A Food Sampling from Disneyland's Food & Wine Festival

The Food and Wine Festival is in full swing at Disney California Adventure this month, a welcome return for an event that has been missing the last few years. The Disneyland Resort posted a video this week of the some of the more exotic food selections available at this this year's F & W Festival. No churros here just some high quality munchies you just don't see every day at everyone's favorite theme park. Hopefully, it's an event that continues to grow in popularity and in size. I certainly look forward to my return.

Adventures In Fine Dining at the Carthay Circle Restaurant

Entering Carthay Circle main dining area

Entering the Carthay Circle Restaurant in Disney California Adventure is entering a world of decadent opulence set inside a theme park. It's an abrupt change of pace from the normal grind of having fun. I was going to make sure that at least once in my life, despite the high price tag for a meal, I was going to give the Carthay Circle a try. As for that price tag.... lunch for 4 sat right around that $200 mark. Was it worth it?

Yes and no. The place is beautiful. It's the first restaurant I've been in where the bathrooms were really bath rooms - no stalls!. The surroundings were ornate and filled with classic photos of Walt and his Hollywood friends from the late 30's. The service was first rate which from what I read was a bit of an issue when the restaurant first opened its' doors. But the staff was attentive, courteous, and friendly explaining both the menu and features of the restaurant itself. High marks indeed are given as far as a dining experience goes.

Downstairs lounge area of the Carthay Circle

As for the food, it was good but wasn't over the top great as far as the entrees were concerned. Better marks were given for the outstanding appetizers, soups, salads, and desserts than for the main meals. There's something to be said that when the best part of your $22 cheeseburger is the pickles, something has gone slightly amiss. 

That being said, there is a place for the Carthay Circle in your Disneyland adventure. If you really have something to celebrate by all means, go to the Carthay for a memorable experience. If your Disneyland trip budget allows for some overkill in in dining, then I'd go back to the Carthay Circle to offload some of that cash in a splashy way.

But all things being equal, I think I would probably take that same amount of money and spend it over at the Blue Bayou before going back to the Carthay Circle. It just seems more like the Disney thing to do

The $22 cheeseburger and fries. Great pickles!

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More things the Disneyland Traveler will ponder when he returns from this Disneyland trip.

• Saw Billy Hill and the Hillbillies yesterday. Will see them again before we leave as the clock is ticking before Disneyland executive chowder heads send them to.... (probably Knotts Berry Farm).
• Long wait for the "Jingle Cruise". Was it worth it? (no)
• Finally saw the "running of the goats" - real cute. Cross off bucket list.
• World of Color Christmas show - it helps to know Olaf and see Frozen first.
• The Disneyland Traveler's experience with lunch at the Carthay Circle Restaurant.
• It took 3+ days of being here before setting foot in DCA. For me, that's about right.
• Still looking for that perfect souvenir or two.
• And still continuing to lose at both Buzz and Toy Story Mania to Mrs. DLT.

Is There Anything I Miss About The Old Disney California Adventure?

Home Base for the Food and Wine Festival.
Rumored to become Monsters Inc. city of Montropolis

So while I'm trying to contain myself and keep myself in check from thinking about our December trip to Disneyland, Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I have been quietly asking the question of what are the 'must-do' things we must put on our agenda. And thinking of Disney California Adventure and how much there is to do there now and some fine places to eat, I thought to myself ":is there anything I miss about the old California Adventure?"

The short answer is a resounding No. Everything Disney has done to the place for the last 10 years or so has been an improvement beginning with the Tower of Terror construction. Cars Land was just the crowning achievement. But two removals come to mind and yeah, I sort of miss them. The first is the removal of the Disney Electrical Parade (packed up and sent to Florida). True, the parade was a bit hokey and maybe the music relentlessly buzzing in your brain could cause brain damage, but there was something about it. Maybe it was the tradition, maybe it was than on that special night, when the mood was right, it really was a beautiful site.

The second thing I miss about the old days was the shutting down of the DCA Food and Wine Festival held for a couple of years in late spring. Imagine, a Disney Park event really meant for adults - not the street party non-sense of Glowfest, ElecTRONica, or Mad T Pary, but a sophisticated festival built around the enjoyment of fine wine and beers along with some excellent finger foods to enjoy along the way. Even my sister, a non-drinker, thoroughly enjoyed the festival with cooking demonstrations by top chefs and the whole grown up spin on the park experience. The Food and Wine Festival was a great addition to DCA.

