Tag: disney springs re-opening

The 8 BIGGEST Disney World Menu Changes That Happened This Week!

Post author By disneyfoodblog.com
Post date May 26, 2020

We stopped by Disney Springs to check out the newly reopened locations and, of course, enjoy some eats!

Bruschetta

Disney Springs began a phased reopening on May 20th, with select third-party shops and restaurants welcoming back guests. And the new health and safety measures weren’t the only thing that was different — we also spotted menu updates at several of the Disney Springs restaurants. Here are the biggest menu changes we saw!

The Polite Pig

We swung by The Polite Pig and found a few new menu items waiting for us to enjoy! Pork Rinds are now available, complete with a pimento dipping sauce!

Pork Rinds

But wait, there’s more! They’ve also added a new Chef’s Special — Shrimp and Grits! With smoked grilled shrimp covered in a honey peppercorn glaze and served over a bed of creamy cheddar grits, this was just too good to pass up!

Chef’s Special at The Polite Pig

We also noticed creamed corn and a private barrel bourbon flight which were both new to the menu.

Polite Pig Creamed Corn and More

And just a heads up, we checked with a member of the team and confirmed that the Gideon’s Bakehouse cookies are not available at The Polite Pig right now. But don’t worry, they will be back eventually!

Starbucks

And Starbucks welcomed back guests — literally — with the “Welcome Back” drink — a blended mango dragonfruit refresher with coconut milk, strawberries, blueberries, and pineapple ginger syrup topped with golden ginger whipped cream!

Welcome Back Drink at Starbucks

This drink was super refreshing and we loved the combo of fruity flavors! No word on how long it will stick around, but if it’s available on your next visit to Disney Springs, we recommend giving it a try!

Check out our first visit back to Starbucks in Disney Springs!

Frontera Cocina

Frontera Cocina will be offering a modified menu for a limited time, so we stopped by to give a few of the options a taste! We tried the Play With Fire Margarita and the Chipotle Chicken Flautas, which were both fantastic!

Flautas and Margarita

The margarita was made with cucumber, jalapeño, fresh lime juice, agave nectar, a hibiscus salt rim, and your choice of Montelobos mezcal or Tromba Blanco Tequila. It was a great blend of sweet and tart, with just the slightest hint of heat!

Play with Fire Margarita

And the Chipotle Chicken Flautas were filled with a mix of mashed potatoes (!!!) and chicken, which made for a wonderful flavor combo! Frontera Cocina was two-for-two in our book!

To read our full review from Frontera Cocina, click here!

Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill

Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill also sported some menu changes at both their table-service restaurant and to-go counter. The table-service restaurant is temporarily offering an all-day menu, rather than separate lunch and dinner menus.

Wolfgang Puck Modified Menu

Since the items inside skew more towards dinner, they’ve started offering more lunch items at the to-go window. And there are new desserts to-go as well — the Reese’s Cookie, Strawberry Shortcake, and Salted Caramel Banana Pudding all made their debut!

Plus, they’ve also started offering cocktails to-go, which were previously only available inside.

Wolfgang Puck To Go

We tried a few of the new to-go items as well as the tried-and-true favorite appetizer, bruschetta, from the restaurant.

Bruschetta

Spoiler alert, everything we had here was fantastic! But we have to give a special shoutout to the star of the show, the Salted Caramel Gelato topped Banana Pudding.

Check out our full experience at Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill!

Earl of Sandwich

We also stopped by Earl of Sandwich, one of our favorite Disney Springs staples, to try the new-to-us Chocolatti drink. What exactly is a Chocolatti? We’re glad you asked!

It’s blended Ghirardelli chocolate topped with sea salt, whipped cream, and chocolate sprinkles.

Chocolatti

We liked how cool and refreshing this drink was, but it wasn’t quite as chocolatey as we were expecting. But if you’re looking for a more understated chocolate flavor, this might be for you!

Check out our first trip back to the reopened Earl of Sandwich!

Morimoto Asia Street Food

Morimoto Asia Street Food reopened on May 22nd, and we couldn’t wait to stop by and check it out! They’re offering a temporary menu with reduced options, but we still found plenty to satisfy our cravings!

We tried the Spicy Chashu Ramen, which we’ve previously seen offered on the Morimoto Asia table-service menu.

