Opening Less Than a Month Away for Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

A little fun news on the beverage front: the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival will be among the first venues in Florida to serve wine on tap in 5-gallon kegs under the new Florida law that allows wine to be dispensed from sustainable stainless-steel containers.

Two locations – the Festival Center and Refreshment Cool Post – will be serving from kegs, with a Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir at Cool Post and a Cabernet and Chardonnay in the Festival Center.

“The wines on tap offer guests a fresh glass of wine with every pour,” says Marianne Hunnel, in charge of Content Development for the festival. “They’re good quality, mid-range wines, and when we tasted side by side with the bottle and keg, we couldn’t tell the difference.” From an environmental perspective there is less waste. No need for bottles, cardboard, corks or labels.

On the culinary front, sometimes it’s the little things – we got a taste of the “vegetarian haggis with neeps and tatties” from the new Scotland Marketplace, and it may be our new favorite. In case you’re wondering, in English we translate that as a “griddled vegetable cake with rutabaga (neeps) and mashed potatoes (tatties).” The name of the dish may sound odd to many of us, but the crispy, peppery haggis and mellow veggies are a real treat.

Other delightful new-for-2013 bites we tried and recommend: the sweet, griddled lobster tail with garlic herb butter from the Hops & Barley Marketplace; Berbere-style beef with onions, jalapeños, tomato, okra and pap (grits) from Africa Marketplace; and the gooey Scottish banoffee tart (banana-toffee is such a delish combo). On the beverage side, kids are going to love the drinkable Frozen S’Mores from Desserts & Champagne, grown-ups will be lining up for the Orange Dole Whip with Crème de Cacao White.

With more than 40 new dishes and 80 new beverages, it will take a while to work our way around World Showcase Lagoon Septemember 27-November 11. Keep an eye on www.epcotfoodfestival.com for updates.

Opening Less Than a Month Away for Epcot International Food & Wine Festival by Pam Brandon: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

Disneyland Half Marathon Crowns Grabow Again

Jimmy Grabow grabbed the Disneyland Half Marathon title again this morning, one year after setting a new course record for the 13.1-mile event.

Grabow, from the aptly-named town of Runner Springs, Calif., finished today’s race in 1:07:41 — nearly seven minutes ahead of the next finisher, Ricardo Ramirez.

Stephanie Dinius, from Palo Alto, captured the women’s title with a record-setting time of 1:15:47. The previous record was held by one of the most decorated runDisney champions, Rachel Booth, 1:18:01, who set the previous mark in 2011.

Overall, the expanded weekend hosted more than 25,000 runners, including 8,000 participants in the new 10K and 5,000 who took on the inaugural Dumbo Double Dare. The multi-race Dumbo field, which combined running the 10K and half, featured celebrities Sean Astin, Joey Fatone, Alison Sweeney and Ali Vincent.

Disneyland Half Marathon Crowns Grabow Again by Tony Morreale: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

Disney Parks Blog Weekly Recap

This week, we shared a sneak peek at the next seasonal update for “Celebrate the Magic” – the amazing nighttime projection show at Magic Kingdom Park. If you haven’t seen it, the show transforms Cinderella Castle with memorable moments of Disney imagination and storytelling.

The new segment of “Celebrate the Magic” places the Disney Villains center stage. The Disney villains sequence makes its debut tonight, September 1, during performances of “Celebrate the Magic,” and will be part of the show for a limited time, through November 1, 2013. Check Shawn’s post for more details.

And Steven traveled around the World of Disney at Downtown Disney Marketplace in Florida to get a first look at popular Halloween merchandise returning to Disney Parks. If you are headed to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Parties at Magic Kingdom Park starting September 10, be sure to look for new pins created especially for this annual event. Check out our original blog post to see what other Halloween items will be available at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts.

Here are some of the other stories we worked on this week.

Celebrating the Dog Days of Summer with Bolt, Dug, Pluto & Stitch at Magic Kingdom Park – Tomorrow is your last chance to come celebrate man’s best friend and the “dog days” of summer with a fun “Limited Time Magic” dance party at Magic Kingdom Park.

Disney Cruise Line Alaska Voyage Report – The Disney Cruise Line’s summer in Alaska is coming to an end, but not without first taking you for a special look inside their exciting itinerary!

Harbour Galley Streamlines Menu, Adds New Tastes at Disneyland Park – Visit the Harbour Galley at Disneyland park to try some of the new and delicious menu items. Which one are you most excited to try?

Dress Like a Dowager Countess in the United Kingdom Pavilion at Epcot – Stop by the United Kingdom Pavilion at Epcot to pick up merchandise based on “Downton Abbey,” “Doctor Who” and more British television favorites.

Disneyland Half Marathon Kicks Off New Season For Runners – Labor Day weekend marks the beginning of a new season of runDisney events, kicking off with the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend!

Disneyland Resort Honors Medal of Honor Recipient Jay R. Vargas – The Disneyland Resort honored Medal of Honor recipient Jay R. Vargas this week during the flag retreat ceremony at Disneyland park.

Disney Parks Blog Weekly Recap by Thomas Smith: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog