WDW Veterans Dine at Disneyland

[SSRJen]

Be sure to try Steakhouse 55 if you enjoy great steak. I love the atmosphere and food (although pricey). The ribeye and filet are great. The Mac and Cheese side is also amazing!

 

[hillo]

Congrats on being valedictorian of your class! No wonder your mom didn't balk at a DLR trip, and your step-father tacked on a cruise! There was no way to deny that you deserved something special!

I went to the Disneyland food and wine festival last year, and I was amazed at how generous the demo portions are. The ones I've been to at WDW's festival aren't as generous.

I'm with you on Napa Rose. I thought it was ok when I went a few years ago, but it was not as good as the first time I went in 2003. I'm disappointed that my favorite restaurant, Vineyard Room (upstairs from the Trattoria) had closed. It was much better than Napa Rose, IMHO.

Speaking of the Trattoria, I'm a sucker for their lasagna. I haven't tried anything else. I agree that the bread would be nicer if it was warm, but they just don't do it.

Cafe Orleans: I ate there in December, and I was really pleasantly surprised at the sandwich I had. It was a chicken sandwich with an avocado sauce, and it had a little side salad on the plate. The sandwich itself was enough for two people. I left half of it on my plate. While I would love to eat a Monte Cristo, I couldn't do it unless I split it, as well.

Carnation Cafe: I also enjoy that you're on Main Street yet not in the crowds. I've only eaten lunch there, and I enjoyed it.

I'm totally with you on those garlic fries! I think you need to order them if you go to Todd English's bluezoo™ next time you're at WDW. Even thought it's pricey, I really enjoy the food there!

Great reviews!

Thanks for reading!! I was very happy with the food portions at the demos. Plus, I learned a lot while listening to the chefs.

I considered trying the chicken alfredo lasagna, but I've only ever read bad reviews on it. I thought it would be best to try the sandwiches as I can have pretty good lasagna at home.

We almost went to bluezoo last November for my 18th birthday. We happened to get a really good discount at the Dolphin that was really close to the price of the value resorts around Thanksgiving. Since we were spending the extra money on the room, I hated to ask to eat at bluezoo. I knew the prices were up there, and I didn't know much about the restaurant at the time. Instead, we ate at the Wolfgang Puck Cafe for lunch with a 20% discount. We were all very pleased with our meal. Their Rainbow Roll was great! Back on topic - I hope to try bluezoo sometime in the future. I will order the garlic fries!

 

[hillo]

Be sure to try Steakhouse 55 if you enjoy great steak. I love the atmosphere and food (although pricey). The ribeye and filet are great. The Mac and Cheese side is also amazing!

We ended up not venturing over to the Disneyland Hotel. I had considered eating at Hook's Pointe since I'm a huge Peter Pan and seafood fan. My mom and I are very picky when it comes to steak. I do love a good filet, but sometimes those are hard to find. I didn't put it on our list because I didn't want to risk a bad steak, and I am VERY hard to please when it comes to steak.

 

[oybolshoi]

Really enjoying your reviews - some day the hubby and I are going to make it to DL. I was really disappointed by your experience at Napa Rose ... I thought for sure you were going to have a stellar evening there - what a shame that it didn't measure up to the hype.

Congrats on your graduation and being valedictorian - that's wonderful!

 

[dd50]

First off congrats on being valedictorian and a free ride to school. Life can't get better than that.

Great reviews. I know nothing of DL so it is nice to hear. My DD moved not far from there so maybe next year I will go there.

 

[BriarRosie]

I forgot to mention that I second the opinion about Steakhouse 55. I went to a wine pairing dinner there during the same festival trip last year, and the Chef just kept giving us surprisingly creative and tasty food.

And I wouldn't have gotten the chicken alfredo lasagna at the Trattoria. That sounds so...wrong, on a Frankenstein's monster level of wrong. I went for the traditional, the lasagna rustica.

 

[hillo]

Really enjoying your reviews - some day the hubby and I are going to make it to DL. I was really disappointed by your experience at Napa Rose ... I thought for sure you were going to have a stellar evening there - what a shame that it didn't measure up to the hype.

Congrats on your graduation and being valedictorian - that's wonderful!

