Why is Disney Popcorn so Good?

By Nick

For some reason, Walt Disney World popcorn and specifically, Magic Kingdom popcorn, tastes better than popcorn anywhere else, with the exception of Disneyland.

It's the perfect accompaniment to a Castle show, a parade, or a fireworks spectacular, or even just to enjoy while taking a stroll up Main Street. The following picture of Barbie and me was taken on January 19th, National Popcorn Day in WDW's Magic Kingdom.
Can you think of a better place to celebrate?

 

This was originally posted on the Disney Musings Blog, which Nick co-writes and edits.

Napa Rose at the Disneyland Resort

Napa Rose at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel

By: Nick Maglio, co-writer of the Disney Musings Blog

Last Friday I shared an excellent dining experience at the Carthay Circle Restaurant in Disney California Adventure. Today I'd like to share what was arguably an even better meal at Napa Rose at the Disney's Grand Californian Hotel at the Disneyland Resort.

I say arguably because our dining party, consisting of Barbie, her cousin Jill, Jill's husband Zach and me, literally couldn't agree on which meal was superior.

Let's look at this lovely establishment located at the equally beautiful Disney Grand Californian Hotel. As you enter, there is a lounge to the right.

 The dining room is warm and inviting, featuring an open kitchen.

 

 Barbie

There is a great wine selection, and Jill and Zach picked an excellent bottle for the table, Foxen Pinot Noir 2010.

For an appetizer, I had the Crepe Filled with Duck Confit and Swiss Chard, Carrot Puree and Pinot Noir Essence, $17.

Barbie had the Bellwether Farms Ricotta "Malfatti" Dumplings, Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Tuscan Kale and Blood Orange Vinaigrette, $17.

Zach had the Slowly Braised Kobe Beef Cheeks, with Parsnip Ravioli and Cabernet Broth, $20.

All of us loved our appetizers. As I was in a ducky mood, I continued with that theme with my even more wonderful entree, the Cedar Roasted Maple Leaf Duck Breast, Truffle Pumpkin Puree, Tree Mushrooms and Brown Butter Vinaigrette, $40.

Barbie and Zach had the  Sauteed Sustainable Fish of the Day - Roasted Golden Cauliflower Couscous and Cranberry-Walnut Pesto, $39, the fish that evening was Swordfish. This was Barbie's favorite dish of the entire trip, and that is saying something!

Zach also ordered the Truffled "Mac & Cheese" Orecchiette Pasta, with Parmigiano-Reggiano, $12 which was delicious, which he was kind enough to share, and it was delicious.

Jill had the Herb Roasted Colorado Rack of Lamb, Jalapeno Cheddar Pop-over, Roasted Root Vegetables and Sangiovese Jus, $44.

This was all outstanding. And I thought, "How could it get better?" Then, came the desserts!

Our Signature "Best Ever Hot Chocolate", Rich Scharffen Berger and Valrhona Manjari Chocolates with Fresh Doughnuts. $15 They even wrote Happy Anniversary on it, as Barbie and I were celebrating our wedding anniversary early. 3 months early, but still, celebrating none the less!

And yes, this may have been the best hot chocolate ever!

Warm Butterscotch Bread Pudding, Caramel Praline Ice Cream, Butterscotch Creme Anglaise. $12

They also brought this dessert out for our anniversary, a lovely surprise.

And speaking of lovely surprises, Jill and Zach surprised us by picking up the tab! Thank you again Jill and Zach!

Barbie, me, Jill, and Zach

Okay, I think looking back, and recalling the absolutely wonderful experience this was, I am going to give this the edge over Carthay Circle as best meal of the trip. 

This was originally posted on the Disney Musings Blog, which Nick co-writes with his wife Barbie. 

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Fill Up at Flo's at Cars Land

By: Nick Maglio, co-writer of the Disney Musings Blog

While planning our trip to Disneyland this past February, I'd read that the food at Flo's V8 Cafe in Cars Land at Disney California Adventure, was very good. Plus the themeing is excellent, so I was very excited to eat here!
Let's start with our first lunch.
This was literally the first place we stopped on our visit to Cars Land, as it was near lunchtime, and we were very hungry.

Upon entering, we were handed a menu by a cast member.

There are also displays of the menu choices in a case in front of the order station/ registers.

And, if that weren't enough, they are also clearly displayed over the food counter.

I ordered the Pork Loin with Coca Cola BBQ Sauce. For sides I got the Roasted Corn Medley and cole slaw, for $11.49.
First off, several of my favorite words are in the entree name "Pork", "Coca Cola", and "BBQ".
And this did not disappoint!  In fact, I honestly think Disney should be bottling and selling this sauce. It is excellent! I loved my meal.

Barbie ordered the kids Macaroni and Cheese meal, with a bag of carrots and a bag of apples. When asked if she would like the souvenir Lightning McQueen Racer, she said "No".
I immediately said "Yes she does!" It's awesome! The mac and cheese was very good too.

This cost $11.99.

