Guests with the Table in Wonderland dining discount card were informed today that 4 new restaurants are now offering the 20% discount to cardholders. The new restaurants are:
The discounts are valid starting today, August 5th, 2016.
Fit2Run, The Runner’s Superstore is pleased to present Fit2Run’s Magical Marathon Sweepstakes which began on Aug. 1, 2016 – September 5, 2016. Enter2Win a Magical Race-cation to the Walt Disney World® Resort for the 2017 Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend!
Sweepstakes Package Includes:
To enter the Fit2Run Magical Marathon Sweepstakes, got to the Fit2Run website.
Source: Fit2Run
Theefish and Planet Hollywood continue to be remodeled while more Star Wars merchandise invades in our latest Disney Springs photo report:
Star Wars Galactic Outpost was stripped of all of the former D Street decorations
Some new Toy Story opened edition pins were released recently
Some new Fab 5 Pirates of the Caribbean pins as well
The new other facade for the Planet Hollywood Observatory
The Empress Lilly is being pretty much ripped apart for the conversion into the Paddlefish
the new “it’s a small world” Donney & Bourke collection is available at Marketplace Co-Op
The Star Wars attraction posters are now appearing on yet another piece of merchandise, playing cards
These new motorized walking toys started showing up at the parks, looks like there will be 4 in total
Walls by Planet Hollywood now direct guests towards the stores inside the Market Building in Town Center
The new Billboard for T-Rex in the Town Center is nearing completion
Additional seating was added between D-Luxe Burger and Blaze Pizza
On Friday, August 19, the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort will celebrate the first-ever #DisneyPhotoPassDay, a one-day celebration that will feature special one-day offerings and experiences for guests.
Disney PhotoPass Day
Enjoy special character experiences at Magic Kingdom Park and Epcot, where Disney PhotoPass photographers will capture your encounter with Pinocchio, Gideon and Foulfellow in Storybook Circus from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Foul fellow and Gideon will appear for World PhotoPass Day
At Epcot, a friend or foe will join some of your favorite Disney characters around World Showcase, including Mushu and Mulan in the China Pavilion; Snow White and Dopey in the Germany Pavilion; and the Queen of Hearts, who will join Alice in the United Kingdom Pavilion. Check the My Disney Experience app or the Epcot Times Guide on August 19 for these Disney characters’ schedule.
Disney PhotoPass Day
There will be one location at each of the four theme parks (and Disney Springs) at the Walt Disney World Resort and at both parks at Disneyland Resort where a Disney PhotoPass photographer can capture your special moment. That photo will be available in the My Disney Experience app at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland app at Disneyland Resort to download and share at no charge as part of the #DisneyPhotoPassDay celebration. (Normal My Disney Experience registration is required to access the image). Check out Disney’s PhotoPass Service Facebook page on Tuesday for a list of participating photo locations.
Complete a Disney PhotoPass Challenge at any of the four parks at the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort to get a Disney PhotoPass photo for free. All you need to do is get your photo taken by a Disney PhotoPass Photographer at each of the designated challenge locations on August 19. Once you’ve stopped by all of the locations, visit a Disney PhotoPass Sales Center to claim your Disney PhotoPass photo. At the Walt Disney World Resort, participants will receive a voucher for one Disney PhotoPass download. Participants at Disneyland Resort will receive one 5×7 print of a Disney PhotoPass photo. Challenge locations and details will be posted on the Disney’s PhotoPass Service Facebook page on Wednesday.
Every year Visit Orlando features what they have dubbed Magical Dining Month. During this month long celebration you can eat a prix fixe menu at participating restaurants for just $33! The collection of participating restaurants usually includes high end restaurants that would often cost double the price to eat at and this year is no exception. Disney Springs has jumped in on the celebration with two restaurants that are participating in Magical Dining this year, STK Orlando and Morimoto Asia.
