Safaris, the Wildlife Express train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch and a path to Asia attractions like Expedition Everest.

501 WaysHeading to Disney World soon?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Have you tried the Harambe Market yet?
Please leave a comment!