Category: Disney Springs

Frontera Cocina opened just yesterday, becoming the latest in a long line of new restaurants to debut in the area over the last year or so. In case you haven’t heard of it, here’s the official release on Frontera Cocina:

Renowned chef Rick Bayless is introducing Florida and the Southeast to his famous gourmet Mexican dishes with the debut of Frontera Cocina now open at Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort.

Frontera Cocina will delight friends, family and food lovers with exciting flavors and a contemporary Mexican experience. Warm colors, an open kitchen and a lively atmosphere frame an inviting exploration of the many delights developed by Chef Bayless, a six-time James Beard Foundation winner. Menu items include Oaxacan Red Chile Chicken, Salsa Verde Shrimp Enchiladas Suizas and freshly made salsas and guacamole. In addition, a quick-service taco counter will be added to offer guests a quick taste of Chef Bayless’ award-winning cuisine.

“For me, it is always a thrill to share the lively fresh regional flavors of Mexico with a broader audience,” Chef Bayless said.  “And what better place to do that than Walt Disney World Resort? We plan to add all the deliciousness we can to the experience for all who come to enjoy Frontera Cocina at Disney Springs.”

Executive Chef Stephen Hicks will oversee Frontera Cocina’s kitchen. Hicks has forged his career based on the basic fundamentals of simplicity, sourcing local ingredients and pursuing world-class customer service. Using these guiding principles, Hicks has served as cook and lead in the kitchens of the River Club in Jacksonville, Florida; Sapphire Grill in Savannah, Georgia; and Seasons 52 in Orlando, Florida. Hicks also spent time as a multi-unit chef in Chicago with McCormick & Schmick’s.

And just in case you don’t know who Rick Bayless is…

Chef Rick Bayless is probably best known for winning the title of Bravo TV’s “Top Chef Masters,” with his authentic Mexican cuisine. His highly rated, national Public Television Series, “Mexico–One Plate at a Time,” is in its 10th season. In 2012, Chef Bayless was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Best Culinary Host.

Chef Bayless has launched several award-winning Chicago restaurants. He founded the casual Frontera Grill in 1987 and received the James Beard Foundation’s highest award, Outstanding Restaurant, in 2007. The 4-star Topolobampo served its first meals in 1989. And the wildly popular, LEED GOLD-certified, fast-casual Xoco launched in 2009, serving wood-oven tortas, steaming caldos, golden churros and bean-to-cup Mexican hot chocolate. Chef Bayless’ quick-service Tortas Frontera restaurants have changed the face of food service at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, while Frontera Fresco restaurants have brought Frontera flavors to several Chicago locations. His award-winning Frontera line of salsas, cooking sauces and non-GMO tortilla chips can be found coast to coast.

Chef Bayless is the author of nine cookbooks, including “Mexico–One Plate at a Time,” which won the James Beard Foundation Best International Cookbook of the Year award in 2001. His “Fiesta at Rick’s” is a New York Times bestseller. He has won six James Beard Foundation awards, including two for his cookbooks, Midwest Chef of the Year, National Chef of the Year, Humanitarian of the Year and Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America.

Frontera Cocina occupies a fairly unassuming building along the water in Disney Springs, but once inside or by the patio area, you realize that the restaurant may have the best location in all of Town Center.

Guests can see into the kitchen just across from Sprinkles.

The interior isn’t very large, but it has a pleasant atmosphere.

The bar area is of a nice size.

The patio views at night are stunning, better than any others along Town Center, which will be plenty enjoyable when the Summer weather fades away in the Fall.

Let’s take a look at the menu…

I’m thoroughly impressed that there isn’t a separate allergy menu, the regular menu has the potential ingredients of concern listed right under each item. This is a nice touch.

The back of the menu features a drink menu, but there is also a much larger drink menu at the nearby bar.

The bar offers a smaller version of the menu, but it seemed like you could order the full menu there anyway.

Playing with Fire – Avion blanco tequila, cucumber, jalepeno, fresh lime juice, agave nectar, and a hibiscus salt rim.

Blood Orange Jalapeno Margarita – Casa Noble blanco tequila, orange liqueur, blood orange juice, habanero bitters jalepeno, and a tajin chile rim.

