Another 10 Day Dining Review with Pics! Completed!

[DLFan123]

After the bakery tour, we decided to take a spin on Mickey's Fun Wheel (non-swinging). I had only become brave enough to ride this huge ferris wheel during our last trip, so it still felt novel and exciting. Here is a shot of our view toward Paradise Pier Hotel:


Such a great way to see the park and even Harbor Blvd!

After touring some of the other attractions along Paradise Pier, we decided to go back to the hotel for a break. While we were there, I felt like a little snack, so I had this:

The lemon tart from my Fantasmic dessert plate. This is always really good, very tart and lemon-y. Today was no exception, even though it was a day old.

We returned to DCA determined to try something we'd been hearing about for such a long time, The Cove Bar and the lobster nachos! When we arrived back to PP, we checked in at the bar. The wait was about an hour they said! We were hungry and very determined to try this restaurant, so we said we'd wait.

By the time we were seated, the sun was setting over the PP lagoon, and it was blinding just about everyone in the table. So even though we were seated in a semi-shady spot, if we turned to face one another, there was this blinding light outside of the periphery of our vision. We did our best to face east while we decided what to order.

Feeling all Southern Califorina-y, I ordered this:

A skinny mojito

Boy was this skinny! It tasted almost like pure alcohol with really no sweetness at all. I was sipping it, really feeling its effects, all while trying to keep my right eye closed so I wouldn't get blinded by the bright sun!

DP chose this:

Pimm's Punch

The server had highly recommended it, although when we asked what Pimm's was, she was unable to tell us.

This drink was ok, definitely better than mine, but still not one of the greatest concoctions ever made. DP and I aren't really accustomed to drinking at DCA, but I was really disappointed in both drinks. I was expected something sugary and sweet, like pretty much every drink I've ever had at WDW has been. We both laughed as we sipped these beverages, each with one eye closed of course.

For dinner, we decided to split a couple of things. First up:

the lobster nachos of course!

I must say this picture makes these nachos look very tasty and good. I will warn you: they were not! Not at all! That brown stuff all around the outskirts was the cheese. These nachos were clearly very over-done. They seemed like they had been sitting under a heat lamp for an hour before they were brought to our table. (I do think that is nearly possible, because we waited a LONG time for them.) The lobster meat itself was the driest most unappetizing meat ever. It was way overcooked, and there were actually some pieces which we could not chew. (I just swallowed those whole.) The chips themselves were thick and burnt tasting, not salty or crispy. The lobster nachos were perhaps the thing we anticipated eating the most, and these were just awful.

We also ordered a shrimp cocktail:

This was good. However it was just a few shrimp, and it was gone in minutes, leaving us with only the heaping plate of disappointing nachos.

Overall our experience and meal at the Cove Bar was completely unsatisfying. We stood in a queue for an hour for our table, were blinded by sunlight the entire meal, and then after waiting a VERY long time for our food, found it all rather disappointing. We won't go back, which I guess in one way is not all that bad. There are plenty of other places we enjoy very much, so skipping this will not cause us any grief.

By the time we finished dinner, it was time to line up for World of Color (we'd gotten our fastpasses that morning from the machines by Grizzly River Run) so we headed down the ramp to wait.

This was the view from the spot we obtained, and by this time, it was dark and all the lights on PP were on:


Next up, a snack from the bakery cart nearby.

 

[vettegirl]

Enjoying reading your DL report. You hit up some of my favorite spots. It's a shame about the lobster nachos I've had them twice and both times they were out of this world excellent. i'll be going there next month but Hungry Bear will be closed but it will give me a chance to try new places

 

[awfullybigadventure]

Those lobster nachos really did look good! Sorry they were so disappointing.

 

[DLFan123]

Enjoying reading your DL report. You hit up some of my favorite spots. It's a shame about the lobster nachos I've had them twice and both times they were out of this world excellent. i'll be going there next month but Hungry Bear will be closed but it will give me a chance to try new places

Thanks! Maybe somebody just forgot about our nachos while they were under the heat lamp. Now I am conflicted hearing they are generally really good, because I want to try them again! We'll be there next month, too. I wonder if closing Hungry Bear has something to do with the changes to Fantasmic preferred seating and the new dessert service at Hungry Bear.

Those lobster nachos really did look good! Sorry they were so disappointing.

It's ok...it sounds like they aren't always awful. And even though ours were way overcooked, we were still having a great time, because we were at a Disney park!