The Food and Wine Festival was stopped due to the massive construction occurring in DCA especially with Buena Vista St. Others believed that Disney used the construction as an excuse to bring an end to the event. The rumor mill had the story that while there was some opportunity to produce revenue from the Food and Wine Festival in California, it just didn't produce enough revenue to make it worth while and it gets back to an old story. The Food and Wine Festival is an enormous success at EPCOT in Walt Disney World in Florida. People travel from all parts of the country to attend the festival, spent money in the resorts, and dropped additional money into special Food and Wine Festival events (often hundreds of dollars to enter certain events). It's a money making machine.

The Disneyland Resort is a different animal. Most of the attendees of the special admission events featuring guest chefs and wine experts were the usual Disney local annual passholders, the kind who drop into the park, attended the event of there choosing, then went home. Disney just wasn't able to pull people into the Food and Wine Festival high admission events who came from great distances and filled the hotels with extra tourists dollars.

At the time it was announced the Food and Wine Festival would not be held due to construction reason, Disney insinuated that the event would return. That's the last that was heard of it. But I know a couple of people who would love to see it return. Imagine: replace Mad T Party with a Food and Wine Festival - replace an $11 cocktail that glows in the dark with a sophisticated glass of a nice wine or unique micro-brew. There is a place for adult events in Disneyland.

Even the Food and Wine Merchandise was for adults.

Some were for beer, some were for wine, but DCA was littered with sampling opportunites

Where To Place A Restaurant In Disneyland and DCA

Beer and Pretzels from DCA's Bayside Brews
A Disney Parks Blog Photo

I must say I found it rather amusing that last Friday, Disney posted in their Parks Blog (link) an announcement that had the Limited Time Magic promotion celebrating an Ocktober Fest time over at DCA's Bayside Brews. The picture shown above of the beer and pretzels came from the blog posting. What does Bayside Brews usually provide to guests when it isn't October? Well, they serve beer and pretzels. I guess when you serve up special German brews and add Bavarian mustard to the pretzels and offer a bratwurst, you can call it a Limited Time Magic event. 

But maybe there is something else. It isn't written about a lot but every once in awhile out in the Disney blog world you hear that DCA's newest dining facilities, Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta & The Paradise Garden Grill, on the far side of Paradise Paradise don't pull in the people that Disney had hoped even though the food served up at these places is really pretty decent. Meanwhile the neighboring Bayside Brews seems to have a line that is much shorter than the Karl Strauss beer truck located in the more centrally located Pacific Wharf dining area (often 10 or 15 people deep).

Bayside Brews - usually never a long wait

Here is the reason lack of diners summed up in a simple question. "You mean we have to way over there to get something to eat?" Very few people just pass by the Paradise Pier dining establishments. Being in the far corner of the park you have to be over there for a reason, If the mostly amusement park rides of Paradise Pier do not appeal to you, then you have no reason to be in that area,

Over at Disneyland, the same can be said for the Hungry Bear Restaurant. Now Hungry Bear can pack them in at lunch time due to the close proximity of the popular Splash Mountain but much of the day, the place can be pretty quiet (and a very nice place to take a break). On really slow days in the winter months, the place may not even open at all. Compare that with a place like the Tomorrowland Terrace which serves up some of the worst food in the park but because of its centralized location, usually has people searching for tables. Being off the beaten path is also why a place like Toon Town probably doesn't have a real dining facility at all (hot dogs and slices of really bad pizza don't count).

If you want a dining facility to be really popular try keep it close proximity to foot traffic where people just pass by getting from one place to the next. It doesn't hurt to serve good food although this doesn't appear to be a requirement in all cases.

Entrance to the Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta & Paradise Garden Grill

Favorite Foods Around The Disneyland Resort #1

The San Francisco Shrimp Louie from the Pacific Wharf Cafe - DCA

Now I have to be honest here. I have never had the shrimp louie from the Pacific Wharf Cafe in Disney California Adventure. This is for my sister. Time permitting, she will eat one of these things at least once a day over a several day trip and I've even seen her go for two in a day. She's addicted to the things. And I must say, I'm tempted. I'm actually breaking. Next trip, I'm in, especially considering the meal we had at the neighboring Cocina Cucamonga was absolutely dreadful on our last trip (making Mrs. DisneylandTraveler violently sick and almost having to ralph in some bushes). So yep, my willingness to go for shrimp salad has made a major jump forward. My misgivings to this point has been with "bay" shrimp. I tend to like my shrimp on the large side. To me anyway, the smaller the shrimp get the more fishier they taste. It could be a personal thing. But my sister swears by this salad so my experience is going to be all on her. Besides, if it tastes bad, the Karl Strauss beer wagon is right across the courtyard.

