DAPs Magic Disney News – by Mr. DAPs
On Thursday May 10, 2012 DAPs Magic was among select media outlets invited to preview some of the changes coming to Disney California Adventure. Part of this preview involved walking into Cars Land and tasting some of the food that will be offered when this new adventure opens on June 15. The group was walked into Cars Land from the Pacific Wharf entrance before being taken to Flo’s V-8 Cafe.
Once inside Flo’s V-8 Cafe everyone was handed Red’s Apple Freeze. It is a healthy drink that is made of 100% apple juice and passion fruit foam. This was a delicious and refreshing drink after walking through Ornament Valley in the heat of the day. When Cars Land opens, this beverage will be served at the Cozy Cone Cafe. After being seated, the food started coming out.
Michele Gendreau, Disney Director of Food and Beverage, explained that her team had been working on the food for Cars Land for several years. Flo’s V-8 Cafe will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It will be offering a contemporized classic rotisserie comfort food lineup of meals, basically a modern twist on many of the classic dishes found on Route 66.
The first offering for this meal was a plate with samples of four dishes on it. There was a citrus turkey with mashed potatoes and a brioche bun. This would make for a perfect Sunday family meal. The turkey was not dry. The mashed potatoes complemented it wonderfully and the bun was a nice compliment to the first two.
Second on the plate was the Pork Loin with Coca-Cola BBQ Sauce. While the Pork Loin was really good, the BBQ sauce was even better! This was another dish that brought memories of sitting around the table with the family on a vacation or Sunday afternoon. The sample was served with coleslaw that was surprisingly good. It didn’t have too much sweet, mayo, or other flavors that sometimes overwhelm coleslaw. This dish was solid and very satisfying.
Next on the plate was the Baked Beans. These baked beans also had the Coca-Cola BBQ sauce and are a wonderful side to complement a meal at Flo’s. They weren’t spicy but they did have a wonderful BBQ sauce flavor that wasn’t overpowering.
The last thing on the plate was what appeared to be a Shepherd’s Pie. It turns out that this was the Veggie Tater Casserole. It is a vegetarian dish that meat lovers will enjoy.
While everyone was tasting these various dishes, milkshakes were also delivered. Each milkshake is served with “road gravel” on top. These are little chocolate balls that add texture and a tiny bit of flavor to the shakes. The shakes themselves were smooth and refreshing. The chocolate balls on top added a nice pop/crunch as well.
As the meal progressed, Chili “Cone” Queso was offered. This dish is chili, served in a bread cone, with cheese and Fritos on top. It was delicious and will be a wonderful meal that will be easy to carry around and eat in a unique way. It will be served at the Cozy Cone Cafe.
Next for this sampling meal was dessert. Flo’s V-8 Cafe will be offering an assortment of personal pies when Cars Land opens in June. These pies are inspired by the ugly crust pies as found at the Midpoint Cafe. Due to the French pastry chefs found at the Disneyland Resort however, these pies are far from ugly. Four pies were offered for sampling. The Chocolate Mud Pie was a rich chocolate pie that tasted like it almost had a coffee flavor to it. The Blueberry Peach Pie was sweet and flavorful and brought back memories of summer BBQs. The Strawberry Rhubarb Pie combined the two title ingredients to create a delicious tart dessert. These two pies are season. The last pie offered was the Apple Cheddar Pie. This pie is a delicious apple pie with cheddar on top. The cheese offered just a hint of cheese and was a wonderful apple pie. All of these pies were wonderful and should be tried!
When Cars Land opens in June, there will be more food offered than what was offered during this meal. Beer and wine will also be offered in Cars Land featuring the Bear Republic Brewery. “High Octane” versions of the Lemonade and Pomegranite-Limeade drinks. Food will be available at Flo’s V8 Cafe, Cozy Cone Motel and Fillmore’s Taste-In.
For those of you who may not remember, Flo is the owner of Radiator Springs gas diner in the Disney-Pixar movie Cars. In Cars Land, her diner has come to life. One wing of Flo’s V-8 Cafe is a beautiful showroom with tall showroom windows offering a beautiful view of Ornament Valley. The other wing has a fantastic view of the Cozy Cone Motel where Mater and Lightening McQueen will be meeting friends once Cars Land opens. It has 330 seats. The decor inside Flo’s V-8 Cafe is very reminiscent of the 60’s diners and was inspired by the Midpoint Cafe in Midpoint, Texas.
The Cozy Cone Motel is owned and operated by Sally. It is fashioned after two whigwam motels along Route 66. It will be serving food in cones, along with some special drinks. Here is what the Cozy Cone Motel will be offering:
- Cone Number 1 – Churro bites with cinnamon-chocolate sauce, cinnamon-spiced hot cocoa, Ramone’s Pear of Dice Soda made with dessert pear syrup, mojito syrup and Sprite
- Cone Number 2 – Soft serve ice cream, “route” beer floats
- Cone Number 3 – Savory food in a cone including bacon-scrambled egg cone for breakfast, chicken verde or chili “cone” queso.
- Cone Number 4 – Pretzel bites with cheesy sauce, Red’s Apple Freeze
- Cone Number 5 – Two types of flavored popcorn daily such as pickle flavored popcorn or sweet and spicy.
True to form, Fillmore’s Taste-In will be offering the healthiest food in Cars Land. Fillmore will be offering various fruits, bottled water, juices, and sodas.
From what was experienced during this tasting session, the food that will be offered when Cars Land opens will be something to be excited about. The dining locations themselves, with their wonderful theming and delicious food, could be destinations for guests visiting the Disneyland Resort that rival the attractions found in Cars Land.