I've been to WDW 16 times, and I wasn't sure if Disneyland would measure up. However, I've been wanting to go for the past few years to see the "original" park. I LOVED Disneyland!! However, if the F&W festival had not been going on, we would have spent a lot less time in California Adventure. Also, we spent about 3 hours or more a day in restaurants. I know it's not the vacation destination WDW is, but Disneyland has its own uniqueness. Some rides are better at Disneyland, like Space Mountain, and some are inferior, like the Tower of Terror. Overall, Disneyland is different. It has its similarities, but I never felt like I was vacationing at WDW. (I had a couple of "I can't see the castle from here" and "Where did that mountain come from?" moments, though.)

My review of Napa Rose may not be typical. Others love the restaurant. Samantha Brown on the Travel Channel says it's her favorite. We may have just chosen the wrong dishes. (Except for the scallops - if they have been on the menu for so long and they are $8 a piece, they should have been better.)

Thanks for reading! I hope you make it to Disneyland soon!!

First off congrats on being valedictorian and a free ride to school. Life can't get better than that.

Great reviews. I know nothing of DL so it is nice to hear. My DD moved not far from there so maybe next year I will go there.

Thanks! I know I will have to work hard to keep my scholarship, though. I can't say I'm looking forward to college right now, but I hope it's better than I think it will be.
I hope you get a chance to go to Disneyland next year!

I forgot to mention that I second the opinion about Steakhouse 55. I went to a wine pairing dinner there during the same festival trip last year, and the Chef just kept giving us surprisingly creative and tasty food.

And I wouldn't have gotten the chicken alfredo lasagna at the Trattoria. That sounds so...wrong, on a Frankenstein's monster level of wrong. I went for the traditional, the lasagna rustica.

I read your review of Steakhouse 55 last year. It sounded wonderful!

I love chicken fettuccine alfredo, so I was interested in the lasagna. I'm glad I didn't try it now.

 

[hillo]

Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen

We stopped by to look at the menu on Tuesday and were trying to decide if the food would be to spicy and if we should go for lunch or for dinner. Lunch wasn't going to work out, so we went for dinner on Thursday night.

We were led up to the balcony that overlooks Downtown Disney. It was a very nice and actually quiet around 6pm. (The musicians come out at night.) At first, we were concerned about eating on the balcony as the sun was dropping and the temperature was cooling. We mentioned our concern to the hostess, and she sat us at a table that was in direct sunlight. It was perfect for us! I know they were trying not to seat anyone there, but the sun felt wonderful on our backs. We were warm the entire meal. It didn't get cool until right when we left.

Our server was excellent! He was very kind and kept the refills coming. He had no problem getting a half regular/half diet coke for my mom and my water glass stayed full. He also made excellent recommendations. He steered us away from appetizers saying they were too small and nothing special. I was glad he was honest.

I had the Panéed Chicken Bercy (description from their website)
Pan-fried parmesan and herb-breaded chicken breast topped with artichoke hearts, portobello mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. With andouille grits and a roasted shallot and white wine sauce 19.50

This was excellent!! It was my favorite entrée of the trip.

The artichokes tasted the way I am used to good artichokes tasting. They were awesome!! All the toppings were awesome!! I actually don't remember the mushrooms, but the sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes were fabulous.

The chicken was excellent! It was tender and juicy and had just the right amount of flavorings. I am usually skeptical of ordering chicken at a restaurant because I can have chicken at home, but I am so glad I ordered this. It was different and wonderful!

The andouille grits were excellent, too. Once again, I was skeptical about grits, but these were not your ordinary grits. My only complaint was the grits cooled off very quickly, but they were still great. The andouille sausage added some very nice bites of flavor.

As you can see in the picture, the piece of chicken was massive! I ate every bite.

My mom ordered the Grilled Tournedos of Beef
Medallions of filet mignon served with crawfish mashed potatoes, bacon and pecan-crusted green beans and a red zinfandel reduction 24.50

This was also very good. The filet was a little thin, so I thought it was cooked more well than medium well. I would have liked a little more pink. My mom said the steak was cooked as she wanted it. We both really loved the flavor, and the red wine sauce on the side.

