Flame Tree Barbecue Retiring Signature Barbecue Sauce

WDWNT on January 29, 2017

Even though I panned it unmercifully in our review, one of the staples of Flame Tree Barbecue at Animal Kingdom has been its signature and exclusive barbecue sauces. Well, one of those sauces will soon be no more…

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According to cast members at the establishment, the regular barbecue sauce is in short supply and should be running out soon. The cast members stated that they were informed that it will not be restocked and instead they will simply be distributing only the Heinz Barbecue Sauce packets. The sweet and spicy sauce made just for the restaurant will remain, however.

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I prefer the sweet and spicy sauce myself, but I know that many will miss this exclusive sauce at Flame Tree Barbecue. Will you?

PHOTOS: Donut Sundae, Hash Brown Dog, and Waffle Sandwich Being Added to Magic Kingdom Breakfast Offerings

WDWNT on January 29, 2017

With Main Street U.S.A. now opening earlier to guests (along with the new welcome show performed at Cinderella Castle instead of at the train station), Disney is taking this opportunity to expand breakfast offerings at many of the park’s eateries in the AM.

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Casey’s Corner Hash Brown Hotdog, The Magic Kingdom

Casey’s Corner will be serving muffins, bagels and a croissant donut. Those searching for a more savory, brunch-like option can enjoy corn dog nuggets and the hash brown dog (pictured above).

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Plaza Ice Cream Donut Sundae, The Magic Kingdom

Also on Main Street U.S.A., Plaza Ice Cream Parlor will serve Mickey waffles, Kelloggs cereal and donuts. For a sweet twist on breakfast, there is even a donut sundae: a donut topped with your favorite flavor of hand-scooped Edy’s ice cream, hot fudge, apple, whipped cream, peanut butter chips, chocolate chips and of course, a cherry.

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Sleepy Hollow breakfast sandwich, The Magic Kingdom

Sleepy Hollow has a new egg, ham and tomato waffle sandwich which will arrive later this month. The fruit and chocolate-hazelnut waffle sandwich is also available, in case you prefer a sweet breakfast to a savory one.

REVIEW: “E=AT^2” Food Studio – Epcot International Festival of the Arts 2017

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 the “E=AT^2” kiosk, which is located at the front of World Showcase, just off to the left side towards the Mexico pavilion.

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REVIEW: "E=AT^2" Food Studio - Epcot International Festival of the Arts 2017

Food:

  • BLT with Crispy Pork Belly, Tomato Jam and Soft Poached Egg – $6.50
  • Classic Reuben with Shredded Corned Beef, Thousand Island Dressing, Pickled Red Cabbage and a Rye Curl – $6.00
  • Cobb Salad with Smoked Duck Breast, Avocado Mousse, Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Bacon and Blue Cheese (GF) – $7.50
  • Figment White Chocolate Art Painting with Chocolate Easel (GF) (V) – $7.00
  • White Chocolate Mickey Puzzle with Artist Palette (GF) (V) – $6.50

Beverages:

  • Deconstructed Breakfast: Twinings® Spiced Apple Chai Tea Shake with Maple Bourbon Cream, a Waffle Crisp and Candied Bacon – $10.50
  • Deconstructed Breakfast: Twinings® Spiced Apple Chai Tea Shake with Maple Syrup, a Waffle Crisp and Candied Bacon (non-alcoholic) – $4.50
  • Pop-Artsicle: Red, White and Blue Frozen Slushy (non-alcoholic) – $3.75
  • Dasani Bottled Water – $3.00

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Since we had eaten the very similar Mary Blair white chocolate art, there was no really good reason to order the Figment, but it is pretty cute.

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BLT with Crispy Pork Belly, Tomato Jam and Soft Poached Egg – $6.50

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This was my absolute favorite dish at entire Epcot International Festival of the Arts! Crack open the poached egg, dip the tender and juicy pork belly in it, and then nearly fall over from how good this is. There is very little bacon and lettuce here, and neither of them really add to the dish. I suggest you just push them aside and enjoy the pork and the egg together without any of the fluff of the dish.

