My Disneyland dining reviews, with pictures

[purple figment]

Thanks figment_jii for the feedback, DD will be happy to know that the cole slaw is a lot like the one that used to be at the Ranch. We really enjoyed all the food at the BTRBBQ but the cole slaw was her favorite. She was quite sad when she had her last bite on our last trip. Do you know if there have side orders?

I am not Figment_jii, but another friend of Figment.

When we went last month all the entrees came with the Baked Beans and a choice of one additional side. The choices were Coleslaw, Potato Salad, Tater Bites and (I think) Mixed Vegetables. I don't know if you could ask for double coleslaw in place of the baked beans, but next time I might do that since I didn't care for the beans.

 

[keahgirl8]

I can't honestly say it's the same gumbo, but I really like both, so hopefully you'll like the one at Cafe Orleans as well!

I haven't had either of those, but the one at Royal Street Veranda is excellent and they give you a TON of it!

 

[ladybugg661]

Thanks Figment, your pics make me hungry! Are the ribs at River Belle Terrace as good the ribs at Flo's at DCA?

 

[figment_jii]

The Parks Blog just posted an entry about Mother's Day Dining options at DLR:
Special Dining for Mother’s Day on May 8 at Disneyland Resort

 

[figment_jii]

Thanks Figment, your pics make me hungry! Are the ribs at River Belle Terrace as good the ribs at Flo's at DCA?

Sorry, but I haven't had the ribs at Flo's. I'v read that Flo's ribs featured a Coca-Cola based BBQ sauce and the RBT rides just say "house-made" BBQ sauce, so my guess is they're a little different in flavor. They were very good and fall off the bone tender.

 

[figment_jii]

Figment's Diamond Sparkling Spring Trip, 2016, continued...

Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen, Sunday Brunch
This is Figment's traditional last meal at Disneyland. He likes the Sunday Brunch because there are some unique brunch items, plus the regular menu available. If the weather is nice, he likes to sit outside in the patio area.

Popcorn Calamari - Creole mustard aioli and marinara sauce. Figment loves calamari and the dipping sauces. Nice and cripsy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Creole Caesar Salad - Romaine hearts, Roma tomatoes, parmesan cheese, Creole caesar dressing, rosemary ciabatta toast, and sautéed crawfish. This is another salad that Figment really likes.

Chicken & Waffles - Wilted baby Arugula, Andouille Sausage, Mushrooms, Maple-Butter Sauce. This is a fun brunch item. He likes to get the maple-butter sauce on the side so that the waffles don't get soggy.

Seafood Angel Hair Pasta Pancake - Blue Crab, Gulf Shrimp, Crawfish tails, Tomato Coulis, Pesto drizzle. This was new to the brunch menu and it sounded really good. Alas, this was probably the first item that Figment didn't really like at Brennan's Jazz Kitchen. It didn't mention it anywhere, but it was really basically a large omlet (there were a lot of eggs used to bind everything together). The texture was kind of mushy, but at least there was a lot of seafood.

Rancho del Zocalo, Breakfast

Fajita Beef Breakfast Platter - Scrambled Eggs, Fajita Beef, Beans, Rice and a Tortilla. This was also something new for Figment and he really liked it. So much so, he's planning on going back!

Paradise Garden Grill, Lunch
Figment rarely eats at the Paradise Garden Grill, but he was in the area and wanted something for a small lunch, so he decided to give it a try.

Grilled Steak Skewer - Rice Pilaf, Cucumber Salad, Pita Bread and Chimichurri. The steak was actually pretty good (slightly over cooked, but not as well-done as he thought it would be). The cucumber salad was really good, as was the chimichurri sauce (although it was slightly spicy). He probably wouldn't make a special trip just to eat at Paradise Garden Grill, but he wouldn't mind trying some of the other dishes.

Coke Corner, Snack
Coke Corner is so close to Jolly Holiday, so while part of Figment's family gets a meal/snack at Jolly Holiday others go to Coke Corner to get a hot dog.
Hot Dog

Jolly Holiday, Snacks
Jolly Holiday is one of Figment's favorite places to get a quick meal or have a snack or pick-up snacks to eat back in the hotel. It's nice that Jolly Holiday has to go containers and even bags.

Albacore Tuna Salad on Brioche - Celery, Red Onion, Mayonnaise and Dijon Mustard served with House Chips. This sandwich got mixed reviews from Figment's family. It had a lot of tuna and not a lot of mayonnaise. As a result, it had a pretty strong "fishy" taste, which is good if you like tuna and not so good if you like a more mild flavor sandwich.

Jolly Holiday Combo - Toasted Cheese Sandwich with Tomato Basil Soup. This is one of Figment's favorite soups and it always tastes good on a slightly chilly night. So good, especially when the cheese sandwich is dipped in the soup!

Strawberry Bundtcake - The bundt cake was okay, but it could have used more strawberries.

Chocolate Eclair - Yummy!

Coffee Eclair - Double yummy!

