REVIEW: Giant Yule Log Cronut, Pumpkin Pie Smoothie at Schmoozies, Disney California Adventure Holidays 2017

WDWNT on November 20, 2017

Schmoozies in Hollywood Land at Disney California Adventure is offering a number of seasonal specialties this holiday season. Among them is a Yule Log Holiday Doughnut and Pumpkin Pie Smoothie.

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Yule Log Doughnut ($8.99)

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I’ve become so desensitized to Disney Parks food prices that I didn’t even think about this being $8.99 when I ordered it. With that being said, I was thus unprepared for the giant pastry I would be handed…

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This thing is giant, at least shareable between 3 people (at minimum) if you don’t want to feel like death afterwards. It is also quite good.

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It is basically a croissant doughnut (similar to the one we had at Schmoozies for HalloweenTime), but this time a larger version filled with a Pecan Praline cream and covered in chocolate. The exterior is flaky and delicious, the Pecan Praline cream adds a nice flavor, and there’s just enough chocolate on top to make this just about perfect for every bite. Everything is balanced properly and the cream filling is present just enough to not over power all of the other flavors.

If this sounds good to you, then bring a small horde over to the park to share this with you. Or try to eat it all yourself, I won’t judge.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie ($5.99)

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I have had many a smoothie from Schmoozies in my time, and I typically enjoy them quite a bit, but this was horrendous. It didn’t taste like pumpkin pie, but rather as if you were drinking a blended version of the metal tin that the pie came. So yes, there is a pumpkin pie flavor, but it is followed by a strong metallic, or even chemical-like flavor. I had to throw half of this out, and I only drank the other half because I felt bad wasting so much of it.

They’re also serving a Peppermint Malibu Mocha beverage right now, so I would probably go with that if you want a seasonal specialty drink.

Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer Coming to Downtown Disney at Disneyland in 2018

WDWNT on November 20, 2017

Known for its award-winning burgers and signature CrazyShake milkshakes, Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer will open its first California location in the heart of Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort next year.

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Black Tap is creating a customized concept for its Downtown Disney District location, which will feature indoor and outdoor seating. The burger and beer joint will be set in a casual atmosphere reminiscent of a classic American luncheonette, but with a distinctly New York vibe.

Black Tap’s menu will include burgers ranging from the classic All-American to The Vegan Burger. In addition, their specialty “CrazyShakes” will boast whimsical and over-the-top decorations and flavors, such as The Cotton Candy Shake and The Bam Bam Shake.

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Construction is scheduled to begin soon, across from Catal Restaurant and Uva Bar.

Reservations for Ale & Compass at Yacht Club Resort Now Open

WDWNT on November 20, 2017

Beginning today, guests can make reservations for the soon-to-open Ale & Compass Restaurant at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. The restaurant, set to open Nov. 26, replaces the Captain’s Grille at the Yacht Club. The new venue is themed as a New England gastropub reminiscent of an off-shore lighthouse, using salvaged materials for the decorative finishes. A few select diners will be able to sit at the on-stage “hearth” oven area, which is the focal point of the new space.

Ale & Compass will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, featuring menu items inspired by New England cuisine and developed by Disney’s Flavor Lab. The culinary director of the Flavor Lab, Lenny DeGeorge, is from the Boston area and spent his summers in Cape Cod.

“The menu is inspired by all the great restaurants in the New England area that I have experienced growing up,” says DeGeorge. “The New England melting pot of flavors and ingredients from Italy, Portugal, and England, coupled with central Florida influences, are present on the menu that delivers modern gastropub classics.”

Next door to the Ale & Compass Restaurant is the expanded and reimagined Ale & Compass Lounge, also opening Nov. 26. The lounge will feature a variety original and classic cocktails, an extensive list of New England and local beers, and a menu of lighter bites.

