Author: disneyfoodblog.com

As you may know, our Disney Springs days are about to get a lot SWEETER!

Earlier this month, we found out that Gideon’s Bakehouse would be getting its own location in Disney Springs. You know, THE Gideon’s Bakehouse? With the super-limited, super-tasty chocolate chip cookies? Well, now we know WHERE we’ll be able to find the new spot!

Gideon’s Bakehouse shared the announcement of their new space this morning with some pictures from the newly constructed construction barriers. Gideon’s will be located in the corner space that most recently held the Rustic Cuff pop-up spot. We had a sneaking suspicion that this would be the place!

This spot in The Landing is conveniently located just across from Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar and Wine Bar George. What a way to cap off an evening of drinking Reggie’s Revenge or chowing down on some flaming cheese! Gideon’s we’re coming to you!

You can bet that we’ll be keeping a close eye on progress at Gideon’s, so stay tuned to DFB for all the updates. We should be snacking on some MONSTER cookies later this year!

Click here to learn more about the NEW Gideon’s Bakehouse location!

Are you excited to chow down on these monster treats? Tell us in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney News, Disney Springs, Featured, Walt Disney World, disney springs, gideon’s bakehouse, gideon’s bakehouse cookie, Gideon’s Bakehouse Disney Springs, RUSTIC cuff

House of Blues was rockin’ and rollin’ again in Disney Springs!

House of Blues officially reopened June 3rd, so we trekked over to the West Side of Disney Springs to grab a bite!

House of Blues is a table-service restaurant known for blasting tunes and serving Southern eats. We’d be remiss not to mention they also boast some pretty killer desserts…hellooo Toffee Bread Pudding!

While we’ve visited in the past with mixed feelings, we were pleasantly surprised this time around!

Atmosphere

Social distancing was in full effect with many tables closed off to allow for space between guests.

These spacing guidelines carried over into the bathroom with some sinks unavailable for hand washing.

We also spotted some sanitation stations that were readily available for quick disinfecting.

Once we were nice and spaced out (and sanitized!) we were treated to some live music! House of Blues is known for hosting some great artists, and tonight was no different.

It was great to hear live music again — even if we were all at a safe distance and wearing masks! But what’s really interesting about this is that Disney has not brought back from furlough any of their live singing acts besides Mariachi Cobre in Epcot. Not even the Dapper Dans are scheduled to return at park opening. So this may be one of the few places you’ll see live music in Disney world.

Menu

In an effort to keep things contact-free, we had access to a digital menu. The only thing we needed was our handy dandy phone and we were good to go!

The layout of the menu was pretty easy to navigate.

The drinks are nicely categorized in another tab.

Pricing was pretty standard for Disney Springs, with cocktails ranging from $12 to $15, and entrees mostly in the $20 range.

Drink

We ordered two drinks during our visit. The presentation on both were SUPER pretty with fresh fruit that added a nice dash of color.

The Rock Me Hurricane kinda lived up to the name. This drink was SUPER strong with Cruzan white and spiced rums AND Myers’s dark rum. The fresh orange and orange, lime, passion fruit, and pomegranate juices helped balance out the booze, but this drink is nothing to sneeze at strength-wise and a good size at $14.

We also really had to try the Strawberry Fields cocktail. Made with Captain Morgan spiced rum and amaretto, it was incredibly strong. The fruity undertones did help to make it the sweeter of the two drinks with strawberry, passion fruit, mint, and lime to help balance out the liquor.

With summer right around the corner, this $12 cocktail had us longing for sunshine!

Food

This time around, we stuck to the apps. Excuse us while we drool remembering the BBQ Brisket Nachos… .

The meat was sooo delicious, and the smokiness really came through.

With BBQ Brisket, aged cheddar, red onion, roasted corn salsa, avocado, and a sprinkling of cotija cheese, we were super pleased with this dish. The pricing was reasonable for a decent plate of nachos. This dish was $15.

Next up we had the Loaded Mac & Cheese for $12. Just take a minute to look at this ooey, gooey goodness.

Served in a hefty skillet, this cheesy pasta was topped with chicken tenders, Buffalo sauce, and blue cheese.

This is a simple app — it’s basically standard mac topped with chicken strips. We usually love buffalo sauce so we could have used a bit more than the small squirt we got on top, but let us tell you they did NOT skimp out on the blue cheese crumble! Definitely a highlight for us! And if you’re a fan of blue cheese, this dish will make you ANYTHING but blue.

Not into the taste of blue cheese or buffalo? Maybe consider a different app.

Nosh or Not?