I think I will be ordering this on every subsequent trip to Epcot over the next 5 weekends…

Cobb Salad with Smoked Duck Breast, Avocado Mousse, Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Bacon and Blue Cheese (GF) – $7.50

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I am not a big Cobb Salad fan, but this was really good. The duck was flavorful and it went really nicely with the egg, blue cheese, and avocado mousse. I would order this again as well.

Classic Reuben with Shredded Corned Beef, Thousand Island Dressing, Pickled Red Cabbage and a Rye Curl – $6.00

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If you haven’t gotten it already, this is the best booth at the festival. I hate reuben sandwiches. Hell, I even hate Reuben Stoddard (kids, look it up). Regardless, this was fantastic. Everything in the plate was delicious, which shocked me. I couldn’t believe that I was having quality corned beef at Disney World, but I was and I did.

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If I had to rank the three dishes here, I would put the “BLT’ as my number one, followed by the reuben, and then the cobb salad, but they are all good.

Deconstructed Breakfast: Twinings® Spiced Apple Chai Tea Shake with Maple Bourbon Cream, a Waffle Crisp and Candied Bacon – $10.50

REVIEW: "E=AT^2" Food Studio - Epcot International Festival of the Arts 2017

As much as we loved the food, we wanted so much more out of this drink. It sounded amazing. It wasn’t bad, the flavoring was just far more subdued that we had hoped for (and they went a little light on the bourbon).

Deconstructed Breakfast: Twinings® Spiced Apple Chai Tea Shake with Maple Syrup, a Waffle Crisp and Candied Bacon (non-alcoholic) – $4.50

REVIEW: "E=AT^2" Food Studio - Epcot International Festival of the Arts 2017

Honestly, if you want just the breakfast flavors, save yourself some money and order this non-alcoholic version of the drink. It’s larger and cheaper, albeit without bourbon, but there wasn’t much alcohol in the other one anyway.

Pop-Artsicle: Red, White and Blue Frozen Slushy (non-alcoholic) – $3.75

REVIEW: "E=AT^2" Food Studio - Epcot International Festival of the Arts 2017

This is realistically just a slushy, but the kids should enjoy it. Personally, I would go get The American Dream at the Fife & Drum in the American Adventure (which mixes slushy with ice cream), but that’s me.

Full Menus Released for Epcot International Festival of the Arts

WDWNT on January 16, 2017

We have been anxiously awaiting all of the fantastic food and drinks to be announced for the first ever Epcot International Festival of the Arts and now it is finally here! The festival takes place Fridays through Mondays, January 13 to February 20and the “food studios” will be open from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

Please note: the following menu items marked with (GF) are gluten/wheat-friendly and those with (V) are vegetarian.

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E = AT^2

Food:

  • BLT with Crispy Pork Belly, Tomato Jam and Soft Poached Egg – $6.50
  • Classic Reuben with Shredded Corned Beef, Thousand Island Dressing, Pickled Red Cabbage and a Rye Curl – $6.00
  • Cobb Salad with Smoked Duck Breast, Avocado Mousse, Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Bacon and Blue Cheese (GF) – $7.50
  • Figment White Chocolate Art Painting with Chocolate Easel (GF) (V) – $7.00
  • White Chocolate Mickey Puzzle with Artist Palette (GF) (V) – $6.50

Beverages:

  • Deconstructed Breakfast: Twinings® Spiced Apple Chai Tea Shake with Maple Bourbon Cream, a Waffle Crisp and Candied Bacon – $10.50
  • Deconstructed Breakfast: Twinings® Spiced Apple Chai Tea Shake with Maple Syrup, a Waffle Crisp and Candied Bacon (non-alcoholic) – $4.50
  • Pop-Artsicle: Red, White and Blue Frozen Slushy (non-alcoholic) – $3.75

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Cuisine Classique

Food:

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

Beverages:

  • Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
  • Bell’s Two Hearted American-style India Pale Ale
  • Duck Rabbit Milk Stout
  • Beer Braising Flight
  • Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva Art Series

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The Artist’s Table

Food:

  • Roasted Pork Roulade with Marble Potatoes, Baby Carrots and Red Wine Sauce featuring Melissa’s Produce – $6.50
  • Pan-Seared Scallop with Chorizo, Roasted Red Pepper Coulis and a Parmesan Crisp (GF) – $6.25
  • Artist Palette Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie – $5.50

Beverages:

  • Callebaut Belgian Sipping Chocolate Flight: White, Milk, Dark (non-alcoholic) – $8.00
  • Callebaut Belgian Sipping Chocolate: Dark Chocolate with Chambord – $9.75
  • Perla Santa Coffee-flavored Wine – $9.50

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The Painter’s Palate

Food:

  • Margherita Flatbread with Basil Pesto and Balsamic Drizzle (V)
  • Trio of Savory Croissant Doughnuts:
    • Whipped Herb Cream Cheese with Sea Salt (V)
    • Chicken Mousse with Fresh Herbs & Everything Bagel Seasoning
    • Spicy Tuna with Sriracha Mayonnaise and Sesame Seeds
  • Mary Blair White Chocolate Art Painting with Chocolate Easel (GF) (V)
  • Pop’t Art: Abstract Designed Sugar Cookie with Chocolate Hazelnut Filling (V)
  • White Chocolate Figment Puzzle on an Artist Palette

Beverages:

  • Pomegranate Mule featuring the Ginger People Ginger Beer and Van Gogh Vodka
  • Breckenridge Nitro Vanilla Porter
  • Young’s Double Chocolate Stout
  • 3 Daughters Queens Court Strawberry Blonde Nitro
  • Neapolitan Beer Flight

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Pop Eats!

Food:

  • Shrimp Ceviche with Lime Mint Foam (GF) – $6.00
  • Sous Vide Venison with Butternut Squash Purée, Pomegranate Reduction, Pickled Turnip and Juniper Berry Powder (GF) – $7.50
  • Almond Frangipane Cake layered with Raspberry Jam and Chocolate (V) – $4.25
  • Pop’t Art: Modern-design Sugar Cookie with Chocolate Hazelnut Filling (V) – $4.00
  • Goofy White Chocolate Puzzle on an Artist Palette – $6.50

Beverages:

  • Cloudem Silver Sparkling Wine – $9.00, In a Souvenir Glass – $16.50
  • Popping Bubbles Cocktail – $9.50

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Decadent Delights

Food:

  • Crisp Caramel Chocolate Mousse Bar, Flavored Merengue Kisses and Passion Fruit Sauce – $6.75
  • Dark Chocolate S’mores: Homemade Graham Cracker, Vanilla Kisses and White Chocolate “Fire” – $6.50
  • Deconstructed Purple Sweet Potato Pie, Salted Caramel, Bourbon-soaked Cake and Marshmallow Whipped Cream – $6.50
  • Artist Palette Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie – $5.50

Beverages:

  • Cherry Heering Liqueur – $10.50
  • Courvoisier V.S.Cognac – $10.50
  • Ferreira 10 Year Old Port – $10.50

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The Masterpiece Kitchen

Food:

  • Charcuterie Palette with Artisan Cured Meats, Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Duck Breast and Cheese – $14.00
  • Smoked Salmon Tartare, Caviar, Crisp Lavash and Traditional Accompaniments – $12.00
  • Wild Mushroom Risotto, Aged Parmesan, Truffle Shavings and Zinfandel Reduction (V) – $9.00
  • Triple Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Crunch, Dark Chocolate Sauce and Gold Leaf from our Master Pastry Chef – $9.25
  • White Chocolate Puzzle on an Artist Palette (GF) (V) – $6.50
  • Mickey and Pluto White Chocolate Painting with Chocolate Easel (GF) (V) – $7.00

Beverages:

  • Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Brut Champagne – $12.00
  • Classic Sidecar with a Chocolate Twist – $9.25
  • The Meeker Vineyard Winemakers’ Handprint Merlot – $9.50

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Additional Festival Locations