Here is the desciptions of the salad from Allears.net

San Francisco Shrimp Louie - Chilled bay shrimp on a bed of mixed greens with hard-boiled egg, tomato wedges, olives and a zesty Louie dressing. $9.99

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Disney California Adventure Sinks Into Starbuckification

On our most recent trip to the Disneyland Resort, Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I twice began our Disney day by having a Starbucks beverage now served up at the Fiddler, Fifer, and Practical Cafe on Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure. It's a fine way to start a day. Starbucks serves up a delicious product and you are IN a Disney Park. What could be better? The F,F, & P Cafe also prepares Starbucks breakfast sandwiches, which again is a very tasty little sandwich - a notch up from the McDonalds breakfast variety, but they are the same sandwiches that are available at Starbucks locations around the country. I was also impressed with the  F, F, & P Cafe as a dining facility with its huge interior and large seating capacity that was well staffed with people trying to keep the tables cleaned off and the guests comfortably moving through. All in all, my impressions of Starbucks efforts to find a presence in a Disney Park was quite positive.

I also heard wonderful things about the regular lunch time food offerings the Fiddler, Fifer, & Practical Cafe served specializing in custom prepared sandwiches, soups, and salads. We never made it back to F, F, & P Cafe for lunch. I thought I'd catch a lunch meal on my next trip. Well, Disney shot that idea down the drain. Instead of going with the customed served sandwiches, soups, and salads, the good folks at Disney have taken another step backward and are now offering the pre-made, pre-packaged grab and go type sandwiches and salads that are available from from display cases in Starbucks locations anywhere. It's not a Cafe at all anymore. It's just one big Starbucks with nothing original or special whatsoever.

There are plenty of other places to eat around the Disneyland Resort so this is no big deal, right? Wrong - as once again Disney taken what should have been a pretty good idea and pasted it with laziness. That's the part that is hard to swallow.

Rethinking My Approach to Disneyland Dining

The Cream Cheese and Jalapeno Mickey Pretzel - a winner for a snack

Mrs. DisneylandTraveler's dad has been in the hospital for the last few days being treated for an infection that caused him to stop eating and lose most of what strength he has left. But it's being treated and he will recover for him to join us here back home. He loves going out to eat, especially breakfast, when he isn't fighting off infections. And indeed, with Mrs. DLT and I spending a lot of time at the hospital the last few days, we've been eating out a lot too. We've been eating out so much that I'm kind of getting sick of it actually. Mrs. DLT's father's favorite spot for breakfast that he enjoys thoroughly is right down the street - and it's dreadful. Mrs. DLT herself, not being the adventurous dining type, likes to play it safe, going to restaurants and mostly eating the things she knows she will like or at least should like. God forbid that anything like a mushroom, olive, artichoke heart, or pickle touch her plate. She'll run out of the place screaming.

How about a deep fried dill pickle from the Carnation Cafe?
It tastes just like it sounds.

And slowly, I've found myself falling into a dining rut as well when it comes to going out to eat. While I may be far more adventurous than Mrs. DLT when it comes to dining, and since we seem to go to the same restaurants over and over, I find myself ordering the same things I have enjoyed from that particular restaurant that I have had in the past. I guess you could call it going to the "old stand-by". Somehow, while I may consider myself an adventurous diner, I've actually grown quite conservative. So I've been thinking to myself the the last couple of days, if I'm going out to eat, I really need to stretch my palette and try new things (something Mrs. DLT usually does not do though she surprised me at the Olive Garden the other night by ordering grilled chicken breasts with peaches)

Baked Potato Soup from the Carnation Cafe - an "old stand-by"

I would have to describe our dining experiences on our last trip to Disneyland as a mixed bag and a little weird. Indeed, I really had opportunities to stretch my dining wings so and did so but I also left some dining opportunities on the table so to speak and I am a little disappointed in myself for that. It started on the night we got there. It was early evening on a Saturday and since our deluxe AP's have Saturday as a blackout day, we couldn't go into the park. But instead of going to Downtown Disney like we should have done, we walked up Harbor Blvd. and ate dinner (which turned out to be actually breakfast) at the IHOP (International House of Pancakes for those who don't know). IHOP is usually fine. I ate one yesterday. In fact, I at the exact same thing for breakfast yesterday that I had for dinner at Disneyland a little over a month ago. Can you see why I would be kicking myself? I missed an opportunity. What about Naples, Catal, Ralph Brennan's, or even somewhere we haven't been like the Earl of Sandwich? Blew it on my first day.

Chicken Tomales for me and Mrs. DLT from Concina Cucamonga in DCA
An "old stand-by" that proved to be a major disappointment.

Over the years, Mrs. DLT and I have had a lot of bad food inside the Disneyland Resort Parks. We've taken notes and learned lessons. Prior to our last visit, we pretty much had our dining routine down to a science and could go several days without a dining disappointment. But there was something of a collision on our last trip. Disney, to their credit, is constantly tinkering with menu offerings giving new and more adventurous choices. And since it had been almost 2 years since our last visit, there were also new places to try. We made to Flo's V8 Cafe, Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta, the Fiddler, Fifer, and Practical Cafe, the Jolly Holiday Bakery, and the revamped Carnation Cafe and had mixed results but at least these were the new places we made it to.

