>Fresh Beer with a Great View

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My son thinking about my advice

I stated in my post, “Go to the Pub”, that I had given my son the following words of advice, “If you want a really good burger, go to a brew pub.” I don’t know why, but brew pubs seem to have the best burgers. I have had many over the years and from all of “research” I have done on this matter, I have found that 99.9% of the time, this has been true. In Walt Disney World, there are a few places to get a burger, but if you have the opportunity, make sure you get one at the Brew Pub. There’s a Brew Pub in Disney World? Yes, there is. It is located on the Boardwalk and is an Unknown Magic that is very appetizing.

The Big River Brew Pub is located on the Boardwalk, between Thimbles and Threads and the Disney Vacation Club Preview Center. It is open Daily from 11:30am until midnight. This Big River Grille & Brewing Works is the only one of the four Big River Grilles, to be found outside of Tennessee. It is owned by the Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group, Inc which owns and operates brew pubs in 29 states and two in Taiwan. It is not a really big place to eat or have an adult beverage, but it is never really crowded and there is outdoor seating when it is.

The food menu is very good, the menu starters include dips and nachos, while the main courses offered range from chicken, fish and meat to pastas and sandwiches. There are salads, everything from a Greenhouse Salad to a Grilled Salmon Caesar. There is also a kids menu available. Big River is also on the Disney Dining Plan as a table service meal. We have had many of the different menu items at Big River, the Caesar Salads are good as are the Nachos, and the Blackened Mahi Mahi Sandwich, but I am partial to the burger. One note here though, they do not fry anything at Big River, which means all meals are served without French Fries. All Sandwiches come with homemade potato chips.

The beer selection here may be a little different than other bars you have been at if you have never been to a brew pub before. They do offer a full bar for mixed drinks and wines, but they don’t really offer other beers besides their own. But every one of their beers is good. Some are comparable to mass produced beers. Their Gadzooks Pilsner is a good choice if you like Budweiser, while their Southern Flyer Light Lager is a very nice light beer. My favorite is the Rocket Red, which is a very refreshing ale. The Steamboat Pale Ale, which is the last of the four that is regularly on tap, is a good compliment to the Blackened Mahi Mahi Sandwich or the Shrimp & Scallop Penne Pasta. They also offer a Beer Sampler that comes with the four beers mentioned above and a season brew that changes every few months.

If you have read the blog before, you know by now that I do not consider a restaurant an Unknown Magic just because of the food or location (Although this one is helped by its location). Now, you know for it to be an Unknown Magic, the ambiance has to be as good as the food. Big Rivers food is good, but the Magical Experiences here are created by the fact that you can sit on the Boardwalk and enjoy you meal. Either during lunch or dinner sitting outside and watching the Friendship launches and people walking the Boardwalk is a very relaxing thing. And at night you can sit outside and see the tops of the fireworks from Illuminations in Epcot, helping you to have a Magical Experience. Another thing about this wonderful place is that if you are sitting outside enjoying your adult beverage, the kids can go over to the store or the Boardwalk games and enjoy themselves and you can keep an eye on them.

So, now you know, for a great burger, good beer and a relaxing place to eat, you need to go to an Unknown Magic at the Boardwalk. Big River Grille & Brewing Works will create Magical Experiences for the whole family, because you can enjoy each other’s company and the sights and sounds of the Boardwalk.

>Go to the Pub

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There are some things that I have shared with my son that I call Daddy’s words of Advice. Advice   # 1 was given a few years back and it had to do with his mother and being able to tell when he should keep his mouth shut. The second piece of advice came in Walt Disney World. We were on the Boardwalk and the piece of advice was, if you can, you always want to get a Burger at a Brew Pub, because they have the best Burgers anywhere. Another piece of advice I think I have passed on is about finding a good place to enjoy food and drink. I told him that if you have the choice of an Olde English or Irish Pub, over a corner bar, choose the Pub. They are always more cozy and there seems to be something about them that just adds to the enjoyment of a Pint.

I have talked about some of the different watering holes around Walt Disney World, in an earlier post. In that post I didn’t mention the two places I am discussing with you today. Both fall into the category of Pub and both satisfy my advice on choosing the Pub, because of its coziness and enjoyment value. They also offer chances for Magical Experiences. So, today I present the Unknown Magic of the Walt Disney World Pub.

The Rose and Crown is located in the Great Britain area of Epcot’s World Showcase. The pub itself is based on 4 different styles of English Pubs; a street Pub, a Dickensian Pub, a Waterfront Pub and a provincial Pub. When you go to the Rose and Crown, there is a Dining room area and the Bar area. The Bar area has indoor and outdoor seating, as does the Dining room area. The outside Dining room seating area can a great place to have a Magical Experience when you catch a late meal and sit and watch Illuminations, but you are not guaranteed an outside seat. The Bar area of the Pub is a fun and inviting place to be it’s not real big, but there are a few tables inside and a few outside to sit at and have a pint. The bar itself is very impressive and the bartenders are always friendly and (since they are in Great Britain in Epcot) English. It adds to the feeling and ambiance of being in a true English Pub. This is a wonderful place to spend an Afternoon or evening. The Food is typical English Pub fare with Bangers and Mash and Fish and Chips being on the menu. The beer on tap is all English and Irish, so don’t expect a bud or miller light. There is entertainment nightly in the form of a piano player. A few times a week you can hear the Vivacious Pam Brody (whom I posted about back on 5/2 in One

 Vivacious lady.) It is a very fun and comfortable place to be. We have had quite a Magical Experiences when we have either sat inside and listened to Pam Brody or sat outside the Pub and had a wonderful time talking to people around us. The coat of arms for the Rose and Crown has this saying on it: Otium Cum Dignitate. Which means Leisure with Dignity, it is a great slogan for this Pub as Leisure with Dignity is a great Magical Experience.

The other great Pub in Walt Disney World is found in Downtown Disney. Raglan Road is an Irish Pub “made in Ireland and Plonked down in Orlando Florida.” This is a true Irish Pub with a stage in the middle of the restaurant and bars all around. The food here offers bangers and mash, Fish and Chips and Shepherd’s Pie. They do have a Bar Menu as well as a table menu. And the Bar is a full bar, with not only an extensive Imported Beer Menu, but they also have Irish Whiskey, and Scotch Whisky for your enjoyment. The main Bar itself is directly as you walk into the restaurant. There are tables all around and as I mentioned earlier, a small stage in the middle of the room and a stage off to one side of the room. There is nightly entertainment, presented by Irish singers and dancers who get the audience into the show; this in itself can create many Magical Experiences. The walls in the Pub are decorated with posters and pictures of Irish legends and countryside. My favorite is

 the print of the Mona Lisa holding a beer mug. Like the Rose and the Crown, they have an outside seating area and a walk up Fish and Chips window, in case you don’t want to go in and sit down, but you need your fix. Raglan Road has one thing the Rose and Crown does not, a gift shop. Here you can buy Guinness items and Raglan Road Shirts and glasses as well as postcards from Ireland. For more information you can go to http://www.raglanroadirishpub.com/

So, now you know, if you want an atmosphere that welcomes you, creates Magical Experiences and is comfortable, Go to the Pub. Either one the Rose and Crown or Raglan Road and when you’re there have a Pint for me.