REVIEW: Alcoholic Hot Cocoa Flight and Red Velvet Whoopie Pie, Fairfax Fare at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on November 10, 2017

New for the Flurry of Fun this holiday season at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a selection of sweet treats at Fairfax Fare on Sunset Boulevard.

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Guests will find three alcoholic hot chocolates for sale, in both individual servings or all together in a flight, as well as Red Velvet Whoopie Pies shaped like Christmas trees!

Hot Cocoa Flight ($11.00)

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As pictured left to right, there’s a Hot Chocolate Martini made with Pinnacle Whipped Vodka, the Black Cherry Bourbon Hot Chocolate made with Jim Bean Red Stag Black Cherry, and Bailey’s Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate made with Bailey’s Irish Cream.

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The martini tastes just like hot cocoa with a liquor, which is shouldn’t considering there is vodka in it. It’s fine and enjoyable, but nothing about it stands out. Meanwhile, the Black Cherry Bourbon was a bit of a disappointment. It lacked the kick you would expect from that name, and also had an almost chemical-like taste to it.

The Bailey’s Salted Caramel was outstanding however, so much so that we then bought the stand-alone version of it…

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It is exactly what you would want out of it, with a strong salted-caramel and cocoa flavor is each sip, matched nicely with the accompanying Bailey’s. I would skip the flight and just get this one for $9.25.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pie – $4.99

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They went a little heavy on the powdered sugar on ours…

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Inside, it is basically just a red velvet cupcake with the cream cheese icing located between layers. No, this isn’t what most of the world would consider a whoopee pie, but in recent years, it is what Disney’s Hollywood Studios has come to call them. I have to say this because I was nearly ripped-to-shreds the last time I reviewed whoopie pies…

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The cake was moist and the icing mixed well with it. If I wanted a cupcake, this is what I would get, but if I wanted an actual whoopee pie, I’d have to leave the park.

REVIEW: New 7-Layer Rice Bowl and Coco Cupcake at Fairfax Fare, Disney’s Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on October 25, 2017

We of course reviewed Fairfax Fare on Sunset Boulevard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios when the menu went tex-mex almost one year ago. Well, now a new option has joined the menu, a 7(Yeah, 7)-Layer Rice Bowl.

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The rice bowl replaces the Loaded Baked Potato, which has been a staple here for the last few years.

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The Coco Dulce de Leche Cupcake is also here, but is available at several locations throughout the park.

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7-Layer Rice Bowl – ($11.29)

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The rice bowl comes in three varieties: pulled pork, grilled chicken, or vegan chili. We went with the pork and the vegan chili versions.

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Without diving into them, it is really hard to tell which one is which thanks to the plethora of other ingredients in the dish. That being said, there is plenty of the main course underneath all of that in both versions. Above is the vegan chili, below is the pulled pork, neither in an actual bowl.

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The menu describes the items as “Pulled Pork served over Cilantro Rice, Black Beans, Roasted Corn Medley, Pico de Gallo and Sour Cream topped with Cheddar served with warm Tortillas” and “Vegan Chili served over Cilantro Rice, Black Beans, Roasted Corn Medley, Pico de Gallo and Sour Cream topped with Cheddar served with warm Tortillas”. You can also add “guacamole” for $1.00…

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Here is the “Wholly Guacamole” you get for your dollar. It is not very good.

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Overall, the rice bowls are pretty good and you likely get a lot more of everything than you would with the fajita dish from here, so the question really is do you want to eat with your hands or a fork. Personally, I think you can do a lot worse with counter service at Hollywood Studios, so Fairfax is still number 1-2 on my list. These aren’t terrible, but they aren’t life changing either, but in terms of size, they are a pretty decent value comparably with other quick serve items at the Studios.

Coco Dulce de Leche Cupcake ($5.99)

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The Coco cupcake is one of the better ones in recent memory, featuring a vanilla cake, colorful icing, and a center filled with sweet dulce de leche.

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It’s deftly worth a try if it’s there on your next visit.

The Rest

Again, if you would like a review of the other items at Fairfax Fare, please check out our previous review.

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Mobile Order Service Expands to Three More Restaurants at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on September 27, 2017

On the heels of the successful rollout at many other restaurants, Walt Disney World will expand the Mobile Order program through the MyDisneyExperience app to Sunset Boulevard eateries at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

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Here are the restaurants now adding the service as of September 19th:

  • Catalina Eddie’s
  • Rosie’s All-American Cafe
  • Fairfax Fare

The mobile ordering program allows guests to order at Disney counter service restaurants from their mobile devices and then pick-up the order when they are ready to eat. Check out our comprehensive review of the service to see how it works.