Spicy Chashu Ramen

The ramen was quite spicy and delicious! If you’re heat-adverse, you might want to stick to the Tonkotsu Ramen instead, but we loved the heat! We also noticed that they switched out the pork tenderloin bowl with a beef tenderloin bowl.

Click here for our full experience at Morimoto Asia Street Food!

Wine Bar George

We also stopped by the delightful Wine Bar George and spotted some new Fries and Frozen drink pairings at their quick service spot, The Basket! We did confirm with a member of the team that these are suggested pairings, but they aren’t being sold as a combo deal at this time.

But see if you can resist these incredible pairings! How about the Queso Fries with the signature Frosé??

Queso Fries

Or maybe the Togarashi Fries with Friezling made with Dole Whip Lime is more your style?

Togarashi Fries

Or maybe you’re interested in the heavenly pairing of California Fries with Frozcato made with Dole Whip Pineapple?

California Fries

Or, last but not least, what do you think of the Buffalo Fries with Freaujolais?

Buffalo Fries with Freaujolais

Each of these baskets comes with a whole POUND of fries, so this is a great snack if you’re starting to feel hangry! Each flavor of fries was a winner in our book. What can we say, Wine Bar George has knocked it out of the park again!

Click here for our review of the loaded fries at The Basket!

Paradiso 37

We also noticed some menu changes at Paradiso 37. They’re also offering limited menu options for the time being, as we saw with several Disney Springs restaurants.

Paradiso 37 Outside View

We did spot a few new items on the menu, including Beef Empanadas filled with beef, sour cream, and pineapple chutney and those Mini Ice Cream Cones are back!

Here are 4 awesome Disney Springs dining deals, including Happy Hour specials at Paradiso 37!

We were happy to be back in our element at Disney Springs, and having some new menu items to check out made it even better! We’re continuing to keep an eye on the eats and drinks available in Disney Springs, so stay tuned for more updates!

We were at the reopening of Disney Springs…here’s everything you need to know!

Which Disney Springs restaurant are you the most excited to visit? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Counter-Service, Disney Springs, Featured, Snacks, Table-Service, Walt Disney World, bbq pork bun, Disney Springs Earl of Sandwich, disney springs re-opening, disney springs reopen, disney springs reopening, disney springs restaurant, disney springs restaurants, disney springs starbucks, Earl of Sandwich, Frontera Cocina, Loaded Fries, margarita, Morimoto Asia Street Food, Paradiso 37, pork rinds, Ramen, reeses cookie, salted caramel banana pudding, spicy chashu ramen, Starbucks, strawberry shortcake, The Basket at Wine Bar George, The Polite Pig, Wine Bar George, Wolfgang Puck, Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill

Disney Food Disney Parks Other

REVIEW! We Found BEER CHEESE…at Morimoto Asia in Disney World?!

Post author By disneyfoodblog.com
Post date May 23, 2020

Disney Springs began its phased reopening on May 20th to welcome guests back to its third-party restaurants and stores.

Morimoto Asia

Since there are plenty of new health and safety procedures in place across Disney Springs, restaurants are limiting capacity and implementing social distancing measures. And, while we gave you ALL the details on dining in Disney Springs, we’re back again for more food! But, this time, we’re heading to Morimoto Asia for some Japanese cuisine.

Check In

When you first arrive at the restaurant, there are is a line for guests with reservations to the left, with distancing stickers on the ground.

Morimoto Asia Line

And, there’s a separate line for drop-in guests to the right of the restaurant.

Morimoto Asia Distancing Signs

Atmosphere

Every time we walk into Morimoto Asia, we can’t get over how BEAUTIFUL the atmosphere is! It feels like you’re walking into a magical fantasy with its string light chandeliers (which fit right into Disney World!).

Morimoto Asia

Although we noticed that the cocktail bar and sushi bar were both closed, you can still order both of them at your table! So, don’t worry — you can get that Sake with your meal!

Morimoto Asia Sign

Annnd, you’re going to want to pull out your phone to check the menu since Morimoto Asia is only using a QR menu for the time being.

Morimoto Sign

If you don’t have a compatible device, notify your servers and they will be able to assist you! But know that Morimoto Asia is operating with a limited menu, so your favorite meal might not be available at this time.