 

[DLFan123]

After we secured our spot, I made DP run out to collect a dessert, since I wasn't feeling satisfied after those lobster nachos.

She came back with this:

A chocolate croissant

This should have been really good. It was covered in little white and milk chocolate shavings. It just wasn't very fresh, and the pastry itself was pretty dry. They always look so good in there, but now I know. Maybe better to stick to pastries at the actual bakeries...

We enjoyed our great spot for WOC, and then afterwards we made a beeline for RSR. We got in line right before park closing, and we only had to wait about 45 minutes. The ride was so much different at night, that I highly recommend doing it by day and by night.

Tomorrow, some great eats from the Jolly Holiday Bakery and my very first Mickey ice cream bar!

 

[DLFan123]

The next day, we were up early and back in DL park. We decided to stop at the Jolly Holiday Bakery for breakfast. Last year, we tried it for the first time and found everything they have is really good. So this year, we wanted the chance to try a few new things.

Some photos of the display cases:

What a cute, colorful seasonal cupcake! Also, the strawberry lemon cupcake makes the best breakfast!


Some more treats

I wasn't really in the mood for a sweet breakfast, so we chose this:

Broccoli Cheese Quiche


An inside shot

I know you can't tell from these pictures, but this is actually the best quiche I've ever had. The taste of the broccoli and the cheese was just divine! The crust was perfect, soft and buttery. I loved it so much that I was sad I was sharing it.

I loved it so much we decided we'd have to come back later in the day to eat here again.

And while we were eating our little breakfast, we enjoyed some Main Street entertainment:


The one we all came to see:


Next Up, Mickey and the Magical Map, my first Mickey Bar, and a return trip to Jolly Holiday!

 

[DLFan123]

I'm in! Haven't been to Disneyland since I was a child, but keep thinking I would love to get back there.

Welcome! Somehow I missed you earlier. It's great to have you reading along.

 

[DLFan123]

Can I just tell you how excited I am that they removed the Princess Fantasy Faire from the stage in Fantasyland so that there is something that everyone can enjoy now! I was thrilled to hear a new stage show was coming to DL, and I couldn't wait to experience it for myself. We snagged a nice, shaded seat for the show, and DP ran back up to the snack stand to grab a cool treat for us to share.

The view from our seat:


She came back with this:

Up until this point, I'd never had one of these, although I'd certainly read about them on the disboards. All I could think is, "What's so special about an ice cream bar?"

And then I had this:

All I can say is OMG. What do they do to these things? This was so delicious. I loved every bite, and thankfully, DP let me eat most of it.

I took a few pictures of the show, which I absolutely loved!


Some of the dancers and the star of the show!


One of my favorite parts! I love how they blended the songs and characters from different movies!


Another one of my favorite parts!

I must say, it really weirds me out how the people in Finding Nemo at AK in WDW are all wearing unitards and pretending to be the fish characters. And yet, somehow this guy playing Sebastian did not bother me at all. He was also quite talented!


And another favorite part!

I won't spoil the whole show for you, but I personally consider this a must-see. It is so refreshing to see a show with a new story, and the singing and dancing was just so good. I was tearing up throughout the story, just because I was so moved by the music. If you want to hear all of your favorite songs from all of your favorite Disney movies, all at once, with some great dancing and a cute story, this is the show for you!

 

[DLFan123]

After the show let out, we hopped on the train and rode it all the way around to New Orleans Square for one of our favorite snacks:

The tasty and bright Mint Julep

I honestly don't know what I'll do if DL ever stops serving these. I'll probably mix up my own, bring them in a thermos and request a cup of ice from the French Market and make my own right there. As always, it was light, delicious and perfectly sweet! Yum!

When lunch rolled around, even though it was hot, DP was asking to have one of her favorite things, the vegetarian gumbo from the Royal Street Veranda.

We walked over and she ordered, while I waited at a little table right by the Pirates of the Caribbean queue.

Here it is:

She asked for it without the sourdough bread bowl this time, because she never really eats the bread and didn't want to waste it all. I wish they'd either give you a lower price, or a little more soup, if you do it this way.

As usual, she loved this gumbo. She talks about it all the time in between trips. It's pretty funny, because she hates soup in general, but the gumbo is one of her very favorite foods ever.

The bread bowl is always way too much bread for me, too. But I wanted a little bread, so I ordered my clam chowder the way it is typically served:

My soup was delicious also! Plus, I felt like they gave me a little bit extra, which I appreciated, since I love this clam chowder so much!

