10 Days of Dining at Disneyland and Southern Cali with Pictures!

[DLFan123]

We went back to the resort to freshen up and relax a bit, then headed to Downtown Disney for a restaurant we very much enjoyed on a former visit, Tortilla Jo's. Both of us are from Phoenix, so we grew up very close to lots of good Mexican food. To us, the food here feels a little more authentic than at many Mexican restaurants, and it is far better than any Mexican food we can get in Denver.

We did not have a reservation, and the restaurant was filled to capacity when we arrived, so we were seated upstairs on the patio. At first, we were a little disappointed, but then we realized how pleasant it was. We had an excellent view of downtown disney, and we could hear the nice atmosphere music that Disney is so famous for. When you sit inside, you have the opportunity for a serenade by the mariachi band, but we didn't really miss this as we dined al fresca.

We started with the complimentary chips and salsa.

These are very nice. The salsa has a kick to it, and the chips are crisp, salty and fresh tasting.

Next, we chose to have the tableside guacamole service.

This is a very large portion to begin with. The woman who prepared our guacamole was like an entertainer and was very sweet, talkative and took an interest in our trip, making pleasant conversation as she prepared our guacamole. She thought she was doing us a favor by throwing in an extra half an avocado, not that we needed it at all. We were stuffed but tried to finish all of this because we didn't want to let one of nature's most precious foods go to waste.

This was as delicious as it was when we ate it a year ago on our former trip. Definitely something worth trying.

For my meal, I chose the cheese quesadilla.

I'd had this the year before, and I thought it was so good I wanted it again. It is a very heavy meal, and I was stuffed pretty quickly after all those chips and all that guacamole. One thing I really like about this appetizer is that it is filled with mild chiles (I think they are Anaheim chiles actually). It has a very good taste, especially for a plain cheese quesadilla.

DP ordered this:

A combo plate with a veggie taco and a chile relleno. This was just ok for her. The refried beans and traditional rice at this restaurant are not vegetarian, so she was required to get the cilantro rice and black beans. She enjoyed both of these. The chile relleno was softer than she would have preferred, and had a lot more egg than she likes for her rellenos. The taco was just ok. She said she would not order this again.

The year before, she had gotten a shrimp dish which was so delicious. I know when we go again, she will try a seafood dish versus a vegetarian combo, after the experience with this meal.

All in all, we had a good experience and will return. DP will just make a different selection next time.

 

[DawnH]

Just got caught up on your reviews! I think it should be a rule that everyone eats a cupcake for breakfast at least once during their Disney Vaca!
The french toast from Flo's looks so delish!!!

 

[DLFan123]

Just got caught up on your reviews! I think it should be a rule that everyone eats a cupcake for breakfast at least once during their Disney Vaca!
The french toast from Flo's looks so delish!!!

I like that rule! Done!
I wish I had a cupcake that I could eat for breakfast tomorrow!

 

[DLFan123]

The next day, we slept late and ate a light breakfast in our hotel room. I think I had an orange and we split a bagel thin that we'd purchased at the local grocery market. (We were still full from Tortilla Jo's the night before.)

We decided to head to the beach for the day.

After some swimming, sunning and shell collecting, we decided to try a local, casual beach restaurant that gets rave reviews for its chile. The nice thing is, Charlie's chile makes homemade vegetarian chile (and also has an option with ground beef). We decided to split an order of chile cheese fries:

OMG were these good. The chile was so delicious and was full of mild chopped peppers and large pieces of mushrooms. So good. I wish I could make this at home. This dish of cheesy chile goodness would have been enough. But we'd already ordered sandwiches too...

DP had the grilled mahi-mahi sandwich.

She declared this "the best fish sandwich I've ever had."

I still am not sure how or why she thinks this about this sandwich, but she absolutely loved everything about it.

I went with something a little more healthy, the grilled tuna melt.

This was ok, pretty good for a tuna melt, but I was so full from the chile I couldn't eat too much of it.

Needless to say, we very much enjoyed our meal on the beach and highly recommend this place if you ever venture over to Newport Beach.

 

[DLFan123]

After our lovely day at the beach we headed back to the hotel to freshen up. We decided to spend the evening at DCA and ride radiator springs racers in the dark no matter how long the line was.

We spent a little time in Carsland checking out the Cozy Cones, and DP decided to try one of these beverages:

This was called Red's Apple Freeze, and I can no longer find it on the allears menu site. Basically, this is the same drink as the LeFou's Brew at WDW MK from what I can tell. It was frozen apple juice with some toasted marshmellow syrup in the bottom and passion-fruit and mango foam on top. Anyway, after her first sip, DP thought this was the yummiest thing ever. After a couple more sips, she was starting to get more of the marshmellow syrup taste in there, and by midway through, she was over it and has declared, "I never need to get one of those again." I agree. It was syrupy sweet at first, way too heavy and nothing great about it. The flavors didn't really go together.

