WDW Foodies Take Disneyland-April/May 2019 (San Diego/DL DTR) Completed 6/23

[amalone1013]

Omg why was this made? Does this come up when you type in “haha” or “strawberry” somewhere? Why does this strawberry have human features and teeth? Where is it’s other eye?

I think I typed in love strawberries gif

And there was an even worse one:

Who comes up with these things???

I feel like it was being tortured by another humanoid strawberry, got his revenge, and has now been driven insane and is just laying there laughing. I have no idea why that’s what came to mind but it’s so creepy

 

[Raeven]

I think I typed in love strawberries gif

And there was an even worse one:

Who comes up with these things???

If that’s what loving strawberries is, I don’t want any part in that

I wanted to say at least it has both eyes, but then it started moving it’s mouth. And the most alarming thing is it has an eyebrow of sorts. Why did someone need a specific gif that I assume is their face on a realistic strawberry saying “umm no”? Why is there so many of them is this a thing like that annoying orange cartoon? Is there a group of people out there really into humanoid strawberries? I have so many questions that I never want an answer to.​

 

[amalone1013]

I wanted to say at least it has both eyes, but then it started moving it’s mouth.

There's a pause that lulls you into a false sense of security...

 

[Raeven]

Brunch at the Grand Californian
Aka Storyteller's Cafe

I had picked Storyteller's Cafe for our DCA day because you can walk right into the Grand Californian from the park. I loved how the hotel was basically in the park. It kind of felt like it was just an extension of that section of the park which was cool. I liked how they blended together, and the hotel was beautiful.

We had made it to Storyteller's!


First round on the buffet I decided to get: french toast with horchata sauce, chilaquiles, four cheese quiche, potatoes bravas, bacon, loaded potatoes, and a bag of the Froot Loop milk.



Per my notes: the potatoes bravas were too sweet, the loaded potatoes were pretty good, the bacon was crispy, the horchata sauce was delicious on the french toast, the quiche was not good, and the chilaquiles were delicious. They weren't spicy at all (which was good for me because I don't like spicy but I know sometimes they are spicier), and reminded me of breakfast nachos (this was my first time trying them). The bag of milk was absolutely disgusting (which I'd heard from other reviews but wanted to see for myself). It just tasted like a bag of old milk that's been sitting out for a long time.



Josh really liked the chef that took him around at this buffet. They chatted and he brought him lots of stuff, but first he had:

A bacon and cheese omelet, bacon, and I think that was roast beef.



He liked everything, and I tried his omelet too. It was really good, and I would've gotten one myself if I wasn't saving room for some of the desserts.

They also brought him his own hash browns, pancakes, and french toast:



I know they have to bring it in separate plates because of the allergy, but it's always so hard to make room on the table when everything comes in it's own plate

For my second plate I got:

More chilaquiles, chocolate bread pudding with vanilla sauce, a raspberry panna cotta, and basil watermelon lemonade.



Because it was "brunch" I did think there would be a few more desserts here, but there weren't too many to choose from. Just for future reference (to compare the 2 brunches we did) this one had more breakfast food overall. From my second dish I didn't really care for the lemonade or panna cotta. Loved the chilaquiles still, and I liked the bread pudding, but it was much heavier and richer than any of the ones I've had at WDW (maybe because of the chocolate) so it wasn't quite the same as the ones I love.

I did also have a bit of a mishap with the vanilla sauce. When I poured it into the dish instead of flowing forwards into the dish it flowed backwards out, and I had to walk around the buffet with a bunch of napkins under my plate.



The character interaction was really cute and fun.







Chip and Dale LOVED Josh's Rescue Rangers shirt. We'd actually never had a chance to meet the chipmunks before (even though they do meet in a lot of places and at some meals in WDW too), and I was excited to meet them.

Our best interaction of this meal by far was Dale!

First I'll show you our selfie:


(Our noses match )

His and Josh's picture:



Storyteller's was so much fun. The food was really good (especially the chilaquiles), and the character interaction was amazing.



As many people have said it's a little bit like AKL and WL combined, and definitely has that same attention to detail. I would definitely love to stay here one day.


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[superme80]

Love your report. As a native Californian, I get lots of crap for hating In n Out. Can't wait to read more!

 

[Tracy161]

I loved how the hotel was basically in the park.

Yes! I'd forgotten about that. Every time I passed it on my trip to DL I was thinking how cool it'd be to stay there.

The bag of milk was absolutely disgusting

Ewwwww! And is there a point to it being in a bag?! That just sounds like bizarre to me!

But now that I see the picture I don't think they were too bad, and I may bring them with me in June).

They are SO cute! You should definitely bring them with you next month!

 

[amalone1013]

Wow, Storytellers has really upped it's game since the last time we went! Before it was very very basic breakfast foods... Eggs, waffles, made to order omelets, little premade pastries, cereal, toast/bagels/etc. But the characters were always great and it looks like they still are! I love the chipmunks, I think they're my favorite

The food all looks really good too. But I don't get the cereal milk. I guess I never read about the menu changes last year after reading about the theme change... but what? And why is it no just in a tiny cup? Did you put it in a cup? Were you supposed to drink it out of the bag? Pour it in your mouth? So many questions! Also the little twine tie doesn't look the most secure, I'd probably spill it!

 

[Raeven]

Love your report. As a native Californian, I get lots of crap for hating In n Out. Can't wait to read more!

Thank you!

Ewwwww! And is there a point to it being in a bag?! That just sounds like bizarre to me!

I don’t know! It’s really bizarre, but I’ve seem cereal milk drinks before. My dad’s girlfriend gets a cereal milk type drink to add to her coffee, but I’m guessing it’s just milk with flavoring added in after this was literally flavored by just having cereal sit in it judging by the taste

They are SO cute! You should definitely bring them with you next month!

Aw thank you! I think I will I just need a shirt that’s mainly black or purple.

Wow, Storytellers has really upped it's game since the last time we went! Before it was very very basic breakfast foods... Eggs, waffles, made to order omelets, little premade pastries, cereal, toast/bagels/etc. But the characters were always great and it looks like they still are! I love the chipmunks, I think they're my favorite

Yeah it was really good! We had a hard time picking which to try because they all got mixed reviews so it really exceeded my expectations. I liked the old character line up better because there were some ones I’d never seem in the parks, but I’m still glad we picked it. I want to say the brunch is a newer addition for this restaurant too. They did have a lot of basic breakfast foods too, but I didn't bother with the eggs or pastries because there were a lot of unique items too.

The food all looks really good too. But I don't get the cereal milk. I guess I never read about the menu changes last year after reading about the theme change... but what? And why is it no just in a tiny cup? Did you put it in a cup? Were you supposed to drink it out of the bag? Pour it in your mouth? So many questions! Also the little twine tie doesn't look the most secure, I'd probably spill it!

It was good food for a character buffet! I don’t get it either I guess it’s something unique but why choose something no one will like? Reviews I watched prior to going did seem to indicate that most people didn’t like it, but I wanted to see if it was really that bad (it was).

I don’t know why the bag though, maybe so people don’t have to carry a cup around? But the lemonade had cups. I assume mostly kids try it, and maybe it’s so they won’t drop it? (We did used to get milk in bags in elementary school which was very weird and I’ve never seen it anywhere since but I don’t think that’s relevant).

Nope, no tiny cups. I don’t think you can see it in the picture, but it did have a straw in it. I agree that twine doesn’t seem very secure though. ​

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Sorry to hear your meal in Little Italy wasn't the best. I feel the same way here in NYC though- we have SO many Italian restaurants that finding a new one to try can be very overwhelming.

Those potatoes and the bananas foster french toast both look delicious! I would've ordered exactly the same!

Is Stacked a chain? I've never heard of it but it also sounds delicious.

The breakfast at Storytellers is definitely on my list when we get out to DL. That cereal milk confuses me though. Why is it served in a bag like that? We have a place here that does cereal milk ice cream and it's absolutely delicious so I would be so disappointed to try that milk and it be gross.

 

[Raeven]

Is Stacked a chain? I've never heard of it but it also sounds delicious.

Yes (ish), there’s 5 of them, but only in Cali.

The breakfast at Storytellers is definitely on my list when we get out to DL. That cereal milk confuses me though. Why is it served in a bag like that? We have a place here that does cereal milk ice cream and it's absolutely delicious so I would be so disappointed to try that milk and it be gross.