The 5 Cheese Ravioli from Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta - a winner in my book

I guess here is my source of dining frustration - you know that trip to IHOP when we arrived? Well, we actually went to IHOP for another breakfast later on in the week. Another missed park dining opportunity not mention the Anaheim IHOP is expensive compared to the one in your neighborhood. Mrs. DLT wanted to go up to Disney Character Warehouse in Fullerton (a wasted trip) so on the way back we stopped at Mimi's Cafe, another chain restaurant that we have locally. Not only another missed opportunity to try something new in the park but what I ordered in trying to be more adventurous was absolutely horrible. Here's another one - we went twice to the Fiddler, Fifer, & Practical Cafe but really, especially during the morning hours, the FF&P Cafe is not that much different than your local Starbucks only much, much larger (which is fine but there are a half dozen Starbucks within a mile of where I live). Starbucks serves wonderful beverages and very good breakfast offerings but we didn't need to go back a second time. Here's the real kicker. Twice we went to see Billy Hill and Hillbillies and both times it was around lunch time - we ended up actually eating in the Golden Horseshoe which seems to deep fry everything but the ice cream. You might as well put a sign on my back that says "Kick Me". Oh... wait a minute. We were in ToonTown waiting for our Roger Rabbit fast pass return time window to open. Again, it was around lunch time.... lunch time in ToonTown either means horrid pizza or a plain hot dog. We opted for the hot dog, a simple, plain hot dog with mustard. OK.... now you can Kick Me.

Bacon, caramelized onion, and arugala flat bread pizza from Village Haus
Very good but very rich. Probably something that should be split with someone else.

So there are at least a half dozen missed opportunities to be adventurous and try something new with Disneyland dining which now I find myself losing sleep over (a stretch of the truth but only by a little bit). I took Mrs. DLT and my sister over to look at the menu at the Carthay Circle Restaurant  praying there would be something that would catch their eye and both shook heads lamenting that their was nothing on the menu they would even order other than the cheeseburger but at $22, something they thought they could do without. But what about the duck wings and braised short rib raviolis??? Basically, with the Carthay, I was out voted. I wanted to try new menu items at Cafe Orleans and French Market, but we never made it. I have never had the fried chicken from the Plaza Inn (which is on my bucket list) but never made it there either. Never made it to the Blue Bayou, Wine Country Trattoria, or Big Thunder Barbecue, all of which we enjoyed on past trips. I wanted to try the skewers from the Paradise Garden Grill but never made it back over there either. Naples in Downtown Disney has made some the best pizza I ever ate - nope - didn't make  it nor did we make it the new Earl of Sandwich.

Turkey Dinner for Flo's V8. It was alright but did I have eat this twice? 

When (if?) I make it back to Disneyland, I'm going to make a concerted effort to change my approach to dining. First thing, ditch the chain restaurants simply because they are convenient. Second, stay away from typical park food - you can get hot dogs and fish and chips anywhere. Third, if there is a restaurant I really want to go to but others balk - I'm going to hold my breath until I turn blue (or conveniently say I forgot something back at the hotel and need to get it but go to the restaurant instead - I have absolutely no issue dining alone). It's probably OK for snacks but fourth - never eat meals at the same place more than once a trip. Fifth, try to make agreements ahead of time that these are the restaurants were are going to. All menus are posted on the web. Make reservations if you have to. Me and Mrs. DLT are normally pretty good at this but going with my sister and her husband created different agendas from time to time. Sixth, be bolder with dining choices - you only live once.

You could make a meal out of Trader Sam's appetizer offerings.
Why didn't we?

In Disney California Adventure...Starbucks Works

You see them in almost every city, every town, every neighborhood. In one of the great American success stories, Starbucks Coffee shops can be found practically anywhere at the drop of a hat...even in Disney California Adventure Park. I had misgivings when Disney and Starbucks formed their alliance which would bring a Starbucks Coffee establishment to every U.S. Disney theme park. People go to a Disney Park for a unique experience. Starbucks is hardly unique, but they do make a fine product with their beverages and selected food item.

So Starbucks has settled into the Fiddler, Fifer, & Practical Cafe found on Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure Park. And I for one can now say I'm glad they did. First of all, the building - the interior or exterior - does not scream Starbucks. What lives inside the FF&P Cafe is more subtle, cavernous inside but nicely themed to the period. Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I began two of the mornings on our trip with a visit to the DCA Starbucks. Yes it can get crowded and the line can move a bit slowly, but the reward is typical Starbucks quality both with their coffee beverages and Starbucks breakfast sandwiches which are also quite tasty (and reasonably priced by Disney standards). And even though the place can line customers up to the doorway, there always seems to be empty tables. Nice.

