Teppan Edo Now Open
Last night, the new Teppan Edo restaurant in Japan at Epcot opened to the general public. You can see pictures of the new restaurant over at our friends from Mousesteps.com.
Epcot 25 Update
– It seems most of the poeple talking about Epcot merchandise for today were wrong as usual. One limited edition shirt, a Figment bean bag plush, and the wide assortment of pins were all that was released today. The line for the pins was at least 2 hours long, and even those who arrived from 9:30am on were finding this amount of time to wait. Expect all the pins to sell out, as well as the Figment plush. The special shirts have already sold out in most sizes, but will most likely be gone by the end of the day as well.
– The rededication ceremony went off nicely as the park played classic/retro music. Nothing spectactular to announce, but a nice ceremony all around.
Epcot Birthday News
In response to the large amount of news that will be flowing into the site today, we will run headlines with the time they are posted.
– Epcot celebrates it’s 25th Anniversary today. Happy Birthday Epcot!!!
– The Fountainview Ice Cream location at Epcot is being painted blue as all of Future World central prepares to gain a new, more colorful look.
– The planned events for Epcot today include a re-dedication ceremony at 10:01 am and a special finale to Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. Beyond that, expect a few big surprises!!!
One Last Time
For the last time ever, the Wonders of Life pavillion at Epcot is open for the Food And Wine Festival. The pavillion has been gutted and rethemed in some areas for the event.
Break The Walls Down
In an event that defines a generation (I’m joking), the tarps on the Japan pavillion of Epcot’s World Showcase have finally come down. The tarps have been in place in some shape for the last two years and were finally taken down earlier this week. The Japan pavillion looks completely new, and will probably look even better when it’s newly refurbished dining locations open.Â
Tutto Italia Open
The replacement of the legendary Alfredo’s at Epcot has opened to luke warm receptions and food. From the few people I have spoken to about the restaurant, I’ve gathered that they didn’t really enjoy their meals. Don’t let this stop you from trying the restaurant, it is still only a few days old and is still really in it’s testing phases. The current version of this restaurant will close in early 2008 and be remodled. A new restaurant with a new name, look, and menu will open late summer/early fall 2008.
National Treasures
The new exhibit entitled National Treasures will open in the American Adventure pavillion at Epcot on September 28th. The exhibit is said to be one of the most amazing colloections of Americana ever. We will have more coverage on this as it becomes available.
Italy Update
The entire backside of the Italy pavillion in Epcot’s World Showcase has been walled off in preperation for the new Tutto Italia restaurant that is replacing the fabled Alfredo’s. There is still no set opening date for the restaurant.
Chefs De France Review
Dining Review by Collin Korb
       On our most recent visit to WDW we decided to take full advantage of the Dining Plan. There were three of us, two adults and one child, age 14. The point is that we made a decision to try menu items that we normally wouldn’t order, especially since they were already paid for in advance.We were wise to make reservations ahead of time for our party of three. When we arrived we were greeted by multiple hostesses, all were very pleasant. We only waited about five minutes, I strongly urge making reservations! We had the pleasure of being seated in the “three-seasons porch†area near the outdoor fountain overlooking the courtyard. It was a great view as the sun decided to peek out from behind two days of clouds. It was also nice to be able to people watch during dinner.
       Our server for the evening was Sebastian. He greeted us warmly and took our drink order. After a short wait he returned to answer our appetizer questions. We decided on three separate appetizers, the Tarte a la Flame Alsacienne, Tartare de saumon legerement fume, sauce moutarde, and Assiette de fromages de France- basically this translates to the bread and cheese plate, raw salmon spread, and cheese plate. None of us had ever had items such as these and I am pleased to report that we each tried a bit and did enjoy the eclectic flavors. Sebastian returned to refill our drinks after we had enjoyed the appetizers. He was very polite and accommodating in spite of the fact we were his fifth table of at least three or more patrons. We were less adventurous with dinner, all of us ordered the Filet de boeuf grille, sauce au poivre noir Gratin Dauphinois et haricots verts it was exceptional! I enjoyed the Caesar salad and the girls enjoyed the “French Onion Soupâ€.Â
       We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and were never rushed to leave. Sebastian was exceptional with his service and treating us like royalty. The girls decided to run (literally) over to Japan to shop before it closed, they had placed orders for dessert before leaving. Creme Brulee, Clafoutis bleuets, sorbet et coulis aux fruits Rouges, and Crepe a la pomme et cannelle, glace vanille, caramel jus de pommes arrived minutes after the girls had rushed back. They were just in time to enjoy the finale to an outstanding meal. Sebastian made sure we were paid and out the door before Illuminations! His service and the meal were so exceptional that we demanded to speak to the management. We complimented the service from door to table and dessert. We even decided to leave a little extra in spite of our Dining Plan advantage. Overall it was an outstanding experience and we recommend Chefs de France!!!
Nine Dragons Refurbishment
The Nine Dragons Restaurant in the China pavillion of World Showcase is closing for refurbishment and a complete overhaul from 1/6- 7/31/2008. The restaurant will be changed, including menu and building changes during that time, but it remains unclear if the name will remain. We will have more on this as it becomes available.