My Disneyland dining reviews, with pictures

[figment_jii]

Figment Trip to Disneyland’s Diamond Anniversary Kick-Off

Figment was lucky enough to visit Disneyland for its Diamond Anniversary Celebration kick-off! He enjoyed dining his way through Disneyland.

French Market, Dinner
Figment started his trip at one of his favorite counter service locations in Disneyland. The French Market always has really good food and a lively atmosphere. He enjoyed people watching and listening to the Royale Street Bachelors perform.

Creole Seafood Pasta – Pasta with a Tomato-Based Sauce with Sauteed Shrimp. It was very good and freshly made.

Na Awlin's Salad - Lettuce Medley, Julienned Yams, Granny Smith Apples, Caramelized Pecans, Lentils and Crasins with a sweet Citrus Vinaigrette. This is one of Figment’s favorite salads. The chef was very generous with the caramelized pecans and Crasins!

French Quarter Chicken - Southern style Oven Roasted Half Chicken, Smashed Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables. This is Figment’s other favorite entrée at the French Market. The flavor is really good and the chicken is very moist.

Soda and Mint Julep – No meal at the French Market would be complete with a Disneyland Mint Julep. Figment knows that these don’t taste anything like a “real” mint julep, but he likes these a lot better! They were also already using the new cups for the 60th anniversary.

Jolly Holiday, Various
Jolly Holiday is one of Figment’s favorite places to get a snack and do some people watching (and watch the occasional parade). He stopped by several times during the trip and sampled a wide range of items.

Chocolate Éclair – An éclair filled with chocolate crème and topped with gold pearls. Yum!

Matterhorn Macaroon – Figment likes this slightly chewy treat.

Seasonal Cupcake – Figment enjoyed the honey lemon seasonal cupcake.

Raspberry Macaron – This is Figment’s favorite dessert at Jolly Holiday!

Diamond Anniversary Celebration Cupacke – A lemon cupcake topped with white pearls and a white chocolate 60th anniversary logo. Very cute (and yummy).

Tomato Basil Soup – This is probably Figment’s favorite soup in Disneyland. It’s so good.

Jolly Holiday Salad - Mixed Greens, Spiced Pecans, Feta, Tomatoes and Craisins Dried Cranberries. Served with Raspberry Vinaigrette. Figment likes salad, and he liked this one (especially the pecans and crasins). He would have liked to skip the feta cheese, but it would have taken 20 minutes to get a modified salad!

Hot Angus Roast Beef on Toasted Onion Roll - Caramelized Onions, Horseradish Aioli and White Cheddar. Figment liked the sandwich; the meat had good flavor, but the bread was a little thicker than he likes.

 

[tanyaegangibson]

DD10 wants me to tell you that Figment looks adorable, especially in his diamond anniversary hat!

 

[figment_jii]

Continuing with Figment Trip to Disneyland’s Diamond Anniversary Kick-Off

Rainforest Café, Dinner
Figment stopped by RFC for dinner on Thursday night after Disneyland closed to the public and he had checked out Diamond Mad T Party’s first set (which was a lot of fun).

Jungle Steak and Shrimp Combo - Char-grilled Flat Iron Steak, topped with steak butter and paired with Shrimp Scampi and Caribbean Coconut Shrimp. Figment liked this combo, especially the shrimp scampi.

Ribs, Steak, & Shrimp Trio - Caribbean Coconut Shrimp, slow-roasted, St. Louis style pork spareribs basted with Smokin’ Mojo BBQ sauce and char-grilled flat iron steak topped with steak butter. It was a lot of food, but it was really good. Figment especially liked the ribs.

Birthday Cupcake – One of Figment’s family was celebrating a birthday, so they brought him a cupcake with a candle.

Carnation Café, Dinner
Figment had been going to Carnation Café for lunch lately, but this time he decided to have dinner at Carnation Café. It’s the same menu all day long, so he could still have his favorites. The menus had a new sparkly diamond-themed border!