Opera Cake - Triple yummy!

Lemon Blueberry Mickey Macaron - This was a new macaron and it was pretty good. The middle was mostly lemon cream with a dollop of blueberry "sauce" in the center (it wasn't raw blueberries, but it wasn't a smooth jam either). It was pretty good...so far this is Figment's second favorite Mickey Macaron (his favorite is the Raspberry one).

 

[figment_jii]

Figment's Diamond Sparkling Spring Trip, 2016, continued...

Redd Rockett's Pizza Port, Snack
Chewie Cheesecake - The cheesecake was actually pretty good; very smooth and creamy. The chocolate frosting gave it a slight chocolate flavor.

Clarabelle's Hand-Scooped Ice Cream, Snack
Clarabelle's is always a great place to have a snack!

The Oswald - Two Scoops Ice Cream with Hot Fudge, Whipped Cream, Chocolate Chips, Cherry, Waffle Cup, and a Chocolate Dipped Banana. Figment likes to get the Oswald with two scoops of Mocha Almost Fudge ice cream. Messy, but good!

Strawberry Sundae - Two Scoops Ice Cream with Hot Fudge, Whipped Cream, Chocolate Chips, Cherry, and Waffle Cup. The whipped cream was a bit messy, but otherwise, the sundae was still very yummy.

Hungry Bear, Snacks
It's rare for Figment to eat at Hungry Bear, but he'd heard about the Churro Funnel Cake and wanted to try one. The Rivers of America area is blocked from view via scrims, so the entire place has a slightly boxed in feeling (although the downstairs area feels far more enclosed and is very dark, even in mid-afternoon).

Churro Funnel Cake - Figment wanted to try this new treat and it was really good! The churro was nice and crispy and covered in cinnamon sugar and whipped cream.

Treats, Candies, and Other Goodies
As usual, there were lots of treats, candies, and other goodies throughout the resort.

St. Patrick's Day Caramel Chocolate Mickey Apple - they only had this design through St. Patrick's Day and even then they ran out before the end of the day. Figment had originally planned to get one of these to take home, but they sold out before he got one.

St. Patrick's Day Rice Crispie Treat and Marshmallow Wands

Spring Chick, Mickey, and Minnie Caramel Chocolate Apples

Spring Cake Pops

Zootopia Souvenier Cup - It featured an image of the city of Zootopia and comes with your choice of fountain beverage.

Hand-Made Easter Eggs - They make these in the Candy Palace in Disneyland. There are a couple of different flavors. It was fun to watch them make them.

Country Bear Jug - This souvie item came out while Figment was in Disneyland! It was only available to Annual Passholders (although, from recent reports, it sounds like it's available to everyone now) and only at the Hungry Bear. It also comes with your choice of fountain beverage.

Seasonal Caramel Chocolate Apple - This was one of the best apples Figment has had from DLR. It's covered in caramel, they dipped in chocolate. Then it's covered in semi-sweet chips and drizzled with white, dark, and milk chocolate. It was very rich, but so good!

 

[MorganM]

Is this the caramel apple for the month? Thanks for the update, love to read when you post a food review!!

Figment's Diamond Sparkling Spring Trip, 2016, continued...

 

[figment_jii]

Is this the caramel apple for the month? Thanks for the update, love to read when you post a food review!!

DLR features a different gourmet caramel apple each month. That was the one for March. April's apple is a dark chocolate raspberry apple...it looks pretty good too!

 

[LizzyS]

I really feel like my husband and I should share The Oswald at Clarabelle's when we go in a couple of weeks. YUM!

 

[PoohsFan1]

I definitely want to try The Oswald Sundae but with Mint Chocolate chip ice cream and I showed my DD14 the churro funnel cake and she said she is wanting to get one of those...she LOVES her churros. I hope that what figment_jii said is true about the Country Bears jug and being available to everyone, not just annual passholders because that is really cute...I want one!!

 

[figment_jii]

Storyteller's Cafe, Dinner
Figment decided to try Storyteller's again for dinner this trip. Storyteller's has very good food, but both times he's gone for dinner, the servers have seemed a little overwhelmed/short-handed. Last time part of his family had the buffet and the other part ordered from the menu, but this time, everyone opted for the buffet.

Chicken with Sriracha Soy Sauce - Figment expected these wings to be really spicy, but they were pretty mild and very flavorful.

Chipotle Pepper Salmon - Again, Figment expected this to be a bit spicy, but it was not. The salmon was moist and good.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes - Figment couldn't really taste the garlic in these mashed potatoes.

Green Beans with Salt & Pepper - These green beans were pretty good (much better than the ones at the French Market!).

Pasta Salad - Figment was surprised at how spicy this pasta salad was; nothing on the sign indicated it was going to be hot, but it was pretty peppery.

Potato Salad - Nothing really special about this potato salad.

Dinner Plate with Carved Prime Rib - The prime rib was very good and we really well with the Red Wine Mushroom Sauce.