Drinks

As we were deciding what to get, our server told us that two new drinks were debuting at the restaurant!

Forbidden Highball and Sparkling Belvedere

The Sparkling Belvedere is Morimoto’s twist on a Cosmo made with belvedere vodka, yuzu, cranberry, and topped with sparkling rosé for $18. Just like a regular Cosmo, the Sparkling Belvedere was delicious and SUPER refreshing. But, the most unique part of the cocktail was the citrusy yuzu — which added some tartness to the otherwise sweeter flavors!

Sparkling Belvedere

The Forbidden Highball is a simple combination of Toki Japanese whiskey and soda water, but don’t be fooled — it packs a lot of flavor! We were actually surprised that the drink was made with whiskey since it is so light. Our server told us that Morimoto is actually one of the few restaurants in the United States that sells Toki. So, in order to make the Forbidden Highball, Morimoto had to get a special machine called the Toki Highball to mix the drink properly.

Forbidden Highball

You can grab the Forbidden Highball for $16!

Eats

After we ordered, we were given disposable plastic silverware and chopsticks to use. We started our meal off with the Cauliflower and Cheese Spring Rolls for $16, which actually surprised us by how much of a treat they are!

Cauliflower Spring Rolls

While most restaurants with Asian cuisine might leans towards a more traditional Spring Roll, Morimoto’s unique twist was extremely good with plenty of cheese packed into the flaky rolls.

Inside the Cauliflower Spring Rolls

The Cauliflower and Cheese Spring Rolls also came with a side of Buffalo Beer Cheese Sauce, which is SO GOOD. We won’t pass up an opportunity for some extra cheese with a spicy kick!

Buffalo Beer Cheese Sauce

After all that cheesy goodness, we decided to try the Buri Bop and Beef Lo Mein for our main courses. And, if you have never had Buri Bop, it’s basically a little show as it’s prepared in front of you for $36 ! Iron Chef Morimoto actually won Japan’s Iron Chef Competition with this recipe, so it’s one of the restaurant’s favorite things to serve up. (We stan an iconic dish!)

Buri Bop Being Made!

The chef started with raw Japanese yellowtail and a raw egg with rice and veggies (including chili curls that look BOMB). It was presented in a 550 degree hot bowl (!!!) and the chef seared the fish on it while he stirred the other ingredients and cooked the egg.

Anybody Else Super Hungry Now??

If the show doesn’t sound interesting enough, the flavors of the dish were AH-MAZING. Even if you aren’t normally a fan of fish this Buri Bop might just change your mind!

Yellowtail Fish

The bowl was packed with flavors of ginger and soy in every bite of the yellowtail and rice. Since the Buri Bop sat in the hot dish, the rice at the bottom got all crispy, which was a great texture contrast to the other soft ingredients.

Buri Bop

And, believe it or not, our meal got even better since the Beef Lo Mein was also incredible! The dish was made with stir-fried noodles, beef tenderloin, napa cabbage, carrots, bean sprout, mushroom, and scallions for $25.

Beef Lo Mein

Although it may seem like a more typical meal to find at a restaurant like this, it was a stand-out against other lo meins that we’ve had! The beef tasted like very good quality and was cooked well. The flavors of the mushrooms and scallions added to the tender beef. Plus, that beef and veggie to noodle ratio was ON POINT, so you get enough of each part when you take each bite!

Beef Lo Mein Noodles

The only thing that could have made our meal better was dessert. BUT, Morimoto Asia isn’t serving dessert right now since the company that makes their ice cream hasn’t opened yet.

Overall

Morimoto Asia is one of those spots in Disney Springs that consistently serves up amazing food, even if you’re just trying the Street Food quick-stop outside!

Morimoto Asia

If you’re looking for a place to have traditional Japanese cuisine or try something new, check out Morimoto Asia the next time you’re in Disney Springs. Plus, that Buri Bop turned our dinner into dinner with a show!