Starbucks works in DCA and now we turn our attention to Main Street Disneyland where Starbucks is now under construction in the historic Market House. From what Disney did with Starbucks in DCA, I am a little more comforted in knowing that they will probably do the same tasteful job with Disneyland. The only problem with building a Starbucks in Disneyland, is the fact that I also have become quite fond of the Jolly Holiday Bakery which is practically across the street. Along with the Carnation Cafe, no one should ever have to venture off Main Street for a Disneyland breakfast again.

Starbucks New Home In Disneyland in 2013. The Market House

More Disney Parks Coffee Wars - Starbucks A Winner, Nescafe Out

Last year at this time, I think a spent a lot of time writing about the anticipation of DCA's Cars Land and Buena Vista St. along with the refurbishment and return of the might Matterhorn in Disneyland. Big time stuff. This year, I seem to be writing a lot about Disney's parks pursuit at serving a decent cup of coffee. As already noted, the Starbucks station in the Fiddler, Fifer, and Practical Cafe (still a really dumb name) in Disney California Adventure's Buena Vista St. is a huge hit and a winner for both Disney and Starbucks. The Starbucks station will soon be placed inside the Market House on Main St. Disneyland, a touchy subject for sure since the Market House has a great deal of historical significance to the park. Starbucks also is now in the process of being placed in WDW Magic Kingdom and Epcot parks as well.

With Starbucks, the coffee gods were looking down fondly on Disney parks but Disney wasn't through. For years, the coffee vendor for Disney parks was Nescafe, a name synonymous with lousy coffee and pretty much thought of as an instant coffee concoction. This past week, Disney has given the boot to Nescafe out of their parks to be replaced by something called Joffrey's Coffee and Tea. I know nothing about the Joffrey product but one can only guess that it will be an improvement over the Nescafe offerings which were / are continually maligned and for good reason.

The Joffrey coffee deal in no way impacts what Disney is doing with Starbucks. The Starbucks locations will continue to move into each Disney park (one per park one would assume). Joffrey coffee is what gets served everywhere else - coffee stands, restaurants, hotel rooms, etc. around the resorts. I haven't heard one bad remark about replacing park the current park coffee with something new and when does anything Disney does get greeted with unanimous approval? When I'm looking for a decent coffee or coffee beverage and do not want to stand in line with the mob waiting to get a Starbucks, its nice to know there should be a better alternative. Then again, other than first thing in the morning, I don't think about coffee very much when I'm in the parks. When the weather is eighty degrees, give or take, most of the year, its hard really hard to give that steaming hot cup of joe a lot of thought.

Disneyland Resort - A to Z - Ariel's Grotto

I'm always looking for a new series of things to write about. Sometimes I think I have a good idea of a series of things to write about with my Disneyland adventures but it often dies out of boredom. I guess my most recent series are the posts on my Disneyland Bucket List. Since I pretty have much done everything there is to do in and around Disneyland, the Bucket List stopped at #5. I'm sure there will be more but it might be awhile before I think of something else to put in there.

I chanced upon a food blog yesterday where someone took recipes and restaurant reviews and blogged about them A - Z. Nice idea (Jaymee Sire). I could easily apply that to the rides, attractions, and dining places around the Disneyland Resort.

But it needs to be interesting and something of a challenge. Take the letter A for instance (which seems like an appropriate place to start). I could write about Autopia but I think the last time I rode around in one of those cars was 2004 and if I went to Disneyland tomorrow, Autopia would be the furthest thing from my mind. I know how to drive. I could take the Alice in Wonderland ride, and a fine ride it is, but that nice little attraction has its own thread life running through this blog with its seemingly endless quest to get rid of what were supposed to be temporary plastic tarps and hideous guard rails.

For A I'm going with what has proved to be a challenge over the years - dining at Ariel's Grotto. Mrs DisneylandTraveler and I first went to Ariel's Grotto back in 2004 when it was general Disney character dining. We had out of town visitors with small children in our dining party so the interaction with the characters was great. Unfortunately, the food was bad, not just bad, real bad. I recall having something harmless like meat loaf with mash potatoes. Instead of a nice brown gravy, this concoction was slathered with some kind of tomato based gravy that was just horrible. Probably my single worst dining experience at the Disneyland Resort. I wasn't in any hurry to get back.

But we did go back - 2007 - for my great niece's 4th birthday. By this time, the character dining had morphed into a Disney Princess dining experience which it is today. There was a large group of us, both adults and children. Again, the kids meeting princesses as they came to our table one by one was very sweet even if the official Disney photographer tried to annoyingly get in on the act (and sell you some "professional" photos). 