Roasted Corn Chowder - This is Figment's favorite soup at Storyteller's. It's very rich and creamy and really yummy!

Bread Service - Bread service was provided.

[i}Dinner Plate with Carved Turkey[/I] - Roasted carved turkey was another option from the buffet. The turkey was very moist.

Mac and Cheese - Figment gave the macroni and cheese a try...he wouldn't eat it again. The pasta was mushy and the cheese was pretty bland.

Beef Chili - Figment forgot to try this...

Roased Tomato Basil Penne Pasta - Figment didn't try this item either

Bread Pudding - Figment isn't a big fan of bread pudding, so he skipped this one.

Chocolate Canoli - These were really good! Crunchy chocolate oustide, filled with cream! Yum!

Funfetti Cupcakes - These cupcakes looked pretty standard, so Figment skipped them.

White Chocolate Pot de Creme - Figment though these desserts looked really cute. They were very rich and tasty.

Green Apple Cheesecake - These cheesecake bites were surprisingly bland.

Chocoalte Pate - This was Figment's favorite desert. Very rich and very chocolatey!

Dessert Plate

 

[Lothlórien]

I don't have any photos or written reviews. We are here now. Our experience, especially with table meals, the food is much better in WDW.

For example, we ate at Steakhouse 55 and were told by DLR CMs it was comparable to Narcoossee's.

Did I mention:
Not even close. I would pick any WDW steakhouse over Steakhouse 55. A steak at Chili's would have probably been better.

We had one character breakfast and it was not anything worth reviewing. We were pre-charged a 20% gratuity for one drink each and to only see the server again when she brought our check. The guy with the photos was rude when we declined the $35 fee for the small photo package. We were there a little over an hour and not all of the characters came by. When we mentioned it to our server, she was like "so what!" The food was very unexciting. The only thing any of us remember is Chip and Dale flirting with my daughter and the bacon was good.

 

[figment_jii]

We had one character breakfast and it was not anything worth reviewing. We were pre-charged a 20% gratuity for one drink each and to only see the server again when she brought our check. The guy with the photos was rude when we declined the $35 fee for the small photo package. We were there a little over an hour and not all of the characters came by. When we mentioned it to our server, she was like "so what!" The food was very unexciting. The only thing any of us remember is Chip and Dale flirting with my daughter and the bacon was good.

Which character breakfast did you go to? Can you explain what you mean by "pre-charged a 20% gratuity" (I've never heard of that, so I'm curious); were you charged at the time of booking?

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Which character breakfast did you go to? Can you explain what you mean by "pre-charged a 20% gratuity" (I've never heard of that, so I'm curious); were you charged at the time of booking?

Not the pp but I do kind of remember the pre-paid gratuity from character dining at Goofy's Kitchen. It's been a number of years since we visited Goofy's Kitchen but I think when you pay at check-in they slap an 18% gratuity on right then and there. I too personally find it annoying to pre-pay a gratuity and to pay so much of one for buffet dining with limited service so I get what the pp is complaining about, but in the end I just chalked it up to part of the price of admission and decided not to worry about the details. Maybe that's what the poster is referring to.

 

[figment_jii]

Ah, okay...that makes sense. I think of that more like an automatic gratuity added to the bill, but is to not due until you pay the bill at the end of the meal. When the OP said "pre-paid" I was thinking more along the lines of pre-paid meals where you have to pay for the meal at the time of booking.

 

[2tinkerbell]

The character meals I have been to at DLR all have you pay prior to sitting. This includes the gratuity. You pay, you get your photo, and you are seated. I just chalk it up to how things are done.

 

[figment_jii]

The character meals I have been to at DLR all have you pay prior to sitting. This includes the gratuity. You pay, you get your photo, and you are seated. I just chalk it up to how things are done.

Interesting...I've only dined at Surf's Up at PCH Grill character breakfast (I've been at Storyteller's when they were doing breakfast/lunch, but we opted for lunch) and we didn't pay until the end of the meal.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Interesting...I've only dined at Surf's Up at PCH Grill character breakfast (I've been at Storyteller's when they were doing breakfast/lunch, but we opted for lunch) and we didn't pay until the end of the meal.

My experience had been that you pay up front for Minnie's and Goofy's, but you pay at the end of the meal at Storyteller's and PCH Grill. I haven't been back to Storyteller's or PCH Grill's character meals though since they changed to strictly buffet from having the option to order either off the menu or buffet.

 

[Lothlórien]

Ah, okay...that makes sense. I think of that more like an automatic gratuity added to the bill, but is to not due until you pay the bill at the end of the meal. When the OP said "pre-paid" I was thinking more along the lines of pre-paid meals where you have to pay for the meal at the time of booking.

I apologize for the confusion. They charged us a 20% gratuity upon check-in. The meal and gratuity had to be paid upon check-in instead of at the end of the meal. It is not "gratuity" if it is "mandatory" before the meal and the service is crappy.