After our meal, we were pretty hot (hot soup, hot day, silly us), so we headed out of the park for a rest at the hotel. On the way, we stopped at the Main Street theatre to enjoy a few classic cartoons.

I just love the special little touches that make DL so magical!

Up next, a snack and a Jolly dinner!

 

[awfullybigadventure]

Your chowder in the bread bowl looks so good! I'm with you, I doubt I would eat the whole bowl, but some bread with that chowder would be heaven!

 

[tluvstink]

Great reviews and pics!

Terri

 

[DLFan123]

Your chowder in the bread bowl looks so good! I'm with you, I doubt I would eat the whole bowl, but some bread with that chowder would be heaven!

I know. DP wanted some, too, so she shared mine. I love the first few bites of bread, I just wish there was a lot less. I think they should scrape more bread out of the center (therefore leaving me more room for soup ), and use it for some other purpose, like to make croutons. Or what we need is a man in our party. When I was a kid, my family used to get these soups in bread bowls, and all I can remember is my dad eating every last piece of bread. (I wish there was an little smiley for "human trash can right now.")

Great reviews and pics!

Terri

Thanks, Terri. Glad to hear you are reading!

 

[awfullybigadventure]

(I wish there was an little smiley for "human trash can right now.")

Hahaha!!! Good point! My girls have been known to call my husband "The Human Garbage Can" on more than one occasion.

 

[DLFan123]

We headed back to the parks after we cooled down with a nap back at our hotel. For dinner, I was hoping to try something new. I have always loved sitting outdoors at the River Belle Terrace in Frontierland, but lately the food there hasn't exactly enticed me. I had seen they have a Vegetable Po'Boy on the menu, so DP and I decided to stop by to find out more about that.

We went inside to inquire, and we encountered a couple of CMs who acknowledged they knew nothing about it. They offered to give us a taste of the sandwich filling.

I was so happy to have a chance to know if I wanted it before I ordered it.

This is what they gave us:

Wow...this is garnish at best...this was mostly shredded carrots, the kind you'd find in a cheap bag of salad mix. There were some shredded peppers in there, and some onions that had been cooked down.

This didn't have a bad taste. It almost tasted like ketchup. But it has no business being the star of a sandwich. I can't even believe Disney is passing this off as a main course. This is something I just will never understand...Typically a "Po'Boy" sandwich has some version of fried seafood on it. So why not fry up some veggies with nice breading and throw those on a bun?

After tasting this, we knew with certainty that we did NOT want this sandwich, and since it is really our only option at River Belle Terrace, we moved on.

Having had such a great experience at Jolly Holiday earlier, and because I had been eying that albacore sandwich from the display case, we headed back there.

I decided on that:

This was a good sandwich. I really liked the addition of the capers in the tuna salad. I added some extra mayo and salt to mine, and I was perfectly content with it. The homemade potato chips were awesome!

DP ordered this:

The pecan and cranberry salad

Now this was delicious! It felt very solid for a salad as a meal. The richness of the cheese, nuts and cranberries made up for the fact that it was a salad. And the dressing was sweet, but it wasn't too sweet, and it went perfectly with the salad.

Afterwards, we decided to stop for a treat at the candy shop on Main Street.

I chose this:


I had noticed this earlier in the day and I knew I wanted to try it. I really do like cake pops, because of the undercooked cake inside. Besides that, something about the bright green was just so tempting. It must have been the idea of the nutritious combo of Lake #3 and Yellow #5 that had me.

We took our new friend over to watch the Elvis show in Tomorrowland.

He really enjoyed watching Scott Bruce perform, even though by that time he was missing his right temporal lobe.


So did we!

All in all, in spite of having no definite plans for dinner, we enjoyed everything we had and felt quite satisfied.

For tomorrow, we are headed to Newport Beach and then Downtown Disney!

 

[pumba]

ok...the pickle definitely made my mouth drool...hahaha.....I dont know if I have seen that at DW...

Thanks so much for your photos and reviews...as we have never been to the Disneyland one...and over 25 trips to DW ..maybe we should take a trip some day..
Your photos are fantastic and I love the one of the scallops..being a Mainer..we love our seafood here..

thanks again

 

[DLFan123]

Hahaha!!! Good point! My girls have been known to call my husband "The Human Garbage Can" on more than one occasion.