Fried Pickles with Dipping Sauce - Dill Pickle Spears dipped in Parmesan and Panko, Fried Golden Brown and served with a House Sauce. This is Figment’s favorite appetizer at Carnation Café. He loves pickles!

Baked Potato Soup - with Bacon, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Sour Cream, and Chives. This is one of Carnation Café’s signature items and it’s really good. Very rich and filling, but very good.

Penne Pasta with Shrimp - Pasta and Sauteed Shrimp with Broccoli and Mushrooms in a creamy Garlic Sauce. Figment liked the pasta and the shrimp.

Chicken-Fried Chicken - Buttermilk Fried Chicken Breast served with Mashed Potatoes, Milk Gravy, and Seasonal Vegetables. Figment has had chicken-fried steak before, but he hasn’t tried chicken-fried chicken before. It’s essentially a very tender piece of fried chicken. It was very good and Figment would happily have it again.

Village Haus
Figment did not eat at the Village Haus, but he stopped by to get an Olaf Sipper cup.

DD10 wants me to tell you that Figment looks adorable, especially in his diamond anniversary hat!

Thanks!

 

[Sherry E]

I mentioned not long ago that the Original Farmers Market's annual event, Taste of Farmers Market, is taking place on Tuesday, July 14th, and it will be held from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. The Market is located in Los Angeles, at the corner of Third Street and Fairfax, so it's about a 40-45 minute drive from Disneyland if there is no traffic (with traffic, it's a different story!). The Market is also very close to the La Brea Tar Pits and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Screen Actors Guild, Canters Deli, and many other notable L.A. spots

Here is the event flyer: http://www.farmersmarketla.com/media/files/70adab890d8cc2b5559b7dc021ab7be8.pdf


The reason I bring it up here, in a Disneyland dining thread, is twofold:

1) Because a lot of people who travel to Southern California to visit Disneyland will also take a day to go up to L.A. or Hollywood, and many of those folks will end up at the Farmers Market and The Grove (which is where the American Girl store can be found) anyway; and

2) This year, many people will be in town (meaning SoCal) to visit Disneyland for the actual 60th birthday/anniversary on Friday, July 17th, so if your "L.A.- Hollywood day" is flexible, you may want to make it July 14th, so you can attend the Taste of Farmers Market.

I spoke about the Taste of Farmers Market in this thread last year, and I know that at least one person attended based on my suggestion, and she loved it. Mary Jo also went last year and she enjoyed it, but the people she was with wanted to go do something at The Grove, so I don't think Mary Jo got to really explore all of the different vendors' "tastes" around the Market. As far as I know, I believe she is planning to go to this year's event.


This year's "theme" for the Taste of Farmers Market is "Best Bites." More than 50 of the merchants around the Market will offer up samples of some of their most popular dishes. The full list of participants has not been released yet (last year it took quite a while for it to be posted), but so far it includes:

Planet Dailies -- Truffle Mac & Cheese

The French Crepe Company -- Nutella Crepes (Hmmm... I'll try it)

Marmalade Café - Tuna Tartare

Tusquellas Seafoods -- New Orleans Shrimp

Singapore's Banana Leaf -- Chicken Rendang

Bryan's Pit BBQ -- Chopped BBQ Beef Sandwich (Yum! I am all over that one!)

Zia Valentina -- Waffle Shot w/ Espresso (I'm all over that one too!)

Peking Kitchen -- Orange Chicken (Count me in!)

The Salad Bar -- Fruit Smoothies (Yes, please!)

Bennett's Ice Cream -- Handmade Ice Cream (Yes, yes, yesssss!)