While they haven’t release exactly what the prix fixe menu will be for these restaurants you can be sure you are getting a good deal with the lowest price dinner entree coming in at $28.00 (Free Range Chicken) for STK and $16 (Duck Ramen) at Morimoto Asia. Add an appetizer and desert on top of that and there is no way you are getting out of either restaurant for $33 a person.
You will be able to take advantage of these special prices starting on August 29th, the special pricing ends on October 2nd. In order to get the special pricing you just need to mention you want to take advantage of the Magical Dining special when you check into the restaurant. Reservations are highly recommend but they are not required in order to take advantage of this special dining offering.
For a look back at our reviews of each restaurant be sure to check out the following posts.
Morimoto Asia Bar
Special Offer: Get a Free $20 Gift Card with a $100 Gift Card
STK Orlando
Review: STK Orlando at Disney Springs Begins Lunch but is it Worth your Time
Review: STK Orlando Opens in Disney Springs is Pleasure Island Now a Steakhouse?
If you would like a look at the complete list of restaurants participating in Magical Dining Month this year head on over here.
STK & Morimoto Asia added to Orlando Magical Dining Month Offerings
This Friday, Blaze Pizza will open its doors to guests at Disney Springs, bringing a much needed counter service option to the Town Center, just steps away from D-Luxe Burger and Homecoming Florida Kitchen. What is Blaze Pizza? Well, in their own words…
Ok, we’re gonna keep this quick. Because exceptional quality at lightning fast speed is what we’re all about. Blaze Pizza. Head food guy, Executive Chef Bradford Kent (aka “The Pizza Whisperer”). Fresh, made-from-scratch dough. Healthful, artisanal ingredients on the assembly line. Inventive to classic. You decide. Blazing hot oven + dedicated pizzasmith + 180 seconds = fast-fire’d, perfectly crisp perfection. Sound good? Enjoy the rest of your day.
It’s a fast food pizza joint, but don’t think Dominos or Pizza Hut, because that could not be any further from what Blaze is…
Blaze is located in what “was” the Buena Vista Timber Co. in the elaborate Disney Springs backstory.
The most expensive pizzas are $9.65, which regardless of quality would be an incredible value compared to anywhere else in the theme parks of Orlando.
To simplify ordering, guests are given this paper menu which lists all of the possible ingredients (including a gluten-free dough option).
If you find building a pizza daunting, you can always order a simple pie, 1 topping, or any of the signature pies.
Very much like a Chipotle, guests building their own pizza add ingredients step by step before the pizza is thrown into the oven where it cooks for 180 seconds.
The Blaze staff was incredibly helpful and happy to guide us on our pizza quest. I write about theme parks too much, excuse my vocabulary…
I’m not sure how it will work normally, but we were told we could go sit and they would call us when our pizza was ready.
The salads were good for counter service. My cesar salad reminded me a lot of the very enjoyable ones found at Disney quick service restaurants across property.
The strawberry salad was nothing to write home about, but really we’re here for pizza…
I built my own pizza with the spicy red sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, Italian meatballs, pepperoni, and oregano. As you know if you have been reading my reviews for any amount of time, I love spice and the spicy red sauce had a phenomenal kick to it. It didn’t overpower the rest of the pizza, but it blended nicely with everything else. The pizza here has a very thin crust, New York style and the pies are large, certainly enough for one person, possibly enough to satisfy two of a smaller appetite than I. In all honesty, this was the best counter service/quick service/fast food pizza I have ever had. Being from Bronx, NY, I am a pretty big pizza snob and it takes a lot to impress me. I wouldn’t pick this over a NY slice, but, I would pick this over absolutely any pizza in the state of Florida outside of Via Napoli. Blaze Pizza makes Red Oven at Universal Orlando look like the Fantastic Four Cafe (Pizzafari for the Universal-deficient)…
The consensus from those I spoke to was that they loved their pizza. Pictured above is the other pizza I tried, the White Top signature pie, which was so different from what I ordered yet I felt it was just as good in overall quality. You can taste the quality ingredients here and they make a big difference from what you’ll find around the theme parks in Central Florida. It’s fast, it’s delicious, and it’s cheap, and I think it’s going to make a big impact at Disney Springs.
