Get Your Diploma at Sangria University at Coronado Springs

 by Beth Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

July 27, 2023

 

Between my husband, my kids, and myself, we have a total of 14 diplomas under our belts. What we didn’t have was a diploma from Sangria University at Three Bridges Bar and Grill at Disney’s Coronado Springs. We set out to remedy that situation a few weekends ago. And it was a blast!

Three Bridges Bar and Grill is one of our favorite haunts at Disney World, and it serves as your open-air classroom for this interactive, 90-minute workshop. Three Bridges is located in the center of Lago Dorado at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, with beautiful views of the lake and a cool breeze coming through the venue.

Sangria University is relatively inexpensive on the Disney scale, with a $59.00 fee for each participant.  (While the class is designed for those 21 and over, kids are welcome and will get a non-alcoholic version of the set-up, but the kids will pay full price. Sooooo, probably best to find an alternate activity for them. They aren’t going to find the lesson nearly as interesting as you will.)   

 

The $59.00 “tuition” might seem a little pricey at first, but considering that your starter flight is the same flight that is on the regular Three Bridges evening menu for $22.00, and you also get a plate of the house-made guac and chips (which usually runs $12.00 on the bar’s menu), and you also get the fixings for creating your own personalized libation, the class is a pretty good deal. Plus, it is enormously fun.

When you check in at Three Bridges for your class, you’ll be escorted to your preassigned table, where you’ll find your supplies for Sangria University already set-up for you, including your flight of sangria, ingredients for your custom sangria, and snacks. When everyone has arrived, your “Sangria Professor” will take over, sharing the history of sangria and imparting some fun lessons on the beverage creation process, and teaching you about the different flavor profiles, alcohols, and their origins in your included sangria flight.  (With a little tie-in to Disney history as well!)

In case you don’t know much about sangria heading into the class, you’ll start out enjoying a selection of varied choices that your “Sangria Professor” will walk through with you, describing their compositions and pedigrees along the way.  There are four sangrias in the curated flight offered on the Three Bridges restaurant menu, and you’ll receive all four of those selections during your class, including:

 

• Espumoso (Sparkling) Sangria: Freixenet Blanc de Blancs Brut Cava, Peach Liqueur, and Lemon.

• Blanco (White) Sangria: Macabeo Wine, Torres Magdala Naranjas del Mediterráneo, St. Germain Elderflower, Passion Fruit, and Lemon.

• Rosado (Rosé) Sangria: Garnacha Rosé Wine, Cruzan Mango Rum, SKYY Infusions Citrus Vodka, and Desert Pear

• Tinto (Red) Sangria: Garnacha Wine, Torres Magdala Naranjas del Mediterráneo, and Orange.

 

Next, they will turn you loose to create a custom drink infused with your own preferences.  And that’s where the fun really begins.  You’ll choose the wine and liquors you would like to add to your personal sangria, and in addition to the provided (free) choices, you’ll have an opportunity to include other premium liquors, starting at $5.00. You’ll add a few fruit embellishments, too. You can design your drink at your leisure, adding and enhancing as you see fit.

 

My husband and I both started with Rosé wine, but while I added an included apricot brandy, he opted to scale up to vanilla vodka and mango rum for the small additional charge.  It was nice, but still lacking a little something, so he added the provided strawberry puree and fresh strawberries, and declared it a lovely, sweet summertime libation.  I started with just my Rosé and apricot brandy, and added a bit of fruit, a little at a time. And with each addition, the drink became a completely different flavor.  

The oranges went in first. The drink had a very strong citrusy scent, and it was still light without being overly sweet.  Next went in the raspberries, which made the drink prettier, but didn’t change the flavor at all.  There was a shot glass of lemonade among the supplies on the table, so we thought, “Why not?”  and added the lemonade. It brightened the glass, and we thought it was a good selection, and a drink we’d enjoy making again.  The lemonade mellowed the citrus out a bit.  About halfway through the glass, though, we decided to add the strawberry puree, and the drink really came together, with a completely different taste yet again.  This time is was fruity and sweeter, and a perfect summer afternoon treat.  We liked the final iteration of the drink, and decided to stop there.

 

At the end of the session, after you’ve created and sampled your own special drink, you’ll receive your “Certificate of Mastery” declaring you a “Sangria Sommelier,” plus a few printed sangria flight recipes to take home. Go ahead and frame your certificate if you’d like, and see how many people pick it out amongst the other diplomas on the wall!

 

Sangria University is a popular event, and is offered at Coronado Springs on Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m., and books up quickly. We were able to reserve our spots about six weeks out from our class. You pay for your seat in advance, and can register on the My Disney Experience app, or on the Disney website on the Enchanting Extras reservations page.

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

Unexpected Ambience at Maya Grill

 by Beth Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

November 9, 2022

 

We’ve eaten at most of the dining establishments at Disney World’s Coronado Springs over the years. Coronado, despite its high incidence of convention attendees and a more business-like appearance, has always been one of our favorite resorts, even though it really lacks any overt “Disney theming.”  Rather, it has a more subdued atmosphere, with soft music playing throughout the resort, and gorgeous southwestern colors everywhere, from the muted desert tones of the Casitas and Rancho buildings, to the jeweled tones of the newer Gran Destino Tower. The sizable center lake, “Lago Dorado,” also adds to the charm and peacefulness of the Resort.

The one restaurant we hadn’t visited yet was the Maya Grill, a “grand Mexican dining room featuring ancient-modern styling and Nuevo Latino cuisines.”  With the enticing sunset water views of Coronado’s Three Bridges Bar & Grill a stroll away, we just hadn’t made it over to Maya Grill before COVID closures, and sadly, Maya took a while to reopen.