I wasn't impressed with the crawfish mashed potatoes, but I was happy to share in a couple of actual crawfish in the potatoes. The crawfish tasted pretty much like shrimp. Still, I thought the side was quite good, and my mom said they were "really good". (BTW, I know they are really called crayfish, but we call them crawdaddies or crawfish in the South.)

I thought the green beans were just green beans, but I'm not a green bean lover. My mom likes the long green beans cooked al dente, so she really liked them. Overall, my mom liked her meal more than I liked her meal, but that's why she ordered it and I didn't. Also, I may not have gotten the best bites of her dish. She really loved her meal, but we both thought my chicken was better.

Unfortunately, there is no picture of the Double Chocolate Bread Pudding. We were so excited when it came out that we completely forgot to take a picture. I had planned for us to share this, but we decided to get our own since you can't just order another one. It takes 25 minutes to prepare. We could have split this, but I still would have wanted over half.

The server brings it to the table and spoons out the middle onto the side of the plate. Then, he picks up the dark chocolate bowl and the white chocolate bowl and pours them into the bread pudding so that the colors meld together and the chocolate melts together. He leaves the rest in the bowls for dipping.

It was amazing!! Very rich and chocolately. I was getting very full a little over half way, but I definitely wanted to finish. I went to the restroom, came back, and was able to finish my dish. My mom finished hers also. We had to eat it slowly, which is a good thing, but we managed to finish.

I wish there was a Ralph Brennan's near my house or even within a 4 hours drive (yes, we do drive that far just to eat). I have thought about that chicken dish and bread pudding several times around meal time. In fact, while writing this review, my stomach started growling. I definitely recommend this place.

 

[daisygirl902]

Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen

We stopped by to look at the menu on Tuesday and were trying to decide if the food would be to spicy and if we should go for lunch or for dinner. Lunch wasn't going to work out, so we went for dinner on Thursday night.

We were led up to the balcony that overlooks Downtown Disney. It was a very nice and actually quiet around 6pm. (The musicians come out at night.) At first, we were concerned about eating on the balcony as the sun was dropping and the temperature was cooling. We mentioned our concern to the hostess, and she sat us at a table that was in direct sunlight. It was perfect for us! I know they were trying not to seat anyone there, but the sun felt wonderful on our backs. We were warm the entire meal. It didn't get cool until right when we left.

Our server was excellent! He was very kind and kept the refills coming. He had no problem getting a half regular/half diet coke for my mom and my water glass stayed full. He also made excellent recommendations. He steered us away from appetizers saying they were too small and nothing special. I was glad he was honest.

I had the Panéed Chicken Bercy (description from their website)
Pan-fried parmesan and herb-breaded chicken breast topped with artichoke hearts, portobello mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. With andouille grits and a roasted shallot and white wine sauce 19.50

This was excellent!! It was my favorite entrée of the trip.

The artichokes tasted the way I am used to good artichokes tasting. They were awesome!! All the toppings were awesome!! I actually don't remember the mushrooms, but the sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes were fabulous.

The chicken was excellent! It was tender and juicy and had just the right amount of flavorings. I am usually skeptical of ordering chicken at a restaurant because I can have chicken at home, but I am so glad I ordered this. It was different and wonderful!

The andouille grits were excellent, too. Once again, I was skeptical about grits, but these were not your ordinary grits. My only complaint was the grits cooled off very quickly, but they were still great. The andouille sausage added some very nice bites of flavor.

As you can see in the picture, the piece of chicken was massive! I ate every bite.

My mom ordered the Grilled Tournedos of Beef
Medallions of filet mignon served with crawfish mashed potatoes, bacon and pecan-crusted green beans and a red zinfandel reduction 24.50

This was also very good. The filet was a little thin, so I thought it was cooked more well than medium well. I would have liked a little more pink. My mom said the steak was cooked as she wanted it. We both really loved the flavor, and the red wine sauce on the side.

I wasn't impressed with the crawfish mashed potatoes, but I was happy to share in a couple of actual crawfish in the potatoes. The crawfish tasted pretty much like shrimp. Still, I thought the side was quite good, and my mom said they were "really good". (BTW, I know they are really called crayfish, but we call them crawdaddies or crawfish in the South.)

