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anachef · 6 years ago

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First Look and Review! The NEW Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill in Disney Springs

We welcome back Wolfgang Puck to Disney Springs, with the new Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill!

Learn About: Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill

Downtown Disney Disney World Restaurants

Of course, Chef Wolfgang Puck is no stranger to Disney Springs. In fact, he’s retained a presence here with his Marketplace Counter Service location, Wolfgang Puck Express, while preparing to open this latest venture. But we still say, “Welcome Back” as the new Bar & Grill brings a Wolfgang Puck Table Service location back to Disney Springs since the Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe and Dining Room closed in August 2017. (The former Cafe location will soon be home to Jaleo by Chef José Andrés.)

So we’re very excited to be at Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill to experience once again the Chef’s California cuisine… with some twists from Wolfgang Puck himself — on its opening day TODAY!

Let’s start by taking a look at the new location…

Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill

Atmosphere

Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill can be found in the Town Center of Disney Springs, in between the Town Center’s indoor shopping stretch and the Coca-Cola Store and Rooftop Bar.

Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill

The difference from the previous Wolfgang Puck Cafe is immediately striking. Obviously, the location itself is different, but I’m more referring the the modern, fresh feel of the building itself lined with windows and outdoor seating as you approach.

Outside Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill

Let’s just say the previous Cafe wasn’t known for its “modern day appeal.” (You can see the Cafe here.) But the Bar & Grill has an entirely new feel and identity!

Stepping inside, pops of red immediately stand out against more neutral tones.

Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill interior

Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill Bar

Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill Booth Seating

And in regards to seating, there is space to host large groups in addition to what you see above.

Large Group Table

Even with the clean and simple choice of colors, there is plenty to lend visual interest to the location, from exposed wood beams to cool light fixtures which provide more ambience even against the sunlight coming in from the plentiful windows.

Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill interior

Light Fixtures

Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill interior

Black and white portraits add personal touches to the dining room.

Portraits

And some put the emphasis on fresh ingredients.

Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill decor

But other things that certainly draw the eye — an whet the appetite! — are the open kitchens in the space! The pizza kitchen is to your left upon entering.

Open Kitchen

Check out the oven, all fired up and ready to go!

Pizza Kitchen

The main open kitchen is in the back of the restaurant if you would like to see the goings on.

Kitchen in Back of Restaurant

And then, there’s the GELATO BAR!!! It’s combined with the bakery area, and you’ll see it to the right as you walk in. But you’ll be able to access it from the outside… because it’s a WALK-UP WINDOW!

Gelato Bar and Bakery area

No Advance Dining Reservation needed! And there’s no more need to wait for us to dig right in!

Eats

The menu for Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill has likewise received a fresh makeover while retaining some classic favorites. And while you may think the selections might be limited under the simple heading of “California cuisine,” nothing could be further from the truth, as there is plenty of variety tucked into the menu.

Lunch Menu

We dined during lunch (served from 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM), so that’s the menu we’ll break down here. (Just click any of the images to enlarge.)

Starters can be enjoyed in two ways: with options To Share for the Whole Table and individual Appetizers and Salads including Grilled Tandoori Chicken Wings and Tempura Calamari & Shrimp.

To Share for the Whole Table

Appetizers and Salads

Of course, Pizza is on the Lunch menu, while Sandwiches include a Shaved Beef Panini and Porchetta.

Pizza and Sandwiches

Pasta selections feature Pumpkin Ravioli and a Seafood Risotto.

Pasta

Entrees for lunch include the WP Burger and Chicken Schnitzel. And we definitely had our eyes on the Mesquite Grilled Steak Frites.

Entrees

A la carte sides include Potato Puree and Broccolini.

Sides

Again, our visit was for lunch, but Dinner will also feature a selection of Platters including a 32-oz Porterhouse Steak for Two, Porchetta, Chicken Schnitzel, and an Olive Oil-Seared Red Snapper.

Children can choose from Cheeseburgers, Pizza, Grilled Cheese, and the like. There are also more unique options like Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf for the kiddos.

Aside from an abundance of Hand Crafted Cocktails, the Artisanal, Draft, and Craft Beers present some domestic options from Florida and California (among other states and Imports), which is fun considering the Chef’s California cuisine and longtime history with his locations here in Florida.

Drink Menu (Click to enlarge)

AJ — I missed asking about these drinks — sorry about that!

Hand Crafted Cocktails

We chose the Artisanal Salumi from the Shareable options to begin our meal. The meats across the board were plentiful and flavorful. But I found the cheese selection and portion to be lacking.

Artisanal Salumi

And while you know I love my cheese and almost never met a cheese plate I didn’t like, I’m sure by looking at the photo you’ll see that its not just my cheese-bias doing the talking. There just wasn’t enough to it.

Fortunately, things really started looking up with our individual Appetizers, which included the Tempura Calamari and Shrimp.

Tempura Calamari and Shrimp

True, it’s kind of hard to mess up Calamari. But I have to give credit where its due for the really terrific breading on the dish, with the tempura nice and crisp all around.

Tempura Calamari and Shrimp

We also ordered the Local Burrata (a soft Italian cheese). Here it’s presented with baby carrots, a romesco sauce, arugula, and walnuts.

Local Burrata

This was truly excellent, with the incredibly creamy cheese making up for what was lacking on the Salumi board, the peppery romesco puree adding plenty of zest, and the crunch from the walnuts offering some texture variation. Highly recommended!

We couldn’t go without ordering a pizza at a Wolfgang Puck restaurant, opting for the Pepperoni Pizza, further topped with red onion and fresno chiles.