Block & Hans

  • Festival Cabernet Sauvignon, CA
  • Festival Chardonnay, CA
  • Anchor Brewing Meyer Lemon Lager, San Francisco, CA
  • Coppertail Brewing Free Dive IPA, Tampa, FL
  • Founders Porter, Grand Rapids, MI
  • M.I.A. Brewing Mega Mix Pale Ale, Miami, FL

Joy of Tea

  • Traditional Chinese Golden Fish
  • Panda Rice Cake

Fife & Drum

  • Artist Palette Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie

Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie

  • Opera Cake

Funnel Cakes

  • Gingerbread Funnel Cake

Japan Pavilion

  • Kabuki Café Kiosk: Futomaki Sushi
  • Tokyo Dining: Chirashi Sushi and Sashimi

Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company

Beverages:
All Festival specialty drinks served hot or cold.

  • Canada: Night Sky Latte: A delicious shot of Joffrey’s Italian Espresso mixed with Creamy Godiva Chocolate Liqueur, topped with Steamed Milk and Whipped Cream
  • Disney Traders: Cinnamon Sensation: A shot of Italian Espresso mixed with RumChata and Cinnamon Whiskey, blended with Steamed Milk and Whipped Cream
  • Future World East: Painted Lady Latte: A shot of Joffrey’s Italian Espresso mixed with rich Baileys Espresso Créme Liqueur, topped with Steamed Milk and Whipped Cream
  • The American Adventure: Dreamy Bourbon: A shot of Italian Espresso mixed with Bourbon Whiskey Cream Liqueur, blended with Steamed Milk and Whipped Cream

El Arista Hambriento (The Hungry Artist)

  • Choriqueso Taco served with Chihuahua Cheese, Red and Green Peppers over a Corn Tortilla and garnished with Poblano Peppers and Micro Cilantro
  • Flank Steak Guarache served with Black Beans, Salsa de Chile de Arbol, Frisee Lettuce, Queso Fresco, Red Cabbage, Shredded Carrots and Chipotle Mayo

Tangierine Café

  • Homemade Falafel with Pickled Beets and Turnip, Tomato Salad and Tahini Sauce

Refreshment Cool Post

  • Chilled Shrimp, Quinoa, Layered Vegetables, Spiced Yogurt and Red Pepper Coulis

Refreshment Port

  • Croissant Doughnut filled with Pastry Cream and topped with Colored Pearls

PHOTOS: First Look at Food and Drinks from the Epcot International Festival of the Arts

WDWNT on December 26, 2016

Disney today is previewing the new Epcot International Festival of the Arts and its “Food Studios” that will be located along the World Showcase promenade.

Running Fridays through Mondays from Jan. 13-Feb. 20, the festival will combine visual, culinary and performing arts, unveiling brand new art each week.

While the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival strives for seasonal flavors, and the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is all about global cuisine, the Epcot International Festival of the Arts is all about works of art on a plate that may be photo-worthy. Yes, that is where we are as a society now.

At many of the Food Studios, guests will be able to watch the chefs plating and see the creative process as the dish comes to life.

Here’s a gallery of some of the artful dishes:

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Expands Into August in 2017

WDWNT on November 29, 2016

According to event guides for Epcot’s Holidays Around the World this year, the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival will begin in August for the first time ever in 2017.

The event dates for next year are August 31st through November 13th, 2017. The event will run for an astonishing 75 days straight, 15 days more than ever before.

REVIEW: American Holiday Table Opens in Epcot for Holidays Around the World

WDWNT on November 29, 2016

Holidays Around the World began today at Epcot, offering a number of marketplaces selling food and drink, very similar to the 37 other festivals that occupy Epcot throughout the year. OK, there isn’t 37 festivals, but the announcement of a new festival, the extension of the Food and Wine Festival in 2017, and these additions are starting to leave very little of the year without such offerings in the park.

American Holiday Table Menu at Epcot

American Holiday Table Menu at Epcot

We stopped by the American Holiday Table booth at the American Adventure first, and while we will review more of the booths from the event, the sheer size of the food is making it really hard to try quite as much at one time as we do for the Food & Wine and Flower & Garden Festivals.

