By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-04-05 18:06:20 | Updated at 2025-04-06 10:37:17
17 hours ago
Donald Trump's former Mar-a-Lago chef is setting his sights on Downtown Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
Joe Isidori, a Michelin star chef and New York native, launched his prosperous career running the Mar-a-Lago estate and Trump Hotel Collection in 2004.
Isidori was Trump's go-to chef in the early 2000s serving as the Trump restaurant collection's Vice President and Corporate Executive Chef, supervising the president's culinary ventures around the county.
In 2008, Isidori won a Michelin star for DJT, a restaurant at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.
He was even floated as a potential White House chef but instead returned to his New York Italian roots with Arthur & Sons.
Now, the Michelin chef is taking Arthur & Sons to Downtown Disneyland, replacing the beloved Tortilla Jo's, which closed last year.
Arthur & Sons has four locations in New York with a menu that features classic Italian-American dishes.
However, the new restaurant across the country, Arthur & Sons Steak and Bourbon, has a sleeker steakhouse feel.
Donald Trump's former Mar-a-Lago chef is venturing over to the West Coast with two new restaurants opening in Downtown Disney in Anaheim
Disney revealed a concept design for how Arthur & Sons Steak and Bourbon will look
Isidori won a Michelin star for his work at DJT, a restaurant in Trump's International Hotel in Las Vegas
The menu features prime cuts of beef, seafood, salads, sandwiches, and an impressive bourbon collection.
Disney announced the collaboration with Isidori in November but recently shared the design plans for the new steakhouse.
The images revealed the restaurant's sophisticated aesthetic, with brick walls, an expansive bar, plush red booths, and a black-and-white floor design.
For those looking for a more casual spot, Isidori is also opening a barbeque place in Disneyland called Pearl's Roadside BBQ.
The inside of the new Arthur & Sons steakhouse features a sleek and sophisticated aesthetic
The new restaurants are replacing the iconic Disney restaurant, Tortilla Jo's, and its sister taqueria
The restaurant's exterior resembles a 1950s style with bold red lettering and a picture of a green pig painted above the entrance.
The inside of Pearl's has a cafeteria-like feel with tables and chairs and a mural of the countryside on one wall.
'Pearl’s Roadside BBQ will be a quick service eatery blending the best of chef-driven, modern barbecue with traditional North Carolina cookouts,' Disney said of the new restaurant.
The menu includes traditional barbeque dishes like pulled pork, beef brisket, and smoked heritage turkey.
In line with the restaurant's roadside aesthetic, the bourbon drinks have been swapped for beers and moonshine cocktails.
The new Disneyland restaurants add to Chef Isidori's long resume of innovative culinary ventures.
BBQ Pearl's Roadside is set to have a more casual feel with barbeque dishes and an outdoor patio
Pictured: Inside BBQ Pearl's Roadside
He was born with cooking in his blood, as his grandmother owned a renowned Manhattan Italian restaurant and his grandfather ran Artie's Steak and Liquor Lounge in Brooklyn.
He studied at the Culinary Institute of America and began his career in Florida before returning to his home city.
Isidori left DJT in 2009 and went on to run several restaurants including Southfork Kitchen in the Hamptons, Arthur on Smith in Brooklyn, and Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beers, which has even expanded to Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates.
Isidori will soon dabble in West Coast cooking as Arthur & Sons Steak and Bourbon and Pearl's Roadside BBQ are in the production process. Disney hasn't yet announced when the restaurants are slated to open.