And that is only scratching the surface! There will also be beer and wine samples. There will be at least 40 more vendors added to the above list (last year there were definitely more than 50 who participated), and they will likely include: Du-par's, Dylan's Candy Bar, all of the bakeries in the Market, The Gumbo Pot, Mr. Marcel's, Patsy D'Amore's Pizza, Bob's Doughnuts, Littlejohn's English Toffee, and many others from this array of restaurants - http://www.farmersmarketla.com/merchant

I should point out that Bryan's Pit BBQ and Bennett's Ice Cream have been at the Market forever -- since I was a child and probably even before that. They are long-term, established counter service eateries and their food is delicious. I hope that other Market stalwarts such as Du-par's, Bob's, Patsy's, Mr. Marcel, Littlejohn's, Charlie's, Magee's, Gill's, etc., join in with samples, because I tend to think that more people will gravitate towards the table service restaurants, or the "newer" establishments like Dylan's Candy Bar and Marmalade Café. But, really, it's the mom & pop places that make the best food -- whatever kind of food it is -- and need the business and attention the most!


The tickets are $40 in advance (up a bit from last year) and $45 on the day of the event. I almost bought my ticket when I was at the Market the other day -- I did a focus group for the Farmers Market a few weeks ago and was paid in Farmers Market gift checks, which can be used to buy the Taste ticket! -- but I didn't. I'll probably go back in the next couple of days and get it.

Anyway, again, if you're going to be in Southern California that week anyway, or if you are planning to have an L.A. day away from Disneyland, maybe the Taste of Farmers Market will be of interest to you. There is a fantastic array of food there anyway, spanning all sorts of cuisines, so the Taste event is kind of a highlight reel of all of those flavors, and the Market is a historical, famous part of Los Angeles. So why not try it?

​

Okay, so I am going to update the info from my above post, about the Taste of Farmers Market event (in L.A.) on Tuesday, July 14th -- for those who will be in Southern California that week, and who may already be planning to head up to L.A. and visit the Original Farmers Market on one of their non-Disneyland days. This would be a great event for foodies. The theme is "Best Bites."


This (below -- click to expand) appears to be an almost-but-not-quite complete list of all of the vendors participating in the event (I got this from Facebook, which is why I am putting a quote block around it - https://www.facebook.com/events/874890409269551/):

Seafood Bites:


Tuna Tartare -- Marmalade Café

Spicy Tuna Spoons -- Sushi a Go Go

New Orleans Style Shrimp with Mustard Sauce -- Tusquellas Fish & Oyster Bar



Beverage Samples:

Herbal Lemonade -- Coffee Corner

Watermelon Mint Mojito & drink sample -- Greenhouse Produce

Mini Root Beer Floats -- The Refresher

Smoothies -- The Salad Bar

Bite Sized version of the Waffle Shot (Waffle Cone, coated in chocolate, served with espresso) -- Zia Valentina



Meat-Lover's Bites:

Chopped BBQ, Beef, Pork or Chicken Open-Faced Sandwich Bites -- Bryan's Pit Barbecue

Smoky Snappy Dog, Beef/Pork Hot Dog infused with Bacon -- Fritzi Dog

Smoked Prime Rib Sandwich with Tomato Bruschetta and Creamy Horseradish -- Huntington Meats and Sausage

Mini Corned Beef Sandwiches -- Magee's Kitchen

Three Cheese Gourmet Sampler: including Sacisson Sec Dry Salami and Chutney with Apricot, Fig, Honey and Walnut -- Mr. Marcel Gourmet Market & Restaurant

Cheese Bread with Choice of Brazilian Sausage, Garlic Beef, Meat Balls -- Pampas Grill

Pepperoni Pizza/ Spinach and Garlic Pizza -- Patsy D'Amore's Pizza

Roast Beef, Pastrami, or Turkey Sandwich -- Phil's Deli & Grill



Vegetarian Bites:

Biryani Rice -- Dragunara Spice Bazaar

Choice of Fruit Salad or Farm Fresh Salad (Jicama, Cucumber, Mango w/ Chili Powder and Lemon) -- Farm Fresh Produce

Authentic Bavarian Style Pretzel -- Ludwig Biergarten

Peanut and Almond Nut Butter Samples -- Magee's House of Nuts

Veggie Plate with Hummus, Pita and Taboule -- Moishe's Restaurant

Truffle Mac & Cheese -- Planet Dailies

Pesto with Cheese Boreka -- The Village

Ulysses Chopped Salad -- Ulysses Voyage Greek Restaurant



International Bites:

Chicken or Veg Chow Mein -- China Depot

Mediterranean or Asada Grilled Chicken -- Farmers Market Poultry

Beef and Lettuce Wraps -- La Korea

Pork and Chicken One-Bite Morunos -- Moruno

Orange Chicken and Egg Roll -- Peking Kitchen

Chicken Rendang -- Singapore's Banana Leaf



Dessert Bites:

Assorted Ice Cream Samples -- Bennett's Ice Cream

Powdered Sugar Buttermilk Donut Hole -- Bob's Coffee and Doughnuts

Mini-Pastries -- Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

Chocolate Fountain; Strawberry, Oreo, Pringles, Graham Crackers -- Dylan's Candy Bar

Crepe Chez Moi (French Crepe) with whipped cream & powdered sugar -- The French Crepe Co.

Soft Serve Samples -- Gill's Old Fashioned Ice Cream

English Toffee -- Littlejohn's English Toffee

Caramel Corn -- Magic Nut & Candy Co.

Blueberry, Strawberry Margarita, and Original Frozen Yogurt Samples -- Pinkberry

Brownie Bites -- Short Cake

In a recent email I got from Farmers Market, they also listed:

Taco of Chile Relleno -- ¡Loteria! Grill

Traditional jambalaya -- Gumbo Pot

Passion cake -- Normandie Bakery


And, in the email they mentioned...

"In honor of the French National Day, which also occurs on July 14, we are featuring a special Bastille Day Tasting Pavilion, courtesy of Monsieur Marcel Gourmet Market!

You'll find everything from extraordinary traditional French confections from Calissons by Gilles to caneles and financiers from Ludivine Paris and even almond water by Victoria's Kitchen."



Also, although it is not listed, I'm sure that Du-par's will get in the act and offer a sample of one of their baked items as well.

There will be beer and wine samples too.

I know which things I won't be eating, so I can actually rule some of them out. But the things I will be eating and drinking will be more than enough to handle! I might not make it home.

​

 

[petals]

Love this cup. Also luvin Figment's little Duffy hat

 

[petals]

Kids Turkey Sandwich meal and side of Pasta from Flo's

Kids Roast Beef Sandwich meal and Mash side also from Flo's

The Mash was super yummy. The kids meals were tasty as well as a small snack for adults!

 

[petals]

selection of yummies from Trolley Treats:

and a cake pop also from Trolley Treats:

 

[Sherry E]

"Red, White, and Blue Mickey Caramel Apples for Independence Day!" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on July 3rd, 2015, by AJ

​

 

[figment_jii]

Continuing with...Figment Trip to Disneyland’s Diamond Anniversary Kick-Off

Big Thunder Ranch BBQ, Dinner
Figment visisted the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ for dinner one evening, hoping for cool(ish) weather and some great BBQ.

Dinner is served family style. It includes all-you-care-to-eat ribs, sausage, chicken, corn bread, beans, corn wheels, and cole slaw.

Figment really likes the ribs (they always seem to be in the bottom of the bucket!). The sausage was pretty good (mild) and the chicken was very moist.

The beans are Figment's second most favorite item at the BBQ, which is surprising because he normally isn't a big fan of beans. They have really good flavor.

Dinner includes corn wheels, which are very juicy and yummy.

The cole slaw is okay, but Figment likes the others things better.

The corn bread is sweet and tasty. It has little bits of corn in it, so it has some nice texture (and goes well with the beans)!

Storytellers Cafe, Lunch
Figment stopped by Storytellers Cafe for lunch. Due to how busy it was that weekend, Storytellers had extended their breakfast buffet until 1:00 pm, but they were also offering the regular a la carte lunch menu. Figment opted for the lunch menu, but he still got to the meet the characters (Koda, Kenai, Meeko, Chip, and Dale).

