My Disneyland dining reviews, with pictures

[figment_jii]

Oh neat i wonder if it is just a summer thing. That looks neat

I don't know...it would be interesting to know how often the buffets change their menus. My guess is this will stay around for a while, especially if it proves to be popular!

 

[Sherry E]

I don't know if anyone is interested, but I went to the Taste of Farmers Market event tonight (the event that I have been posting about in this thread). I met Pete (owner/founder of The DIS), Dustin (from the Florida team) and Webmaster Kathy. Apparently Nancy Johnson of DIS Unplugged was there too (I have met her before), but no one told me she was there, and I didn't see her.

In any case, I decided I would hit the meat dishes first.

I got BBQ pork, pepperoni pizza and a prime rib sandwich on my first round. I grabbed a table and sat down to eat.

Round 2 involved some sort of Mediterranean garlic chicken, a roast beef sandwich, a corned beef sandwich and a Snappy Dog (which is a hot dog injected with bacon). I grabbed a table and sat down.

Round 3 involved a root beer float, a berry smoothie and a delicious fruit salad topped with a beautiful flower. There was a lime on the salad, and I squeezed the juice on the honeydew melon. Normally I am not a fan of honeydew, as it is bland and boring. But, when drizzled with lime juice, it is yummy!!

Round 4 involved a double scoop of ice cream and a doughnut hole.

Round 5 involved a soft serve swirl of ice cream, and 2 separate root beers from 2 different places (I had 2 drink tickets).

I vowed that if I had anymore room left in my stomach I would waddle over to get a pancake at Du-Par's and French toast at Charlie's. I also planned on getting herbal lemonade, English toffee and something for the Bastille Day celebration (such as Passion cake and a macaron). Unfortunately, I was completely full, and had no room left to eat anything. I missed the orange chicken and the chocolate fountain too!

It's a bit inconvenient to grab food, find a table, sit down, get up, get more food, find another table, sit down, get up, get food, find another table, sit down, etc. But there was really no other way to do it. They hand you a paper plate before you go in, and it can only hold a few things at a time. So you have to eat and clear it off, then get the next round of food.

Anyway, it was exhausting -- but definitely a good event for foodies. There were beer and wine samples too, of course. And Cost Plus World Market was giving out free bottles of water.

 

[bcwife76]

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...-at-paradise-pier-hotel-at-disneyland-resort/

Would love to try that, looks very tasty! I just commented on the blog, asking how long this menu will be around for (as it's not mentioned on the blog).

 

[kaoden39]

Sherry,

That sounds wonderful!

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Oh crud! Now I need to add ANOTHER day for us to have time to eat this!? Looks SOOOO good!

 

[Sherry E]

Would love to try that, looks very tasty! I just commented on the blog, asking how long this menu will be around for (as it's not mentioned on the blog).

It definitely sounds like a very summer-ish concept, doesn't it? But I tend to wonder why it wasn't announced sooner if it was just intended to be a summer thing. Maybe they will keep the buffet going into fall and winter, but with a different menu and more season-specific foods/drinks? I thought that PCH Grill was a menu-only restaurant for lunch and dinner -- I didn't think they offered a buffet at any time other than the character breakfast in the morning? I don't know if I am correct about that, but if I am, the buffet will probably bring a lot of extra people to the restaurant. Sometimes the PCH Grill looks almost empty if it's not during character meal time, so they need the business, I think.

Sherry,

That sounds wonderful!

Michele -- I think it's a great event for true foodies who like to try all different sorts of food (and there were many things that were much more exotic than what I tried). And, at $40 or $45 and over 50 vendors it is a good value. But you really need the full 4 hours, because after eating the first few things, time is needed to let things digest. And when you start to feel full but are not done sampling yet, you need time to make room in the tummy for another sample or two. It really takes some careful thought, strategy and planning.

Also, I think it's better if you go with at least one other person. That way, the other person can save the table while you get up and get your food, and you can save it while they get theirs. Then you can take turns saving the table again, while you each get up to collect the next round of samples. Because I was by myself, I couldn't save a table and had to keep finding a new one any time I got another round of food, which became tedious after a while.

I'm glad that the event was basically free for me (since I used the Farmers Market gift certificates I earned to buy the ticket). If I had actually had to pay the $40, I think I would have felt guilty that I did not sample as many foods as I would have liked, to justify spending the money. Nancy Johnson told me that she made it to 28 of the vendors (out of 50+). I don't know how she did it. I think I only made it to half as many as she did and I was already way too stuffed. She did take some things home with her, though, which is probably what I should have done (like the English toffee and assorted pastry samples). I was in a food coma and was not thinking clearly, so it didn't even dawn on me to take anything home!