Rylie meets Mulan - Ariel's Grotto 2007

But the food. Recalling my horrible meal back in 2004, I took the safest route I could think of on the menu - a chicken Caesar salad - and it was fine if nondescript. But the others who dined at our table offered up some other choice words about their entrees. The one remark I will always remember is my niece calling her meal "jack nasty", and expression I had never heard before but really did fit. What Ariel's Grotto tried to pass off as "chicken pot pie" seemed to be particularly offensive to a few.

When World of Color launched, Disney removed the Princesses for the dinner hours to create a World of Color dining package (which is no longer offered). For our very first viewing of WoC, Mrs. DLT and I decided to take this route. The deciding factor was that the old menu had changed and what was now being offered with the price fixed menu seemed to have some interesting choices. Finally, in our third try at Ariel's Grotto, there some measure of success as the food was really pretty good. I had cioppino and Mrs. DLT had the tri-tip. Neither of us had any complaints (nor should we at a price approaching almost $40 a meal). Plus the passes we received for WoC viewing were dead center with only the long standing wait for the show to begin putting damper on the evening.

Like I said, WoC dining is no longer offered at Ariel's Grotto for some reason. It's back to all Princesses, all day. In this current set up as strictly a character dining I would not expect Mrs. DLT and I to go back to Ariel's Grotto which is kind of too bad. We enjoyed our meal the last time we ate there and the views from the outside tables are simply lovely.

A view from our outside dining table at Ariel's Grotto 2010

Carthay CIrcle Restaurant - Maybe a Slight Misjudgment?

Here it is, noon on a Saturday and the DCA Today Twitter account sends out this tweet....

Want some "premiere" cuisine but don't have a reservation? Carthay Circle Restaurant is accepting walk-ins for lunch

Do you think the price for the lunch might have something to do with it? It's already costing an arm and a leg to get into the park whether you have a daily admission, a park hopper, or paying for an annual pass. Now you are asked to shell out big bucks for Disney's version of a premium dining experience inside the park.

Apparently, openings for dining at the Carthay Circle Restaurant are not that hard to come by most of the time (compared to the Blue Bayou over in Disneyland where reservations are almost mandatory most of the time). CCR has had issues besides a very bill since it has opened. Many have complained that the service has been less than satisfactory for the prices you are being asked to pay. Most of the food offerings are very good but there have been a few misses as well in various dining reports. But mostly, it is the high cost of dining there that is keeping people away. A high end restaurant inside a very expensive theme park in an economy that has been less than generous is not a good match. Maybe the place succeeds but there does seem to be a miscalculation on the demand for an in-park premium dining experience on Disney's part. The Blue Bayou succeeds with similarly priced menu options (but no alcohol) for one reason - it is inside perhaps the most iconic ride in the park. Carthay Circle Restaurant is just an extravagant place to eat.

A Disney California Adventure in Cheese

Cheddar Cheese Stick
Corn Dog Castle - DCA

The Disney California Adventure Twitter account just tweeted out this photo - the Cheddar Cheese Stick from the Corn Dog Castle in Disney California Adventure. The tweet asked if I tried one of these yet? Answer - No. Love the corn dogs, haven't tried the cheese (or the hot link corn dog for that matter). Let's see - a battered and deep fried stick of cheese, cardiologists could probably post this photo on their office walls with a big red X through it and a caption reading "Heart Attack on a Stick". The Corn Dog Castle offers their corn dogs and cheese sticks with a choice of potato chips or apple slices. For the health conscious out there, go for apple slices. You will help with easing your guilty conscious and the apple slices help cut the grease in your stomach before riding the neighboring Goofy's Sky School.

Looks good though.... 

What If In-N-Out Burger Met Disneyland?

Mrs. DisneylandTraveler comes up with good ones sometimes. We're walking around Disneyland or DCA and she'll get a moment of frustration that usually ends with "Why couldn't they (meaning Disney) just - _________ (fill in the blank)". We're all probably guilty of the same thing I'm sure. Every fan of Disneyland thinks they have a better idea. Like -

We're in our 5th hour of camping out a spot waiting for Fantasmic when Mrs. DLT says "I don't know why they just couldn't build seating like they do when there is a movie premier in the park?" It's a good question. Of course the answer is Disneyland is space challenged and there is no room for any kind of permanent Fantasmic seating. To which Mrs. DLT may respond "Well this is Disney, they can do anything, why not just have the seats raise out of the ground before showtime?" Well, this is Disney, almost anything can be done but it all cost $$$$ - lots of it.