They have a wide variety of soft drink option which are open to refills, including the Blue Sky beverages which can only be found here including a root beer, an orange soda (which is divine), and black cherry.
They also have some delightful teas and fruit drinks available.
For dessert, Blaze offers a brownie, chocolate chip cookie, or a s’mores pie.
None of these particularly stuck out to me, but this is a pizza place and desserts aren’t really a focus. There are more than enough great options at Disney Springs, I would just save room for a D-Luxe Burger shake or something from Amorette’s Patisserie (or than pecan pie from Frontera Cocina).
Overall, the pricing and quality of the pizzas at Blaze make it a top contender at Disney Springs, if not the very best overall counter service in the area. I love D-Luxe Burger with all my heart and soul, but clearly this is a better value. It is so much cheaper and the food quality is at the same level. It will really just come down to what you are in the mood for, pizza or a burger (or I guess you could go get a sandwich at Earl, but that’s not really my thing). If you have a Blaze Pizza near you, you probably won’t be that excited about this, but as someone who had never visited a Blaze before, I was happy with my experience and I don’t feel I would rule out eating here just because it is a chain. If you want counter service at Disney Springs, Blaze Pizza will need to be in the conversation.
Homecoming Florida Kitchen opened this week at Disney Springs, nestled between The Landing and Town Center. Rather than me try to explain exactly what the restaurant is and who Art Smith, here’s the official information:
Homecoming: Florida Kitchen and Southern Shine showcases the cuisine of Chef Smith, who was born and reared in the town of Jasper, Fla., on the Florida-Georgia border. After 25 years of preparing award-winning meals for celebrities and heads of state and appearing on television, he is making Florida his home once again.
With farm-to-fork cuisine that showcases the bounty of Florida, and design inspired by turn-of-the century Florida architecture of the late 1800s, Homecoming will feature traditional Southern favorites with sophisticated, chef-inspired creations. The 6,000-square-foot, 200-seat restaurant “is where Florida heritage meets New Southern cuisine,” explains Smith.
Smith says he is especially pleased with the restaurant’s Disney Springs connection, as he recalls summertime gatherings at the springs in the Northern part of Florida, casual get-togethers known as “homecomings” when family and friends gathered to share Southern specialties, enjoy homemade desserts and maybe sip a hand-crafted cocktail under the shade of live oak trees.
“Once we heard the story of his passion for Florida and his vision for the restaurant, we knew that it was a perfect match” said George Kalogridis, president of Walt Disney World Resort. “We’re thrilled to welcome Chef Art back to the state and share his spirit of Homecoming with our guests from around the world.”
The “rustic-chic” restaurant has a glass-walled show kitchen and the Southern Shinebar that celebrates an era where characters might have created some homegrown spirits on their homesteads just beyond the springs. The bar will feature whimsical cocktails, punches and coolers, including some made with now-legal variations of moonshine.
Smith’s expertise is all over the menu from Southern favorites like homemade pimento cheese, Church Lady deviled eggs, and low country shrimp and grits. “Each dish has a little Florida twist and makes guests feel like they’re on the back porch with me for every meal,” says Smith.
Desserts will be a specialty, with cakes, pies and delectable sweets made daily and shipped from a bakery in Hamilton County, including the restaurant’s signature Mockingbird Cake. “Southern women, using delicious ingredients and love, are the world’s best bakers,” explains Art.
Charles Arthur “Art” Smith, age 55, is an American chef who worked for former Florida governors Bob Graham and Jeb Bush and, until 2007, was personal chef to Oprah Winfrey. His expertise is Southern American cooking. While attending Florida State University, he completed culinary internships with The Greenbrier in West Virginia and the Walt Disney World College Program.
