When the refurbished Planet Hollywood reopens this fall at Disney Springs as Planet Hollywood Observatory, it will feature a new menu, including a special section designed by the chef and television personality Guy Fieri.
Fieri was approached by Planet’s founder and ceo, Robert Earl, to add some flair to the menu. Fieri’s offerings will feature specialty sandwiches and burgers, including the Prime Time American Kobe-Inspired Burger and the Turkey Pic-a-nic Sandwich, the latter sure to be a favorite of that famous Hollywood star Yogi Bear.
Planet Hollywood is undergoing a massive redo as part of the Disney Springs redevelopment. The original structure, a huge, multi-story globe, is being retrofitted to resemble an astronomical observatory with star-searching telescopes (rendering of new entrance lobby shown at top). Hollywood, observatory, stars — get it?
It will be interesting to see how Fieri’s food fares at PHO. His Times Square restaurant, Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar, was given a “poor” rating from New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells in a scathing review in 2013. The critique, written as an open letter to Fieri started : “Guy Fieri, have you eaten at your new restaurant in Times Square? Have you pulled up one of the 500 seats at Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar and ordered a meal? Did you eat the food? Did it live up to your expectations?”
Reading the review from a critic’s standpoint, I couldn’t help thinking that Wells had a blast writing it. I’ll keep an open mind, but I’m always up for a good time.
