The Edison Offers Fun Classes to Learn While You Are “Sipping”

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

March 20, 2024

 

The Edison is one of our favorite restaurants in Disney Springs, and we’ve not only enjoyed the food, but we’ve also been there in the evening when a variety of entertainers have been giving great performances. The restaurant has a cabaret-style stage downstairs, and this old “power plant” themed restaurant offers a mash-up of steam-punk, gothic, Art Deco, and Industrial décor. The live music acts have always been spot on, whether it was one of the jazz ensembles or the more vintage nightclub vocalists.

In addition to being an entertaining place to eat, The Edison also offers a number of different opportunities to learn while you enjoy sipping on the unique beverages at this Roaring '20s -themed spot. Monthly workshops abound, but there are also some upcoming specialty events, too.

This week, The Edison is participating in “Sip, Savor & Stroll,” a chance to “drink, dine and dash your way with us from restaurant to restaurant,” stopping at three different Disney Springs eateries along the way.  The Edison, Enzo's Hideaway, and Maria & Enzo's Ristorante will host traveling guests on March 21 with different curated food and drink pairings at each location.  Timed tickets, priced at $75 and starting after 4:30 p.m., will control the flow of the crowd, and guests will have a guide to lead them through the restaurant rotation. Diners first meet at The Edison, and then have a guide escort them to Enzo's Hideaway for the next pairing, before ending the stroll at Maria & Enzo's patio.

At The Edison, you’ll enjoy the “Sunny Disposition Porthole” and The Edison's sourdough grilled cheese and lemon-basil tomato soup shooter.  Stop two, Enzo’s Hideaway, will be serving an “Enzoni” (made with Ford's gin) and saffron arancini. Your final stop at Maria & Enzo’s will wrap up with a “Blood Orange Mule” and a sweet dessert cannoli. Space is limited, and open only to ages 21 and older.

In April,  “Whiskey & Wonder” is a chance to visit eight different whiskey stations in a walkaround format.  It takes place at 12:00 p.m. on April 13, 2024.  VIP tickets are $90, and VIP access gets guests in a half hour early at 11:30 a.m., with provided seating.  General Admission tickets for 12 p.m. are $75. An add-on Luxury Station will pop up your ticket price by an additional $40, but will feature Spherified Black Manhattan with A5 Waygu & Hokkaidō Scallops. There will also be demonstrations during the event.  Once again, space is limited, and open only to ages 21 and older.

 
Food and beverages pairings at “Whiskey & Wonder” include:

• Barrel-aged Boulevardier with Carnitas Tostadas

• Shaker Plane with Tuna Crudo

• Whiskey Smash French Press with Sugarcane Shrimp

• Single-malt American Whiskey with Clothesline Bacon Station

• Porthole with St. Louis Ribs

• Lynchburg Peach Lemonade with Biscuits & Country Ham

• Liquid Nitrogen Whiskey Ice Cream (dairy-free available) with Handmade Waffle Cone

• Nitro Irish Coffee Draft with Tiramisu Push Pop

 

The next fun (and educational!) event at The Edison is being offered on several different dates.  The restaurant’s Saturday “Shaken and Stirred: Cocktail Classes” will be presented on eight afternoons between March 23 and June 29, all starting at 1:00 p.m.  Classes are designed for both beginners and more experienced “mixologists,” and will help guests delve into the ingredients, recipes and techniques involved in crafting cocktails.  Class size is limited to ten guests at a time, so participants will get lots of hands-on experience. Tickets are $100 per guest, except for the “All Things Sazerac” class, which is $175.

Themes change for each class, and include:

 

• March 23:  Pre-Prohibition Era Cocktails

 

• April 6: Mixology 101: Building Off the Basics

 

• April 20: American Whiskeys: Bourbon, Rye and Single Malts

 

• May 4: The Great British Shake Off (U.K. Spirits & Cocktails)

 

• May 18: South of the Border (Central & South American Spirits & Cocktails)

 

• June 1: Amari, Vermouths and Aperitifs

 

• June 15: The Classics – Where Are They Now?

 

• June 29: All Things Sazerac

 

Tickets for the events are available online at The Edison’s website. 

 

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

 

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Pizza Ponte Review: Go For The Pizza, But Skip the Sandwiches

 by Beth Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

July 1, 2021

 

A recent afternoon found us at Disney Springs when a sudden Florida thunderstorm cropped up. Crazy, right? We didn’t have lunch reservations anywhere, and having just parked in the Orange garage, we were on our way across the bridge when the skies threatened to open up. We made a last minute decision to scoot into Pizza Ponte, and we were glad we did.