A James Beard Award recipient for his New York Times best-seller list cookbook Back to the Table: The Reunion of Food and Family, Smith has also authored Kitchen Life: Real Food for Real Families; and Back to the Family. His latest cookbook, Art Smith’s HealthyComfort, has a focus on healthy cooking and healthy living.
Smith has made regular television appearances on programs such as “Iron Chef America,” “The Today Show,” “Nightline,” “Fox News,” “Extra,” “BBQ Pitmasters,” “Dr. Oz,” “Oprah,” “Top Chef” and “Top Chef Masters.”
Smith founded the non-profit charity Common Threads, which focuses on teaching children about different cultures through food and art. Common Threads has served thousands of healthy meals to children around the world since 2006, and in 2007 he received the Humanitarian of the Year award from the James Beard Foundation.
With Smith moving his family back to Florida, he founded Reunion, a non-profit charity that focuses on community renewal projects as well as teaching Southern tradition from the garden to the kitchen at Chef Art Smith’s Florida Garden and Kitchen School.
Smith is executive chef and co-owner of the highly successful restaurants Table Fifty-Two in Chicago, Southern Art and Bourbon Bar in Atlanta and Art and Soul in Washington, D.C.
Beginning with this review, we are introducing a new rating system for food and drink items. Since I feel it may be hard to weed through just how much we may like or dislike a particular item, we will use a rating system out of 7 (yeah, 7), with 7 being the highest of recommendations and 1 being the lowest. These numbers will take into account the quality and value of each item under review. With that being said, let’s dive in.
The interior of the restaurant is charming enough, evoking feelings perhaps of an upscale Cracker Barrel.
A rather stunning mural rests above the kitchen area, celebrating the home of some of the fresh ingredients guests will find in many of the offerings at the restaurant.
A look at the menu.
The pricing is pretty fair, and it is one of the cheaper sit-down restaurants at Disney Springs.
A rather witty variety of drink coasters available.
OK, let’s start with appetizers…
Church Lady Deviled Eggs ($10) – These were just about perfect. A few years ago, I may have been too scared to try these, but having a few (good and bad) deviled eggs since then, I can tell you these are a cut above most. Phenomenal bacon and chive flavor and a cute presentation. SCORE: 6.5 out of 7.
BBQ Chicken Wings ($12) – Surprisingly, these weren’t all that spicy, but what they lacked in spice they made up for in flavor. Personally, I’d rather have these than the sticky wings at the Polynesian, but I may be in the minority. I just wish they were slightly spicier. SCORE: 6 out of 7.
Bunch of Puppies ($9) – Fairly standard, nothing special, and fairly tasteless without the accompanying sauce. SCORE: 4.5 out of 7.
Side Order of Cheddar Cheese Drop Biscuits ($6) – For $6, you can get 4 biscuits. While they look good, they weren’t anything special and lacked a lot of flavor. There were no accompaniments for the biscuits either, which made the bland flavor seems kind of odd. Something was definitely missing from these. SCORE: 2 out of 7.
Shrimp and Grits ($26) – Good flavor, but not a whole lot for the price. The side of greens were really good, but not enough to save the meal. SCORE: 3.5 out of 7.
Chopped Pork Barbecue Plate ($23) – This was my favorite dish of our entire experience. The barbecue sauce had a nice spice to it with a good kick, which is pretty much all I ever want out of barbecue sauce. The macaroni and cheese was crunchy and well seasoned on the top, yet creamy and soft underneath, making for a really pleasant flavor combination. The inclusion of a biscuit was nice bonus as well. Overall, a lot of food for your money and my #1 choice at Homecoming. SCORE: 7 out of 7.
Art’s Fabulous Fried Chicken ($26) – The chicken wasn’t anything special, in fact, I think the fried chicken from Plaza Inn at Disneyland is better (maybe even at Trail’s End). Despite the menu stating it comes with the plural “biscuits”, it comes with just one, but at least the mashed potatoes were good I suppose. SCORE: 3 out of 7.