Disney’s announcement about the new restaurant included a photo review of a number of items from the menu, including:

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Blueberry-Bacon Pancakes

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Mushroom, Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Cheeseburger

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Fried Chicken and Waffles with House-made Pickles and Orange-Chili Honey

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Coastal Clambake (1/2 Maine lobster, clams, corn, and potatoes)

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Caramelized Leek and Chorizo White Clam Hearth “Pie”

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Parker House Rolls with spreads of Bacon Jam, Pub Cheese, and Smoked Trout

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Lemon “Curd” Meringue Pie

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Twelve-Layer Chocolate Cake (Flourless chocolate cake and ganache served with milk-coffee chantilly)

You can find the full Ale & Compass menu in our our previous post.

For reservations, visit DisneyWorld.com/dine or call 407-WDW-DINE.

 

 

REVIEW: Warm Salted Caramel Pretzel with Chocolate Sauce, Lunching Pad at Magic Kingdom

WDWNT on November 10, 2017

The Lunching Pad in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom is now serving a sweet alternative to their other stuffed pretzels, a warm salted caramel pretzel.

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Warm Salted Caramel Pretzel ($4.79)

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Rather than stuffed with any sort of cheese, this pretzel is stuffed with a warm caramel sauce, with the salted portion coming from the exterior of the pretzel. The pretzel includes a nice-sized cup of chocolate sauce as well. Without the sauce, the pretzel is solid, with a nice flavor the caramel and doughy pretzel, but the sauce is what makes this something truly special.

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It is pretty rich and decadent, and I’m not sure any one person should or could eat a full pretzel because of this, but the combination of salt, caramel, and chocolate is perfection.

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This is a serious new contender for best snack in the park, easily the best of the chocolate or caramel varieties. It’s plenty big to share and won’t disappoint in flavor.

Sweet Lineup of Treats Unveiled for 2017 “Flurry of Fun” Holiday Season at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on November 10, 2017

While the “Flurry of Fun” officially kicks off on November 9th at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the festive sweets and treats for the season will actually be available throughout the park for you to enjoy starting on November 5th.

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To start off the list, there are cookies and gingerbread pops galore, offered at various locations throughout the park. In addition, there’s a “Prep and Landing”-themed gingerbread cupcake dropping in at ABC Commissary, Rosie’s All-American Café, Catalina Eddie’s, Sweet Spells and The Trolley Car Café.

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If you’re looking for that classic cup of hot cocoa to go with those cookies, guests of all ages can enjoy classic hot cocoa with marshmallows at ABC Commissary, Backlot Express, PizzeRizzo, Rosie’s All-American Café, Catalina Eddie’s, Fairfax Fare, and Min and Bill’s Dockside Diner.

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Guests over the age of 21 can warm up with a special array of hot chocolate beverages offered at Min and Bill’s Dockside Diner and Fairfax Fare, including a hot chocolate martini, Bailey’s Salted Caramel hot chocolate, black cherry bourbon hot chocolate, and a hot chocolate flight where you can sample all three. Other adult beverages available this year include a Peppermint White Russian, a Winterberry Cooler and a Let It Glow drink consisting of vodka and blue-raspberry frozen carbonated beverage with your very own glow cube at various locations around Echo Lake and Sunset Boulevard.

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These decadent red velvet whoopie pies are decorated with icing garland, ornament pearls, and holiday sprinkles. You’ll find these tree-shaped desserts at Sweet Spells and Fairfax Fare.

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Guests will find an apple cranberry cobbler at Hollywood Scoops and Min and Bill’s Dockside Diner; or if you’re looking for a sweet and savory snack, you can find a festive holiday popcorn mix at popcorn carts throughout the park. This popcorn comes with marshmallows, pretzels and M&M’s and is drizzled with chocolate.

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Olaf is also the star of several treats to mark the release of Olaf’s Frozen Adventure. Find his special cupcake at ABC Commissary, Rosie’s All-American Café, Catalina Eddie’s, Fairfax Fare and Sweet Spells. You’ll also find an Olaf Pop at Gertie’s Ice Cream of Extinction, an Olaf Sundae at Hollywood Scoops, and Sugar Frosted Fruit Bites at Pretzel Palooza. Also, be on the lookout for an Olaf-themed sipper that comes filled with a fun “Frozen” beverage.