American Holiday Table at Epcot

American Holiday Table at Epcot

Shipyard Eggnog White Porter Aged on Bourbon ($8.75)

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I enjoyed this strange seasonal beverage, but 16oz of a beer with eggnog flavoring is too much. 8oz of eggnog flavoring would have been quite enough, but especially with the flavor settling at the bottom, this became very hard to finish (but rest assured, I did finish it). If you enjoy beer and eggnog, this is at least worth a try, but maybe find someone to share it with.

Firenog ($9.50)

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The firenog was good, albeit a little small for $9.50. We would have liked a little more fireball whiskey in here, but maybe it just depends who pours you the drink.

Slow-Roasted Turkey ($11.25)

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If you think the meals are a little expensive at Holidays Around the World, let me refer you to the size of the plates… they are full size meals. They are not small plates like at the other Epcot Festivals, they are in-fact larger than many counter service meals around Walt Disney World. I’m not sure why this decision was made, but be prepared should you order one of these meals that you will probably not be eating again for a while.

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This was really, really good. The turkey was cooked very nicely, the stuffing patties above and below the turkey were quite tasty, and the mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce blended perfectly with it. The unadvertised stringbeans were a nice touch too, marking the only time I think I have ever enjoyed this side. Rather than blow an ungodly amount on similar food at the Liberty Tree Tavern at the Magic Kingdom, you should just come here and spend $11.25 on this more-than-filling meal.

The wreckage about the time when we started to get full...

The wreckage about the time when we started to get full…

Holiday Cookie

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The gingerbread cookies are apparently decorated in-house. Yes, it is all messed up and poorly decorated and no, we didn’t do that, that is how it came. Unless the kids really want one, you can probably do without this treat.

More Holiday Fun to Come

We will be visiting more of these booths over the next few days, but please allow us a little time to digest…

REVIEW: Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies Offers a Good Butterbeer Ice Cream Substitute

WDWNT on November 18, 2016

OK folks, this is a weird one, and I promise I’m not click baiting you…

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Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom offers a number of ice cream based treats, but I have never ordered any of their coffee-based ice cream floats before. For only a few cents more than the regular ice cream, you can make it a French Vanilla Coffee Float, so we did.

French Vanilla Iced Coffee Float ($4.79)

French Vanilla Iced Coffee Float ($4.79)

French Vanilla Iced Coffee Float ($4.79)

It’s fairly simple in nature: it’s just vanilla ice cream over French Vanilla Iced Coffee (if you couldn’t tell by the name). They gave us a choice of ice cream flavors, but when we asked what they recommended, the cast member thought that vanilla worked the best. They were right.

French Vanilla Iced Coffee Float ($4.79)

French Vanilla Iced Coffee Float ($4.79)

It was strange, but the flavor of the coffee mixing with the ice cream reminded me a lot of the Butterbeer Ice Cream at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley at Universal Orlando. It isn’t a perfect match, but it comes pretty darn close. In fact, if you blindfolded me and told me you were giving me Butterbeer Ice Cream but then gave me this, I probably wouldn’t even notice.

Side by side I think it would be easier to tell the difference between the two, but if you are looking for a similar flavor without the trip down I-4, I think you will be pleasantly surprised with how good this simple concoction is.

Crepes Return to AristoCrepes at Disney Springs with New Menu

WDWNT on November 18, 2016

Just days after switching to seasonal operation and menu, the AristoCrepes at Disney Springs has brought back crepes and it’s names.

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The savory crepes are gone and what remains are three of the sweet crepes. You can find the old menu in our original review of the AristoCrepes. The new snack items that were introduced after the crepes were removed are still available as well.

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The sweet crepes temporarily moved to Amorette’s Patisserie in the interim, but are now back at AristoCrepes. Amorette’s now has a separate crepe menu:

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Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory Returns 11/19 with New Design & Menu

WDWNT on November 18, 2016

The Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory will return to Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter on November 19th, 2016 with a new design and new menu. It has been closed since July of this year.

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The new interior will keep the original theme, but now feature new design elements such as a nearly completed parade float for guests to see.

A full menu is not available at this time.