Kenai decided Figment should try eating his version salmon...

The menu:

Bread Service - the meal starts out with bread service, which included corn bread muffins and soft rolls. The corn bread is Figment's favorite. It's similiar to the one at Big Thunder BBQ, in that it includes bits of corn in it!

Charred Nebraska Corn Chowder - With Rotisserie Chicken, Bacon, and Cilantro. A meal at Storytellers' wouldn't be complete without this soup! It's so rich and flavorful!

Robusto Flatbread - Chorizo de Bilbao, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Mozzarella Cheese, and Romesco Sauce. It was pretty good.

Caesar Salad with Chicken - Romaine Lettuce and Caesar Dressing. Sometimes Figment feels like having something on the lighter side, like a salad! The Caesar was good, and the chicken was moist.

Salmon and Spinach Salad - Atlantic Salmon served with Baby Spinach Salad with Caramelized Button Mushrooms, Thume, Roasted Red Bell Peppers, and Garlic-Herb Croutons tossed with a Balsamic Vinaigrette. This is still one of Figment's favorite salads, especially the button mushroom!

Salmon with Artichoke Tapenade - Atlantic Salmon served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Broccolini, and an Artichoke Tapenade. This is another one of Figment's favorite dishes at Storytellers. The salmon is very moist and the tapenade had great flavor.

Love this cup. Also luvin Figment's little Duffy hat

Thanks!

 

[kaoden39]

The bbq looks great!

 

[princesszelda]

I love the sausage at the BBQ. The corn bread and beans are good too but I love me some of that sausage.

 

[tlovesdis]

Took a quick 3 day (two park days) trip in June to check out the 60th stuff. Here are a few things we ate and loved! LOL!

JAZZ KITCHEN

Garlic Bread - soooooooooooooo good and a little spicey! We loved it!



Gumbo - super yummy!



Green Goddess Salad - my new favorite! so good!



Chocolate Bread Pudding - delish



CAFE ORLEANS

Pomme Frites and 3 cheese Monte Cristo - we shared and it was still too much! But so delish





STARBUCKS in DCA

Cinnamon Roll - soooooooooooooo yummy! Wish the one at DL had them too!



RANCHO DEL ZOCALO

Cheese Enchilads and steak - tasty



WINE COUNTRY TRATTORIA

Lasagna - first time trying this here and it was good!

 

[figment_jii]

Continuing with...Figment Trip to Disneyland’s Diamond Anniversary Kick-Off

Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen, Brunch
Brennan's Jazz Kitchen is one of Figment's favorite places to have Sunday brunch. He likes to eat outside so he can people watch in DTD while dining!

Bourbon Street Sampler for Two - A Taste of New Orleans: Popcorn Calamari, Coconut Shrimp, Boudin Balls, Goat Cheese & Sundried Tomato Fried Ravioli. Figment's favorites are the calamari and the Boudin Balls. Both have great flavor, but aren't too spicy!

Pasta Jambalaya - Gulf Shrimp, Andouille Sausage, Roasted Chicken, Spinach Fettuccine, Creole seasoning. Figment likes this spicy pasta jambalaya dish, but it does have some heat!

Crab Cakes & Eggs - Pontalba potatoes & Creole hollandaise. This is one of Figment’s favorite items at Brennan’s. It was delicious!

BBQ Shrimp & Grits - “New Orleans” style BBQ sauce, andouille grits. This is one of Figment’s favorite dishes at Brennan’s. It’s on the slightly spicier side, but the shrimp are really tasty and the grits are smooth and creamy.

Cozy Cones, Snack
Figment stopped by the Cozy Cones to pick up two of the Dinoco Sipper Cans. He opted for blue and green this time. They are really cute, but it's not easy to get the top off!

Carthay Circle, Lunch
Figment decided to have lunch at Carthay Circle at the last minute (he loves that you can get last minute reservations at DLR).