The “People Watching” was unique in that it had a salt rim which contains black ants, which despite being kind of odd to Americans, really compliments the drink flavor perfectly.

The Frontera Old Fashioned – Zacapa 23 Solera rum, agave syrup, orange tiki bitters, lemon, and an orange peel.

The Mexican Cola may not be the best drink to order with dinner, but if I was just hitting the bar I would definitely get this one again.

The Frontera Margarita – Casa noble blanco tequila, Royal Combier, fresh lime juice, agave nectar, and a salt rim.

The black ant rim on two of the drinks was unique and surprising for a Disney setting, but it blended nicely with both drinks.

Overall, the drinks were great. I especially enjoyed the Playing with Fire, but I also like Jalapeno Margaritas typically. There wasn’t one of the drinks I would not with have again or recommend to someone dining here.

On to appetizers, my least favorite was the Chipotle Chicken Tostada. They weren’t bad, just just seems kind of standard. I enjoyed the seasoning on the chicken and the avaiocado added a nice flavor, but overall it just was kind of forgettable against the other choices.

The Cotel Verde was excellent. The shrimp and scallops blended perfectly with the sauce, which had just a hint of lime.

I usually am not a fan of guacamole, but the two we tried here were pretty phenomenal. The Bacon version tasted like bacon as you would expect, so I’m not sure how anyone would not like it.

If you have read any of my dining reviews, you know very well that I have a love for spicy dishes, so needless to say that the Atomic Guacamole was my favorite. The habanero salsa packed a good punch, but also a really nice flavor.

The Queso Fundido was also spectacular and was a very good size portion with the included tortillas. Melted cheese is hard to mess up, but this was pretty close to perfection.

The Tortilla Soup was better than expected and is poured table-side (which is now a trend if you remember our Tiffins review).

Not something I would order again just because the taste reminded me a little too much of Chef Boyardee’s red sauce, but it wasn’t bad.

Now, on to the entrees. I ordered the Carne Asada, which was a very healthy portion for $32.00. This was my least favorite entree, but that being said, it was something I would order again if I was in the mood for it. The carne asada was cooked well, but what made the dish was the tomatillo salsa and the caramelized plantains.

It is hard to find a weak spot in the entrees since they are all so good, and I probably only ranked the other entrees over this one as it was what I expected it to be.

The Shrimp Mojo de Ajo was also enjoyable, mostly thanks to the sauce which is a mix of garlic, chicken broth, olive oil, lime, and chipotle. Overall, a good lighter option

The Shrimp Enchiladas Suizas was a particular highlight among the entrees. The creamy roasted tomatillo sauce was unique, not something I have experienced in many dishes but it worked perfectly with the fresh shrimp, complemented by the starchiness of corn tortillas.

You may not think of sandwiches when you think of Mexican style cuisine, but the Pepito Torta was delicious, especially when dipped in the accompanying chipotle salsa. 

The carnitas (pork shoulder) was tender and flavorful, probably my favorite of all of the entrees.

I enjoyed the Oaxacan Red Chile Chicken as well, which is covered in a nice red mole sauce and filled with chicken, rice, and corn tortilla.

Now the sides… This may sound ridiculous, but the Queso Anejo Mashed Potatoes were out of this world. Mashed potatoes would typically be just about the last side I would order at this kind of a restaurant, but the cheese gave them a sweet taste that was really special. These are probably just about the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had.

The Arroz Con Plantains was pretty standard, rice with plantains mixed in which will do the trick if you are in the mood for rice.

If you need a bigger helping of the Fried Plantains (which may not be a bad idea), they also offer them as a side. As I mentioned earlier, I am a pretty big fan of these.

The dessert menu wasn’t ready yet when we dined, but our server was happy to describe them all to us. He informed us that Bayless was famous for his pecan pie, so I decided that’s what I had to have. This was seriously one of my favorite desserts I’ve ever had in my entire life. The pie was more akin to a pecan brownie, but it was about as perfect as it could be. Even the ice cream had a good pecan flavor from the dusting over it. I would seriously have just came back to Frontera Concina for this, but luckily I enjoyed the rest of the menu as well.