 

[kaoden39]

Sherry,

That really is a good deal. When you consider all of the choices and the food it's a great deal. Until I got sick in April the girls and I were planning a trip to WDW with friends. We had an attack planned for Epcot. We were each going to order different things and eat and drink our way across the world. This same attack plan would work in this situation. Maybe I need to plan my next trip around this.

 

[Sherry E]

Another post from the Parks Blog about Diamond Celebration food - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...or-the-disneyland-resort-diamond-celebration/!!

 

[rwu]

Sherry -- I really want to thank you for publicizing this event. DH and I went, and we really enjoyed it! Between the two of us, we managed to get to 38 out of the 51 vendors (though a fair bit of food ended up coming home with us too.)

I was worried that the food lines would be long, but every place was pretty much a walk-up. We were also pretty lucky about finding tables when we needed them.

And the best thing was that we got to try new places we would otherwise never have tried. New favorites were the doughnut holes at Bob's Coffee and Doughnuts, and the pate and cake (2 separate items, not together ) at Normandie Bakery.

Anyways, thanks again for recommending this!

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry -- I really want to thank you for publicizing this event. DH and I went, and we really enjoyed it! Between the two of us, we managed to get to 38 out of the 51 vendors (though a fair bit of food ended up coming home with us too.)

I was worried that the food lines would be long, but every place was pretty much a walk-up. We were also pretty lucky about finding tables when we needed them.

And the best thing was that we got to try new places we would otherwise never have tried. New favorites were the doughnut holes at Bob's Coffee and Doughnuts, and the pate and cake (2 separate items, not together ) at Normandie Bakery.

Anyways, thanks again for recommending this!

rwu -

You're very welcome -- and thank you so much for reporting back! That's why I post about the Taste of Farmers Market in this thread -- I know that even if some people don't speak up, there are always people out there reading along or lurking in the background (as is the case with any thread). Last year, the same thing happened -- I posted about the Taste event here in this thread, knowing that there are a lot of people who either live in SoCal and might be interested, or who come to SoCal to visit Disneyland, and then plan a non-Disney day in Hollywood as well. No one mentioned up front that they were going to the Taste event, but someone reported back here after the event was over and said that she had gone and had a great time!

Anyway, I am completely impressed and astounded that you made it to 38 of the vendors! I have to admit -- that makes me curious as to which stations you did not hit, because you really covered the majority of them. I wonder which ones you skipped!

I feel like such an amateur, but I was stuffed over one hour before the event ended, and I could not eat anything else. I should have thought ahead and brought some Ziploc bags with me, so that I could carry home certain things that were transportable, such as the English toffee, the pastries at Coffee Bean, whatever they were handing out at the Bastille Day table, and maybe even the Passion Cake from Normandie Bakery. I looked at the clock at around 7:50 p.m., and I realized that by the time I rested a bit and worked up a bit of an appetite again, it would be right at the time the Taste was ending, at 9 p.m., if not later. So I just threw in the towel and went home. As I mentioned to Michele above, If I had actually paid out of pocket for the event (as opposed to using the gift certificates I used), I would have felt terribly guilty for barely making a dent in the array of options. I don't know how I could have done it differently, though, other than to bring the Ziploc bags.

I am not sure what my absolute favorite "bites" were, but I realized that I stuck mainly to vendors who have been at the Market for decades and decades, with only one or two exceptions (such as Fritzi Dog). I have to be honest -- that mini-root beer float was delicious and refreshing, so that's right up there at the top. I thought that the fruit bowl was quite a generous size as well, so that ranked high. I thought that the ice cream sample at Bennett's (right next to Bob's) was pretty generous, too (two scoops). The BBQ pork was tasty. The prime rib sandwich was good. There was really a great array of food.

The lines for food were not bad at all. I mostly just walked right up as well. The vendors were good about hustling everyone along. One reason why I think the lines were non-existent is that, because this Taste event is always held on a Tuesday night, and only for 4 hours, a lot of people who work that day either can't get there when it begins or end up skipping it entirely. A lot of local residents don't even know about the event, which I found out when I did a focus group at the Market back in May. Some of my fellow focus group people did not know that the Taste of Farmers Market existed! If it were a multi-day event that lasted longer than 4 hours, and if it were advertised better, you can bet that it would be packed.

