Figment's Diamond Sparkling Halloween Trip to Disneyland Resort
Figment is having a very lucky year, going to Disneyland Resort so many times to experience the Diamond Anniversary Celebration! This time, he got to see Disneyland when two celebrations collide (to borrow from the Haunted Mansion Holiday): the Diamond Anniversary Celebration and HalloweenTime. Some of HalloweenTime was missing (e.g., the Big Thunder Ranch Halloween Carnival) and some of the Diamond Celebration was missing (e.g., the blue bunting on Main Street), but for the most part, it was a fun mixture! For Figment's reviews of MHP, HMH, and HalloweenTime in general, please visit
Figment's HalloweenTime Trip Reports, 2011 to 2015 - Now with 2015 Including MHP!
Now onto the dining...
Big Thunder Ranch BBQ, Dinner
Figment has heard that the BBQ is closing for good on January 10, 2016, so he decided that he better go there before it closes. He really likes the BBQ and will miss it (he's still hoping they'll manage to incorporate the food elsewhere in the park). Given that's HalloweenTime, the BBQ and Ranch area was decked out in Halloween-themed decor.
Figment went for dinner, which includes chicken, ribs, and sausages, along with corn cobb wheels, corn bread, baked beans, and coleslaw. Everything was really good. The ribs and chicken are a little messy, but so tasty!
Carnation Cafe, Dinner
Figment had his pre-MHP dinner at Carnation Cafe. Carnation Cafe was a nice place to have a relaxing meal before the excitement of MHP. He opted to eat inside because it was so hot outside!
Deep Fried Pickle Spears - 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 and he gets it every time he goes to Carnations. The pickles are nice and crispy on the outside and dilly on the inside. Yum!
Romaine Salad with Shrimp - Succulent Shrimp, Romaine, Avocado, Tomatoes, Hickory-smoked Bacon, and Blue Cheese with creamy Ranch. Figment opted to have this salad with the blue chese or ranch (he likes ranch, but felt like having a lighter salad dressing). The salad was nice and refreshing and the Golden Balsamic-Mustard Seed Vinaigrette was a good choice for dressing.
Walt's Favorite Homemade Meatloaf - Our special blend of Beef and Pork served with Ketchup Glaze, Mashed Potatoes, Mushroom Gravy, and Seasonal Vegetables. Figment had this meatloaf for the first time in July and really liked it, so he decided to have it again. He really liked the flavor of the meatloaf and because it's a mixture of meats, it has a slightly more firm texture than normal meatloaf.
Cafe Orleans, Lunch
Cafe Orleans is one of Figment's favorite lunch time spots in DL. It has great food and it's a great place to people watch. He always has a reservation for opening and requests one of the rail tables.
French Onion Soup - Sautéed sweet-onion medley in a traditional broth with Croutons and Melted Gruyere. Even though it was a hot day, Figment still wanted the French Onion soup. He really likes the Cafe Orleans version, which has a nice rich flavor and ooey gooey cheese!
Pommes Frites - Traditional French-fried potatoes tossed with Parmesan cheese, garlic and parsley, served with a Cajun spice remoulade. This is one of Figment’s favorite appetizers at Disneyland and one of the best ways to eat pommes frites! He highly recommends it to anyone that likes pommes frites (and garlic).
New Orleans Gumbo - A rich, flavorful stew with chicken, andouille sausage and tasso ham, served with Cajun-style “dirty rice”. Figment has always liked Café Orleans' gumbo. It has a rich flavor, but it's not too spicy.
Flat Iron Steak with Peppercorn and Cognac Sauce - Served with garlic mashed potatoes, butternut squash and green beans. This was the special dish for HalloweeenTime at Cafe Orleans. Figment had something similiar last year and really liked it, so he opted to try it again this HalloweenTime. The stead was very tender and the sauce was really flavorful. He wishes this was on the menu year-round!
French Market, Dinner
The French Market is one of Figment's favorite CS locations in DLR. It has a nice variety of foods, good music, and is a great people watching spot. Figment was surprised to see a new(ish) menu, with some old favorites gone and some new items added. It's HalloweenTime and the French Market was decorated to match Haunted Mansion Holiday.
Royal Street Chicken Caesar Salad - Romaine Lettuce, Cajun Chicken, Parmesan Cheese, and Croutons with a traditional Caesar Dressing served with your choice of fresh Artisan Breads. The Na'Wlins salad that Figment usually got was gone from the menu, so he opted to try the Caesar salad instead. The chicken had really good flavor. While Figment missed the candied pecans and crasins of the Na Wlins salad, this one was pretty good.
Cajun-Style Meatloaf - A blend of Beef, Turkey and Pork topped with a Tomato Jam, served with Mashed Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, and Worcestershire Cream Sauce served with your choice of fresh Artisan Breads. Figment decided to try the meatloaf at French Market because the one at Carnation Cafe was so good. This meatloaf was good, but Carnation is better.
French Market Chicken - Southern-style Oven Roasted Half Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, and Seasonal Vegetables served with your choice of fresh Artisan Breads. This is one of Figment's favorite items at the French Market. The chicken is very moist and tender, with really good flavor.
Mint Julep - Figment really likes the mint juleps at Disneyland and wouldn't miss the chance to have one!
Haunted Mansion Cake - This year's HalloweenTime specialty cake was shaped like a playing card and featured the man-eating wreath. The cake was pretty light, with very little frosting. It had several layers with some kind of mousse layers (Figment really couldn't tell what the flavor was supposed to be). Overall, the cake was yummy.