I hate wasting food anyway. As a kid growing up, my dad finished up anything we could not finish. It was great! I love when we are with DP's oldest brother. We can pretty much count on him to human trash can our leftovers. You see, we need a smiley for that.

ok...the pickle definitely made my mouth drool...hahaha.....I dont know if I have seen that at DW...

Thanks so much for your photos and reviews...as we have never been to the Disneyland one...and over 25 trips to DW ..maybe we should take a trip some day..
Your photos are fantastic and I love the one of the scallops..being a Mainer..we love our seafood here..

thanks again

Thanks Pumba! They do indeed have the pickles at WDW also. Look for any of the fruit carts that sell fresh fruit on ice. The pickles are in the ice. It used to be I believed the produce to be local, but over the last several years, I've recognized the exact same packaging on the fruit at WDW as at DL, and I've also noticed the fruit doesn't taste very ripe anymore.

 

[DLFan123]

The next day, we slept in and then headed for the beach. I just love Newport Beach.



It is so convenient to Anaheim, and with just the one Pier, you don't feel overwhelmed by the size of it. It's usually not too terribly crowded either.

We brought a little snack from the grocery:


This was nice to munch on as we sat by the water and watched the birds.


I just love birds!

We did some swimming and then we were ready for lunch at a place we'd been to twice and knew we loved, Charlie's!

Charlie's has this awesome vegetarian chili, which is rather unusual. It's full of mushrooms, which we both love. It's a nice treat to be able to eat chili cheese fries from a restaurant when you don't eat meat.

So that's what we had:

This was absolutely delicious!

It was nice eating the fries right on the beach, watching the waves, even though it was a little messy and the birds were after us.

The year before, we'd each gotten a sandwich in addition to the chili fries, but we way overdid it. So this year, we thought we'd stick to something more reasonable, and we just shared these.

That meant that we still had room for this:


We walked up to a little ice cream stand and got this, a double scoop chocolate chip and cookie dough, I think.

This was so good on a hot day!

After a satisfying morning at the beach, we headed back to our hotel room to cool off (and escape the sun!), and stopped off at a Starbucks for one of these:

An iced green tea

The perfect refreshing beverage for a hot, beach day!

Coming up next, Tortilla Jo's...and the night before the day it went wrong!

 

[awfullybigadventure]

Sounds like a great afternoon! I make a vegetarian chili that has a lot of mushrooms in it. It's so good, but now I'm thinking how good it would be over fries!

 

[DLFan123]

Sounds like a great afternoon! I make a vegetarian chili that has a lot of mushrooms in it. It's so good, but now I'm thinking how good it would be over fries!

Sounds great! I don't know why it never occurred to me to put mushrooms in chili until Charlie's.

Isn't everything better with French fries!?

 

[DLFan123]

After we rested and showered, we headed to Downtown Disney for one of our favorites, Tortilla Jo's. We don't make a reservation for this place anymore. We walk up, and they are typically able to accommodate us right away. This time, we just waited a few minutes and were led to a table downstairs in a nice booth.

Our server was very nice and asked for our IDs when we ordered our drinks. I always like that! Then when he could tell how much I liked it that he'd asked to see my ID, he mentioned that somebody asked for his the other day. He appeared to be in his 60s! So then I was hoping he didn't think I was in the same age group...by this time, I was just pretty confused, and I didn't feel as flattered as in the beginning.

DP chose a traditional margarita on the rocks with salt:


I chose something sweeter:

Frozen mango margarita with salt

Our server had warned us against their house tequila, saying we'd get headaches. Instead, he talked us into the "Partida" margarita which he said is made with $2000. tequila.



DP and I sat and talked most of the meal about how they manage to sell margaritas made with $2000 tequila for just $10.50 each.

We kicked things off with their complimentary chips and salsa:

These are always good. The chips are light and crispy, and I've gotten a lot more tolerant of spice over the last few years, so now I really like this salsa! It is a little spicy for some people, I would think.

We also decided on an order of the tableside guacamole:


We get this every time we eat at Tortilla Jo's. It's hard not to! The problem is it is a large portion, and we are always almost full afterwards. But it is sooo good! They make it right at your table, so you can say what you do or don't want in it. So I always get ours made without jalapenos, which makes it just perfect for me!

This was good as usual. At least they just used two avocados this year. The last time we at here, they misunderstood us and thought we were complaining that it ONLY had two avocados, so they threw in an extra one for uss! Which made it even more huge!!!

Next up, our meals and round two of Partida Margaritas!