I decided to have another one of these:

You guessed it, a "pear" of dice. Again, I enjoyed it as much as I had the first time.

We took in some attractions and spent some time enjoying the ambience of Carsland, before getting hungry. We decided to try one of the rethemed quick service places along Paradise Pier, the Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta. I had eaten here once before, back in 2006, when the pizza they served was basically identical to all pizza you get at Disney parks. We were curious to see how it had changed. There wasn't too much on the menu that appealed to us, so we just decided to split one of their new flatbread pizzas.

Portobello Mushroom and Spinach - With Herbed Marinara, Mozzarella, Artichokes, Pesto, Ricotta Salata and Pecorino Romano
We didn't enjoy this much at all. The pesto was bland, the bread was cracker thin and tough, even the little cubes of cheese were just dry (and I'm a huge fan of almost all cheese). It wasn't filling at all either. We don't need to return to this eatery in the future. There are too many good options in the Pacific Wharf area besides. I was very sad I missed out on the Pacific Wharf Cafe for this.

 

[rachel09985]

Mmm that guac looks so good! It is nice to see Disneyland food on here! I have never been there but want to eventually!

 

[DLFan123]

Mmm that guac looks so good! It is nice to see Disneyland food on here! I have never been there but want to eventually!

It was so good! I'm glad you are enjoying the Disneyland food pics. I think most people think the food would be very different, but there are lots of the same items at the parks. I hope you make it to Disneyland someday. It's such a magical park.

 

[DLFan123]

After our evening at DCA, we'd returned to our room and I continued to indulge in our Downtown Disney cheese popcorn, which hit the spot after that disappointing flatbread.

After a good night's sleep, we were up and at em early, back in DL for the morning. We took in some attractions and then checked in for our Carnation Cafe reservation on Main Street. Boy was I glad we had a reservation. They were handing out pagers and telling people there would be a 30 minute wait without reservations...We opted to sit in the dining room, as it was quite hot out already.

This dining room is new and is the former site of the former Main Street bakery. I wish I had taken some photos for you. It's nothing special, but it is nicely decorated and has that "main street" vibe to it. There are red carnations on all of the tables, both inside and out, in keeping with the theme.

DP and I were both ready to order right away, knowing what we wanted to try from their new menu, the huevos rancheros.

This was DP's order. She opted to have her eggs scrambled, while I decided to have mine over easy:

This was a very delicious breakfast, especially with the eggs fried as I had chosen.

The salsa on top was perhaps a little sweet, that is that I would not have wanted to dip plain chips in it, but it really did work well with this dish. The corn tortillas were fried and crispy, the corn salsa was unique and paired well, and the scattering of black beans was a nice way to cut a little of the acidity of the other garnishes. We both enjoyed this meal and couldn't wait to eat here again (which we did).

I guess I enjoyed it more than DP, because she ordered her eggs the wrong way.

One neat thing we experienced while at this restaurant was the opportunity to meet Oscar, one of the longest employed cast members at the Disneyland Resort! He even has a dish named for him on the CC menu (and he has, even before they recreated their menu). I can't remember what role he started in at the CC, but now he is basically just a greeter who goes around checking on tables, offering a warm smile and a nice pat on the back. What a dear sweet man! This is something I just love about DL...the authenticity of this park. This man has worked there from the very beginning and continues to take pride in ensuring that guests have a magical and memorable time. I hope they will always keep his tribute dish on the menu.

 

[DLFan123]

After our lovely breakfast, we stepped out onto Main Street and just paused to take it all in:

Ahhh the hub and Sleeping Beauty Castle at the end of Main Steet.

The moat and Walt's famous drawbridge.

Finally, Snow White's Grotto with the authentic little figures sculpted and donated by an anonymous Italian sculptor.

What a wonderful place! It's no wonder it is my Happiest Place on Earth!

Sorry for the digression, back to the food!

After touring in Toon Town and taking a ride on the happiest cruise that ever sailed, I was feeling thirsty and finally ready to indulge in one of my favorite beverages at Disneyland:

Their famous mint julep!

