I had the pleasure of attending Carnevale at Maria & Enzo’s Ristorante in Disney Springs on Monday evening and cannot say enough about this incredibly unique experience. From the food to the drinks to the entertainment – which included theatrical singers and folk dancers, stilt walkers, jugglers, mimes, mask and face painting, and serenades – it was an incredible evening with friends that had us so entertained that we stayed for nearly 4 hours!
Carnevale is the traditional festival famous in Venice and known as Mardi Gras outside of Italy. And as they say in Italy, “a Carnevale ogni scherzo vale!” (“Anything goes at Carnevale!”)
We were greeted at the door by gorgeous stilt walkers in full costume and then walked into the space transformed into a sea of color and celebration.
Once seated you have a choice of the prix fixe Feast of Carnevale, which includes a whopping 5 courses and breads for just $45 – including an amuse bouche, ciabatta bread, grissini and ponte focaccia, pasta di Carnevale, a choice of one antipasta, a choice of one secondi, and a bugie dessert.
My meal included perfectly cooked pasta in a light cream sauce with cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, calamari, and parmesan almond crusted flounder with lemon and brown butter in a caper sauce.
All menu items are also available a la carte, which is a wonderful option if you’d prefer to enjoy a lighter meal and drinks while taking in all of the entertainment that the evening has to offer. And speaking of drinks – the entire inside of the menu is cocktails, beers, and wines at some of the most reasonable prices I’ve seen on property.
I sampled the Joy & Fun cocktail(…s) and they were delicious alongside my meal.
While we waited for our food and after dining, we also had the chance to enjoy the live entertainment – including a pretty wonderful serenade – jugglers, dancers, and more.
And it was so much fun to have a gorgeous mask handpainted before my eyes with colors that I choose myself – at no additional cost!
All in all this was such a fun night and just a wonderfully different experience at Walt Disney World that is just as well suited to a date night as to a night out with the whole family or a group of friends.
This Carnevale celebration began on February 22nd and will run on evenings from 5-10p.m. though March 5th. They do recommend that you make reservations. You can get them by visiting mariaandenzos.com or calling (407) 560-8466.
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Do you like these sorts of off the beaten path experiences at Walt Disney World? Personally I’m always so very excited to find these sorts of unique events to experience on property. Each time it makes me feel like I am experiencing Walt Disney World in an entirely new way.
