It's rainy and cold in Chicago. I want a margarita. And I know which one I want. Hint: Mexican pavilion in Epcot.

Sometimes it's really very simple.  You wake up, it's cold and damp and rainy outside, it's only 48 degrees.  You are shivering.  You turn on the TV and your local news has some guy who's a mixologist on and he's concocting a margarita in honor of Cinco De Mayo on Sunday.  You notice it's a basic margarita recipe, save for the inclusion of vanilla bean-infused triple sec (which you think is a very good idea).  You talk to our hubby about what you've just watched and you plot a way to make such a margarita over the weekend.



Then you ponder other margaritas you've had in your young life and realize you may have had one of the most spectacular ones ever just about two years ago.  It was at Epcot in Disney World, in November, 2011.  You were happily ordering your dinner at the San Angel Inn, the nifty restaurant inside the Mexican pavilion, right near the Gran Fiesta tour boat ride featuring Donald Duck, Jose Carioca and Panchito. 



Then you saw the drink menu and something popped out like in a pop-up book and had you hooked.

The drink that haunts your waking moments on a cold, rainy Chicago day is the Orange Mango Fire Margarita and it is exactly what it says it is (from the menu online): El Mayor premium Tequila, ginger liqueur, orange juice, mango, fresh lime juice, a hint of tabasco sauce, served on the rocks with a Tajin chili powder rim.  It is $12.50 and you tabulate how may you could have for $100, but you don't order that many because one is sufficiently heady enough.

The Disney Food Blog (WHY DON'T I HAVE THIS JOB???) wrote about it back in 2010, when it was offered at the other World Showcase Mexican restaurant,  La Hacienda de San Angel (http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2010/09/27/review-epcots-la-hacienda-de-san-angel/).  Here is their photo of the drink:

This is all you want.  It is citrussy and spicy and packs a wallop.  This one drink has it all.

You do your level best to be back at Epcot within months.

A movie review on the blog? "Iron Man 2"? What the heck does this have to do with vintage amusement parks?

Bear with me.

Here's my mini-review for "Iron Man 2" which I posted on Flixster:

3 and a half stars. Big fun! RDJ, brilliant as usual. Mickey Rourke -- thank you for a multi-dimensional villain. Script, FX, direction, all great. But best of all, the acting. A special nod to the creative choice to cast John Slattery as Stark's father, seen in a retro flashback reminiscent of the old footage of Walt Disney presenting plans for Epcot. Inspired!

I Googled John Slattery and Walt Disney and Epcot plans all morning but couldn't find the image I wanted. But I know it exists (what I have pictured is the closest I came). Somewhere I have seen footage or a photo of Uncle Walt presenting his concept model of Epcot, the man the very picture of composed warmth mixed with that dash of little kid. In "Iron Man 2", Tony Stark is sent old 16MM footage of his father presenting a model of a city which... well, I can't very well give out the whole scenario. Let's just say it's integral to the storyline. And let's also say that Jon Favreau, the film's director, took an inspired leap by casting "Mad Men"'s Slattery as the iconic father, dressing him up in the same dapper 60s style that Walt himself would sport -- and even adding the well-trimmed mustache.

Go see the movie for the adventure, the great performances, and the explosions. But if you're a Walt Disney fan and know your Disney history, you'll be blown away by this homage to the great Imagineer.