Hummingbird Cake ($10) – This thing is ginormous and as good as it is massive. Tastes like a really good banana bread, but the pineapple mixture gives it an interesting flavor. The lump of ice cream is unnecessary given the size of this, but it’s nice to have. At least 3 people can split this. SCORE: 6.5 out of 7.
Key Lime Pie ($8) – I don’t like Key Lime and I keep telling you all this, but you keep making me eat it… in all seriousness, the waiter recommended this and it wasn’t bad, but no one at our table likes Key Lime Pie so we just didn’t understand what all of the excitement was about. SCORE: 3 out of 7.
Shine Cake ($10) – This adult only dessert is a simple as it is delicious. It’s basically a pound cake that has soaked in alcohol (moonshine syrup) and I will be back to soak in more of this. SCORE: 7 out of 7.
Did I mention how big the Hummingbird Cake was?
Let’s move on to drinks…
The Local ($10) – Good tropical flavor, my second favorite drink of all that we tried. SCORE: 6 out of 7.
Basil Smash ($10) – I’m not a bourbon fan, but this was solid. The alcohol wasn’t overpowering, but that might be what you are looking for… SCORE: 4 out of 7.
Bootlegger ($12) – Unique because of the blackberry jam infused flavor, I would highly recommend the Bootlegger. SCORE: 5.5 out of 7.
Bushwhacker ($12) – My favorite drink at Homecoming and possibly in my top 10 at Disney World. I like sweet drinks, so this really hit the spot. SCORE: 7 out of 7.
Sweet Tea Shine ($12) – Simply sweet tea and moonshine, but very, very good. Yes, it is served in a Styrofoam cup. Score 6 out of 7.
Old Fashioned Elder ($12) – Not my style, so I may not be the best to judge this, but it didn’t seem like anything special. SCORE: 2.5 out of 7.
There is a souvenir cup available with most drinks for $6, which is basically a hard-plastic Solo cup.
All in all, Homecoming Florida Kitchen is good, but I just don’t know if it is good enough to hang in there with the best of Disney Springs. The Boathouse, Morimoto Asia, and Frontera Cocina are all phenomenal, and honestly, I’d rather have a select few counter service meals at Springs over some entrees here. Homecoming is a good addition for the added capacity it brings, the unique menu it offers compared to everything around it, and for the truly wonderful appetizers, drinks, and desserts featured. That being said, I’m not sure I would rather have the Shine Cake than the Pecan Pie from Frontera Cocina, I wouldn’t take any of our entrees from Homecoming over anything I’ve tried at the Boathouse, and I don’t feel the value on most entrees is near many other at Disney Springs.
Homecoming is good, it’s just really hard to be excited about what is offered here after a year of trying some really phenomenal new additions to Disney Springs. There are reasons to go here, there are just more reasons for me to return to many of the other options at Disney Springs before that.
OVERALL SCORE FOR HOMECOMING FLORIDA KITCHEN – 5 OUT OF 7.
Hey kids, remember this?
DisneyQuest was removed from annual passes and other tickets it used to be included with and it seemed like May 2016 was going to be the closure date for the attraction so the NBA experience could move in. Now we’re over 13 removed from the announcement of the project and Disney has never mentioned it again and DisneyQuest remains open. So, what happened?
Well, it seems NBA and Disney hit a snag after negotiating that they would go forth on the business venture, mostly arguing about the overall plans for the space. According to sources, Disney did not want to embark on another lengthy construction project that would be an eyesore on the West Side, visible to any guest driving by Disney Springs as it is not blocked by a parking structure. They also wanted a faster turnaround on the conversion to complete the project by 2017. Well, NBA wasn’t interested in using the existing DisneyQuest structure and paying to rework it, they wanted to build a custom, brand new building for their new home. That’s where the story ends a few months ago.
While everything has been quiet on the project, that doesn’t mean that Disney and NBA won’t ever happen, it just certainly seems that it is indefinitely delayed at this point. Disney has left the original announcement up on the Disney Parks Blog, which leads us to believe it isn’t completely dead, it just hasn’t made any progress since the initial announcement. Whether or not it ever will, well, that remains to be seen.