She'll apply same question when waiting for World of Color over in DCA. Since the viewing area of WOC is new she'll ask the question again "Why didn't they just build some seating?" The same answers apply not to mention that empty seats during the day are pretty much of an eye-sore. But I understand her point. You wait to get into your section. You show up early so you can get the best viewing spot. After waiting there, you are ushered into your section where you begin waiting again. Many hit the ground and sit on the concrete. Been there, done that. At this point of our lives, Mrs. DLT and I have retired from sitting on concrete. It's for the younger and more nimble.

So you've had hours upon hours of park activity culminating in watching World of Color in DCA. You are dog tired and ready to get back to your hotel. World of Color sits at the back of DCA and so begins that slow march to the exits with the dispersing throng. So Mrs. DLT comes up with "Why didn't they build an around park transportation system like the Disneyland Railroad?" I really don't have an answer for that one because an around DCA transportation system would be welcomed and probably needed. Probably because nothing seems more boring in a theme than a slow moving transportation system. You could hardly build a summer marketing campaign around something like that. Besides, DCA still has a bit more room to expand if they wanted to. The boundaries are not set in stone.

Here's the big one. After so many trips to Disneyland and so many meals, Mrs. DLT and I pretty much know what to eat, where to eat, and what to stay away from. Chances of getting a really good burger at Disneyland is rare because they cook the living daylights out of the things for health and sanitary reasons. A breakout of e-coli would not look good. So what you end up with is a burger that is something approaching the consistency of shoe leather. Disney has gotten wise over the years covering their horrible burgers with chili (Hungry Bear), pastrami (Village Haus), and blue cheese (Taste Pilot's Grill) and for some people that has helped out. But Mrs. DLT asks the question "Why couldn't Disney just put an In-N-Out Burger in here, after all, they now have a Starbucks and they used to have a McDonalds in the park?". For those who don't know, In-N-Our Burger is a Southern California legend making perhaps the best fast food cheeseburger you will ever have at a price that is actually below affordable. And that's all they serve - burgers and fries (though you can get them to make you a grilled cheese that is not on the menu). And don't ask for bacon or avocado or any of that - not an option at In-N-Out. If you ask someone who grew up in Southern California but has moved on to other parts of the country "What's the first thing you want to do when you get off a plane?" 9 out of 10 will tell you "I need to go to In-N-Out".

Which gets back to Mrs. DLT's question why not put an In-N-Out in Disneyland? Well people would be taken aback when that double-double (double meet, double cheese) that is less than $4.00 outside the park is now about $9.00. The other reason I tell her - if you think that 2 or 3 hour wait to get on Radiator Springs Racers is bad, how would you like to have the same wait for a burger. "Where's the end of the In-N-Out line?"  

"It's a couple of hundred yards down that way."

How's That Starbucks Working Out In Disney California Adventure?

I've got the MouseWaits app on my phone. It gives you the current wait times for rides, attractions, and several food & beverage establishments where lines tend to build. I look at it every once in a while when I've got nothing better to do. The current wait for a Starbucks beverage in Disney California Adventure is 14 minutes. Not bad for a Sunday. It's been worse, much worse, as now Disney people can get their park fix and Starbucks coffee fix in the same location.

There used to be a Starbucks about a block from my house in a supermarket. Sometimes I would stop by there for a mocha or latte on my way to work. I would cringe when I would see 3 people standing in line in front of me. That Starbucks closed down but I would say it was more the fault of the struggling supermarket than Starbucks. So now the closest Starbucks is a standard strip mall establishment about 2 blocks from my house. If I stop by there in the morning, there are usually 5 or 6 people standing in line. Since I'm usually in a hurry, I pretty much skip Starbucks in the morning now. 5 or 10 minutes is far too long to wait.

So now I have seen pictures from the DCA Starbucks found inside the Fidler, Fifer, & Practical Cafe (still a dumb name) on Buena Vista Street. From some of the pictures I have seen, there must of have been at least 30 people standing in that line. But that's different. It's one thing to be standing in line for a Starbucks before going to work were time is everything and quite another to be standing in any line in a Disney park where line standing approaches something of an art form as to keep yourself amused and entertained while doing nothing.

As for the Starbucks itself, from what I have read, they can whip out the basic menu pretty well but if you are one of those "snobs" who rattle off a single beverage that takes two minutes to explain, well then, chances are you may be headed for disappointment. This is a Disney park, keep your special orders for the real professionals and stick to the basics.