The plantain sundae has to be one of the most unique desserts in all of Walt Disney World. I was kind of “weirded out” by the idea of ice cream with plantains, but it turned out to be a really good mix of flavors.

The Coconut Lime Quattro Leches was wonderful as well, a nice lighter option (but I would just get the pecan pie and exercise more later).

The staff was nice enough to bring us Crema de Tequila to follow our meal, which was smooth with a light caramel flavor. I’m currently looking for a recipe to make this at home…

If you enjoyed your meal so much that you want to take it home, they do sell 3 of the salsas at a counter in the front, as well as a Bloody Mary mix and some Rick Bayless books.

Outside, there is a small counter service window attached that sells “to-go” versions of the food and drinks you will find inside Frontera Cocina.

Overall, Frontera Cocina is yet another viable table service option at Disney Springs. I went in with zero expectations and totally wowed by most of the food and drinks we had during our dinner. There are several dishes here I am dying to try (or even try again) based on our experience, which might lead me to even chose Frontera Cocina over some of my usual lunch at dinner spots at the Springs. A late evening stop here for drinks and more of the amazing pecan pie wouldn’t be out of the question either. Frontera also offers a style that isn’t like anything else at the Springs, even though Paradiso 37 does take a stab at some similar dishes. I wouldn’t even have to think if I was asked to chose between the two, Frontera Cocina would win hands down. Also, I found the prices to be fairly resonable compared to most other options at Disney Springs, although that can change over time.

I will be going back to Frontera Cocina, probably on a regular basis, and if you typically enjoy this kind of cuisine, I get the feeling you will be too.

The Daily Poutine opened on the border of the Marketplace and Town Center of Disney Springs back on May 15th, 2016. The stand serves traditional poutine (which are large french fries with cheese and gravy), as well as some interesting new takes on the Canadian favorite. You may be asking yourself now, “Tom, you seem to like to be the first to talk about new items at Walt Disney World, why is this review a month late?” Well, honestly, I forgot, and that’s the problem. What sounded like an exciting quick stop for loaded french fries ended up being a bit of a disappointment. We were so excited about so many other options that have opened at Disney Springs that this one kind of just got lost in the shuffle, which is pretty much what I feel the fate of this booth will be in the grand scheme of Disney Springs.

It is located just steps away from World of Disney and Amorette’s Patisserie.

There are 4 varieties of the fries offered here, as well as a nice drink selection.

In WDWNT fashion, we ordered them all.

We also ordered the Fireball Sangria, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I never really though to throw whiskey in sangria, but it makes for a good (and surprisingly refreshing) combination. This is a solid drink option for a hot summer day at Disney Springs.

The fries themselves are thick steak fries. They are good on their own, but as this is a “poutine” stand, the focus is on the toppings. The Italian style was my least favorite. The marinara sauce reminded me of the more awful faux-Italian counter service offerings from Disney. The cheese was barely melted as well, which didn’t help the cause.

The Latin were my overall favorite. The pork was seasoned really well and the yucca, cheese, and black beans all mixed for a really good flavor, even though I’m not sure french fires are the best item to throw these toppings on.

I thoroughly enjoyed the French version, as the Gruyere cheese melted onto the fries was pretty perfect. I also enjoy mushrooms, so the added taste of those in this dish was a pleasant addition to some bites.

While I enjoyed the cheese curds, I am not a big fan of brown gravy which hampered my enjoyment of the Classic option.

The Daily Poutine is good, it’s just not great, and that’s a problem when it is surrounded by some really great counter service or food stand options. While the portions are large and filling, I would much rather dine at B.B. Wolf’s Sausage Co., D-Luxe Burger, or even Earl of Sandwich if I was at Disney Springs looking for something fast. If time and money were no option, my choices would broaden ten-fold, leaving the Daily Poutine completely off of my radar, and that’s the issue. The Daily Poutine just isn’t good enough or priced well enough to survive in the “theme park for food” landscape that is the Disney Springs of 2016. My recommendation would be to skip this and visit any of the other establishments we have positively reviewed from Disney Springs over the last year.