Check out House of Blues if:

• You’re looking for live music! Whether you’re in the mood for some local musicians or headlining artists, House of Blues typically has it all.
• You like your drinks strong. If you’re someone who makes a funny face when you take a sip of potent cocktails, you might want to rethink ordering off this menu.
• You’re a fan of super cheesy mac & cheese! Seriously a highlight!

Avoid if:

• You like a quiet atmosphere. This place is usually hopping with tunes and crowds so if you’re looking for a more toned down dining experience you might want to try one of the other restaurants in Disney Springs.
• You want a stellar well-rounded meal. The entrees here are hit or miss but we really enjoyed our appetizers this time around.

Overall

While there are other restaurants in Disney Springs that we tend to gravitate towards, House of Blues is a nice spot to stop by, grab a drink, chow down on some apps, and groove out to some music. If the toffee bread pudding is on the menu when you’re here, it’s a definite must get as well.

The Southern cuisine can sometimes leave us longing for more, but it’s a good time to hang out with friends and family while taking in some entertainment.

While dining in the newly reopened restaurants might be a liiiitle different, it’s nice to revisit familiar places once again. Our stomachs have missed chowing down on tasty treats but we are quickly making up for lost time!

Check out what it’s like eating in the newly reopened Disney Springs!

What’s your favorite dish from the House of Blues? Let us know!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney restaurant review, Disney Springs, Featured, Table-Service, Walt Disney World, Appetizers, bbq brisket nachos, cocktails, dining at disney springs, dining disney springs, dining experiences, dining in disney springs, dining review, Dining Reviews, disney dining review, disney springs, Disney Springs 2020, house of blues, House of Blues Orlando, Live Music, live music at walt disney world, loaded mac & cheese, review, Rock Me Hurricane, Strawberry Fields

This past week has been a foodie trip around the reopened Disney Vacation Club Resorts! Since several DVC Resorts reopened last Monday, we have been checking out some popular food spots like Kona Cafe at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and Grand Floridian Cafe at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa to see what’s new and what’s the same old, same old!

Today, we’re sharing our experience at Whispering Canyon Cafe at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge! Are the waiters just as sassy as ever? Will we get ten bottles of ketchup!? Keep reading to find out!

Atmosphere

Currently, the two options for visiting a Disney World Resort hotel are 1) to be staying there as a guest or 2) to have a confirmed dining reservation at one of their resorts. Tip: we were actually informed by security at the parking lot entrance at Wilderness Lodge that we arrived a little TOO early for our reservation! So keep that in mind when you plan your meals, as you may not have as much time to “wander” around the resorts before your reservation as you may think!

Like many of our other dining experiences this week, we used the new Mobile Dine Check-In to let Whispering Canyon know we had arrived for our reservation!

In the main lobby of the restaurant, there are plexiglass “sneeze guards” at the host stand. The QR code to scan in for Mobile Dine Check-In is also located there.

We received a text message letting us know our table was ready, and off we went!

The Mobile Dine Check-In has so far been a very smooth experience for us!

Like the other dining locations we’ve visited, fewer tables are in use at this time.

Signs are placed on the tables that are not being used, allowing for safe physical distancing between parties.

Read more about Disney’s new Mobile Dine Check-In here!

Eats

Once we arrived at our table, we were presented with a QR code to scan to view a digital menu…

…but paper menus are available upon request.

The front side of the paper menu features their food options, while the other side includes all of the beverages you can order.

Then we had to make the difficult decision of what to order! Whispering Canyon Cafe’s star menu items are those shareable skillets, but we decided to try something a little different this time around!

Learn more about how your dining experience at Disney World will change this summer!

We started our evening with some cornbread because when one eats at Whispering Canyon Cafe, one must eat ALL the cornbread! (Obviously, cornbread is the perfect vehicle for getting copious amounts of that whipped butter into our mouths!) To our disappointment, they had JUST run out of the regular cornbread but they DID have the allergy-friendly cornbread, which is both vegan and gluten-free. So, we gave it a shot!

In the past we have found the allergy-friendly version of their cornbread to be moist and super yummy, but the one we were served today was definitely on the dry side and had an almost grainy texture. Don’t worry, it still holds plenty of butter though (that was really our end game here!).

Another dish well known by Whispering Canyon Cafe aficionados are their “Burnt Ends” Nachos for $12.00!

Seriously, just press pause for a second and check out this incredibleness in action. They’re HUGE!!

Dinner at Whispering Canyon – would you LOOK at those “Burnt Ends” Nachos?! pic.twitter.com/Hhw8pt0ljW

— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) June 25, 2020

 

These nachos are, in a word, STUPENDOUS! The meat on the nachos is the perfect mixture of both crispy burnt AND soft textures! Speaking of the meat, we did find that there were a TON of toppings on our nachos, so we would probably request extra chips in the future! And for just $12.00, this “appetizer” could easily fill you up as a meal on its own!