Another thing that helps the food lines stay short is the fact that there are so many food and beverage stations to peruse. If there were only 20 stations, each station would probably have lines. The fact that are over 50 helps spread out the crowds, so that there is not really any back-up of people at any station.

 

[calilou]

What have they done to the bacon?! Has this already been discussed? They have done something amazing to the bacon served in the DLR restaurants (specifically Plaza Inn and Surf's Up at PPH). It is crispy and so melt-in-your-mouth yummy! We've eaten at these breakfast joints regularly for many years and the bacon has always been just okay (too greasy and limp for my taste so I preferred the sausage), but this trip was different! My girls and I went back for plates of bacon several times! Hope it's a permanent change!

 

[MichelleWDWfan]

Thank you all for the wonderful food pics!
I am a WDW passholder making my 1st visit to DL in September.
Gosh I feel like a newbie planning this trip LOL!
I have no idea where I want to eat (I prefer Table Service)
Want to do some character meals. (Def planning on Plaza Inn breakfast)
I can making dining ressies now, so I'm going a little crazy.

 

[Sherry E]

Thank you all for the wonderful food pics!
I am a WDW passholder making my 1st visit to DL in September.
Gosh I feel like a newbie planning this trip LOL!
I have no idea where I want to eat (I prefer Table Service)
Want to do some character meals. (Def planning on Plaza Inn breakfast)
I can making dining ressies now, so I'm going a little crazy.

I don't know if you're going before September 11th, or after September 11th, but either way you will probably encounter a good number of Fall and Halloween-themed foods (both sweet and savory) around Disneyland Resort. In this post -- http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326928 -- you can get a sense of what kinds of seasonal foods are available, and at the top of the post I have a link to a list of a lot of the sweet and savory foods available during Halloween Time, or that have been available in recent years (some items could be subject to change). But really, those foods begin to appear even before Halloween Time begins, and some of them stick around all the way to Thanksgiving.

 

[MichelleWDWfan]

I don't know if you're going before September 11th, or after September 11th, but either way you will probably encounter a good number of Fall and Halloween-themed foods (both sweet and savory) around Disneyland Resort. In this post -- http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326928 -- you can get a sense of what kinds of seasonal foods are available, and at the top of the post I have a link to a list of a lot of the sweet and savory foods available during Halloween Time, or that have been available in recent years (some items could be subject to change). But really, those foods begin to appear even before Halloween Time begins, and some of them stick around all the way to Thanksgiving.

Awesome Sherry thanks! I'll be there Sept 17-21.
Sad that MNSSHP doesn't start till the following week
Looking forward to some wonderful meals.
Here's what I have so far:

17th WoC dinner pkg
18th Blue bayou fantasmic dining pkg
19th Plaza Inn bkfst
20th Surf's Up bkfst @ PCH
21st Storytellers bkfst
The rest is still up in the air... lol

 

[figment_jii]

Another Parks Blog entry about the Diamond Luau!
Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel Presents Tahitian Terrace Diamond Luau

 

[figment_jii]

Figment's Diamond Anniversary Celebration in Disneyland Resort
Figment was lucky enough to visist Disneyland Resort over the Diamond Anniversary Celebration weekend. He got to be in the parks on July 17, 2015...the actual anniversary day! It was a busy trip, but a lot of fun.

PCH Grill (Dinner)
Figment saw the announcement in the Disney Parks Blog that PCH Grill would be debuting a new "Beach Side Bonfire Dinner Buffet" at Disney’s PCH Grill on July 17, 2015. So had originally planned to have dinner on Saturday at Big Thunder BBQ, but the new buffet looked interesting, so he decided to go to PCH Grill instead. (In some ways it worked out really well because it was rainy on Saturday, which meant places like Big Thunder BBQ would have been closed because they only have outdoor seating.)

Entrees
Dry-Rubbed Smoked Tri-Tip Beef and Baby Back Ribs - the beef was pretty good (Figment's piece was medium-to-medium rare) and the ribs were moist.

Spicy Rubbed Pork Shoulder - the pork was very moist and flavorful, but not terribly spicy. THe veggies had excellent flavor!

Vegetarian Tacos - Figment forgot to ask what was in these tacos.

Beer-Battered Sustainable Fish Taco - Figment liked the beer-battered fish (a white fish with a slightly sweet coating), but there was bit too much cabbage on the bottom of the taco.

Mac N' Cheese - Lobster or Regular - the lobster version had a slight bread crumb topping. The Mac 'n Cheese was very creamy, but kind of bland (it needed salt). Figment could not taste any lobster in the lobster version (no pieces of lobster were visible either).