I thought the green beans were just green beans, but I'm not a green bean lover. My mom likes the long green beans cooked al dente, so she really liked them. Overall, my mom liked her meal more than I liked her meal, but that's why she ordered it and I didn't. Also, I may not have gotten the best bites of her dish. She really loved her meal, but we both thought my chicken was better.

Unfortunately, there is no picture of the Double Chocolate Bread Pudding. We were so excited when it came out that we completely forgot to take a picture. I had planned for us to share this, but we decided to get our own since you can't just order another one. It takes 25 minutes to prepare. We could have split this, but I still would have wanted over half.

The server brings it to the table and spoons out the middle onto the side of the plate. Then, he picks up the dark chocolate bowl and the white chocolate bowl and pours them into the bread pudding so that the colors meld together and the chocolate melts together. He leaves the rest in the bowls for dipping.

It was amazing!! Very rich and chocolately. I was getting very full a little over half way, but I definitely wanted to finish. I went to the restroom, came back, and was able to finish my dish. My mom finished hers also. We had to eat it slowly, which is a good thing, but we managed to finish.

I wish there was a Ralph Brennan's near my house or even within a 4 hours drive (yes, we do drive that far just to eat). I have thought about that chicken dish and bread pudding several times around meal time. In fact, while writing this review, my stomach started growling. I definitely recommend this place.

I loved Ralph Brennan's! My sister and I ate there on our last night at DL - I had the Touranados of Beef as well and LOVED it! I had never had crawfish before and thought the potatos were fantastic! IT tasted more like lobster than shrimp to me...did you try the beignets at Ralph Brennan's Express??? They were my favorite DL discovery! DEEEELISHES

I also felt the same way about DL as you described - I was apprehensive because I am SUCH a huge WDW fanatic - but I was pleasantly surprised...there were bad points, but also some GREAT points, like the ability to walk from my hotel to DTD and the parks (I stayed at Paradise Pier)...it was all in all a fantastic trip.

Catal was also an amazing place - I'm not really glad we chose it over Napa Rose, after reading your report! Whew!

 

[hillo]

I loved Ralph Brennan's! My sister and I ate there on our last night at DL - I had the Touranados of Beef as well and LOVED it! I had never had crawfish before and thought the potatos were fantastic! IT tasted more like lobster than shrimp to me...did you try the beignets at Ralph Brennan's Express??? They were my favorite DL discovery! DEEEELISHES

I also felt the same way about DL as you described - I was apprehensive because I am SUCH a huge WDW fanatic - but I was pleasantly surprised...there were bad points, but also some GREAT points, like the ability to walk from my hotel to DTD and the parks (I stayed at Paradise Pier)...it was all in all a fantastic trip.

Catal was also an amazing place - I'm not really glad we chose it over Napa Rose, after reading your report! Whew!

I didn't try the beignets since we had them at Cafe Orleans. I liked the ones at Cafe Orleans, but I wouldn't necessarily order them again.

I absolutely loved being able to walk from park to park and to the hotel from the park. There is a big difference from walking for 5 minutes to our destination when we are used to waiting for a bus then driving a few miles and then walking to the front gate.

I was interesting in trying Catal, but the other restaurants won out. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to try it in the future.

 

[BriarRosie]

Now I regret not trying the Jazz Kitchen.

I would have wanted both dishes, so the only possible solution (for me) would be to force someone to order one while I order the other and split the dishes. My beef would be medium rare (or medium at most) or the deal's off.

And you had me at double chocolate bread pudding!

 

[hillo]

Blue Ribbon Bakery
I saw a large and yummy looking cinnamon roll in here the other day, but didn't want it at the time. I knew I would regret not getting it on vacation, so I stopped by here before heading to the next demo at DCA. I ate it in line for Celebrate France. The cinnamon roll was very good. I watched the man freshly smear the cream cheese icing on it. The icing was wonderful! Also, I ordered a double cafe mocha. This was large and almost as good as the cafe mocha from Carnation Cafe.

Celebrate France
I was hoping for something savory after my sweet breakfast. Unfortunately and fortunately, the chef made Apple Créme Brûlée Pain Perdu (French Toast). This was delicious (even though I was about to enter a sugar coma). I don't like créme brûlée, but there was some on the bottom thet added a nice flavor. The apples on topped were covered in sugar. This was an excellent dish.