We also got a strawberry milkshake, $4.29, and a chocolate milkshake in a souvenir cup for $9.59. Both were creamy without being too hard to drink through the straw. We also split an Apple Cheddar "Pie-O-Rama" for $4.99, also delicious.

We sat in a wonderfully themed dining room overlooking the Radiator Springs Racers attraction.

There is also ample outdoor seating.

So, how much did we like the food here?

We ate 3 more meals at Flo's! 

I'm running out of adjectives, so before I go any further, and this is going to sound like hyperbole, but I'm being honest, we loved everything we had, which was just about the entire menu by the end of our 5 day trip.

We shared a breakfast with my wife's cousin, Jill, and Jill's husband, Zach. 

American Breakfast with scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, bacon and a biscuit for $7.99, and the Chicken Tamale Breakfast with chicken tamale, scrambled eggs, salsa verde and pico de gallo - $7.99

On another night, my wife had the Citrus Turkey Breast with Old Fashioned Turkey Gravy - $11.49 , with mashed potatoes and the corn medley. 

I had the NY Strip Loin with Home-Style Beef Gravy - $11.99, with potatoes and cole slaw.

For dessert we split a Chocolate Mudd pie. Wow, is that rich! 

At night, the neon makes Flo's extra lovely!

We also had lunch with new friends, Tips From the Disney Diva writer, The D'land Diva, and her family, and tried the kids meal sandwiches. I suggest asking for gravy on the side, as they were a bit dry without, but the gravy makes them delicious! We split the Seasonal Fruit Pie, which was pear and cherry.

I really can't recommend a meal (or 3) at Flo's V8 Cafe more, so stop in if you need a fill up!

 

 For even more Flo's, check out this video at the the Disney Musings Blog.

Portions of this review were originally posted on Disney Musings and the Tips From the Disney Divas and Devos Blog  where Nick is a contributing writer.

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Making a Dole Whip at Home!

The Homemade Dole Whip 
By: Barbie, co-writer of the Disney Musings Blog

A couple days ago, my husband Nick came home with a sack full of ingredients and proclaimed that we were going to make Dole Whips! I was highly dubious. After all, Dole Whips are such a Disney experience. Is it possible to recreate perfection?

Ingredients

1. 2 20 ounce cans Dole crushed pineapple with juice
2. 2 tablespoons lemon juice
3. 2 tablespoons lime juice
4. 1/3 cup sugar
5. 1 and 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped

Here are the directions:

Drain pineapple; reserving 2 tablespoons of the juice. Set aside in a small cup.

Place pineapple, lemon juice, lime juice, sugar and reserved pineapple juice in blender or food processor; cover and blend until smooth.

Pour into two 1-quart freezer zipped bags and store bags flat in freezer. Freeze 1-1/2 hours or until slushy. Whip your heavy whipping cream until stiff.

Stir pineapple slush gently into whipped cream until slightly blended, in large bowl. Return to freezer until completely frozen, about 1 hour. (thanks to Magical Recipes for the ingredients and directions)

So, is it everything we hoped it would be? Well, I personally would have only used 1 cup of heavy whipping cream or I wouldn't have drained the pineapple, because it didn't have the kick that a Disney Dole Whip has. But, it was delicious! The two of us couldn't possibly finish it all off in one sitting, so what did we do?

We filled up our Disney popsicle moulds with the rest so now we have 8 popsicles to enjoy later!

This article originally posted on the Disney Musings Blog, which Barbie co-writes with her husband, Nick.

Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel for Brunch

By Nicholas Maglio, co-writer of the Disney Musings Blog

Goofy's Kitchen is located in the Fantasy Tower of the Disneyland Hotel.

A very popular brunch, with plenty of food choices, including many breakfast item, such as "Mickey Mouse" Waffles & Pancakes, French Toast, Sausage & Bacon, a Create-Your-Own Omelet Station, Eggs Benedict, Fresh Fruit, Goofy's Famous Peanut Butter Pizza, Soft-Serve Yogurt with Toppings.

 

There are several lunch type items as well, since this is "brunch", such as an extensive salad selection, Chicken Breast Nuggets, pizza, and many other items.

But to me, there seems to be more desserts than anything else, including an ice cream bar.

 
To be honest, the food here, in my humble opinion, is mediocre.
I think the food at the Storyteller's Cafe buffet at the Grand Californian is superior, while their characters are not as varied.
At Goofy's, the characters are the draw, including Baloo, who joined us for breakfast:

  Barbie and Baloo

 The new super team, Chip 'n' Mulan?

 Dale:

Me and Dale

 

A character I've not previously gotten a picture with, Br'er Fox!

Pluto:

Rafiki:

And our host, Goofy:

As of January 2013 Brunch is 7am-12pm Mon-Fri and 7am-2pm Sat & Sun, prices for Adults: $32.99 and Children 3-9: $16.99 not including gratuity or sales tax.

Final analysis: The food, while not the best, is plentiful, and you won't go away hungry. Go for the fun.

This article was originally posted on the Disney Musings Blog, which Nick co-writes with his wife, Barbie.