By: Nick, co-author of the
Disney Musings Blog
Let me set the scene.
It's just about exactly one year ago.
I'm
in Epcot with my wife.
I overhear someone say that the new Little
Mermaid ride is open in the Magic Kingdom.
I say to my wife, "We're
going to the Magic Kingdom. RIGHT NOW!".
On our way to the monorail, I
get a call from a friend who asks where I am. I tell him I'm heading to
the Magic Kingdom, to which he replies, "Oh, I heard the New Fantasyland
was open today."
The monorail never moved more slowly. I was
literally jumping up and down with excitement. Could it be true?
Upon
entering the Magic Kingdom, I walked, not ran, as that's a no-no, but I
walked very quickly, stopping every now and again to see how far back
I'd left my wife. Finally, we got to Fantasyland where I was greeted by
this sign...
...and
a friendly Cast Member waving people in asking if we'd like to see the
New Fantasyland. Would I?! I was like a kid in a candy store!
We'd
had the great fortune to see "Enchanted Tales with Belle" earlier in
the week, so went by that reluctantly, and made our way up the lane.
The Be
Our Guest Restaurant unopened at that time, but I stopped briefly to snap some pictures.
We walked on into a little town, a quite village...
... which today was not so quiet!
Gaston's statue. A tribute to Gaston. From Gaston.
This in front of his tavern.
Gaston's Tavern, of course.
Let's go inside.
The menus.
A
LeFou's Brew, which is "no-sugar added frozen apple juice with a hint
of toasted marshmallow, topped with all-natural passion fruit-mango
foam". It wasn't bad, a bit too sweet for my wife.
There are 2 dining areas, one to the left...
...and
a larger, more elaborate one to the right, which features the
fireplace, and antler chandelier. Gaston uses antlers in all of his
decorating.
There was no seating available inside, so I headed outside, to enjoy my pork shank.
It is as big as, and much better tasting than a turkey leg, and a couple dollars cheaper to boot!
This shank is huge, more like half a pig, because that's how Gaston rolls!
Portions of this article were originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Diva Blog, where Nick is a contributing writer and on the Disney Musings Blog, which he co-writes with his wife Barbie and friend Gaylin.