As of recent, guests can also mobile order Dole Whip at the Magic Kingdom. You can watch the process below:

REVIEW: Empanadas & Fajitas Replace Barbecue Options at Fairfax Fare, Disney’s Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on November 18, 2016

For quite a while now, Fairfax Fare at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been home to barbecue dishes (and more recently sharing that menu with loaded baked potatoes). Well, just this week, the main barbecue dish from this establishment picked up and moved over to the ABC Commissary, but was replaced with a number of “tex-mex” options.

New Fairfax Fare Menu at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

New Fairfax Fare Menu at Disney's Hollywood Studios

New Fairfax Fare Menu at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

The new menu features three tex-mex options, while keeping the Loaded Baked Potato, Fairfax Salad, and the Chili-Cheese Foot-Long Hot Dog.

New Fairfax Fare Menu at Disney's Hollywood Studios

New Fairfax Fare Menu at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

The photos on the menu are reminiscent of those that appear at Pecos Bill’s at the Magic Kingdom with their similar menu items. Keep this in mind for when you actually see the food below.

New Fairfax Fare Menu at Disney's Hollywood Studios

New Fairfax Fare Menu at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

El Pastor Pulled Pork Sandwich ($11.49)

El Pastor Pulled Pork Sandwich ($11.49)

El Pastor Pulled Pork Sandwich ($11.49)

The El Pastor Pulled Pork sandwich is a step up from many similar style sandwiches around Walt Disney World. The pork here has a nice spicy kick and the bun is soft and flaky. The sweet plantains are surprisingly good, but the dish would probably be better off without the roasted corn medley as a side. I would certainly pick this over the pulled pork sandwich at Flame Tree Barbecue at Animal Kingdom.

El Pastor Pulled Pork Sandwich ($11.49)

El Pastor Pulled Pork Sandwich ($11.49)

Empanadas Platter ($12.49)

Empanadas Platter ($12.49)

Empanadas Platter ($12.49)

The empanadas platter is solid, especially considering the inclusion of 3 sides. I wish that the empanada shells were a little crispier, but in fairness they seemed to have been sitting out at the restaurant for a while before we ordered them. They could also use some more beef inside, as you can see below. While I’m not a fan of the roasted corn medley, the rice and black beans were solid. Overall, not a bad dish, but not something I would order again.

Empanadas Platter ($12.49)

Empanadas Platter ($12.49)

Fajita Combo Platter ($12.99)

Fajita Combo Platter ($12.99)

Fajita Combo Platter ($12.99)

This is a sad, sad, sad imitation of the fajita platter at Pecos Bill’s Tall Tale Inn and Cafe at the Magic Kingdom. There is no stacked condiment/toppings bar here and the advertised inclusion of sour cream didn’t materialize. When I went back to the counter to ask if I could have some sour cream, I was greeted with a dumbfounded look. I had to point to the menu and that it stated that there would be sour cream. The cast member then informed me that they don’t have any sour cream…

As far as the actual food, it was good. The pork is the same as the sandwich and the chicken was fine. Altogether in a tortillas, it comes together nicely, although it was missing something… perhaps some sort of cream-based condiment…

Fajita Combo Platter ($12.99)

Fajita Combo Platter ($12.99)

Besides that, the meal came with just two tortillas… that’s insane. How on earth can you put all of that into two tortillas? Also, I’ve never been to a restaurant where I didn’t at least receive three tortillas with a dish of this style, Disney-owned or otherwise. When I went back to the counter to ask if this was correct, they said that they indeed only provide two. I then asked if I could have more and again was stared at as if I was a complete psychopath. They did reluctantly hand me another pack of two tortillas. Mind you, when I have asked for additional tortillas at Pecos Bill’s, they have always been more than happy to oblige.

Fajita Combo Platter ($12.99)

Fajita Combo Platter ($12.99)

Overall

I would return again for the pulled pork sandwich, but otherwise I would skip Fairfax Fare in its current state. The baked potatoes are alright, but otherwise I wasn’t wowed with the new empanadas nor the fajita platter, at least not without some sort of viable condiment station for such dishes. It just feels like they are still not ready for this menu, even though it has now been there for a few days.

If you really just hate the other counter service locations at Hollywood Studios and absolutely need tex-mex in your life, this is where you will have to go, but don’t expect much from anything but that pulled pork sandwich.