Keegan Gerhard
I watch Keegan on Food Network Challenge and really wanted to see his demo. Also, I'm a sweets person, and I knew that as a pastry chef, he would be making something sweet. At this point, I knew I would regret all the sweets even though everything had been great and I was feeling fine at the time.

Keegan gave an excellent hour long presentation. He made chocolate ganache that came with items for dipping - marshmallows, brownie, fruit. It wasn't a huge portion, but there was plenty of it. He shared more than just how to cook the food, and I found him very entertaining and down to earth.

Just a note... We were very fortunate to be able to be at Disneyland this day. Originally, we had planned to only stay 4 nights, but with the Buy 3 Get 2 promotion, we were able to stay the extra night! I'm so glad we did! Also, I was very glad that American Airlines allowed us to change our flight without a fee. Not only did we get to see Keegan Gerhard, but also Peter Pan reopened that morning instead of on that Monday as announced. I love Peter Pan at WDW, and I was so glad to get a chance to ride it in Disneyland.

Cove Bar
At this point, I really needed something salty. I knew the Cove Bar had lobster nachos, so we headed over there and split an order. These were wonderful!! The tortilla chips appeared and tasted freshly baked while the toppings were generous and delicious. My mom was also able to get a refillable coke here. (We never order anything to drink besides water in restaurants, but she has to have caffeine. We decided it was cheaper here to order in a restaurant for $3 (or even $3.50 in Ralph Brennan's case) and get refills than to pay $3.50 for a 32 oz.)

Ghirardelli and Driscoll's Berries Parfait
Actually, I had this on Wednesday. It was a special F&W food from the Wine Shop and Bistro. The best part was the strawberries and cream cheese icing. I didn't find that all the layers went well together. They were better separately. The chocolate at the bottom was ok, but I didn't think it tasted like Ghirardelli. It was fine, nothing special. The red velvet cake part was dry and didn't have flavor. I would have loved to have just had a container of strawberries and cream cheese icing.

Tiramisu
I had this on Thursday. I took it with me to the Aladdin show and didn't realize until later that I really wasn't supposed to have it in there. I finished it right before the show started. It was delicious!! I have never had Tiramisu that I really cared for before, but I tried it on the recommendation of the man at the Bistro. I'm really glad I did. The ladyfingers had to have been soaked for hours they were so soft. The cream and the whole dish was excellent.

Friday evening, we were about to get our bags from Guest Services, but I realized we had enough time to run back into DCA from the special Grand Californian entrance and get another tiramisu. It was almost 7:45pm, and I didn't find out until we were leaving that the park actually closed at 8. Unfortunately, the Bistro was closed. I was a little sad, but then I remembered that Wine Country Tratorria, located right beside the Bistro, had the same tiramisu for the same price. They were closing, also. However, we decided to walk on up there to see if there was anything they could do. Our waiter from Tuesday recognized us and spoke to us even before we said anything. We told him we were hoping to get a tiramisu. He said the restaurant usually didn't give to-go orders, but he would see what he could do as it was just for dessert. My mom told him to go ahead and get two tiramisus. He came back out about 5 minutes later with the tiramisus, napkins, and forks all in a bag. We were ecstatic!! We took them back to the lobby and enjoyed them before having to head out on the last bus to the airport. The tiramisu were just as good the second time around, and I'm so glad we were able to make one more memory and enjoy some good food before heading home.

(TMI - Unfortunately, I lost the tiramisu (and probably all the other sweets) later when landing in Chicago for our connection flight. Our flight was turbulent, we got little sleep on the midnight flight, and the descent wasn't my friend. I'm just the sweets didn't catch up with me until then.)

 

[SSRJen]

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. I go to Disneyland 1-2 times per month and now want to try a couple of places I haven't been to in a while. I pretty much gave up on Jazz Kitchen after the first couple of years of opening because of bad service and cold/tasteless food. It looks like they might have gotten their act together though!

I love Catal (as someone else mentioned) and also recommend trying it in the future. I love getting one of the comfy tables indoors by the fire. They also serve a wonderful and reasonable breakfast there. It isn't well known, so always quiet.