Mouse Extra

And it’s Via Napoli. The information was obtained by AllEarsNet. Apparently, the new pizzeria will seat about 300 people and will have wood fire ovens. Besides, southern italy style pizzas, you will be able to get pastas, salads, sandwiches and wine. You can get a look at the new restaurant by clicking here.  As you can see, there is some outdoor seating, a nice plus for the beautiful pavilion.

 
According to AllEarsNet and the Patina Group (who also operates nearby Tutto Italia), the secret ingredient is the water which will be imported. It does not say the water is from Naples but instead most closely resembles the H2O from that region. Before you scoff, however, you should keep in mind that many consider the pizza from New York City to be the best in the country for that very reason- the high quality tap water from the city.
 
One thing is for certain, the Floridian water makes for some bad pizza, so this can only be an upgrade. I look forward to having a good slice at Walt Disney World. It will be another first.

Today’s posting if from Mike, contributing writer to Mouse Extra

Teppan Edo has become one of the most popular restaraunts in all of Epcot and even in the entire Walt Disney World. And for good reason. The place is a lot of fun and the food is terrific.
 
Located at the Japan pavillon in the World Showcase, the restarant shares the second floor above the Mitsukoshi Department Store with the sushi place, Tokyo Dining. In fact, you check in at the same desk for either place. That means there tends to be quite a lot of people milling about at meal times.

 
Once called, you are ushered into one of several rooms each with a few long tables where you are introduced to your server and, shortly thereafter, your chef. For our table, which we shared with 6 other guests, that man was Kenji, who was quite the showman. The meal starts off with Kenji making an onion volcano, stacking the rings of the onion so that steam comes shooting out the top. The kids loved it.
 
For food, you can order one of several teppan choices. The chicken was great as was the veggies with udon noodles. The saki and the saki rita were good complements. There is a kids’ menu but our daughter, a finicky eater, did not enjoy it. Our son, however, loved it. He loved the food, the show and the fact that he could use chop sticks, albeit with a rubber band.
 
Teppan Edo is a fun place to eat, although I imagine much of the fun depends on the chef and we lucked out with Kenji. The food though can stand on its own.

Today’s review if from Mike, contributing writer to Mouse Extra

In a follow up to our January 6 posting regarding the possible changes coming to the Cantina at Epcot’s Mexico pavilion, we can now report that early last week the entire area encompassing the outdoor counter service restaurant, and all of the seating surrounding it, has been closed and walled-off. 

It has created quite the bottleneck in that part of the World Showcase promenade, but this work has only just begun so it may be something guests will need to expect to encounter for some time to come.  In the mean time, you can find a few quick-service options just a few feet away on the other side of the promenade.  The same building used for the Food and Wine Festival is now open on a regular basis, I would imagine until the new restaurant opens.

Now this morning we have a report in the Orlando Business Journal that this project is definitely going to be more than just a fresh coat of paint, and perhaps something really exciting…

Cantina de San Angel, a quick-service eatery outside the Mexico pavilion at Epcot, began demolition work this week to prepare for a new 400-seat, waterside restaurant that includes both table service and quick-service options.

Lake Buena Vista-based San Angel Inn LLC, Walt Disney World’s partner on the Epcot pavilion, is razing the existing 3,500-square-foot, 288-seat restaurant and will build a new 12,000-square-foot one set to open by this fall. The project value was not released.

Besides creating a much larger restaurant, it is hard not to be intrigued by the idea of a “waterside restaurant that includes both table service and quick-service options”.  It does appear as though the Mexico pavilion is currently the one most aggressively raising its profile.  The new tequila bar, La Cava del Tequila, is a terrific addition to the pavilion.  But adding an outdoor, waterfront eatery may quickly turn Mexico into a World Showcase gem.

My hope is that the Imagineers responsible for the project recognize that this could be a perfect place to eat and watch Illuminations from.  If they make sure the sightlines are good, this would immediately become one of Epcot’s most popular spots.  Hats off to the Mexican Pavilion for all they have done to make this a better experience for guests.  Let’s hope other pavilions follow suit.

One of my favorite counter service meals in Epcot is at the Cantina in Mexico. I like the churros and combination plate. Those little deep fried quesadillas are great. I sometimes just ask for a handful of the things. I also like the setting as you eat by the lagoon (which is surprisingly rare at World Showcase).

Well, according to some reports, the Cantina is going down for a major refurbishment. This is coming hot off the heels of the successful opening of the tequila bar inside the pyramid. Apparently, the building is being demolished to open up a whole new counter service spot. There is no word on the menu changes (if any) so stay tuned. One thing that apparently is to be accomplished is an improvement on the congestion in that spot which can be a problem with the shops and especially when the mariachi band is playing.

Today’s article is from Mike, contributing writer to Mouse Extra

John Frost of the Disney Blog reported late last week that the long anticipated Tequila Bar will be opening at the end of this month inside the Mexico pavilion at Epcot.  It will be called La Cava del Tequila and it will open its doors on August 28.

Guests visiting La Cava del Tequila will have the opportunity to enjoy over 70 types of authentic tequila from several major brands, ranging from the simplest to the rarest of them all, aged to perfection and made from the finest distilled spirits from the Agave Plant. A Tequila Ambassador will be on-hand to educate Guests on the history of Tequila making and its rich Mexican heritage.

Exotic and unique-blended margaritas will be served introducing a variety of flavored salts, spices and tropical fresh fruits masterfully prepared by experienced mixologists.

The plan also calls for a small Tapas-style menu as well, which would really add a nice reason to sit and hang around for awhile, rather than just grabbing a margarita in a plastic cup and moving on to Norway.

Now, I am not much of a tequila fan.  I guess there is just too much Irish in me for that.  But this sounds like a really terrific addition to the Mexico pavilion and the experience for adults at Epcot.  There are no character or movie tie-ins with this addition.  It is just a great way for adults to get out of the way of runaway strollers for a little while and enjoy a very popular piece of Mexican history and heritage.

Have you seen any video footage of the new audio animatronic character of Remy from Ratatouille that has been entertaining guests at Epcot’s Les Chefs de France?  Here is a link to a Youtube video shot at the World Showcase restaurant by Jeff Lange.

Remy Living Character Initiative, Epcot Chefs De France

So what do you think?  It’s a bit underwhelming, right?  I realize that humans couldn’t understand Remy, so the whole “no talking” is awkward but makes sense.  But off all the living character initiatives, doesn’t this one seem to be the least advanced?  Now, it is only a few seconds, but there doesn’t seem to be much “alive” about this AA at all.

But as many of you already know, Ratatouille is my absolute favorite Pixar film of all time, and up near the top of my Disney list as well.  So I will be heading to Les Chefs de France in a couple of weeks to see if I can spot the Little Chef myself.  Hopefully I will get some more video for you.