Originally Posted By mousermerf This is the PR Wire that went yesterday, which add some info and some bits we didn't know quite yet: ----- LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., March 30, 2010 – Just in time for the 15th Annual Epcot Food & Wine Festival, Walt Disney World guests will be able to experience the newest enhancements to the World Showcase at Epcot – a new lagoon-side, 12,000 sq. ft. taqueria at the Mexico pavilion, an authentic 14,000 sq. ft. pizzeria at the Italy pavilion, a new merchandise kiosk at the China pavilion, and a new exclusive Givenchy shop at the France pavilion. Building on its more than 25 years of success in bringing Mexican cuisine to Walt Disney World guests, San Angel Inn, LLC will open a new 400-seat waterside restaurant and quick-service food location specializing in the freshly baked culinary flavors of Mexico. The Cantina de San Angel Restaurant, located directly in front of the Mexico pavilion in the World Showcase, is currently closed until fall 2010 for a significant refurbishment and expansion. The new indoor and outdoor restaurant will be nearly four times larger than the previous 3,500 sq. ft. Cantina. The Cantina will serve as the first flex- service restaurant at Walt Disney World Resort. Disney research has shown that guests prefer a quick lunch while spending a day at the parks and enjoy a nice tableside restaurant experience in the evening hours. As a result, the new restaurant will serve quick service meals during the day where guests can enjoy an indoor, air-conditioned dining, or outdoor dining experience. Then, in the evening hours the restaurant is converted into a tableside restaurant where reservations are recommended. At the Italy pavilion, the Patina Restaurant Group will expand its Italian culinary options by opening a new 300-seat pizzeria that will feature traditional Italian dishes straight from wood-burning ovens representing Italy’s infamous volcanoes. Guests will be immersed in the dining experience as they take in the sights, sounds, and aromas of the Italian delicacies, Florentine architecture, vaulted-ceilings, and indoor and outdoor dining. Based on its success at Naples 45 in New York, the Patina Restaurant Group will import water from a source where the composition most resembles water used in Naples, Italy, to make the authentic Italian dough. “Together with the addition of the pizzeria and the extensive refurbishment of the Cantina, we’re expanding the table service restaurant seats in World Showcase by approximately 20 percent,” said Dan Cockerell, vice president of Epcot. “We’re excited about this significant expansion, which will certainly enhance the guest experience and the architectural landscape of World Showcase. The timing couldn’t be better since we will be celebrating our 15th annual Epcot Food & Wine Festival.” This week, a new 20 x14 merchandise kiosk, Good Fortune Gifts, opened in front of the China pavilion. Together with Joy of Tea beverage kiosk, Good Fortune Gifts, provides an atmosphere of a small Chinese market along the World Showcase promenade. By September, Givenchy will open a 300 sq. ft. shop at the France pavilion that will be the only retail location in the United States to offer the full line of Givenchy make-up and skincare products, as well as, a large selection of Givenchy fragrances. Currently small selections of Givenchy perfumes are available in The Plume Shop. At Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room in the United Kingdom, guests can experience a newly-updated menu. The restaurant features hearty and fresh regional English cooking such as: Cottage Pies, Chicken Pies, Fish and Chips, Corned Beef Sandwich, Yorkshire Puddings, Mushy Peas, and more. ----- Confirm that Cantina will be flex space, counter service then table service for dinner. Confirm that they're increasing capacity in World Showcase for dining by 20% (that's significant..) And finally, it adds in an overhaul of the Rose and Crown menu we were unaware of...
Originally Posted By mousermerf And lest we forget, they're testing expanding Epcot's dining hours beyond normal park closing, reworking the Friendship dock at Germany to make it larger (add capacity), and there's the mysterious survey..
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer Great. Build a ride, that'll be something to really effuse with PR about.
Originally Posted By leobloom "the newest enhancements" "new" "authentic" "new" "new exclusive" "more than 25 years of success" "significant refurbishment and expansion. The new indoor and outdoor restaurant will be nearly four times larger" "Guests will be immersed in the dining experience" "We’re excited about this significant expansion, which will certainly enhance the guest experience" If you wanna work for Disney PR, you gotta learn to use the big words: "new", "exclusive", "signficant", "immersive", "enhance the guest experience." Bunch of empty words in the hands of Disney PR. If they truly were doing something "signficant" I would already have an AP.
Originally Posted By dshyates Can't forgot "Jewel". Although I'll forgive you since it wasn't it the Press Release were are discussing here.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros So the pizzaria will be table service? I had just assumed it would be counter service, since they already have a sit-down place in Italy and something faster would be able to get more guests per hour into the Italy pavillion. I guess I should have seen that coming with the Patina Group in charge, but I'm still a little disapointed.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> Bunch of empty words in the hands of Disney PR. If they truly were doing something "signficant" I would already have an AP. << All the people in Disney PR use to be commercial writers for comercials about local Stock Car races. Sunday, Sunday Sunday See.........
Originally Posted By MPierce >> Rose & Crown- bring back Scotch eggs ( for anyone that remembers them) << So fattening but so good! This recipe makes 6 Scotch eggs. 6 hard-cooked eggs, well chilled 1 pound breakfast sausage 1/2 cup flour 2 eggs, beaten 3/4 cup fine bread crumbs Vegetable oil for frying Peel eggs and set aside. Divide sausage into 6 portions. Roll each egg in flour and with hands press a portion of the sausage around each egg. Dip sausage-wrapped eggs into beaten eggs and roll in bread crumbs. Heat vegetable oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook each egg in oil about 4-5 minutes or until sausage is cooked and browned. Drain on paper toweling. Serve warm.