Littleneck Clams, Chorizo and Potatoes Hash in PCH Grill Signature Broth - This was Figment's favorite dish at the buffet. The clams were very flavorful, as was the hash. It was not spicy, but it was very rich in flavor. So yummy!

Shrimp Scampi with Cavatappi Pasta - (no shrimp in the photo) - This was a very creamy scampi without a strong garlic flavor. The shrimp was good and the pasta was fine.

Whole Roasted Salmon - The salmon was moist, but needed flavor. The edges, where the spice rub was had great flavor, but the middle was kind of bland.

House-Fried Chicken - Very good flavor and moist. Figment liked this chicken (but he still likes the one at the Plaza Inn better!).

Magherita Pizza - Figment oped to try the Margherita pizza, which was a little different than what he's used to. This one came with sun-dried tomatoes and regular tomatoes. It was good and he enjoyed this thin-crusted pizza. There was another option (with figs and goat cheese, so it sounds like each night there may be more than one pizza choice).

Veggie Kabobs - Figment did not try one of these, but they looked pretty good.

Mini-Hot Dogs and Mini-Cheeseburgers - These were pretty typical looking hot dogs and cheeseburgers, just mini-sized!

Side Dishes and Salads
Roasted Garlic Herb Bread Crostini - It was basically garlic bread. Great for soaking up the littleneck clam broth!

Mini Smashed Potatos with Shallots - It was like a mini-baked potato with sour cream and cheddar cheese on top. It was okay.

Roasted Potato Salad - It was okay, but nothing about really stood out.

Heirloom Tomato-Mozzarella Tossed in Creamy Pesto & Aged Balsamic Reduction Finished - This was Figment's favorite salad. It was a lot like caprese salad, but with kalmata olives and a creamy pesto sauce.

Deviled Eggs - Pickled and Traditional - Figment liked the pickled version (the egg white part was pickled).

Green Beans with Sauteed Shallots - Figment really liked these green beans. Very flavorful!

Desserts
Mini-Cones - There were three different version: Passion Fruit mousse with mango compote, Vanilla mousse with mandarin orange compote, and berry mouse with berry compote. Figment really liked the passion fruit one. They came in cute little mini-cones!

Fresh Fruit Kabobs - A nice variety of fruits.

Coconut Haupio Pudding - Figment thought this was an interesting dessert...the bottom was tart and the top was a little bland.

Make Your Own Strawberry Shortcake - Figment likes strawberry shortcake and he enjoyed making his own.

Milk Chocolate Caramel Tart with Bacon Brittle - Figment thought this dessert had a little to strong of a caramel flavor - it pretty much over-powered any chocolate and bacon flavor.

Brioche Fresh Fruit Pizza - Another dessert offering, but Figment forgot to try this!

Make Your Own S'Mores - Housemade marshmallows (regular, coconut, and strawberry), chocolate sauce and graham crackers. The marshmallows were really good (you could taste the strawberry and coconut flavoring).

Seasonal Berry Cobbler - The cobbler was okay, but it needed ice cream!

Figment with his dessert dish!

The only major drawback was that things seemed a little slow to be replenished, especially the littleneck clam dish, the shrimp pasta dish, and the strawberry shortcake dessert. The chef making the clams and shrimp was also making the pizzas, so he was very busy and couldn't really keep up with the demand. So, hopefully in the future they'll split his duties or have bigger dishes of the items available. Otherwise, things seemed to be going fairly well at the second night of the new buffet (despite the rain outside)!

Overall, Figment really liked the new "Beach-Size Bonfire Dinner Buffet" at PCH Grill. There was a fairly good selection of items and they had a wide variety of flavors and styles. His favorite savory dish was the Littleneck Clams with Chorizo and Potato Hash and his favorite dessert was the Passion Fruit Mousse cone. He hopes that PCH Grill continue to have this dinner buffet for the foreseeable future![/I][/I]

 

[Sherry E]

What an interesting array of foods at the Beach Side Bonfire buffet! A really eclectic assortment -- and not really like anything anywhere else in DLR. I love strawberry shortcake, so I probably would have spent a lot of time at that station!

 

[Meemoo]

Looks like an interesting buffet to try - all the build your own desserts look like fun (and mess) for the kids! The little ice-creams are so cute.

 

[cgh]

Thanks so much for the review and pictures! We will be eating there in exactly 2 weeks!

 

[kylie71]

Thank You Figment! Looks like you had a good time tasting all the new dishes!
It will be a fun asset I think!

Thank You for sharing!

---Lori