As for DisneyQuest, managers at Disney Springs have been told a closure will happen, it’s just a matter of when a tenant finally agrees to the space, whether that is NBA or someone else. So don’t expect DisneyQuest to be added back to any tickets anytime soon…
WINTER PARK, Fla. – Husband and wife chefs James and Julie Petrakis, who have won wide acclaim for their Winter Park, Florida restaurants Cask & Larder and The Ravenous Pig, will expand their Swine Family Restaurant Group to Disney Springs with a new concept, The Polite Pig. Partnering with the James Beard Foundation-nominated chefs will be Brian Petrakis, who owns and operates popular Orlando eatery Greens & Grille. The partnership unites the Petrakis brothers on a restaurant venture for the first time.
Scheduled to open in spring 2017, The Polite Pig will feature a variety of wood-fired smoked and grilled items. The restaurant will also introduce an innovative beverage program that serves all drinks on tap, including Cask & Larder beer, wine, and cocktails.
“As a locally-based restaurant group, it’s great to bring our new concept to Disney Springs where we’ll have the opportunity to showcase genuine Florida cuisine for guests from around the world,” James Petrakis said. “With so many talented chefs opening new restaurants at Disney Springs, we’re really excited to be part of a group helping Orlando distinguish itself as a world-class culinary destination.”
The Polite Pig will be located in the Town Center neighborhood. The 5,000-square-foot venue will be open daily, with seating for about 200 guests. Construction will be led by Gomez Construction, and HHCP Architects will oversee the restaurant’s overall design. Anna Schmidt Interior Design will handle interior design and Lure Design will spearhead branding efforts. All four firms are based in Florida.
About The Swine Family Restaurant Group:
Since opening in 2007 as one of the first Florida restaurants devoted to seasonal and local food, The Ravenous Pig has won numerous regional and national awards, including multiple James Beard Foundation “Best Chef” nominations for the Petrakises. It has also served as a career launching pad for chefs who have moved onto leading roles at other restaurants. Likewise for Cask & Larder, which was named one of Esquire magazine’s Best New Restaurants in 2014 and continues to garner acclaim not only for its Southern-inspired food, but for its brewery, under the direction of brewmaster Larry Foor, Jr. Swine & Sons, located just a few steps west of Cask & Larder, opened in 2015 under the direction of chef/partners Rhys and Alexia Gawlak. It serves breakfast, eat-in or takeout sandwiches and snacks, along with house-made charcuterie.
The Petrakises are also partners/consultants in a pair of much-anticipated restaurants that will open in the near future – DoveCote, in downtown Orlando, and a Cask & Larder location at Orlando International Airport.
FuelRods have certainly been dominating the Walt Disney World news cycle for a while now, and with Disney rolling out step by step directions in the MyDisneyExperience app, it’s understandable as to why these portable phone chargers are becoming such a big deal at the parks right now. Guests are going to be using up a lot of battery life utilizing this service, so making sure guests have a viable way to recharge their devices seems like a good idea. Well, Disney Springs is currently taking this plan a bit further…
Guest Relations locations have always given guests the option to leave their devices for charging, but never before have they rented out phone chargers to guests. Disney Springs is currently testing the program, under which guests can head into guest relations and choose if they would rather leave their device to charge or borrow a charger from Disney. If a guest chooses to borrow a charger, they can leave a $35.00 deposit and take a charger with them. When the guest is done with the charger, they can return it to get back the full deposit. Pretty nifty, huh?
The charger is pretty small, with a 2200mAh battery capacity. They are pre-charged by Disney for guest use. Guest relations does have a few iPhone and Android device USB cords available, but you may want to have your own with you as the cords are in short supply there.
The program has not been rolled out to the parks as of yet and is exclusive to Disney Springs at this time, but may very well roll-out to other locations soon.
