I wanted to give you more construction pics for today, but DH said you’d prefer some food porn, so here we go! We’re headed to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the Sci-Fi Dine-In! 
Sci-Fi Dine-in in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a quintessential Disney experience. It’s imagineering and restauranteur-ing at its collaborative best: drive-in movies and good eats mixed together on a big ol’ sound stage in the middle of a theme park! The next time you bring someone new to Disney World and want to knock their socks off with something they’ve never seen before, book a reservation here. Atmosphere You’ll enter through what looks like a movie theater entrance, but find yourself here, in a soundstage-esque reservation area. The floors are concrete and you’re surrounded by [Read more…]
Et le gagnant est…
As I write this blog post, over 450 votes have been cast in the Walt Disney World Bakery Throw Down, and the runaway winner is…
Congratulations to the French Boulangerie Patisserie in Epcot on [Read more…]
The Healthiest Menu in the “World”
As you know, Disney has had an exclusive contract with Coke for quite some time (interesting story about that on snopes, true or false?), so the giant Coke bottles in Disney’s Hollywood Studios shouldn’t rattle anyone.
These are just past Pixar Place or the Streets of America, depending on [Read more…]
Disney World Bakery Throw Down: Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe
Welcome to the final post in our Walt Disney World Bakery Throw Down challenge! We’ve showcased four bakeries since mid-December, and today we proudly present Epcot’s Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe!
Atmosphere
Kringla Bakeri is located in the Norway pavilion of Epcot’s World Showcase. Walk through the door and you’ll find yourself in a quaint, Scandinavian kitchen — well, [Read more…]
New Tables in Wonderland Dinners Announced
Tables in Wonderland has announced four members-only dinners happening in January and February 2010. To attend the dinners, you must be either a Florida resident or an Annual Passholder at Walt Disney World, and have a valid Tables in Wonderland membership.
January
1/15/10: The Great Movie Ride Dinner at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Um…can I say COOL!? You get to have dinner inside the ride, as in reception in the Gangster Scene, plated dinner in the Western Scene, and dessert in the Land of Oz. No kidding.
$155 per person, 7:30-9:30pm. Send an email to [email protected] with your name, phone number, home address, number of people in your party, and your interest to book. Members will be notified on a first-come first-served basis.
Click for larger version:
1/20/10: The Wave’s Discovery Dinner at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
This month, the dinner features [Read more…]
Disney World Bakery Throw Down: Starring Rolls Cafe
Truly one of my favorite grab-and-go spots in Disney World, Starring Rolls is tiny, busy, and has some of the most delicious items I’ve ever tried, including the coveted Butterfinger Cupcake! While not technically a bakery, the shop rivals any of the other contestants with its rows of fresh and unique pastries and baked goods.
Atmosphere
Located on the corner of Sunset and Hollywood Boulevards, tucked back from the street, the Starring Rolls Bakery greets you with a bustling outdoor seating area.
Outdoor Seating Area
Find your way inside the small bakery and, well, by this time I’m usually already in a queue line! Grab a plate and a tray right inside the door and take your time looking at the baked goods as you make your way to the registers.
Mickey Waits Eagerly For Your Order
The “theme” in the bakery is pretty thin, but the art deco design and flour bags on the baker’s rack would indicate that we’re somewhere in the 20’s, 30’s, and early 40’s — Hollywood’s heyday.
Decor in Starring Rolls
Once you’ve gathered your sweets, you’ll see across from the two main registers a menu with drinks, including coffee drinks and coffee syrups, liqueurs, and wines. Yep — they have some fancy bakeries here in Hollywood!
Starring Rolls Bakery Registers and Check-Out area
Starring Rolls Drink Menu
It’s in this area that you can also order sandwiches, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves…
Eats
You’ll find delectable baked goods, bagels, huge sandwiches, fudge, and more in this unassuming little bakery, and I suggest that you try a little bit of everything! It actually is quite a versatile place to find a quick bite, but if you’re going to sample those massive cupcakes, I recommend bringing a friend! Here are the photos you’ve been waiting for… [Read more…]
Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano
Tucked into the back of Disney’s Hollywood Studios is Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano, an Italian restaurant with a very special theme.