Have you eaten at Morimoto Asia before? Let us know your experience in the comments below!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney restaurant review, Disney Springs, Featured, Table-Service, Walt Disney World, Disney, disney restaurant, disney springs, disney springs crowd levels, disney springs dining, disney springs re-opening, disney springs reopening, Disney World, health and safety measures, highball, lo mein, Morimoto, Morimoto Asia, reservation, Tori

Tags disney, disney restaurant, disney restaurant review, Disney Springs, disney springs crowd levels, disney springs dining, disney springs re-opening, disney springs reopening, Disney World, Featured, health and safety measures, highball, lo mein, Morimoto, Morimoto Asia, reservation, Table-Service, Tori, Walt Disney World

Disney Food Disney Parks Other

PHOTOS and Review: We Tried Disney World’s New Frozen WINE & Loaded FRIES Pairing

Post author By disneyfoodblog.com
Post date May 23, 2020

Earlier today, we shared some very important news from The Basket at Wine Bar George (in addition to these adorable tumblers).

Corticle Tumbers

In case you missed it, they are now pairing their loaded french fries with frozen beverages! So we headed to the recently reopened Disney Springs to see if THIS could be our go-to snack for the summer!

The Basket’s “Frozen & Fries” are Wine Bar George’s suggestions to make a delicious combo of french fries and frozen drinks to go. Since they are suggestions, they are not being sold as a combo deal at this time. But to refresh your memory, you can choose from the following Frozen & Fries:

They paired Queso Fries with their signature Frosé.

Queso Fries with Frosé © Wine Bar George

Or you can grab the Togarashi Fries with Friezling made with Dole Whip Lime.

Togarashi Fries with Friezling made with Dole Whip Lime © Wine Bar George

And the list continues with California Fries with Frozcato made with Dole Whip Pineapple (because we think there is no such thing as too much Dole Whip).

California Fries with Frozcato made with Dole Whip Pineapple © Wine Bar George

It was a tough choice, but we opted to try the Buffalo Fries with Freaujolais on our maiden Frozen & Fries voyage.

Instagram…

Buffalo Fries with Freaujolais © Wine Bar George

…versus reality! Well done, Wine Bar George. We had to take these to-go because the tables that are normally outside The Basket are currently for the Wine Bar George Restaurant only. But, don’t underestimate our ability to use a trash can (or in this case, a wine barrel) as a make-shift table.

Buffalo Fries with Freaujolais

In a word: YES. These seasoned fries were topped with buffalo sauce, buffalo salt, blue cheese, and chives — and they were delicious. They were served with generous chunks of blue cheese (fortunately we were digging it, but if you aren’t a blue cheese fan, you might not be into it). The fries were well seasoned with the buffalo salt, so you can taste extra buffalo flavor in addition to the sauce.

As far as buffalo sauce goes, we’d probably rate this medium because there was a kick, but our mouths weren’t totally on fire afterwards. But if you’re sensitive to heat, you may want to try a different basket. We thought there was a pretty generous portion of fries and the basket was $8.

Buffalo Fries

It might not be summer yet, but we be sweatin’ in the Florida heat. Or was it the buffalo sauce…hard to say. Either way, the Freaujolais was a delightful way to cool off. It’s made with Beaujolais, Vodka, and Raspberry for $13. We found it to be much more refreshing and not quite as sweet as the Dole Whip drinks (thank you, red wine).

Freaujolais

Overall we thought these Frozen & Fries were a sweet, spicy, tangy flavor combo that we can get behind! If you loved the Buffalo Chicken Loaded Tots from Magic Kingdom, this is a great snack to tide you over while the parks are closed!

Which Frozen & Fries combo would you want to try? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney restaurant review, Disney Springs, Featured, Snacks, Walt Disney World, buffalo, buffalo fries, Disney, disney dining, disney springs, disney springs re-opening, Disney World, freajolais, french fries, Fries, frozen drink, Loaded Fries, reopened disney springs, reopening, The Basket, The Basket at Wine Bar George, Wine Bar George

Disney Parks Other

Review: We’re Trying the Chocolatti Drink at the Reopened Earl of Sandwich in Disney World

Post author By disneyfoodblog.com
Post date May 20, 2020

Disney Springs has started its phased reopening today, with select third-party restaurant and retail locations welcoming back guests.

Earl of Sandwich

Disney Springs has started to reopen with additional health and safety measures in place. And, while not all locations have resumed operations, Earl of Sandwich has officially reopened. Our team headed out to get a feel for how things are going around Disney Springs — so, let’s take a peek inside Earl of Sandwich!