Starbuck's Beverage Pricing in DCA

Starbuck's Menu - Disney California Adventure
A Dateline Disneyland MiceChat photo

I was curious just how much Disney was going to tack on to the price of a Starbuck's beverage at the new  Fiddler, Fifer, and Practical Cafe (still can't get over that name) on Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure when it opens to serve the public next weekend. To be honest, knowing Disney, I was expecting them to add on a buck or two to the standard price of your local Starbuck's down the street. Surprisingly, it's not that bad. MiceChat's Dateline Disneyland snapped a picture of the posted menu board at the annual pass holder preview yesterday. Although sizing of the picture is a bit of a challenge with this blogging software, the jacked up prices only look to be about 50 or 60 cents higher than your regular neighborhood Starbucks. I certainly can't complain about that. Go over to the new Ghirardelli Fountain and Chocolate Shop in DCA and price a sundae. The price of one of those is an eye opener.

Mrs. DLT Bursts My Bucket List Bubble

USA Today Travel Photo

And there you have it. My Disney Bucket List Item #4 is a visit to the new Carthay Circle Theater Restaurant. So Mrs. DisneylandTraveler walks over to me yesterday and says "You know, I'm not really seeing anything on that menu that is appealing to me. There's the burger, but I'm not paying $22.00 for a burger!".

"What about the appetizers?" I ask, "There's got to be an appetizer or salad that's appealing to you".

"Nope" is all she said shaking her head, walking away.

So begins the test of wills and the battle of wits. It's been going on for 14 years now. The battle between someone who want to try new and different things vs. the person who almost never wants to try new and different things. I'm sure I will get her to go at some point but she won't go willingly. Every step of the way heading to our table she'll be thinking about the vile mushrooms, or olives, or goat cheese they may try to slip in on her order.

Then again, I can always make my call ahead dine time and request a table for one.

The Battle Between Tortillas vs. Ice Cream and Chocolate

While it is supposed to have its official opening on June 7, the walls have come down and the new Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop soft opened yesterday offering a dizzying array of cold and sweet treats. This is the building that formerly was home to the Mission Tortilla factory. But it doesn't take a genius to figure out that in a popularity battle over freshly made tortillas versus ice cream, the ice cream and other treats made from Ghirardelli chocolate are going to win hands down and this little building in the Pacific Wharf area of DCA will be a hugely popular stop for those looking to cool down and have something sweet to eat.

Not that this makes everyone happy. I have a friend who loved the Mission Tortilla factory. Let's just call him a bit.....frugal. He would take his small kids through the little tour of making tortillas and at the end, his kids got a fresh hot tortilla. Bingo! My friend just got his kids, if not a completely free nice filling snack, then perhaps just call the free tortilla - lunch. This is the same friend who would go to the breakfast spread laid out by his hotel and grab some extra slices of bread and some jelly packets. He brought a jar of peanut butter from home. PB&J in a backpack - another lunch. 

But I digress. The unique feature about the new Ghirardelli shop is that it has 6 stations to place your order, then 6 stations to go pick it up. Disney's hope is have everyone's ice cream order ready in under 4 minutes. Good luck with that one on a warm summer day.

I'm not sure if it's still there but the little building behind the Ghiradelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop is DCA's First Aid Station (if you never knew where it was). Thanks to Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and a welt on her shoulder from an insect bite, we were able to pay the place a visit and they fixed her right up.

My Disneyland Bucket List - Item #4

I said I was going to do it. When Disney announced that is was now accepting reservations for the new Carthay Circle Restaurant in California Adventure, I knew it had to go on the bucket list. Now if I were I a betting person, and I'm really not, I'd be willing to wager a meal in this new high end restaurant is going to make a meal at the Blue Bayou seem like a deal so for Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I, we'd have to look at our projected park budget. If we were going on the cheap, a meal at CCR may not be practical as a meal there probably is going to equal and entire days food budget and maybe then some. But sometimes we really do treat ourselves and this where Carthay Circle dining experience comes in. It's going on the bucket list. We may not go on our next trip (hopefully later this year) but we are definitely going to eat there.

We have eaten at every table service restaurant in Disneyland and DCA, we can't leave CCR out. 

Carthay Circle Restaurant Now Accepting Reservations

Angus Steak Cobb Salad - Carthay Circle Restaurant
A Disney Parks Blog Photo

Disney Parks Blog just posted that the new Carthay Circle Restaurant on Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure is accepting reservations for June 15 and beyond. From the looks of the 256 seat restaurant based on photos that have been released and the menu put together by Napa Rose Chef Andrew Sutton, this is going to be one expensive dining experience but one that promises to be a memorable one. Sometime in the next few days will come post to this blog where dining at the Carthay Circle Restaurant goes on my official Disneyland Bucket List. Expecting Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I to spend about $200+ on this one.

Crispy Firecracker Duck Wings - Carthay Circle Restaurant
A Disney Parks Blog Photo

Jamaican Jerked Kingfish - Carthay Circle Restaurant
A Disney Parks Blog Phot0

Finally, the ultimate in decadence....

Fried Banana Split Monte Cristo Sundae - Carthay Circle Restaurant
A Disney Parks Blog Photo

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