Yum. Just what I always expect. Sweet, slightly minty and just what I want to quench my thirst on a hot day at Disneyland. I've heard lots of questions and controversy about this little drink on the dis boards. First off, it is a sweet beverage like soda pop, koolaid or any juice for that matter. It probably has as much "sugar" content as any of those. Second, it has no alcohol (and why would I want it to? I'm at the Happiest Place on Earth!). Last, I have stood at the window and watched as the CM puts my mint julep cup right up against a soda fountain and voila! out comes mint julep. That's right, it must be prepared well in advance (perhaps even at a factory offsite) and stored in such a way that it comes directly out of the fountain like Nestea or any other noncarbonated prepared beverage. The CM then adds a sprig of mint, a cherry and a slice of lemon to the drink and there you have it, my mom's favorite beverage of all time.


Now at this point in the day, I just kind of lost it I guess. I was starting to think about all the Disneyland food I wanted to eat and realizing we only had a couple of days in the park left, I just went kind of insane and did something I've been known to do: I overindulged.

After the julep, I convinced DP to walk all the way over to California Adventure to try the new hand-dipped ice cream bars with toppings of choice (like the ones they sell in DD in Orlando). We made the trek and ended up with these:

Mine with chocolate chips and sprinkles

DP's with just chocolate chips (which meant they gave her twice as many)

Oh lordy had we overdone it. My personal opinion is that these look better than they actually are. Dare I say it is possible to have too many toppings? They were a mess and just tasted of crunchy bittersweet chocolate chips. I can't even imagine what DP was thinking as she crunched on hers. So now we had indulged and know never to have these again. I'm sure they are a hit with kids, but not with me and DP.

Feeling stuffed, we dragged ourselves out into the heat of summer, and lumbered back over to DL so glad we had those ice cream bars behind us (and more "behind" us because of it ) but wait! We still had a lunch reservation and dinner to eat!

Coming up...Cafe Orleans lunch!

 

[DLFan123]

As if that wasn't enough, we still had our ADR at one of our favorite places, Cafe Orleans. I love the ambience of this cafe, and I love New Orleans Square. It is perhaps my favorite land (and something I really miss when I am in MK in Florida).

We were seated right away, and we knew what we wanted to eat, the pommes frites and the cheese monte cristo. We had decided in advance to split both. A year prior, we had split the fries, the sandwich and a house salad (which is delicious I might add), but it was too much food. So this year, we decided to ditch one of the choices and just split two...and the salad lost out.

Here they are:

This is the yummiest basket of fries ever! They have parmesan sprinkled on top and are served with a sort of remoulade sauce. We rate them better than the pommes frites we ate while en Bruges.

We then shared the sandwich:

Three-Cheese Monte Cristo - Swiss, mozzarella and Double Creme Brie fried in a light batter and served with Berry Puree dusted with Powdered Sugar

Whew! What a treat, but way too much. DP and I can each only manage one wedge of this every time we split it. I can't imagine eating the entire thing all alone. For anyone who thinks this dish sounds odd, the combination of sweet and savory is just wonderful. The berry puree has a rich, deep taste and compliments the sandwich nicely. I like to have some bites without the sauce, and some bites with. The grapes are always a nice relief. DP always comments, "I can't believe you're actually eating those grapes," simply because we are always so stuffed.

What is sad is that this monte cristo is like my dream dish. Did I mention I love cheese? But I don't think I can ever eat it again. We split one amongst four when we visited with my mom and sis last October, and even just the one wedge was just too much. My stomach just has a hard time handling this, and next time we go to Cafe Orleans, I think I may try just the salade de la maison (house salad) or the salmon sandwich.

 

[Lexxiefern]

Thanks for the review!! Great pics! I am definitely getting one of those french toast with caramel sauce when I go back to DL - yum yum!!

 

[TwingleMum]

As if that wasn't enough, we still had our ADR at one of our favorite places, Cafe Orleans. I love the ambience of this cafe, and I love New Orleans Square. It is perhaps my favorite land (and something I really miss when I am in MK in Florida).

We were seated right away, and we knew what we wanted to eat, the pommes frites and the cheese monte cristo. We had decided in advance to split both. A year prior, we had split the fries, the sandwich and a house salad (which is delicious I might add), but it was too much food. So this year, we decided to ditch one of the choices and just split two...and the salad lost out.

Here they are:

This is the yummiest basket of fries ever! They have parmesan sprinkled on top and are served with a sort of remoulade sauce. We rate them better than the pommes frites we ate while en Bruges.