Pizza Ponte is the quick-serve restaurant under the Maria & Enzo’s sign in The Landing section of Disney Springs, and is part of the Patina Restaurant Group that also brings you Via Napoli in EPCOT, and Maria & Enzo’s, Enzo’s Hideaway, and The Edison in Disney Springs.  The unassuming counter service room has a few indoor seats, but as those were already full, we opted for an umbrella-topped table outside.  Between being tucked next to the side of the building, and the oversized umbrella, we were easily protected from the rain.

 

I’ll put it out there, right up front.  We are New Yorkers by birth, which means we are, for all intents and purposes, pizza snobs.  Our recent arrival in Central Florida has meant that we haven’t yet found a pizza place that rivals our much loved New York-style pizzas.  And while we initially went into Pizza Ponte with skepticism – Disney rarely gets rave reviews for pizza – we left pleasantly surprised.

We ordered a slice of the four cheese pizza ($7.95), an oversized square white slice that rocked. A thick, soft crust was abundantly topped with a mix of mozzarella, provolone, fontina, and parmesan cheese, as well as a drizzle of olive oil. It was closer to a Sicilian or pan slice, and perfectly baked, with its edges nice and crisp without being burned.  We also opted for a rather large slice of the pepperoni pizza ($7.25) with lovely little “pepperoni cups” on top.  (If you are from the northeast, you know what I’m talking about. It’s those little pepperoni slices that curl and crisp around the edges when cooked, curving upwards into a “cup” shape with all the delicious oils pooling in the middle of the cup. Stop going “ewww.”  It’s a pizza thing.)

 

Both the slices were delicious, and we have plans to order them again.  For those of you who would like your pizza a little more Neapolitan-style and traditional, “The Big Roman”($6.95) is a plain, yet gigantic, slice of regular, triangle-shaped, red-sauced pizza.

 

Also on our dining menu that day were two of Pizza Ponte’s handmade sandwiches. The sandwiches weren’t pre-packaged, and we watched the cast member assembling the sandwiches and popping them into the pizza oven to bake, so it took a few minutes to gather our lunch. That was okay by us, as it meant the sandwiches were hot and fresh.  

 

The chicken parmigiana sandwich ($9.95) was somewhat forgettable, however, and while it was okay by quick-serve standards, we wouldn’t go out of our way to try it again. The chicken was a tad on the dry side, with a light amount of sauce on a short “hero” roll. (That’s another northeast term – for those of you elsewhere in the country, substitute the word “sub” or “hoagie” roll.) In its favor was the fact that the sauce tasted “real,” and not like a canned sauce.

On the other hand, the prosciutto sandwich ($9.75) was a flavorful, oblong sandwich, which would make a nice light lunch or dinner if you were looking for something not quite as overwhelming in the Florida heat, or after a day spent stuffing yourself in the theme parks. The bread itself was toasted, with a slight char, and the heat from the sandwich had melted the fontina cheese just a little.  Each bite was a touch sweet, and just the tiniest bit salty, with a hint of bitterness from the arugula to balance it out.  The cheese was strong, but in a good way.  The sandwich passed the “I’d get this again” test. For those of you from the northeast, though, this is a smaller-sized sandwich. Don’t expect the foot-long hero rolls you’d get in a sandwich shop in Jersey.

 

While waiting out the rain, we decided we’d throw caution to the wind and test out the desserts while we were there.  We tried the tiramisù cup and the cannoli (each $8.00).  There were also cheesecake, chocolate cake, and chocolate chip cookie selections available.

The tiramisù cup was an unexpectedly light dessert with a soft cake base and a dusting of cocoa that was obvious in the taste blend.  Coffee was the dominant flavor without being overwhelming.  It was a nice afternoon boost, and we’d be tempted to grab one of those little bowls on our way back to the garage on future trips.

The cannoli was a bit heavier in the dessert category, but yummy, nonetheless. The shell remained crisp, and the inside filling was a softer texture than we were anticipating, and not as firm as the more frosting-like consistency you sometimes find in cannoli cream.  It was, however, a welcome treat as we waited out the storm.

 

If you are looking to “grab a slice” while you are at Disney, let the name “Pizza Ponte” catch your attention. It was worth our stop.

 

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

 

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