Atmosphere
What is the theme, you ask? “Where Italy meets California in the heart of the Backlot,” of course. What does that mean? Well… most of us don’t really know or understand what it means… but here’s the general backstory: Mama Melrose moved from Italy to Hollywood to pursue acting, but was persuaded by friends to open a restaurant instead. (At least, this is one of the stories I’ve heard.)
So the kitschy “Italian home-cooking” restaurant — which would be at home in New York City’s Little Italy with its checked tablecloths, mis-matched furniture, and pizza oven — is (strangely) augmented by scads of Hollywood memorabilia from Mama’s collection. [Read more…]
Disney World Bakery Throw Down: Boardwalk Bakery
Welcome to the third bakery in our Disney World Bakery Throw Down: The Boardwalk Bakery!
Atmosphere
Located on the Disney World Boardwalk, the Boardwalk Bakery is within walking distance of many of Disney World’s hotels and attractions. It’s a great place to take a break from a day in either Epcot or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Or just head downstairs from your hotel room at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn and Villas!
Boardwalk Bakery Entry
As you approach the bakery, the windows will remind you what’s available…
…and who’s responsible!
Along the windows, you’ll see several outdoor tables and chairs. Be sure to snag them quickly; this is the bakery’s only seating! Of course, you could always stroll along the boardwalk with your purchases and find seating along the way.
Boardwalk Bakery Seating
Head inside the double doors and you’ll be greeted by a small space bordered by baked goods and condiment counters. Look over the counter to your left, and you might see some Disney bakers making specialty items for one of the resorts, or even a wedding cake!
Boardwalk Bakery condiment counter
Eats
You’ll find options for any time of day on the Boardwalk Bakery menu, from breakfast baked goods to salads to sandwiches.
Boardwalk Bakery Breakfast Menu
Boardwalk Bakery Lunch and Dinner Menu
Refrigerators to your right will hold drinks, sandwiches, and salads:
Cold Items and Drinks
Salads
Salads and Fruit
The long glass display cases will be chock full of goodies and custom cakes:
Muffins, Danish, and Cupcakes
Sweets of all Sorts
Boardwalk Bakery Cakes
Mickey Cake
And the bakers’ racks will be slowly filling up with freshly baked items:
Muffins cooling on the bakers' racks
While waiting for your order, take a peek at the wall behind those bakers’ racks to see the detailed images of baked goods painted on the tiles. As usual, Disney spares no expense when it comes to detail!
Also, take a few minutes to look beyond those counters and see some real bakers at work; this is one of the few places to see a real behind-the-scenes look at the type of baking that happens in Disney’s biggest, busiest, and most professional bakeries! I wasn’t kidding about that wedding cake I mentioned earlier — they really do make them here!
Vote For Your Favorite!
Thanks for joining us as we visited the third of the five Walt Disney World Bakeries we’re showcasing on the Throw Down! First was Magic Kingdom’s Main Street Bakery, second was Boulangerie Patisserie, and we’ll be highlighting the other two throughout the month.
You can vote for your favorite right here:
What's Your Favorite Bakery in Walt Disney World?
- Boulangerie Patisserie (Epcot) (40%)
- Main Street Bakery (Magic Kingdom) (27%)
- Kringla Bakeri og Kafe (Epcot) (13%)
- Boardwalk Bakery (Boardwalk) (11%)
- Starring Rolls Bakery (Disney's Hollywood Studios) (8%)
- Other (1%)
Loading ...If you have a stand-out favorite bakery, weigh in with your comments via twitter, facebook, or email.
In January, I’ll post the results, along with any reader insights as to what makes those particular bakeries so special. If you have another bakery you like better, vote “other.” (I’d love to hear what the “others” are as well!)