We then shared the sandwich:

Three-Cheese Monte Cristo - Swiss, mozzarella and Double Creme Brie fried in a light batter and served with Berry Puree dusted with Powdered Sugar

Whew! What a treat, but way too much. DP and I can each only manage one wedge of this every time we split it. I can't imagine eating the entire thing all alone. For anyone who thinks this dish sounds odd, the combination of sweet and savory is just wonderful. The berry puree has a rich, deep taste and compliments the sandwich nicely. I like to have some bites without the sauce, and some bites with. The grapes are always a nice relief. DP always comments, "I can't believe you're actually eating those grapes," simply because we are always so stuffed.

What is sad is that this monte cristo is like my dream dish. Did I mention I love cheese? But I don't think I can ever eat it again. We split one amongst four when we visited with my mom and sis last October, and even just the one wedge was just too much. My stomach just has a hard time handling this, and next time we go to Cafe Orleans, I think I may try just the salade de la maison (house salad) or the salmon sandwich.

One of my very favorite meals. Delish.

 

[DLFan123]

Thanks for the review!! Great pics! I am definitely getting one of those french toast with caramel sauce when I go back to DL - yum yum!!

It is a great breakfast! Hope you have a good time at Flo's.

One of my very favorite meals. Delish.

I know it is good, isn't it? If only it wasn't so hard on me for some reason. The first couple of times I ate it did just fine.

 

[DLFan123]

This evening, something very unusual happened...something that almost never happens...I was wrong and DP was right. She said we shouldn't eat at Rancho del Zocalo. She said I'd had too much already and would regret it...
After all the indulging we'd already done today, there was no way this was a good idea.

But I insisted and won out, unfortunately.

We arrived at Rancho del Zocalo and looked at the menu (we have it memorized so this was an unnecessary step). What DP did not know was that I was formulating a plan. We always always split the cheese enchiladas at this restaurant. Little did she know I had cooked up an idea that I should get the cheese enchiladas and she should order the veggie tacos. We'd never tried those before, and I was feeling curious. I was also feeling insane, fuelled by all of the uncharacteristic eating I'd already done on this vacation (with a good portion of that being on this particular day).

As usual, she conceded, knowing I'd have to learn this lesson myself.

She ordered the veggie tacos:

These were ok. I think the enchiladas are better, but I guess it depends what you're in the mood for. The rice had a little bit funny taste tonight, like it had been burned. As you can see, the portion size on this is huge too.

Here are my enchiladas:

Same as last time, very good, huge portion, but again like with DP's rice, this rice tasted a little funny.

And here I am, looking very very happy that I had gotten my way:

Or is that trepidation on my face?

Well, by now I'd realized this was way too much food for us, especially after what we'd eaten earlier. We ended up having to leave a lot of food on our plates, which was hard for me and left me feeling guilty. In spite of that, I still spent most of the night propped up in bed, eating antacids and complaining to DP that I felt like I was dying. How lucky am I? DP never even said "I told you so." If she was spiteful or even wanted to make a joke at my expense, she would have taken a picture so you all could see the before and after photos. But she didn't , and I survived to eat another day.

Tomorrow, starting out with a light breakfast until my belly gets warmed up again, then it's on to the Blue Bayou for an excellent lunch!

 

[FirstMagic]

I am enjoying hearing about Disneyland food -- Looking forward to reading more. Thank you for your review and the pictures!

 

[DLFan123]

I am enjoying hearing about Disneyland food -- Looking forward to reading more. Thank you for your review and the pictures!

You're welcome! Glad you are enjoying it and more to come when I can get this pesky thing called work over with for the day.

 

[superme80]

Love your review! I am going to Disneyland in a matter of weeks! Can't wait to try all this yummy food! Can't wait to read more!

 

[DLFan123]

The next day, we were up early and headed back to the parks. I wanted to take it easy for breakfast because we had Blue Bayou coming up for lunch.

We stopped at a stand on Main Street to buy these:

These were actually really good. You can buy the large pack which has 3 or 4individual servings sizes inside. It was a nice, light, fruity way to stay the day. Very snacky.

After this, we picked up some popcorn and vitamin water before heading to one of our favorite shows.

This was good, just like Disney parks popcorn, nothing too special today but nice and fresh since it was so early in the day.

We arrived to the Big Thunder Ranch stage just in time to get a nice front-row seat for our favorite show.

We had a great time. Next up, a late lunch at Blue Bayou!

 

[Finkerfell]

Love your reviews! It's so refreshing to see a SoCal dining review! Keep em coming!!

 

[DLFan123]

Love your review! I am going to Disneyland in a matter of weeks! Can't wait to try all this yummy food! Can't wait to read more!

I hope you have an excellent trip and enjoy all the great treats that the Disneyland Resort has to offer!

Love your reviews! It's so refreshing to see a SoCal dining review! Keep em coming!!

I'm glad you're enjoying it! More to come soon.