by Sean | Oct 26, 2018 | Favorite Food Friday, Uncategorized
Our Favorite Food This Week: Frontera Cocina – Oaxaca Menu
Location: Frontera Cocina – Disney Springs
Price: $ Varies
Welcome to Favorite Food Friday where we share our favorite foods. This week we headed to Frontera Cocina in Disney Springs to sample some of their new menu items.
As you walk into Frontera Cocina, the scent of fresh flavors greets you, and you can’t help but be excited for the experience ahead. The unique thing about Frontera Cocina is that they have a special menu that changes every 3 to 4 months, so there is always something new to try. Currently, celebrity Chef Rick Bayless is introducing authentic Mexican flavors with his new Oaxaca (wuh-HAH-kuh) inspired menu.
The meal started on an interesting note when Chef Bayless introduced us to one of the favorite snacks of the area. Nope, not a Mickey Bar or even a Mickey Pretzel… grasshoppers. Yes, you read that correctly…grasshoppers. Before you turn your nose up at the idea, people living in Oaxaca have been snacking on fried grasshoppers forever, and they’re actually pretty nutritious. So we dove right in, trying the guacamole topped with fried grasshoppers. I have to say I have never had grasshopper guacamole, but it wasn’t bad. The grasshoppers had the flavor of a sunflower seed, adding flavor and texture to the guacamole. If you’re bold enough to try this authentic experience, give it a shot!
The rest of the meal might not have been quite as adventurous, but it was absolutely delicious. Chef Bayless did what he does best…offered a unique menu full of fresh flavors and only the best ingredients. I sampled the Harvest Salad, Beef Short Ribs, Oaxacan Mole Chicken, and the Grilled Swordfish. All of them were amazing, but if I had to pick favorites, it would be the Short Ribs and the Swordfish.
The short ribs are slow roasted for 12 hours making the meat so tender, it falls apart on your fork and melts in your mouth. The ribs are served with roasted peanut mole, Cotija mashed potatoes, sautéed Swiss chard, crispy onions and toasted peanuts. Just talking about this makes me want to head back to experience this dish again.
The swordfish was another favorite. It is grilled to perfection, with a slightly crisp outside and a flaky moist center. Its complemented by plantain rice, roasted tomatillo serrano aioli, and sautéed Swiss chard. Seafood lovers can’t go wrong with this dish.
Frontera Cocina not only introduces you to the food of Oaxaca, but also to some drinks in a limited-time menu. If you enjoy drinks of the adult persuasion try the Mexcalita (pictured in the upper right corner at the top of the page). As I sampled this drink, I was told the story behind one of the ingredients: the banhez mezcal. Banhez Mezcal is the product of Oaxaca farming families working together to produce this handmade, organic, 100% agave mezcal. It’s has an amazing light, fresh taste and was my favorite of the night.
We finished the meal with a couple amazing desserts. For those of you wanting to stay within the Oaxaca inspired dishes, you will love the Bunuelitos. Buñuelos are large fried sweet dough, served sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. It can be found in Oaxaca during the holiday season. Frontera Cocina puts a little bit of a spin on this tradition by adding cajeta-carmel mousse, red wine drizzle with raw sugar and Mexican cinnamon, dark chocolate shavings, mezcal-infused cranberries and roasted almonds. Oh so good! They also offer a fall favorite pumpkin cream tart.
The experience at Frontera Cocina is second to none and it’s always a favorite stop. The staff takes their time to explain everything on the menu, as well as information about the culture. I can’t complement Frontera Cocina and this new Oaxaca inspired menu enough. You have to experience it! The restaurant continues to be one of our favorites in Disney Springs and I look forward to returning again. The full limited menu is available below. Enjoy!
by Sean | Oct 19, 2018 | Favorite Food Friday
Our Favorite Food This Week: Garden Grill
Location: Epcot
Price: $48 ($29 Child) for Dinner
Welcome to this week’s Favorite Food Friday where we share our favorite foods with our friends. Maybe you just aren’t into sampling all the fun food at the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, maybe you just want that down home Thanksgiving style dinner, well Garden Grill has you covered. The meal starts with warm rolls and a garden salad full of veggies grown right inside the land pavilion. The main course is then served with Sliced Turkey Breast, Slow-braised Pot Roast, Carved Pork with Apple Chutney, steamed veggies, stuffing, mac and cheese, french fries, and mashed potatoes. It’s served family style and it’s all you can eat, so if you don’t fill up on the first round, just ask for more. Dessert consists of a berry short cake with vanilla ice cream, and it too is all you can eat. You definitely won’t leave here hungry. The restaurant is located in the land pavilion and it is a rotating restaurant with views of a couple scenes of the Living with the Land attraction. While eating you will have some visitors including the man himself, Mickey Mouse, his pal Pluto and also Chip and Dale. Overall, the food is above par and it’s an easy way to see characters without having to stand in line.
by Sean | Sep 28, 2018 | Favorite Food Friday, Uncategorized
Our Favorite Food This Week: Epcot Food and Wine Festival
Location: Epcot – World Showcase
Price: $ Varies / some qualify as snacks
Welcome to this week’s Favorite Food Friday where we share our favorite foods with our friends. Well it’s that time of year where the weather is cooling down in all parts of the country except for Florida. Weatherman said it’s the hottest September of all time. But even with the heat, it’s the best time of year to visit Epcot and the International Food and Wine festival. The festival runs until Nov 12 and features food and wine booths throughout the park each themed to a particular country or area. So, grab a fork and check out some of our favorites pictured above…..
- In the upper right, you have our favorite Le Cellier Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle-Butter Sauce – Canada – $8.00 and yes its DDP Snack Eligible. It will melt in your mouth.
- In the middle left,Warm Chocolate Pudding with Irish Cream Liqueur Custard – Ireland -$4.25 and it’s (DDP Snack Eligible)
- In the middle right, Coconut Rice Pudding served with Mango Coulis – Mexico – $4.25 (DDP Snack Eligible)
- On the bottom left, Ropa Vieja Empanada with Tomato Aïoli – Islands of the Caribbean – $5.25 (DDP Snack Eligible)
by Sean | Sep 21, 2018 | Favorite Food Friday
Our Favorite Food This Week: Afternoon Tea
Location: Garden View Tea Room – Grand Floridan Resort
Price: $35 + (can add champagne as well) (children 3-9 $23)
Welcome to this week’s Favorite Food Friday where we share our favorite foods with our friends. This week we take a stroll over to the Grand Floridian Resort and put up our feet with a cup of tea. The Garden View Tea room offers afternoon tea daily on the first floor of the Grand Floridian, windows offer views of the garden. There are a few different selections to choose from – some include cheese plates to start out with and others include champagne to finish with. We opted for “The Cheshire Tea” which is $50 per person and includes The Traditional Afternoon Tea Experience including a medley of finger sandwiches, traditional scone with accompaniments, and a choice of desert with a selection of fruits and imported cheeses. After choosing your tea, of which they have a large selection, each guest is given their own tea pot which is covered in comfortable cozy to keep it hot. Fruit and cheeses were brought out first, followed by the finger sandwiches and then the desert and scone. There was definitely enough food to fill you up and, yes, you can ask for a to go bag if you aren’t able to finish. Although a bit on the pricey side, we did enjoy the experience and food.
by Sean | Aug 10, 2018 | Favorite Food Friday
Our Favorite Food This Week: Braised Beef and Enchilada
Location: ABC Commissary – Hollywood Studios
Price: $15.99
Welcome to this week’s Favorite Food Friday where we share our favorite foods with our friends. This week we take a look at a relatively new item at ABC Commissary located in Hollywood Studios. I know everyone is rushing to get to the new Toy Story Land, but if you are hungry and looking for a place to sit down in the AC then ABC Commissary will fit the bill. They changed their menu around a bit this year, and we recently tried the Braised Beef and Enchilada. This dish is braised beef served on cilantro slaw with a roasted corn and cheese enchilada topped with fire-roasted chipotle sauce and queso fresco. The beef just fell apart and tasted great – the other items complemented the beef as well. This is definitely something to try if you are getting tired of the chicken nuggets and burgers. I would order it again for sure.