Top Three Milkshakes in Disney World
Editor’s Note: We’ve amended this earlier post to reflect that Beaches and Cream does now accept Advance Dining Reservations.
There are plenty of places to grab a milkshake in Disney World, but there are a few that are spectacular. Pulled from an informal reader survey taken earlier this year, here are the top contenders:
50’s Prime Time Cafe
The 50’s Prime Time Cafe in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is well known among Disneyphiles as the place where television, formica, and fun reign supreme.
At this clever cafe, the focus is on food straight from Mom’s Kitchen, and your meals are served by your “cousins,” “aunts,” and “uncles.” You can choose from 1950’s favorites, including meatloaf, fried chicken, and pot roast.
And after your meal, the dessert menu comes to your table. But this is your normal dessert menu — it’s a viewfinder. You remember, those pictorial toys that you used to view images of the Grand Canyon and Disneyland when you were a kid? That’s the one! Except, this time, you get to see the yummy desserts available at the restaurant. (Almost as good as the Grand Canyon, no?) One of those desserts is arguably the most delicious malted milkshake I’ve ever had. Very thick and served in a tall glass, with the extra in the shake cup on the side, you might just need that spoon…
50’s Prime Time Cafe Malted Milkshake and Viewfinder
Beaches and Cream
One of our favorite restaurants is Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club Resort near Epcot. This place is reminiscent of a mid-century soda shop, complete with mirrored walls, a long counter for seating, pastel tiled floors, and wrought-iron tables.
What you order here is burgers, fries, hot dogs, onion rings, and a french dip sandwich if you’re feeling fancy. But the real reason to head to Beaches and Cream isn’t for the fried food (though it’s delicious); it’s for the ice cream! Beaches and Cream is famous for its giant sundaes, including the Kitchen Sink, which includes scoops of every flavor of ice cream, every single topping, candy bars, oreos, and a whole can of whipped cream.
We usually intersperse our sundae orders with an occasional milkshake order. Served in a soda fountain glass (you get the extra on the side here, too), you’ll be instantly transported back in time to your days at the drugstore.
Beaches and Cream Milkshake
Sci-Fi Dine In
This is a restaurant like no other. You sit in a car. It’s dark — very dark. There are hilarious, old-fashioned B movies playing on a massive screen in front of you. Yet you’re eating spinach and artichoke dip? Indeed!
This place, found in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, is true Disney Imagineering at its best. You’re meant to feel as though you’re sitting in your convertible at a 1950’s drive-in, and, amazingly, it all works! Well-trained CMs weave in and out of dozens of parked cars — in the dark — taking orders, bringing food, bussing tables, and never getting in the way of the movie trailers playing on the screen. It’s a fun, interesting, and exciting meal, to be certain.
And though I can highly recommend the cheesecake for dessert, the truly authentic dessert is the milkshake! Any flavor is delicious, and a wonderful ending to a delicious meal.
Sci Fi Milkshake
Let Us Know Your Thoughts
Have you tried one of these milkshakes, or do you have an idea for a contender for the top three? Let me know by leaving a comment on the post! Would love to hear from challengers!
Photo Credit: SanctumSolitude
Restaurant iPhone App for Disney World’s Swan and Dolphin Resorts
Some cool news about the Swolphin: there’s an iPhone and iTouch application devoted to their restaurants.
Head over to the app and choose to visit one of the following: Signature Dining, Casual Dining, Quick Service, Character Dining, Lounges, Photos, or More Info. You can quickly and easily see menus and even make reservations from your phone, no matter where you are! You can find out more info about the app at the Swan and Dolphin website.
The Swan and Dolphin Resorts are located centrally in Walt Disney World, within walking distance of both Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. They boast 17 restaurants and lounges, including Todd English’s bluezoo; Shula’s Steak House; and Italian restaurant, Il Mulino New York Trattoria.
Have you tried the Swan and Dolphin restaurant iPhone app? Would love to hear your review. You can contact me via twitter, facebook, or email. Thanks!
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