Dining News at Walt Disney World Resort

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Table is Set for Exciting Dining Additions Coming to Epcot

Two exciting additions are coming to Epcot World Showcase, with culinary expansions under way at the Italy pavilion and Mexico pavilion.

In Italy, an authentic Neapolitan pizzeria to be named Via Napoli is under construction with opening planned for fall 2010 in time for the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. Operated by Patina Restaurant Group, the same restaurateurs who run the pavilion’s Tutto Italia Ristorante, the 300-seat pizzeria is inspired by Naples 45, another Patina Restaurant Group pizzeria on East 45th Street in New York City.

The casual pizzeria will feature wood-burning ovens – and will import water from a source that most resembles the water in Naples, Italy, home of some of the world’s best pizza dough. The menu also will feature pastas, salads, sandwiches and Italian wines.

The 14,000-square-foot space will include indoor and outdoor dining.

At Mexico, the popular Cantina de San Angel restaurant is expanding, and will feature 400 seats with al fresco seating for lunch and a perfect place for viewing “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth,” the nightly Epcot fireworks spectacular.

The restaurant will feature south-of-the border creations from the culinary team at San Angel Inn LLC, who have run both the outside eatery and the pavilion’s San Angel Inn for more than 25 years. Opening also is set for fall 2010.

Disney World's New Reservation System

Here is the official announcement regarding the changes:

With the growing pattern of Guests booking their dining, recreation and tour experiences closer to their travel dates as they finalize their vacation itineraries, we will be adjusting the booking window for those experiences to a 90-day period, effective December 23, 2008.

Disney Resort Hotel Guests may book 90 days prior to their scheduled check-in date for the first 10 days of their stay. Day Guests may book 90 days prior to the date they wish to dine.

Due to the unique components and special nuances of Grand Gathering experiences and La Nouba performances, reservations for these offerings can be made up to 180 days in advance.

All existing reservations will be honored as booked.

Quick-service eats go high tech at the new Contempo Cafe in the Grand Canyon Concourse at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Walt Disney World guests peruse the menu on electronic boards with color photos, then place orders at touch screens and head directly to a cashier.
More

Garden Grill Lunch - The Land - As of October 6, 2008, Epcot's Garden Grill will no longer serve lunch. The Garden Grill will continue to serve dinner.

Beginning January 5, 2009, the Magic Kingdom's Liberty Tree Tavern will no longer offer character dining.

New Year's Eve buffet dinner at Epcot.

New Tastes in Every Corner of Walt Disney World Resort

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- With great eats everywhere -- from luxe restaurants to fast-casual food in the theme parks, dining has become a significant part of the Walt Disney World vacation experience.

"We're evolving to a foodie destination," said Regynald Washington, vice president of Segment Food & Beverage, Product Development and New Concepts, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. "Savvy Disney guests know the trends and expect to be wowed."

With more than 300 choices for a meal, guests don't have to travel the globe to taste the world. From South African wines to artisinal olive oils and Japanese beef, Walt Disney World restaurants offer a dazzling array of upscale dining. And you'll also find micro-brews, house-made gelatis and other fast-casual tastes with big flavors.

Each fall, more than one million fans head to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, a premier culinary event that has helped raise the bar on fine dining at Disney. Featuring great celebrity chefs and wine connoisseurs in the spectacular setting of World Showcase, the 2008 festival is Sept. 26-Nov. 9 with tastes of wine, beer and food from around the world.

"Food and drink are the perfect attractions," said Washington. "Our chefs are taking their cuisine to a new level with exciting new concepts."

What's New
At Epcot, four of the 11 World Showcase countries are getting -- or have just gotten -- a dining makeover.
"World Showcase is timeless, and continually evolving with more interactive experiences," said Dieter Hannig, vice president of Food & Beverage New Concepts. "As our world grows smaller, Epcot grows more exciting, more authentic. The dreams and ideas are endless."
Here's what's on the front burner at Epcot:
· Patina Group's Tutto Italia Ristorante opened in late 2007 in the Italy pavilion. Expansion and more changes are planned for late 2009.

· In October 2007, the Japan pavilion debuted Tokyo Dining and Teppan Edo, a dramatic redevelopment of their dining rooms.

