SATURDAY SIX: Six Extreme Eats at Walt Disney World
This week’s SATURDAY SIX covers Six Extreme Eats at Walt Disney World. Regular readers of this column know that we like our theme park food, and the more outrageous it is, the better. While Disney has its fair share of fine dining (Victoria & Albert’s, California Grill, and Jiko among others), it also has many food items that would make your cholesterol and blood sugar rise just by looking at them. Today we are going to look at six of our favorites…
# 6 – The Doh-Bar (Cookes of Dublin)
(EDITOR’S NOTE: As of summer 2015 the Doh-Bar has been taken off the menu at Cookes.) Downtown Disney is our first stop, and while Raglan Road is the critics’ darling, Cookes of Dublin next door has one of our favorite snacks on property, the ‘Doh bar.’ Picture this: a Snickers bar is dipped into donut batter, deep fried, and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. Basically, a work of art that ranks somewhere in between Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Michaelangelo’s David.
In fact, Cookes of Dublin has several snacks (see the menu) that make our heart skip a beat (granted, that may actually be palpitations). Double Dipped Onion Rings? Garlic and Parmesan Skinny Chips? Mini Irish Style Battered Sausages? Someone call Weight Watchers, we’re gonna need more points this week.
# 5 – Tie-Dye Cheesecake (Everything POP)
Over at Disney’s Pop Century Resort‘s food court (Everything POP) we find the next item on our list, Tie-Die Cheesecake. The cheesecake itself is tasty, but the weird colors do play a trick on your brain, not unlike the purple and green ketchups that Heinz created in the ’90s,
# 4 – Gourmet Apple (Various Locations)
Just as cupcakes seem to have taken over the dessert world outside of theme parks, insanely elaborate candy apples have exploded within both Disney and Universal. Throughout Disney property you’ll find some of the most amazingly themed Gourmet Apples that have so much detail (and sugar) in them that they can be considered a work of art as much as food. Each month new candy apples are added to the mix, so there is always a reason to stop by and see the latest creation.
Gourmet Apples can be found at the following locations: Magic Kingdom (Main Street Confectionery, Big Top Treats), Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Sweet Spells), Disney’s BoardWalk Inn (Seashore Sweets), and Downtown Disney (Goofy’s Candy Company, Candy Cauldron)
# 3 – Chocolate Extinction (T-REX Cafe)
Everything about T-REX Cafe is larger than life, and this dessert is no exception. Here’s how it is billed:
A gigantic portion of chocolate fudge cake served with ice cream, whipped topping drizzled with fudge and caramel sauces and sprinkled with Butterfinger crumbs. Enough for four!
They had us at Butterfinger crumbs. In fact, we might have ordered a side of steamed vegetables with our entree if they sprinkled with pieces of Kit Kat. The Chocolate Extinction itself is impressive, and you get a show when it is served, as in the middle of everything is a container of dry ice that provides a great smoke effect. There are several large portions of the fudge cake, and the Butterfinger crumbs sprinkled liberally around the plate were as good as advertised.
# 2 – The King Cupcake (Everything POP)
Returning to the Everything POP food court at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, we find a cupcake that just may change your life. Dedicated to the “King” Elvis Presley, this cupcake contains all the elements Elvis used in his favorite sandwich, combined with a chocolate cupcake. Inside the cupcake is a dollop of banana custard, while on top of the cupcake is peanut butter icing, candied bacon, and chocolate drizzle. Trust us: Piggylicious at Flower & Garden Festival is a fad cupcake, but the King Cupcake is the real deal.
# 1 – The Kitchen Sink (Beaches and Cream Soda Shop)
One of my favorite things to do with friends and family who rarely go to WDW is take them to Beaches & Cream Soda Shop (at Disney’s Beach Club) to experience the Kitchen Sink. Served in a replica sink, this dessert includes 8 scoops of ice cream and every single topping in the house, along with a full can of whipped cream (complete ingredients below). It is a great experience for young and old, as the servers at the restaurant make a big deal when serving this confectionery behemoth.
About halfway through eating The Kitchen Sink, the various ingredients all begin to combine into one ice cream soup (it also may be sentient, but by this point we were in a sugar coma). Finishing the Kitchen Sink gives one a feeling of accomplishment that I can only assume runners of a Disney marathon feel. Kindred spirits.
Are you ready for the full list of ingredients? Here it is, thanks to the Disney Parks Blog:
- ½ cup fudge topping, warmed
- ½ cup butterscotch topping, warmed
- ½ cup peanut butter topping, warmed
- 1 medium banana, sliced in 1/2 –inch slices
- 1 cinnamon spice cupcake (2 ½ x 1 ¼-inch), quartered
- 1 angel food cupcake (3 x 1 ½-inch), quartered
- 2 4-oz. scoops vanilla ice cream
- 2 4-oz. scoops chocolate ice cream
- 2 4-oz. scoops strawberry ice cream
- 1 4-oz. scoop mint chocolate chip ice cream
- 1 4-oz. scoop coffee ice cream
- 3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
- ¼ cup marshmallow crème
- ¼ cup strawberry topping
- ¼ cup pineapple topping
- 1 14-oz can dairy whipped topping
- 1 brownie (6-inch x 6-inch), quartered
- 1 regular-sized (2 ounce) candy bar, quartered
- 4 chocolate cookies with cream filling
- 1 tablespoon sliced toasted almonds
- 1 tablespoon dark and white chocolate shavings
- 1 tablespoon chocolate cookies with cream filling, crushed
- 1 tablespoon chopped jellied orange slices (approximately 2 large slices)
- 1 tablespoon milk chocolate chip morsels
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter chip morsels
- 1 tablespoon chocolate sprinkles
- 1 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles
- ½ cup drained maraschino cherries
If you like theme park food as much as we do, prepare your saliva glands for the following articles:
- Six Outrageous Food Items at Universal
- Top Six Food Options in Fast Food Blvd.
- Six More Outrageous Food Items at Universal
- Six Iconic Snacks of the Magic Kingdom
- Six Favorite Snacks at Universal’s Mardi Gras
- Six Favorite Snacks at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights
So there you have it: Six Outrageous Food Items at Walt Disney World. See you next weekend for the latest edition of the Saturday Six, where we are going to look at things we’d like to see change at Universal Orlando Resort. If you had fun, be sure to check out The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! articles or, for your listening pleasure, check out Pardon the Pixie Dust podcast.
Special thanks to Disney Blogger Extraordinaire Morgan Crutchfield and Brandon Glover for their assistance with this article.