Pepperoni Pizza

Unfortunately, this one was pretty forgettable. While I enjoy the pizzas you can get at Wolfgang Puck Express, this wasn’t much different and ultimate didn’t stand up against the rest of the dishes. So, if you’re hankering for some Puck pizza, I’d say grab some in the Marketplace.

The Pasta, on the other hand? Well, we’ve got two to share with you. The Pumpkin Ravioli is accompanied by brown butter, sage, and hazelnuts (an interesting choice over pumpkin seeds) for an autumnal dish.

Pumpkin Ravioli

And the Pappardelle is topped with a rich bolognese meat sauce and ricotta salata. Honestly, both of these pasta dishes can hold their own against several Disney restaurants that specialize in Italian cuisine. We had the chance to speak with the Chef — who comes to the Disney Springs location from one of Chef Puck’s Las Vegas restaurants and has been working with him since 1999 — about what made the pasta so memorable.

Pasta

He shared that it was the focus on local sourcing of ingredients; in particular, he found a really good local egg farm, and it’s the fresh, healthy yokes that lend that yellow hue to the noodles.

From the Sandwiches, I chose to try the Grilled Chicken Sandwich… which, I know, sounds pretty ho-hum.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

But, let me tell you, that was NOT the case at all! Topped with avocado, bacon, white cheddar cheese, tomato, red onion, and pesto aioli, this thing was packed with flavor.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

It’s hard to believe I’m saying this about a simple chicken sandwich, but those fresh toppings over the tender and slightly charred chicken (and bun, even!) left me impressed.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Speaking of impressed (Spoiler Alert!)… here’s a look at the Mesquite Grilled NY Strip Steak Frites.

Mesquite Grilled NY Strip Steak Frites

Charred on the outside and medium rare, the strip steak — which is served with a green peppercorn sauce — rivals some that I’ve had at proper steakhouses in Disney World. Awesome.

So, even though there were a couple of lowlights, there were definitely more highlights overall in regards to food. I will say that the service was… well, just okay. It was acceptable, but I do think the staff is working out some early opening kinks and I’ll be curious to see how things change on future visits.

And now, let’s step outside for a little dessert! Because, as mentioned above, the Gelato Bar and Baked Goods are served at a walk-up window.

Gelato Bar Menu

And while it’s become fairly standard for the newer Disney Springs restaurants to provide some sort of Quick Service component alongside their table service restaurant, I think the Gelato Bar and Bakery at Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill may draw more lines that most, for more than a few reasons. First, the Gelato selection itself serves up fun flavors like Butter Pecan Panna Cotta and Dark Cherry Chocolate Chunk.

Gelato Bar

You receive one topping per cup, but can add others for 75 cents with options including sugar cone pieces, toasted almonds, and sprinkles.

Toppings

But you want to know my favorite thing at the Gelato Bar? Check out the “For the Adults” menu below.

Drink Menu at Gelato Bar

You’ll see four cocktails made with sorbet or gelato, like the House-made Limoncello with lemon sorbet, and the Monchito made with coconut gelato, Myer’s dark rum, and pineapple. My choice? The Mortimer’s Key Lime Sorbet Margarita with tequila and triple sec!

Key Lime Sorbet Margarita

Oh, my… THIS. IS. INCREDIBLE. Sweet, tart, fruity, strong, and seriously smooth. And even though I thought this one was unbelievably good, my new goal as of today is to try all four, because I really don’t think you could go wrong with any of them. Do NOT pass up the chance to try one of these on your next visit to Disney Springs!

And while you’re at it, be sure to check out the Grab and Go sweets!

Caramel Popcorn

Brownie Bites

From Brownie Bites to Creme Brulee to Raspberry Crispie Treats, they’ve packed a lot of options into a smaller space.

Raspberry Rice Crispie Treats

Creme Brulee

Coconut Tapicoa

And check out the frosting scoops on the Funfetti Cupcakes!

Funfetti Cupcakes

If only I didn’t have to head right back out on a flight from my trip to Disney World for the Epcot Festival of the Holidays. Maybe next time…

Nosh or Not?

You’ll want to visit Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill if:

Your group would appreciate having a really nice amount of variety on the menu… not to mention fresh flavors.

You’ve been a fan of Wolfgang Puck for a long time and can’t miss the latest venture.

You can’t miss the sorbet and gelato cocktails now that you’ve heard about them!

You’ll want to pass on Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill if:

You’d rather opt for the quick service Wolfgang Puck Express to leave more time for shopping in Disney Springs.

You live close to a Wolfgang Puck restaurant in your area and want to try the cuisine of some of the other celebrity chefs who have a presence in Disney Springs.

Overall

Some info before we wrap! Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill serves Lunch starting at 11:00 AM and Dinner starting at 5:00 PM. They are currently working out logistics to hopefully accept the Disney Dining Plan and Tables in Wonderland, but that has not yet been finalized (which is not unusual for opening days at a third party location).

So, with that we are glad to welcome back table service from Wolfgang Puck in Disney Springs! Because there have been so many terrific additions in regards to restaurants owned by celebrity chefs to Disney Springs over the past few years — Morimoto Asia, Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’, and Frontera Cocina by Rick Bayless, to name a few — one might anticipate that visiting the Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill might have a feeling of “been there, done that” to it. But not at all! From the really fresh look of the new establishment to several very well prepared dishes (and, yes, those Gelato Cocktails!), the new Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill stands as a another great addition to the dining scene in Disney Springs. Well done, Chef Puck!

Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill is located in the Town Center of Disney Springs. Check out Chef Puck’s neighbors in our DFB YouTube Food Tour of the entire area!

youtube

Are you planning to dine at Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill? Please let us know with a comment!

News: Jaleo and Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill Opening in Disney Springs in 2018

What’s New in Disney Springs! August 10, 2018

Advance Dining Reservations Now Online for Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill Coming to Disney Springs

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