Our dinner was definitely off to a pretty good start if we do say so ourselves!

We also ordered the Cedar Plank Salmon for $26.00 as an entree. We found the salmon to be very tasty, even for those who aren’t salmon fans! The star of this dish, however, was the CHEESY Ancient Grains on the side!

It had a risotto-like texture, TONS of Parmesan flavor, and was SUPER creamy and yummy! It totally makes this dish worth ordering, especially if you already are a salmon lover! That salmon was good too but if we’re being honest? It was totally overshadowed by that bomb side!

As for dessert…we had our hearts set on the Seasonal Cobbler, but we were told it was currently unavailable! The cobbler here is typically REALLY yummy, so we’ll keep an eye on when it makes an appearance.

Read another recent review of Whispering Canyon Cafe here!

One of the memorable features of Whispering Canyon Cafe is the zany and sassy service from the Cast Members! In the past, we’ve seen the servers do just about everything from pony races around the restaurant to gallon-sized mason jars of drinks! If you ask for a large drink, you may get WAY more than you bargained for! Unfortunately when we visited, we were told those weren’t available, so our drinks were brought out to us in a standard mason jar.

If you ask for a large drink and they don’t have the JUMBO jars, you may receive the extra serving of your beverage of choice right away to still have the “effect” of getting extra, but it certainly isn’t as fun as those gallon mason jars! We were also curious to see what happened when we asked for ketchup. (If you’ve been here before, you KNOW!) Alas…

…we were given one sad little ramekin of ketchup! Our server did tell us that all those fun antics are not happening for now but when the parks reopen there may be some new, re-imagined ways for the servers to interact with the guests. For now, they were limited to some light heckling.

Learn more about the restaurants that will reopen with the theme parks here!

Nosh Or Not?

Whispering Canyon Cafe is a great spot if…

• Your travel party is big into “family style” dining and are game to split those massive signature skillet dishes. Prepare to leave Whispering Canyon Cafe FULL.
• You’re staying at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and looking for a decent table service restaurant with good food.
• You LOVE meat. While there are also plant-based options available on their menu, Whispering Canyon Cafe is all about those high-protein skillets.

You may want to consider skipping Whispering Canyon Cafe if…

• Your favorite part about dining there are those zany waiters! With those antics on the shelf for the time being, Whispering Canyon Cafe is currently really no different than any other restaurant on property.
• You aren’t in the Magic Kingdom area that particular day. Currently, you can only visit a resort hotel if you are staying there overnight or if you have a confirmed dining reservation. If you aren’t already in the Magic Kingdom resort area, it’s a pretty far trek, especially with the limited transportation currently available.
• You’re looking for a quiet, romantic vibe. Even with the stunted waiter interactions, Whispering Canyon Cafe still makes for a louder dining experience. If you’re at Wilderness Lodge and looking for a romantic dinner, check out Storybook Dining at Artist Point when it reopens!

Overall

Our experience at Whispering Canyon Cafe was a delight! This restaurant has been hit-or-miss for us in recent years, but we found the food to be exceptional this time around. While we understand the limited antics from the waiters at this time, it was still a highlight of meals here for us. But the tasty food and the promise of shenanigans returning one day down the road will keep up coming back!

What’s your favorite dish to order at Whispering Canyon Cafe? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney dining tips, disney resorts, disney restaurant review, Featured, Table-Service, Walt Disney World, Wilderness Lodge, burnt ends nachos, Cedar Plank Salmon, cornbread, Disney Vacation Club Resorts, disney’s wilderness lodge, DVC, resort reopening, Whispering Canyon, Whispering Canyon Cafe

Hey all you party people, it’s time to book your Disney World theme park dining reservations! …Unless you’re not one of a special group of guests who had dining reservations canceled during a specific set of dates. Confused? Us too. So let’s dig deeper.

Yesterday, Disney announced that theme park dining reservations for Disney World’s park opening dates and beyond would open this morning to “eligible guests with dining reservations cancelled during the closure.”

Now we were a little confused about this. And, tbh, we still are. This date applies to guests who had their dining reservations on or before September 2nd canceled as of May 28th. But did the dining reservations have to be canceled by Disney to count us eligible? What if WE canceled the dining reservations BEFORE May 28th…but it was still due to the closure? Does that still count?

Am I Eligible To Make Dining Reservations Today?

Well, your first clue as to whether you’re eligible is that you received an email yesterday SAYING you’re eligible.

This is basically everyone who had a dining reservation, scheduled before September 2nd, that was wiped out by the mass cancellation of all Disney Dining Plans and dining reservations back on May 28th.