Rose Petal Soda - Locally Sourced Purified Sparkling Water Flavored with Delicate Rose Essence and Garnished with an Edible Sugar-Glazed Organic Rose Petal. This is one of those drinks that has grown on Figment. He wasn't sure he liked the slightly bitter taste of Spring Water at first, but now he likes this drink.

Chardonnay Vignette Wine Country Soda - Figment likes Wine Country Sodas and was sad that he can't get the Chardonnay flavor at home anymore, so he had one at Carthay Circle!

Bread Service – The meal starts with bread service. The bread is good, but Figment likes to leave room for better things that are coming!

Carthay Signature Fried Biscuits - Stuffed with White Cheddar, Bacon, and Jalapeno, Served with Apricot Honey Butter. These are Figment’s favorite appetizer at Disneyland! They are so good! Crispy on the outside and melt-y on the inside. Figment discovered that they travel well, so he ordered an extra order to take home with him!

Steamed Pot Stickers filled with Gingered Pork - On Mango Lemongrass Voodoo Sauce. Figment discovered these pot stickers last time he was at Carthay and really liked them, so he ordered them again. They were still very good and very flavorful!

Sustainable Fish of the Season - Baby Heirloom Tomatoes, Fava Beans and Green Thai Chili Mango Vinaigrette. THe sustainable fish was salmon and it was really good. Very moist and yummy!

Grilled Angus Flank Steak Salad - Roasted Beets, Watercress, Gorgonzola Dolce with Sherry Vinaigrette and Crispy Onions. Figment likes salads, so he tried the steak salad. It wasn't quite what he was expecting (sliced steak on one side and the salad on the other), but it was still good.

The Ultimate Braised Short Ribe Beef Sandwich - Slowly Braised Beef Short Rib Served Open Faced with Sauteed Portobello Mushrooms, Parmesan Cheese, and Arugula. This was an interesting sandwhich...it needed a fork and knife. The braised beef was very tender, but the bread was very hard. Figment liked the flavor of the meets and the mushrooms, but was better the next day when the bread had softened.

 

[Sherry E]

The full, complete list of vendors and their samples at the Taste of Farmers Market (this coming Tuesday, 7/14/15, from 5-9 p.m.) is finally up - http://www.farmersmarketla.com/media/files/590901f712acd39426225293165020e7.pdf

I found out that Mary Jo will not be there this year, but, to my surprise, other people from The DIS will be there.

Now that I have the full list, I literally have to go through and X out the "bites" I am not interested in, and then circle or highlight the ones I am interested in... and then figure out some sort of sensible system for hitting each station so I am not roaming around aimlessly.

Anyway, again, if you are in Southern California next week anyway (because you're planning to be at Disneyland on July 17th), and you are planning a day journey up to L.A., the Taste of Farmers Market would be a great thing to do.

 

[franandaj]

I just have to say that I never comment enough, but I love when Figment goes to DL, he has great taste in food and always had good things to say about it. Someday we will go to Big Thunder BBQ, it looks great, just a lot of food and I'm never really up to eating that much.

I'll have to post some of my pics as I've been out to DL a lot for the 60th Anniversary.

 

[Meemoo]

Figment - Do you know if those specialty fried biscuits are part of the WOC lunch package. They do look like something I'd like to try.

 

[kaoden39]

I just have to say that I never comment enough, but I love when Figment goes to DL, he has great taste in food and always had good things to say about it. Someday we will go to Big Thunder BBQ, it looks great, just a lot of food and I'm never really up to eating that much.

I'll have to post some of my pics as I've been out to DL a lot for the 60th Anniversary.

I hope you're there during our dates in September.

 

[franandaj]

I hope you're there during our dates in September.

When are your dates in September? We're only half and hour away...

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Figment - Do you know if those specialty fried biscuits are part of the WOC lunch package. They do look like something I'd like to try.

They are not part of the WoC dining package. If you want to try them though, you can order them at additional cost.

 

[kaoden39]

When are your dates in September? We're only half and hour away...

The girls and I will be in Anaheim 9/13-9/19.