B.B. Wolf’s Ssausage Co. recently opened along the Village Causeway at Disney Springs, offering a variety of sausage based dishes as you might guess. The establishment is name after the Big Bad Wolf of Disney fame, who spent his cartoon life chasing the Three Little Pigs around various animated shorts produced by Walt Disney.

5 items make up the main menu, as well as a few draft beer and beverage options.

Here’s a look at the allergy menu, which is nice to see given AristoCrepes doesn’t have one.

I started with the three little pigs which includes a Reuben, bacon wrapped & black ban salsa, and chili-cheese mini-sausage sandwich. These were phenomenal. The bread, the sausage, the toppings, everything was perfect. In the ever-increasing line-up of awesome dining options at Disney Springs, this needs to somehow find a place on your agenda, even if it is just from a food stand.

My favorite was the bacon wrapped & black bean salsa one, but they were all really fantastic.

Leading into our visit to B.B. Wolf’s Sausage Co., we were led to believe the Bavarian Sausage Sandwich would be the real winner, but I thought this was awful. The pretzel bun was tasteless and there was way too much cabbage. The sausage was OK by itself, but otherwise I would not order this again.

Way too much cabbage…

The last item we ordered was the Italian Veggie Sausage sandwich. This might be the very best vegetarian option I’ve ever had from a food stand. The bread was fresh and complimented all of the flavors inside well. If you didn’t tell me, I would have never guessed this was even vegetarian based on the taste.

Two of the three items we enjoyed at B.B. Wolf’s Sausage Co. are things I would order again, but the main problem here is seating. These aren’t items you can walk around and eat. They are too large and have to many toppings to be comfortably eaten walking through shops and such. While there are about 3 standing tables here, I’d like to see a few seats placed in the alcove off to the right of the restaurant, where there is plenty of room. Otherwise, B.B. Wolf’s Sausage Co. is a sturdy addition to Disney Springs former “stick and straw” lineup of food offerings during the Downtown Disney days.

Hopefully you have already read our extensive dinner review of STK Orlando before you delve into this one, but STK quietly began offering a lunch service on June 1st so we decided to see if lunch was near as good as the (what I thought was great, albeit expensive) dinner offerings.

First off, a lot of items carry over from dinner, which I don’t think is necessarily a bad thing. If you read my dinner review, I thought it was very good and seemed to be priced on par with similar steakhouses in the area. That being said, lunch adds just a few different plates to the mix: 4 burgers/sandwiches and 4 lunch entrees, which are smaller versions of dinner entrees.

I had the STK Wagyu Beef Burger, which I was assured was essentially a larger version of the Lil’ BRGs offered as an appetizer. While the hamburger quality was certainly as good, I was not a big fan of the topping choices. The bun had great flavor, but the blue cheese and cherry peppers just didn’t work well together (of course the bacon was fine). I opted for the french fires as a side, which was my favorite part of my meal. I’m not sure if they just ran down to McDonald’s to get these, but they tasted just like their french fries. Seriously, they taste just like those you would find at McDonald’s, but expensive I guess…

The Grilled Chicken Club was a disaster. The bread in no way held the sandwich together, ti just absorbed all of the juices and then proceeded to implode upon itself.

The few bites we had of the sandwich together were good, but it was just too big of a mess to enjoy.

Josh ordered the Crispy Mahi Mahi sandwich, which overall was everyone’s favorite. This was just about perfect: the bun, the sauce, and the perfectly cooked fish just made for a really pleasant taste. I would seriously come back for this, but I would skip the side salad I think as it was rather plain. Yes, I would get the McDonald’s french fries instead…

Since we only had three of the lunch entrees, I won’t tell you that lunch at STK Orlando isn’t worth your time. If you refer to the dinner review, there are plenty of items carrying over to lunch that I would highly recommend (along with the Mahi Mahi sandwich), so the question really becomes when is the best time to dine here. The atmosphere for Lunch is fairly quiet, so if you are afraid of the slightest chance of loud music, I would go during the restaurant’s lunch hours. If you would rather dress up a little and get more of a dinner experience for your money, I would stick with dinner. Otherwise, I still highly recommend STK Orlando, I just wouldn’t recommend many of the lunch specific options.