It’s been a wild ride this week in Disney World! While Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom have officially reopened to guests, Disney Springs is still welcoming everyone back to shop, dine, and have a great time!
Disney Springs
Although there are SO many places to eat in Disney Springs that have reopened to guests, those visiting Disney World can once again eat a meal during a thunderstorm and have a VOLCANOOO! for dessert once again!
After calling, we were able to confirm that Rainforest Cafe is back open for guests in Disney Springs (and Animal Kingdom if you visit the parks soon!).
The Rainforest Cafe in Disney Springs
The restaurant will still be taking guests on a family-style dining adventure, but they will be following strict health and safety guidelines like the other locations have implemented around Disney World.
From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com Filed Under: Animal Kingdom, disney dining tips, Disney News, disney parks, Disney Springs, Featured, Snacks, Table-Service, Walt Disney World, Disney, disney dining, disney news, disney restaurant, disney springs, disney springs reopening, Disney World, Disney World reopening, Rainforest Cafe
It was the best of times It was the bestest of times
If Charles Dickens ate what I ate over two dinners last week at Grand Floridian Cafe, that’s how he would’ve started his review. Let’s jump into the reasons why, because – just as I said last week about The Wave’s chefs doing some fantastic cooking – the Grand Floridian Cafe is putting out delicious food with its new summer menu.
The highlight of my first dinner was the Buttermilk Fried Chicken ($24), with “loaded” smashed potatoes, and wilted spinach sprinkled with a warmed bacon vinaigrette. It was delicious, mostly because the chicken’s crust was substantial and crunchy. If you, like I, believe that science has neglected its duty to engineer a Thanksgiving turkey made entirely of crispy skin, you would’ve been overjoyed at the kitchen’s results with this breading. And yes, those are bacon bits on top of the chicken. Because the crust was so crispy (and thick), I was impressed with how the kitchen managed not to overcook the chicken breast during the long fry time.
The sides were equally good, with the tangy vinaigrette on the spinach cutting through the smoothness of the loaded potatoes. I ate all of this.
Buttermilk Fried Chicken – Version 1
In fact, it was so good that I did something I almost never do at a Disney restaurant – I ordered it again the next week. And I’m so very glad that I did, because it was even better. Here’s how it came out from the kitchen:
Buttermilk Fried Chicken – Version 2
Your first thought is probably “Oh, they brought Len half a fried turkey. Interesting.” It was not, dear reader, a turkey, despite almost reaching both sides of a 12″ dinner plate. It was the largest chicken breast I’ve ever seen. The photo above doesn’t even do it justice, because it stood at least 3″ high off the plate. My first two questions to the server were “Is that a chicken?” and “How did you catch it?”
This week’s version of the chicken breast came in a cornflake batter, which added a hint of nuttiness to the crust. The frying technique was even better than before, the chicken breast more moist and tender than ever. The loaded potatoes were just as good, and I was thankful that the flavor of the vinaigrette had been boosted a bit, because it help cut through the massive amount of chicken on the plate.
Here’s a close-up of the crust, with bits of bacon as God intended:
Up close with the crust.
You won’t be surprised to hear that I couldn’t finish this – I got about two-thirds through it, though. I’ve long thought that the best fried chicken in Walt Disney World was over at Bull and Bear in the Waldorf Astoria (when it’s available). I’m no longer certain that’s true.
The fried chickens were the stars of my meals. Here’s a quick rundown of the other things Laurel and I tried at our visits.
Chilled jumbo shrimp cocktail
The Chilled Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail ($16) had four large shrimp on top of fresh Florida citrus, ribbons of pickled onions, and spinach. Pickled onions are having a moment, and these were perfectly sour. They went well with the citrus to balance out the sweet, sweet shrimp.
We also tried two salads – Laurel went with the Caesar ($8), and I chose the Grilled Romaine Market Salad ($15). Of the two of these, I think the Caesar salad was the better value. Both were large portions and could’ve been split by two people.
Caesar salad
I thought the romaine could’ve been left on the grill to develop more char. I would’ve preferred that the carrots, peppers, and squash in the salad were grilled, too, to soften them up a bit and impart additional flavor. When I order this again, I’ll ask for that.
Grilled Romaine Market Salad
Laurel had the Miso-glazed Salmon ($27) one night. This came with lemon-scented sticky rice, french beans, and a ginger-soy vinaigrette:
Miso-glazed salmon
The glaze on this salmon was the kind of luscious brown that I imagined Ricardo Montalbán had in mind whenever he said the words “rich, Corinthian leather.” Laurel loved everything about this plate, and said that the saltiness of the soy worked really well with the rice and green beans.
Laurel tried the Impossible Burger ($16) with caramelized onions, plant-based, smoked “Gouda” cheese, and a generous side of huge fries:
Impossible Burger with caramelized onions, smoked “Gouda” cheese, and fries
Like the fried chicken, these were huge portions and still cooked properly throughout. The fries were very good – creamy inside, crispy and salty on the outside.