But if you think you should be able to make reservations this morning based on Disney’s website language, you should definitely try. You can make reservations via the online system, or by phone. (We haven’t been able to book on the My Disney Experience app.) And we’ve heard from folks who didn’t think they were eligible being able to book. So…worth a try!

If you aren’t eligible, you’ll receive this notification:

BUT WAIT! We’re getting reports that people are being told they’re not eligible to book online, but are having luck by calling Disney directly to book dining reservations.

So, there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason. Try every avenue if you’re eager to book dining reservations and think you may be eligible — both calling Disney World AND trying online via your browser.

And remember, to dine in any theme park after Disney World reopens, guests must have valid park admission AND a Disney Park Pass reservation for the day of the desired meal.

So What Happened This Morning?

After all the crazy park pass reservation system glitches last week, we weren’t sure what to expect this morning! But things went pretty smoothly overall. FYI — the online system opened at 6AM ET, which is commensurate with pre-closure policy.

After a few minutes waiting “in orbit” (<– that’s what we call the space mountain rocket ship picture that characterizes one of Disney’s virtual waiting rooms…with which we’re all too familiar after last week), we were able to make all of our top tier dining reservations, including Be Our Guest Restaurant, pretty easily.

UPDATE: As of 8:30AM ET the “waiting room” is taking a little bit longer to get through. Keep us updated in the comments  with your experiences!

UPDATE: We’ve also noticed that “eligible” guests are able to book Disney Resort Hotel dining locations via the website now as well! (Up until today, only guests with hotel arrivals prior to July 10th were able to book hotel dining reservations…and only by phone.)

As a reminder, not all of the Disney World restaurants will be open with the parks initially. You can check in on our list of announced restaurants for the FULL LIST of those restaurants that WILL be open and available for reservations.

In addition to “eligible” guests being able to book…well…everything, online reservations are currently available for all Disney guests to book Disney Springs restaurants, and guests with hotel arrivals prior to July 10th can make select Disney World hotel dining reservations by calling the Disney Reservation Center at (407) 824-1391.

Keep an eye on DFB for the latest updates, and get ready to make those reservations!

Click here to see the full list of restaurants that are opening with the theme parks! 

Have questions about making reservations for the reopening days of the parks? Ask them in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney parks, Featured, Table-Service, Walt Disney World, Be Our Guest Restaurant, disney theme parks reopening, disney world dining cancellations, disney world dining reservations, Disney World reopening, disney world restaurants

So Disney has said that they’re discontinuing special edition limited releases in the parks in order to limit crowding. And luckily I’m guessing they won’t have to worry about drawing too many folks with this new merch?

We’ve spotted some really cool Disney mug designs lately, like a color-changing poisoned apple mug, and an adorable new Toy Story mug! But Disney’s mug capital has gone down in our eyes with this new release.

They’ve ventured back into the meme realm (after debuting with pretty cute t-shirts a while back). But this time they’re missing the mark imo with the Disney Villains Meme Mugs available online.

These are way too “on the nose” and stereotypical to be funny. It feels like a robot was shown examples of memes and then programmed to make their own “approximate” version that doesn’t quite compute!

Plus they just make me…sad?

Here we go.

The Evil Queen Meme Mug features the villain after she’s discovered that her lunch has disappeared from the office fridge…

…and on the other side, she shows why nobody should mess with her…because she’ll poison her coworkers with apples?

(Do people steal entire lunches from office fridges? I thought that only happened in 80’s movies with lots of shoulder pads and skinny ties and Kevin Bacon.)

Moving on to the Jafar Meme Mug…

…where the villain seems v. upset with all of his friends in the group text.

I dunno. Group texts are fun. And if they’re not, I don’t get…like…mad about it. Just turn off your notifications. So this seems a little over the top.

Now, this Maleficent Meme Mug is classic Disney showing up late to the meme party.

Are we sure these mugs weren’t slated for release in 2018? (And, yes, I still use memes like this, but I’m old and totally uncool, so what does that tell you, hmm?)

And finally, for those of us who feel a little rough before our morning pick-me-up, there’s the Ursula Meme Mug!

Yeah…I’m not sure I’d be any happier with this “after coffee” look tbh.

So, if you want to be ironic, these could be the perfect purchase for you! And if you lurve them and you’re super upset with me for saying that these aren’t ideal, then you can buy them totally un-ironically! Everybody wins! The mugs are all available for $14.99 on shopDisney! 

Which of these meme mugs is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney merchandise, disney parks, Featured, News, Disney merch, disney mug, disney mugs, evil queen mug, jafar mug, maleficent mug, meme mugs, shopdisney, ursula mug