September 2024
See the latest food and drink on offer at the Chef Rick Bayless restaurant in Disney Springs.
Chef Rick Bayless has a new Mexican restaurant in the Town Center at Disney Springs.
A new Chef Rick Bayless restaurant will be opening soon in the Town Center at Disney Springs.
See a preview of the upcoming gourmet fresh Mexican menu coming to the Town Center soon.
So, on their opening day, the wife and I headed over to Disney Springs to check out the new Frontera Cocina restaurant. The restaurant itself was not very busy though Disney Springs was packed for a Sunday evening. We had no intentions of eating an entire meal here this evening. We set up at the bar and had a few "beverages" and a starter off the menu. First off, the prices here (even for Disney) seemed a bit steep to me. A local beer (Cigar City Amber Ale) was $11.00 and it was not even a full pint or a restaurant style "pint". It came in the same glass as our waters did. Will not be drinking here again. The menu has a good selection and prices are to be expected on Disney property for food. Entrees range from $15.00 to $34.00. We had the chips & salsa ($4.00) and ordered the Coctel Rojo ($14.00) to share. Overall the food was good but nothing to write home about to be honest. Rocco's Tacos in Dr. Phillips is a better restaurant (to me) than Frontera Cocnia. Overall the food & atmosphere were fine. However, I may reserve judgement for another visit to this restaurant as it was opening night. Very nice on the inside and the staff we encountered were very friendly and we had a good time there.
We tried Frontera Cocina twice, during our five day trip. I'd looked forward to it for a long time because I like the way Rick Bayless approaches cooking. Fresh, quality ingredients, and using flavors that work together or contrast in a way that contributes to the dish rather than defining it. On our first visit I had the Carne Asada and my wife had the Red Chile Chicken Enchiladas. It was good. My beef was a little overcooked, but not enough to send it back. The flavors were good. My wife's Enchiladas were about the same. The chicken was a little dry, and the cheese could have used another minute or so under the broiler to evenly melt it. Both dishes were good, but not what I'd expected. Later in our trip we found ourselves in Disney Springs again, and we were both ready to eat, so we decided to try again to find out if we just came in on a bad day or time. We switched entrees this visit. I'm glad we visited a second time, and that we switched entrees! The Red Chile Chicken Enchiladas that day is probably one of the best 3-5 meals I've ever had anywhere on property. The flavors worked perfectly together. The texture of the corn tortillas made from scratch was perfect. The chicken was a hair on the dry side but tender and flavorful, but still tasted like chicken. The sauce was fantastic, with complimentary flavors, and depth. The black beans were just as good, with a nice creamy texture, and a comforting richness to them. My wife prefers her beef cooked a little closer to well than I'd prefer. Actually she prefers med-well, while I tend to think of medium as being overcooked more often than not. It come to the table cooked perfectly to med-well as ordered. The side of guacamole was outstanding. Lots of flavor as expected, but it complimented the rich, creamy, avocado. The salsa had some mild heat, but more than enough flavor to balance that out. The refried black beans were just a little on the dry side, but neither one of us sampled them for some time with all of the other food to enjoy, so I can't hold the kitchen responsible. Both visits were good or better. The second has earned Frontera Cocina must visit status on each trip. With a slightly larger group we would add some appetizers to share, but the two of us left comfortably filled just ordering our entrees. When taking the quality into account, we felt like it is one of the better values anywhere on property. Crowds were light, and our second meal was at 3 PM. The place was almost empty. Visit soon, because I expect the wait to grow as more people start hearing about this place.