We split one dessert one night – the Grand Flo Cafe’s version of Key Lime Pie ($8) with mango sorbet, fresh strawberries, and Key Lime sauce:
Key Lime Pie
This is a bargain at $8 – it’s big enough to split. The pie crust is firm, sweet, and just thick enough to provide some bite. The key lime filling balances sweet and tart pretty well – I thought it was great, while Laurel thought it was too sweet. We both enjoyed the mango sorbet and the strawberries. I’d definitely get this again.
As if the food wasn’t enough, you can order cocktails and other alcoholic drinks with dinner at the Grand Floridian Cafe. Plus, the Grand Flo Cafe accepts Tables in Wonderland discounts. Our first dinner included the shrimp appetizer, fried chicken, and Impossible burger came out to around $60 before the Tables discount and gratuity; our second dinner of two salads, the fried chicken, salmon, Key lime dessert, and one cocktail was around $100 before discount and gratuity.
Here’s the full menu – it’s short, but almost everything on it is done well.
Grand Floridian Cafe July 2020 Menu
Have you dined at the Grand Floridian Cafe? Does that fried chicken make you drool just looking at it? Let us know in the comments.
Well, we knew the (virtual) line was long, but this really brings it home! We’ve just learned that the virtual queue for Splash Mountain merchandise has reached capacity for the day!
Splash Mountain
Guests are still able to sign up for a place in line BUT Cast Members have made it clear that there’s no guarantee that they’ll get in!
With the upcoming retheming of Splash Mountain, guests are lining up to snag their Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Fox merch before it’s gone. And so, a merchandise location was the first place to reach capacity on reopening day at Magic Kingdom — who would’ve thought!
From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com Filed Under: disney parks, Featured, magic kingdom, Walt Disney World, at capacity, Disney World Reopen, disney world reopened, Disney World reopening day, magic kingdom reopening, splash mountain, splash mountain merchandise, virtual line, virtual queue
Located in Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Chef Mickey’sis a Disney World tradition for many families. Typically, this restaurant offers buffet-style dining for breakfast, lunch, and dinner — complete with appearances from Mickey and friends! But, what changes can you expect in the reopened Chef Mickey’s? Let’s take a look!
Beyond characters, another staple of Chef Mickey’s is the all-you-care-to-eat breakfast buffet, featuring all the scrambled eggs, bacon, and Mickey Waffles you could ever dream of.
Chef Mickey’s buffet
While the buffet is still there, guests are not allowed to go up to the service station and get food. Instead, once you are seated, your server brings you a tray of food.
Chef Mickey’s family-style buffet
For your initial batch of food, you don’t pick what is brought to you — you just get a little bit of everything. We were served breads, fresh fruit, mini yogurt parfait, smoked salmon, cold cuts, pickles, cheeses, sausage links, bacon, kielbasa, Mickey waffles, potato-cheese casserole, ham, mini pancakes, French toast sticks, and tater bites.
Chef Mickeys
Don’t want that smoked salmon? On a low carb diet and don’t want to chow down on bread? Well, you get it anyway! Luckily, you can always bring your leftovers home to a salmon-lover in a to-go box.
Salmon
Of course, one of the BEST parts of any buffet is getting as much food as you want! That’s still the case at Chef Mickey’s. It’s just you’re not the one going up to grab another scoop of scrambled eggs. You just ask your server for whatever you want, and they’ll be the ones to go back up to the serving station and get another round of food for you.
Chef and server at Chef Mickey’s
When we dined there, our servers were VERY attentive. They even brought us another round of eggs after the ones at our table had been sitting there a while, so we could enjoy some hot ones!
Chef Mickey’s Meats and Eggs
The other big change at Chef Mickey’s? The crowds. Typically, this Monorail loop is one of Disney’s most popular dining spots for a pre-park day breakfast. But when we dined there (admittedly, toward the end of breakfast service), there were very few fellow diners.
Chef Mickey’s
Despite the lack of characters, breakfast at Chef Mickey’s is still a GREAT option for breakfast and is currently accepting reservations. The cost is $25 per adult and $14 for children ages 3-9. As more buffets open around Walt Disney World, we’ll continue to keep you updated on how they operate!
From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com Filed Under: Buffet, Character Dining, Contemporary Resort, Disney News, disney resorts, Featured, Walt Disney World, Chef Mickey’s, disney dining change, Disney World Changes, disney world dining, disney world dining changes, Disney World Reopen, disney world reopened, Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Walt Disney World Removes Toppings Bar From Restaurants
While visiting Magic Kingdom for the Annual Passholder Preview yesterday, we noticed that that toppings bars were removed from quick service locations, such as Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe and Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe.
Typically, guests can order their food and proceed to choose toppings such as lettuce, tomato, pickles, and more from the bar. However, due to sanitary concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic still present, guests have to use the My Disney Experience app to mobile order and customize meals.
All guests have to do is open the My Disney Experience app, go to ‘Mobile Food Orders,’ click on ‘Create new order,’ choose the restaurant you would like to order from as well as the time you would like to pick your food up, then choose your meal and any customizations you would like.
Check back here on Chip & Co. for the latest theme park and entertainment news updates!
From our friends at chipandco.com Filed Under: Disney Food, News, Parks & Resorts, Photos, Walt Disney World, disney restaurants, quick service, toppings bar, WDW
