food IS a theme park
This Friday, March 1, 2019, is Chef Art Smith’s birthday!
Chef Art Smith
And there’s a celebration taking place at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ in Disney Springs for the occasion! [Read more…]
Are you a fan of Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’? I’m going to go ahead and guess YES!
Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’
Well, aside from the Chef’s Homecomin’ restaurant and bar, there will soon be another place in Disney Springs to enjoy some of Art Smith’s concoctions… and that’s along the Disney Springs Christmas Tree Trail! [Read more…]
in Disney Springs just started serving the Rise and Shine Brunch in June, and now we have exciting news about this menu!
Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’
You can now Rise and Shine and enjoy your brunch on Saturdays as well as Sundays! [Read more…]
We’re back at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ Florida Kitchen for another visit today!
So…I’m noticing we’ve been there kind of a lot. It’s turning into my go-to restaurant — the place that pops to mind if I have a meeting, or a date night, or just get kind of hungry. And, you know…that’s saying something.
From the surroundings, to the service, to the food (and drinks!), this place is…pretty great. They offer fantastic cocktails and a decent counter service menu; and their table service options are some of the best in Walt Disney World.
I was recently in Disney Springs on a family trip, and decided that my traveling companions needed to check out this place for themselves. Wanna come along? I thought you might. 🙂
And oh, hey, it’s Homecomin’ now, y’all. Not Homecoming. To drive home that down-home, rural Florida feeling, Chef Art Smith officially decided to drop the “g”. Just FYI.
Outside View
We’ve shown you around a couple of times, so I’ll just give you the highlights during this visit. For a full look at the space, inside and out, be sure to check out our very first review of Homecomin’ that shares our first impressions from our first two visits. [Read more…]
We’re back at Chef Art Smith’s Homecoming Florida Kitchen for another visit today!
You might be scratching your head and wondering, “But AJ, you guys were just there a little bit ago. Why a return so soon?” Well, lots of reasons, actually. But the primary one is this: Once is never enough when it comes to reviewing Disney restaurants. Restaurants in the ‘World are notoriously inconsistent, and while Homecoming impressed us initially, I always like to duck into a new spot after it’s been open for a bit, just to see if the shine and sheen are still around. In fact, we review spots over and over, so we can always make the best recommendations for our readers.
In addition, dear friends of mine invited me to tag along for a catch up session, and Homecoming was the agreed upon choice for dinner. And like I’m gonna say no to Fried Chicken? Not likely.
Besides, there’s plenty to cover on this menu, and a follow up visit gave me a chance to show you a few new things.
Let’s check out how Homecoming is doing, a few months along in the journey.
The premise of Homecoming Florida Kitchen (HFK) is pretty cool, actually. Chef Art Smith is a native Floridian, who even spent some of the early years of his career as a Cast Member at Disney. So it’s befitting that the restaurant’s name is Homecoming, as he returns to his home state.
Sign
The restaurant is a celebration of Old-Meets-New Florida in so many ways. The architecture echoes Florida Vernacular style, with lots of windows to let the light in, and deep overhangs from the hip roof to keep the heat out. [Read more…]
Have you always wanted to dine at BOTH Morimoto Asia and Chef Art Smith’s Homecoming Florida Kitchen and Southern Shine on the same night? Well, now you CAN — thanks to a new special event – Sake & Shine – on December 3.
Sake & Shine at Disney Springs
Sake & Shine is a progressive dinner featuring Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and Chef Art Smith at their respective restaurants in Disney Springs.
I hope that you’re sitting down.
Because we have a ton of pictures and details to share with you about Chef Art Smith’s Homecoming Florida Kitchen and Southern Shine!
The restaurant opened with fanfare and plenty of rave reviews. And we were right there with you as we shared a first look!
If you can believe it, we’ve been back to Homecoming Florida Kitchen (hereafter shortened to HFK to save my fingers extra typing) again since opening day. As a result, we have lots of variety to share with you about this special spot.
This is a place that beckons you to slow down and sit a spell. So to begin, let’s take a nice, leisurely look around.
You’ll find HFK right in the heart of Disney Springs, where the Town Center and The Landing come together.
Sign
While the outside may look a little Plain Jane at first inspection, you may form a different opinion after your initial look. Tons of windows, shaded in part by the metal hip roof that overhangs them, is reminiscent of the Florida Vernacular style of architecture. I love that you don’t find a single ounce of faux stucco here — the building choice of most Florida homebuilders these days. [Read more…]
We’re here for a FIRST LOOK at Homecoming: Florida Kitchen and Southern Shine!
Newly open in the Town Center of Disney Springs (yesterday was Opening Day), Homecoming is the latest venue opened by a Celebrity Chef in Disney World.
While the restaurants backed by Chef Morimoto (Morimoto Asia) and Rick Bayless (Frontera Cocina) make up other terrific recent additions to Disney World’s shopping and dining district, Homecoming is especially significant to Disney World and Florida as Chef Art Smith has strong connections to both.
Hailing from Jasper, Florida, Chef Smith is also a former Disney Cast Member via the Disney College Program! So, as you can imagine, even though Chef Smith heads up restaurants in other areas of the country, the name Homecoming has an extra special meaning.
Homecoming sign
We’ll be back with our full review of this new spot next week, but in the meantime, we couldn’t resist sharing this FIRST LOOK with you.
Oh, and just look who dropped by to say, “Welcome!” [Read more…]
Are YOU as excited about the impending arrival of Homecoming: Florida Kitchen and Southern Shine as we are?!
Coming Soon — Homecoming: Florida Kitchen and Shine Bar
Well, it looks like we’ll all get our chance to welcome Chef Art Smith’s newest restaurant to Disney Springs VERY soon… as in TOMORROW, July 12th!! [Read more…]
The arrival is getting closer… Homecoming: Florida Kitchen and Southern Shine — an upcoming restaurant headed by Chef Art Smith — is coming to Disney Springs soon!
Coming Soon — Homecoming: Florida Kitchen and Shine Bar
Orlando My Way from WESH TV got a Sneak Peek at the space… and the MENU!
It’s all Southern fare and fun, starting with… well, the Starters! Items like Church Lady Deviled Eggs and “Bunch of Puppies” with Pimento Cheese (I. LOVE. HUSHPUPPIES!).
Church Lady Deviled Eggs @Homecoming FL, Twitter Account for Homecoming: Florida Kitchen and Southern Shine
“Buns & Such” features a Fried Chicken Sandwich and a Fried Catfish Sandwich. But it’s the Main Plates that are especially eye-catching, I think. We’re gonna focus on the poultry here… what with Fried Chicken & DOUGHNUTS and Art’s Fabulous Fried Chicken on the menu! (Pair those up with some Cheddar Cheese Biscuits or Momma’s Mac and Cheese under the Sides menu!)
Fried Chicken @Homecoming FL, Twitter Account for Homecoming: Florida Kitchen and Southern Shine
Last week we spotted Chef Smith himself checking out some artwork at the new spot…
Chef Art Smith looking at Homecoming
… and we can’t wait to welcome him — and Homecoming! — to Disney Springs SOON!
Which dish would you most like to try at Homecoming: Florida Kitchen and Southern Shine? Please let us know with a comment!
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