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Finally, the Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! Holiday Dessert Party is back (be sure to check out our review from last year). Indulge in specialty sweets and sips before you move to a special reserved viewing area to enjoy Disney Movie Magic and Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!, a holiday spectacular hosted by the elves Wayne and Lanny from “Prep and Landing.” Among the desserts offered are candy cane brownies, holiday Mickey and Minnie sugar cookies, warm pumpkin pie spiced bread pudding, and sweet Yule Log (some of this new from last year). In addition, you’ll be given an exclusive ornament to take home with you at the end of the party. This is a premium event with dates available November 9th through December 31st.

The Flurry of Fun at Disney’s Hollywood Studios starts November 9th, but you can start eating all this goodness come Sunday.

REVIEW: Apple Cranberry Cobbler and Cookies ‘N’ Cream Olaf Sundae at Hollywood Scoops, Disney’s Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on November 10, 2017

Hollywood Scoops on Sunset Boulevard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is now offering two holiday specials for the Flurry of Fun: an Apple Cranberry Cobbler and an Olaf Sundae.

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Apple Cranberry Cobbler ($4.29)

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The apple cranberry cobbler is quite good if you enjoy such things. It was served nice and warm in a metal tin, featuring a lot of apple with traces of cranberry, covered in breadcrumbs and icing. This was one of the highlights of all the new offerings we had at the Studios.

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Olaf Sundae ($5.99)

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The Olaf Sundae features cookies ‘n’ cream ice cream, decorated with chocolate chip buttons, chocolate straw arms, and an Olaf white chocolate decoration, all on top of a jelly-filled, powdered-sugar covered doughnut.

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Once we hit the jelly, I enjoyed this more, but hard-packed ice cream on a pastry just isn’t as good as soft serve would be. Maybe a different flavor other than cookies ‘n’ cream would be better, but otherwise, this was pretty large for the price and probably something the kids would enjoy nonetheless.

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REVIEW: Winterberry Cooler & Sugar-Frosted Fruit Bites, Flurry of Fun at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on November 10, 2017

The pretzel cart near The Great Movie Ride… I mean, the soon to be Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is currently serving two holiday offerings for the Flurry of Fun: a Winterberry Cooler and Sugar-Frosted Fruit Bites.

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Look at the false advertising in this ad: the bag is overflowing with fruit bites. Just wait until you see what we got…

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Yes, our bag is not overflowing…

Winterberry Cooler ($11.25)

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If you’re looking to poison someone you don’t care for this holiday season, might I recommend the Winterberry Cooler? Winterberry is poisonous…

Warning: Although this shrub species is a good provider of wildlife food, its fruits are poisonous to humans. The attractive bright red fruit of winterberry is eaten by small mammals and more than 48 species of birds.

Besides the death part, the Cooler features a fruity, somewhat carbonated, artificially sweetened beverage flavor that is quite unpleasant. You wouldn’t even know there is alcohol in it, which is sad for the price tag it brings along with it. It was so tart and bitter, that it actually burns to drink it.

Sugar-Frosted Fruit Bites ($5.25)

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First of all, you get just 4 of these tiny bites for $5.25, which seems a bit ridiculous. They are basically cookies with dried fruit in them, which isn’t terrible, but this serving size is a joke for the price.

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Again, they aren’t terrible, but for this price, you could get something far more enjoyable from Trolley Car Cafe or Sweet Spells while you are at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

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REVIEW: Olaf Marshmallow Cupcake at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on February 6, 2017

The latest seasonal specialty cupcake at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is celebrating Olaf from Frozen. The cupcake features chocolate cake with a marshmallow topping, and a white chocolate Olaf on top.

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The cupcake is available currently at all of the Sunset Ranch Market eateries including Fairfax Fare, Rosie’s All-American Cafe, and Catalina Eddie’s for $5.59.


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The chocolate cake is not of the usual taste, it was lighter in the flavoring, more akin to a german chocolate actually.

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The frosting is marshmallow flavored and features crunchy “sugar crystals” on top of it.

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Overall, it is a pretty solid cupcake, but not my favorite. A marshmallow filling in the middle would have been neat and maybe helped with the lighter chocolate flavor of the cake. The icing also has a somewhat strange, toothpaste like consistency. It’s a good cupcake, but you should probably just save room for a different snack at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

REVIEW: Croissant Doughnut at Epcot Gets More Ridiculous with Pastry Cream Filling

WDWNT on February 6, 2017

As part of the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, the Refreshment Port in World Showcase has decided to kick-it up a notch on their already beloved croissant doughnut.

