New Celebrity Chef Restaurant for Disney Springs — Rick Bayless will bring one of his quick-service Frontera Fresco restaurants to Disney Springs next summer. Bayless has won multiple James Beard awards and is known for his research and preparation of Mexican cuisine. Frontera Fresco serves tacos, quesadillas, tortas, and huarraches (the last two are Mexican sandwiches and flatbreads). If you're from the Chicago area, you might have seen Frontera Fresco in a couple of Macy's department stores, one on State Street and the other in Old Orchard. There's also one in the student union building at Northwestern, which blows my mind as an NU alum who can't imagine a celebrity-chef restaurant of any type in Norris.
New Band in Epcot's Morocco — You might remember the band "Mo'Rockin," which ended its run at Epcot last September, along with Off Kilter, the Fife and Drum Corps, and other World Showcase acts. Disney's now announced a replacement, Ribab Fusion, which is playing in Mo'Rockin's old home in the Morocco pavilion. Disney describes the band as "a popular band from northern Africa, celebrates Morocco’s Amazigh culture with everything from smooth grooves to high-energy funk, fusing the traditional sound of the single-stringed ribab with a contemporary, Afropop style."
Every Day's a New Hot Dog at the Grand Floridian — Disney's answer to the Universal CityWalk's Hot Dog Hall of Fame is now the Grand Floridian's Gasparilla Island Grill. The restaurant has rolled out seven city-themed gourmet hot dogs, one served on each day of the week. The line-up is:
Wow, the seven-cities hot dog idea is pretty fantastic, to be honest. I'd try them all, though probably won't love the Idaho or Cleveland dogs all that much.
Now if only we can get a Ribs rotation, with Memphis, Carolinas, Texas, and St Louis.
My reaction to the Morocco Band: I hope that by "contemporary" they don't mean dubstep...probably not, but stranger things have happened...
My reaction to the seven-city hot dogs: YES! Because honestly why compete over rides, shows, theming, guest service etc. when the 2 biggest names in the theme park industry can compete over hot dogs?! I mean, I guess a theme park should have quality attractions, top-notch theming and kind and helpful employees, but before all those there must come hot dogs! Seriously! How can anyone call themselves "great" if they can't serve a decent hot dog?! Hot dogs are everything, hot dogs are the very answer to the universe itself! If you can't make a good hot dog, then go stand in the corner and think about your life!
Bumblebee Man's Taco truck is going to be tough to top though...
While it is up for debate on whether or not Disney Springs should be considered a "destination," nothing else you said makes sense. Yes, it is technically an outdoor mall, but so is Universal CityWalk and so was Downtown Disney! Both were very successful so why not Disney Springs? And this being Disney, shouldn't we be congratulating them for not making us pay for parking?
You must live near some amazing malls. The ones by me have stores, restaurants, and maybe a movie theater. They don't have free evening entertainment, restaurants by celebrity chefs, concerts like House of Blue, balloon/boat rides, or a unique full-scale theatrical production by a world-renowned company like Cirque du Soleil.
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