This week at the Disneyland Resort saw rain, but not much in the way of updates. So, included in this edition is some review on Food and Wine fare.
Pixar Pier
First, some slight construction updates on Pixar Pier. Mickey’s Fun Wheel had some scaffolding all up and down. The top third of the scaffolding is off as of Sunday. There doesn’t seem to be any change to the appearance, though.
Galaxy’s Edge Construction
The new Star Wars land is plugging away at getting done. Disney Parks Blog released a drone video to show how it’s progressing. You can see the rockwork going up from different viewpoints in the park, including this one from the train.
Food and Wine
Of course, the big event happening at the resort is the Food and Wine Festival. Guests can often get a fun paper chef’s hat along Buena Vista Street.
One new addition to the park that isn’t necessarily for Food and Wine is a patio by Wine Country Trattoria. It’s open to those eating at Food and Wine (and anyone just getting a seat). It’s a great addition to a place needing more seats. And it looks great.
What Do You Recommend?
After a week at Food and Wine, I’ve had quite a few items, but certainly not everything. In a way, I’ve had more than I’ll review since there are some repeats from last year and I haven’t been trying to get them as much as the new stuff. Here are what I think of items so far…
White Cheddar Lager Soup
A cheddar soup is something I always like tasting. Having it in a mini boudin bread bowl puts this soup over the top. It’s fairly savory due to the lager but keeps some sweet cheddar taste as well.
Spiced Oumph! on Pita with Avocado Hummus
This is one of the listed vegan items and is located at Avocado Time. I know that something known as vegan may not be for everyone’s taste, but this was really good! I couldn’t tell it was all vegetable, and the “meat” even looks like real meat. The spiced is not spicy, and it features the avocado well.
Crispy Orange Chicken and Rice
This is not typical Chinese food orange chicken! It has much more of a citrus flavor and pairs nicely with the type of rice they have selected. The citrus taste works well with it being at a citrus booth.
Fried Artichoke Carbonara
This is the one repeat from last year I’ve had so far. It was one of my favorites last year and it is a favorite again! It has some kick to it but has great tasting avocado. There is quite a bit of bacon, which can overpower the taste a bit. For me, that’s not a big deal but may be for some.
Salt and Beer Parmesan Chicken Wings
This surprised me in a couple of ways. The good surprise is how great a parmesan taste it has! It’s just right in that area, that it’s not too strong and you get enough of the flavor. The surprise on the other side is that the batter makes it basically fried chicken. Where I’m used to chicken wings having more of a glaze, it threw me off a bit.
Orange-Vanilla Cream Float
I’m a sucker for ice cream and desserts in general. I love orange-vanilla flavors so I had to try it. I’m sorry to say I was a little disappointed. It’s basically a Fanta soda float. But, there are pound cake bits on top, which makes it a bit of a nice dish. It’s not that it was bad, but I would expect more from it. I wouldn’t say avoid it, but try something else before settling on this.
Sweet Corn Nuggets with Beef Chili
I was warned that this might have some repurcussions to my stomach. I’m happy to say there were none. And I’m even happier to say that it was very tasty! I wouldn’t say it’s at the top of my list of what I’ve had so far, but it’s good. The chili is a stronger taste to something that’s supposed to have more of a corn taste, though.
Creamy Mac and Cheese with Garlic Bread Crumble
Mac and cheese is another fond favorite of mine. Where it can be simple I look for the ways that it is different in places like this. Having the garlic bread crumble makes this a delightful mac and cheese treat! It’s got a good garlic taste paired with some creamy cheese. It’s also one of the heftier items at the festival!
Salted Caramel Budino
I’m going to say I was surprised at this, but it’s because I thought of different textures to the dessert. And it was a good surprise. The main portion has a creamy caramel pudding, which was what I expected. It was a good balance between the caramel and the salt. The topping turned out to be crispier than I thought, but had a great taste and was a nice contrast to the fluffier portion underneath. There seemed to be a kick of something else in the mixture of the dish, and looking it up online it can sometimes use rum in the cooking. I don’t know if it has it or not, but there was a bit of that taste to it. I really liked having that taste in it! I would say this is one of the better deals and desserts at the festival, but I haven’t had a lot so far. It is easily below $4 with or without a pass discount, so it’s a good item to try.
That will about do it for the update. I thought I’d include a springtime photo near Grizzly River as flowers keep blooming around the parks!