Last week, we learned that Earl of Sandwich would be reopening their doors on May 20th. So, we stopped by to see how things look inside one of our favorite sandwich shops. Much of these protocols were present at other counter service dining locations. Our first encounter with Earl included ground markers outside in case they needed to start an outdoor queue, but we were able to head right inside!

Earl of Sandwich

Service

Like other locations today at Disney Springs, floor markers were present to remind guests to stand six feet apart while in line.

Earl of Sandwich

We saw employees wearing masks as well as gloves. Similar to our experience at Chicken Guy!, guests were not allowed to approach the counter where you would normally grab cup lids, napkins, and utensils. An employee was ready to grab whatever you needed for you!

Earl of Sandwich

This included filling and refilling whatever fountain drinks you need.

Earl of Sandwich

There was hand sanitizer ready and available for customers to use.

Earl of Sandwich

Like other dining locations, indoor, as well as outdoor tables, were spread out to meet physical distancing guidelines.

Earl of Sandwich

Eats (or rather, drinks!)

Obviously, we had to give something a try while we visited Earl! We picked up the new-to-us Chocolatti beverage, which is blended Ghirardelli chocolate topped with sea salt, whipped cream, and chocolate sprinkles. Essentially a chocolate lover’s dream, or so we thought!

Chocolatti

While we found the drink to be a cool and refreshing sip on a hot Florida afternoon, we wished the chocolate flavor was more pronounced. Especially when you include Ghirardelli as your main ingredient, we want to taste ALL that chocolatey goodness!

Chocolatti at Earl of Sandwich

Payment

The plexiglass screen guards were present at the registers for Earl of Sandwich. Other than that, the payment process was very familiar and not as out of the ordinary to us. At this time, they are still accepting cash as a method of payment.

Earl of Sandwich

Overall Experience

As a long-standing Disney Springs staple, Earl of Sandwich is back and in full swing! We noticed many similar protocols to other counter service dining locations throughout Disney Springs.

What is your favorite menu item at Earl of Sandwich? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Counter-Service, Disney Springs, Featured, Walt Disney World, disney springs crowd levels, Disney Springs Earl of Sandwich, disney springs re-opening, disney springs reopening, Earl of Sandwich, health and safety measures

Tags Counter-Service, Disney Springs, disney springs crowd levels, Disney Springs Earl of Sandwich, disney springs re-opening, disney springs reopening, Earl of Sandwich, Featured, health and safety measures, Walt Disney World

Disney Parks Other

First Look at Frontera Cocina’s Modified Menu For Disney Springs’ Reopening!

Post author By disneyfoodblog.com
Post date May 19, 2020

Disney Springs will begin a phased reopening on May 20th, with select third-party restaurants and retail locations welcoming back guests.

Frontera Cocina

Frontera Cocina will reopen with Disney Springs on May 20th. And, the restaurant has just shared the temporary menu that they will initially offer!

When Disney Springs reopens, there will be several changes in place. In addition to health and safety measures across property, there will be some location-specific differences as well. One such change — some restaurants will temporarily feature different or limited menu items. And Frontera Cocina has just given us a peek at the delicious bites we can enjoy when they reopen!

Queso Fundido

The menu features several starters, salads, tacos, entrees, sides, and desserts for guests to choose from. And we were excited to see some of our favorite eats will be available (hellooooo Queso Fundido)! Here’s a look at the starters, salads, and tacos that will be offered.

And here are the entrees, sides, and desserts!

And, of course, there will be drinks as well! Here are the margaritas, tequila, and sangria guests 21 and older can enjoy.

Plus, cocktails, beer, wine, mezcal, and other beverages will also be available.

Frontera Cocina will be reopening with this temporary menu on May 20th. Until then, you can check out our review and see the previous menu here!

Have you eaten at Frontera Cocina? Share your experience with us in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney Springs, Featured, Table-Service, Walt Disney World, Disney, disney dining, disney springs, disney springs dining, disney springs re-opening, disney springs reopening, Disney World, Frontera Cocina, temporary menu

Tags disney, disney dining, Disney Springs, disney springs dining, disney springs re-opening, disney springs reopening, Disney World, Featured, Frontera Cocina, Table-Service, temporary menu, Walt Disney World