· China's Nine Dragons restaurant recently reopened its completely redesigned dining room and debuted a new menu.

· By fall 2009, a new tequila bar opens adjacent to San Angel Inn in the Mexico pavilion, and the outdoor Cantina de San Angel expands, with more seating and a new menu by summer 2009.

At Disney's Animal Kingdom, guests who travel to the land of Asia get a taste of that exotic part of the world at the new Yak & Yeti Restaurant. The Asian-fusion eatery offers table-service dining and a full-service bar, as well as quick-service food and beer-garden options, and retail offerings from Pan-Asia ranging from silk purses, incense and saris to fine teapots. It seats 250 inside for table-service dining and 350 in a quick-service courtyard. Yak & Yeti is operated by Landry's Restaurants, which operates the Rainforest Cafes at Disney's Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney.

Tusker House Restaurant in Disney's Animal Kingdom has converted to an African-inspired buffet restaurant that includes a character breakfast, Donald's Safari Breakfast. Hours are 8-10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. until the park closes. The restaurant features both indoor and outdoor seating.

Disney's Coronado Springs Resort is home to the new Rix Lounge, a 5,000-square-foot nightlife venue featuring house music, specialty drinks, tapas-style appetizers and rotating entertainment. State-of-the-art lighting and sound systems create a first-class, fresh, contemporary and sophisticated ambiance. Rix is operated by Springs Food Service, LLC, a sister company of Palmas Services, LLC, that has operated the San Angel Inn Restaurant and La Cantina in the Mexico pavilion at Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort since opening in 1982.

This summer, The Wave debuted at Disney's Contemporary Resort. Located on the first floor with a "super lounge," the upscale restaurant offers "bold American cooking with flavors from all over the world." Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, The Wave offers seasonal menus featuring local and regional products when possible, organic beers and trendy cocktails such as the "antioxidant cosmo" with açai juice. The innovative wine list has a quirky claim to fame: all screw caps, no corks. Cutting-edge wines from around the globe are showcased.

What's Next

Later this year, Downtown Disney guests can dine face to face with a dinosaur at T-Rex: A Prehistoric Family Adventure, A Place to Eat, Shop, Explore and Discover, which combines table-service dining and retail in an interactive prehistoric environment built around water, fire and ice. The restaurant also is operated by Landry's Restaurants.

Joining T-Rex at Downtown Disney in 2009 will be a new concept by E-Brands Restaurants, an Orlando-based, multi-concept restaurant group. The high-energy, casual eatery will feature authentic Central and South American cuisine, specialty tequilas, premium wines and live music to entertain guests of all ages along the waterfront. The concept will come to life in a 5,000-square-foot, hacienda-style interior featuring rustic beams that contrast against modern fixtures, stone floors, and windows that roll up to create an open-air environment.

Also in 2009, a third restaurant is coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge -- Sanaa, featuring "African cooking inspired with Indian flavors."

Paying Attention to Nutrition

Kids' menus at Disney are evolving, and recent changes make healthier choices the standard instead of the "alternate." Carrot sticks in place of french fries and 1 percent milk or bottled water instead of soda, for instance. Guests must request fries and sodas (at no additional cost).

"The new healthful menus expand the options for our guests," said Ed Wronski, director of Product Development for Walt Disney World Food & Beverage. "The reaction, both from the chefs and the guests, has been very, very positive."

The revised menus require that no more than 35 percent of calories can come from fat -- saturated fat and sugar must account for no more than 10 percent of the meal's calories.
Walt Disney World Resort continues to work on removing added trans fats from food served in parks and resorts. All partially hydrogenated oils also eventually will be phased out. And Disney Parks & Resorts also is committed to offering healthy snack options that are widely available. The number of fresh fruit carts at the parks is steadily increasing while other nutritious snacks like nuts and trail mix also are more readily available.

Constantly looking for ways to improve the nutritional profiles and tastes of popular entrées, Disney instituted other changes including a new guest-tested hamburger with fat content less than 20 percent and buns with 10 percent whole wheat, and new pizzas with lower bread and lower-fat cheese.

Disney is working with manufacturers to reformulate recipes for candy, packaged food and bakery items sold in the parks, or identifying replacement products. Portion-controlled snacks and treats and packaging to promote nutritious food are part of the changes.

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