 

The restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere, with terra cotta colored walls, southwestern theming that gives a “pyramid” kind of vibe, fire and sun motifs, and grand columns soaring to the ceiling.  The restaurant is a good size, but feels “homey” because the dining areas are sectioned off into smaller “room” type groupings. 

 

An unexpected bonus was the live guitar music during our meal.  The musician was really good, and we didn’t realize initially that the music was live until the guitar player strolled around the corner toward our little section of the dining room.  He shared a mix of popular and Disney tunes while walking around, even singing birthday greetings to guests at a nearby table.

Maya Grill’s menu leans Tex-Mex, and has a plethora of unique cocktails and specialty drinks, including, of course, a selection of tequilas.  For our appetizer, we went with the Empanada de Barbacoa ($15.00), a serving of two empanadas filled with Barbacoa beef, and topped with Ranchero sauce, Mexican crema and Cotija cheese.  A side of street corn relish accompanied the empanadas.  The empanadas were warm and fresh, just a bit of a bite from the Barbacoa, which was delicious, and the empanada dough was firm rather than flaky. The little crescents were not in the least bit greasy, which sometimes happens with fried dough.  They were just the right size for an appetizer, a smidge bigger than bite-sized, but not too large to interfere with the main course.  They were just shy of “crunchy” (but in a good way), and the Ranchero sauce alternated with the coolness of the crema.

 

For our entrées, we chose the Traditional Taco Salad ($18.75) and the Baja Fish Tacos ($25.00). 

The taco salad was served in an edible crispy tortilla shell, filled with greens, nacho beef, Monterey Jack cheese, bell peppers, black olives, Mexican crema, and a lovely avocado dressing.  It was an excellent salad, if somewhat lacking in dimension.  There wasn’t much variety to the salad, as it was primarily greens with a layer of spiced meat and dressing. The taco meat had a hint of a kick, but still gentle enough for those who might be spice adverse. After digging down into the salad, we discovered the black olives hiding on a bottom layer, and two lone strips of red peppers. The olives added a nice, salty component, and gave the salad a bit of earthiness. After reading the salad description when we got home, though, we wondered if parts of the salad had been left out of our assembly, since the ingredients list also claimed “avocado and pico de gallo,” which definitely didn’t make an appearance in our salad.  That being said, we would order this salad again, but it would be improved with a touch more variety, maybe something along the order of black beans? Of course, if the few ingredients were indeed missing from our salad, that could have changed the depth of the flavor, too. The tortilla bowl itself was freshly made, warm and not at all oily, and made for a nice crunch along with the greens.

The Baja Fish Tacos were a big hit.  Incredibly soft tortillas were filled with Tempura battered cod that was light and tender, with a crunchy outer breading. The rest of the taco was filled out with shredded cabbage, and a Chipotle lime aioli and pineapple relish that gave a nice sweet and spicy mix to the sauces.  The lime brightened the dish, and the fruit accompaniment in the tacos created a great flavor mix with each bite.  The Esquites that accompanied the tacos was a unique side dish, a bit crumbly, yet with a smooth flavor that was, at the same time, sweet yet tangy.  

 

We finished off our meal with a fun choice, the Fried Baby Churros ($10.00).  The tiny little bite sized churros were served warm and crispy (without being either too hard or too soggy), and had a high quality vanilla ice cream melting its way into the crevices of the churros.  The combination of the warm churro and melty ice cream, along with caramel dulce sauce drizzled over the top, was a yummy combination.  Strong and comforting cinnamon tones were a nice end to dinner.  

We’re sorry to say that we simply waited too long to visit this restaurant, tucked away down the end of a hallway at Coronado.  Most guests may not even realize it’s there. Between the excellent food, the delightful music and warm ambiance, and an attentive and friendly cast member as our waitress, we had a great experience, and will definitely be back to visit again.

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

Where to Watch Football in Disney World?

by Ray Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

December 19, 2021

 

The end of the NFL season is fast approaching. Your team is in the playoff mix. And you’re either vacationing at Walt Disney World, or you live locally but don’t have access to NFL Sunday Ticket via DirecTV? What to do?

 

Well, I came across an answer recently.

Head over to Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. That’s always worth a visit. After taking a stroll around the place, head to Rix Sports Bar and Grill.

 

The food is pub-style adequate. I had the Kona Burger on a recent visit, which is a half-pound burger with grilled pineapple, teriyaki aioli, and wonton strips among the toppings. It was pretty good – not great, not poor. Matters improved just a bit by tossing in waffle fries. (Yes, I’m a sucker for waffle fries.)

Other items that caught my eye on the lunch menu were the Venetian Burger, Ale Battered Fish and Chips, a California Chicken Sandwich, and yes, I’d like to give the Meatloaf Sandwich a try. Also, I missed the Blue Cheese Cole Slaw last time, so that will be something to try.

 

Will there be a next time? Yes. I’m a local without DirecTV, and am a Minnesota Vikings fan. Our waiter informed us that Rix has NFL Sunday Ticket, with games spread across some 31 television screens. Count me in.

 

So, bring on the appetizers, the drinks, and the main menu items at Rix, and let’s go Vikings. Skol!

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

Great Christmas Gift! The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution is here! It combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more. Also, “The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution” comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use. 

 

Keating has three new books out. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13^th thriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Again, get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com. And order the 15th book in the series What’s Lost? A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story – grab it at Amazon.com or signed editions at www.raykeatingonline.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.