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For a little extra, guests can acquire the croissant doughnut filled with pastry cream, covered in icing and colored pearls.

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It’s a real work of art, no?

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I generally love the croissant doughnut (or cronut, the term Disney is not legally allowed to use for the treat), but this was something far more special. As much as I enjoy the cinnamon sugar topping, the combination of the pastry icing and filling with the perfectly-cooked, flaky croissant doughnut made for an even more amazing treat. I will warn you that it is very sweet, but I thought it was perfectly put together. Obviously, don’t eat the filling all in one bite, but be sure to spread a little onto each morsel of the snack for optimal enjoyment.

I’m not telling you that you should get this on your next trip to Epcot, I am telling you that you have to. If I had to pick one theme park snack to be trapped on a dessert island with for the rest of my life, this is the one. Oh, and it makes for nice photos too, if that’s important to you.

If you want one of these, you will need to hurry as it will only be offered during the duration of the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, running on weekends (Friday through Monday) now through February 20th.

REVIEW: “Cuisine Classique” Food Studio – Epcot International Festival of the Arts

WDWNT on January 29, 2017

Welcome to a food studio review for the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, taking place in the park Friday-Monday from January 13th through February 20th, 2017. This review will cover “Cuisine Classique” kiosk, which is located near the Germany pavilion in World Showcase.

Cuisine Classique

REVIEW: "Cuisine Classique" Food Studio - Epcot International Festival of the Arts

Food:

  • Braised Short Rib with Parsnip Purée, Broccolini, Baby Tomatoes and Aged Balsamic – $7.50
  • Seared Red Snapper with braised Ratatouille and Lemon-Thyme Beurre Blanc (GF) – $7.50
  • Port Wine Poached Pear, Vanilla Panna Cotta and Pistachio Crumbs (GF) – $6.00
  • Artist Palette Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie – $5.50

Beverages:

  • Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – $4.00
  • Bell’s Two Hearted American-style India Pale Ale – $4.00
  • Duck Rabbit Milk Stout – $4.00
  • Beer Braising Flight – $9.00
  • Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva Art Series – $5.50
  • Dasani Bottled Water – $3.00

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Braised Short Rib with Parsnip Purée, Broccolini, Baby Tomatoes and Aged Balsamic – $7.50

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This dish was pretty solid, offering a well-cooked short rib over a parsnip puree, which blended well. I don’t know why there is so much balsamic on everything at this festival, but this probably could have done without it. Not a great dish, not a bad dish, just kind of middle-of-the-road. Otherwise, it tasted home cooked and the vegetables were quite good.

Seared Red Snapper with braised Ratatouille and Lemon-Thyme Beurre Blanc (GF) – $7.50

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There’s nothing too crazy about this Red Snapper dish, but it was really good and a nice-sized portion (a fairly thick piece of fish) for the price. I would probably order this again, but I’m often partial to the festival seafood dishes.

Port Wine Poached Pear, Vanilla Panna Cotta and Pistachio Crumbs (GF) – $6.00

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The surprising winner here is this port wine poached pear. I honestly have maybe tried a pear once in my life, and I wasn’t crazy about it, but this pear was delicious. With the vanilla panna cotta and pistachio crumbs spread over it, you will be hard pressed to find a better non-chocolate treat at this event. You also get the entire pear with this dish, a rarity for an Epcot festival plate.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – $4.00, Bell’s Two Hearted American-style India Pale Ale – $4.00, Duck Rabbit Milk Stout – $4.00, Beer Braising Flight – $9.00

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According to Josh of EasyWDW.com, this is the best beer flight you can get at the event, and I would have to agree. I LOVED the Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout and I will be ordering that in a single serving for sure the next time I visit this booth. The Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and the Bell’s Two Hearted American-style Indian Pale Ale were also enjoyable if you like such drinks. If all three might be of interest to you, you absolutely can not go wrong by ordering this flight.

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If you are like me and prefer a dark beer, the milk stout is the way to go.