Disney Chefs Go Wild With New Culinary Ideas At Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney chefs have plenty of menu surprises in store for the four animal-themed restaurants at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, all of them featuring gazelle-paced service, interesting recipes, a generous helping of innovative cooking methods and a colorful atmosphere in keeping with the exotic theme of each area

Just outside the entrance to the theme park is Rainforest Cafe, remarkably re-creating the sights and sounds of a rainforest through a combination of live and animated wildlife and special effects. The restaurant, featuring an assortment of casual dining menu items including pastas, salads, sandwiches and desserts, can be reached from both outside and inside the park

Throughout Disney’s Animal Kingdom, guests will find imaginative eateries inspired by culinary expertise of chef Rolf Gosswiler and his team of talented chefs. Each Disney restaurant has its own chef and a personality all its own. Beer and wine are served throughout the park’s restaurants.

Here are the highlights

Discovery Island:

• Pizzafari -- Chefs created a special new pizza crust during 18 months of research and taste testing, baked in an open-hearth oven with a variety of unusual toppings. The restaurant itself is an outstanding artistic accomplishment -- walls are covered with animal murals and the ceiling is lined with colorful animal figurines
• Flame Tree Barbecue -- Features wood-roasted meats with a choice of two original barbecue sauce flavors -- a tomato-based sauce and a mustard-flavored creation -- plus a special dry marinade that is rubbed into the meat before cooking. Chef Hal Taylor says “it would have been easy to use an existing recipe for our barbecue sauce, but we wanted a unique product. We think it is so good guests will want to take some home.” Flame Tree Barbecue also carries out the colorful artistic theme of Discovery Island, with outdoor, riverside dining pavilions featuring hand-carved and painted animals

DinoLand U.S.A. :

• Restaurantosaurus is themed as a home-away-from-home for fun-loving paleontology students of DinoLand U.S.A. Dinosaur memorabilia and class notes line the walls. Restaurantosaurus features Disney character breakfasts starring Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck and Pluto. “Nature students” living in the dorm keep guests happy with beverage refills. Presented by McDonald’s, the restaurant serves such favorites as Chicken McNuggets, Happy Meals, cookies, and, of course, famous McDonald’s french fries. Disney chefs offer up a tempting sandwich menu that includes hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches and cheeseburgers with a flavorful twist -- crock cheese instead of slices -- as well as fresh tossed salads

Africa:

• Tusker House Restaurant in Harambe is the adventurous culinary prelude for guests headed to Kilimanjaro Safaris. Disney chef Earl Penson features chicken several ways: on the rotisserie, roasted, grilled and fried. Prime rib, lasagne and grilled vegetable sandwich are tasty alternatives. Side dishes include fresh vegetables, garlic mashed potatoes and salads. The adjacent Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery is themed as an East African bazaar with Arabic archways, ceilings draped in exotic fabrics and daylight streaming through the skylight. Warm cinnamon rolls are among featured specialties. Across the marketplace, Tamu Tamu snack shop serves frozen yogurt, ice cream floats and sundaes

Colorful food counters in many streetside buildings throughtout Disney’s Animal Kingdom add to the variety of eating opportunities with such delights as fresh-baked cookies in an Adirondack-style cabin at Camp Minnie-Mickey, “dinosaur” (turkey) legs in DinoLand U.S.A. and ice cream bars with the imprint of Simba’s paw