Larger: Here.

We drop by Disney Springs on the morning of June 17, 2018 for something that isn’t a 2,500 word French Toast review.

Though if you did miss said review, you might want to check out Maria & Enzo’s brunch, which I think will prove to be the best of the Sunday morning meals at Disney Springs. Endless Mimosas and Bellinis for $15 plus all the large shrimp you can eat. Say no more. Okay, please, 2,500 more words about French Toast would be great.

For now, we’ll focus on what’s happening around Disney Springs outside of the restaurant. For the first time in something like five years, there is no wall up along the water here outside the complex that houses Pizza Ponte/Maria & Enzo’s/The Edison. It’s nice to be able to enjoy the picturesque waterside views while walking across the bridge from The West Side to The Landing. Of course, that pleasantness evaporates shortly thereafter as you suffer past STK, but it’s never too late to start training for that 5k.

Disney announced the Springs project over five years ago, on March 13, 2013, and I think most people thought we’d see some level of completion by now.

But the demolition of DisneyQuest wasn’t even finished until the beginning of this year and coming into late 2017, there was still some question about whether or not the NBA Experience was actually going to take its place.

And here we are with the basketball court experience coming in “Summer 2019,” which is still probably a year off. Until then, the area across from House of Blues and down from Splitsville is going to look something like this, which you wouldn’t think is good for business.

The Cirque du Soleil building has sat empty for almost six months now with no new show in sight. You wouldn’t think that’s very good for business, either. There is a Disney-inspired show supposedly in the pipeline, but it’s not set for an opening before late next year with the potential that an interim show will arrive at some point around the spring of 2k19. You’d think that La Nouba could have performed in its current state throughout this year or another show could have been shoehorned into the space in the meantime. But for at least another 8+ months, this space will sit unused.

Also on the West Side, directly across from Splitsville, construction on the Jaleo restaurant continues.

There’s almost universal acclaim for the restaurant and the chef behind it and I’m excited to give it a try once it opens.

When that will be…who’s to say. I’m not sure there’s a single project that’s been finished on time here.

Even if I give Jaleo one tenth of a star for each section of roof standing tall over the restaurant, it’s still going to be a five star place.

If only new Italian restaurant were E-ticket rides, I don’t think anybody would be complaining about a lack of new things to do at Walt Disney World. What was a pretty terrible restaurant in Portobello will be changing its name to Terralina and will probably eventually open. The restaurant is operated by Levy, which is also doing everything in its power to run Paddlefish to the ground, despite the fantastic location and its predecessor, Fulton’s, being one of the most profitable restaurants in the entire country. You can be sure that I’ll be among the first 50,000 people to try the noodles here and you’ll be the first to know that they’re average.

Portobello will always hold a special place where my heart should be. It was one of the first restaurant reviews that I ever wrote, almost seven years ago now, in this post. It’s a complete blast from the past with the old Magic Masters store ahead here on the right and mentions of everything from Apricot Lane to Magnetron,to three meatball sliders for $5.

What a completely different world and it was that way up until only five or six years ago.

The World of Disney store looks to be on the verge of reopening. A marquee with that same ugly logo you see on the construction wall with the beige background went up yesterday and Stitch is back on the prowl. Apparently it’s going to be heavy on the brick, just like Wine Bar George, Polite Pig, BaseLine Tap House, and just about everything else Disney has designed in the last three years.

Work also continues on the new Wolfgang Puck restaurant to the left of the Coca-Cola Store and across from the side of Planet Hollywood.

Work on Planet Hollywood’s supposed quick service outlet continues on the opposite side. I wonder how many people return home lamenting that the one problem with their vacation was a severe lack of access to Planet Hollywood’s kitchen. “The My Disney Experience app worked great, but man, I was one appetizer-sampler-that-looks-like-a-ferris-wheel away from having a good time.”

We’ll return to Disney Springs when I’m in the mood to take pictures of 750 restaurant menus or sometime next month, whichever comes last.