Yeah, I think that’s the buffet we tried that I’d recommend the most. I have no idea about the bag though

I think it’s so gross because most cereal milk stuff is probably just flavored to taste like cereal, but I think this is actually made by just scooping the old milk out of a soggy bowl of cereal. It’s beyond me why they would choose to serve something so gross. But someone must like it, if they continue to serve it, I guess ​

 

[kastoney]

I just ate dinner but you have me so hungry for a messy juicy hamburger!!! Glad it worked out so well for you and they had so many options for Josh. Who knew GF mac and cheese was a thing

Storytellers looks like so much fun, but what in the world is up with that bag of milk?

You definitely know you are in CA when they serve chilaquiles. Its hard to get them around here too, but I never miss a chance when I find them. Breakfast nachos is the perfect description.

Your photoshoot with Dale is beyond everything! Some of the best character photos I think I've seen. Your face says it all.

 

[Raeven]

Glad it worked out so well for you and they had so many options for Josh. Who knew GF mac and cheese was a thing

Yeah, it was nice. I'm surprised more places don't offer GF mac & cheese though because all they really have to do is change the noodles/not use flour in the cheese sauce. So many places offer a GF pasta, but not usually a mac & cheese.

Storytellers looks like so much fun, but what in the world is up with that bag of milk?

I'm not sure why they thought old, gross tasting milk was something people would like? I have to wonder if there's a bunch of people out there that love it or something because why would they serve something no one liked?

Your photoshoot with Dale is beyond everything! Some of the best character photos I think I've seen. Your face says it all.

Dale was so much fun! ​

 

[Raeven]

Searching for Disneyland's Best Burger
Aka Uva Bar

So when I was searching for places to eat at DL, I googled where the best burger at DL was. One of the top results I read more than once was Uva Bar.



This is the lounge area attached to Catal Restaurant, and since I was curious to try somewhere in Downtown Disney, and it looked like it had a good GF menu (which is strange because it's a Patina group restaurant and the ones in WDW don't seem to accomodate GF very well). Literally right before we arrived at DL Black Tap had opened so we could've chosen that instead, but opted to stick with Uva Bar since there Black Tap had a giant line every time we walked by it.



Upon looking over the menu and talking to the waitress we realized Uva Bar wasn't as gluten friendly as I'd thought. They couldn't do fries and didn't have GF buns which isn't too terrible, but generally I try to pick a place that has more options for Josh.

For an appetizer he got the:

Corn Arepas
seared Corn Cakes topped with Pulled Pork, Guacamole, Cilantro, and Red Onion



He thought this was really good and the meat was really tender.

I got the:

Uva Burger
Certified Angus Beef, Tomato, Shredded Lettuce, Pickle, and Secret Sauce served with Garlic Fries
(also I added a fried egg and avocado)




Another burger that was a bit messy, but very good. I would still put the Stacked burger ahead of this one in the best burger competition, but this is the best one I had at DL (and the only one but that doesn't mean it wasn't good). I liked the fries too, but they were very garlicky so after awhile the flavor became a bit much and I didn't end up finishing them.

Josh got the:

All-American Burger
Certified Angus Beef, Applewood Bacon, Onion Strings, Cheddar Cheese, BBQ Sauce served with Garlic Fries
(he also added avocado and had no buns)




Josh said his burger was perfectly cooked. However instead of fries they offered to bring him a side salad...which he couldn't eat because they put croutons on it We were in a bit of a hurry towards the end (service was a bit slow), and he had already eaten the arepas so he just left it and didn't ask for another one, but that was another not so gluten friendly aspect of our meal.

All in all it was a really good burger, and Josh enjoyed his appetizer too. It wasn't a bad meal, but there were some issues with Josh's allergy, and there's a lot of other places in DL so I don't think it'd be a place we'd go back the next time we went. It was also a little pricy for just 2 burgers and an app. I'll have to try some other burgers around DL to see which one I liked best, but so far this is a strong contender.


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[Raeven]

Captain Marvel Nachos
Aka Superheroes Assemble Event Snacks

So this probably doesn't need it's own post because (spoiler alert) we only got to one snack, and I was the only one that ate it not Josh but I'll still provide a little review.

I had noble snack goals going into the event.





So we never ended up getting to see whatever "Hero Fries" were, but we looked at the I Am Donut and it wasn't really Guardians themed. It was just a maple bacon donut. I'm not a fan of that flavor so that was off. I also wanted to try one of the Infinity Stone churros, but after looking at all the carts, none of the flavors really appealed to me and I kind of wish they'd just had regular ones.

But on the way out I decided to grab the Captain Marvel nachos.



I don't have the description in front of me but these were vegan nachos so I was very curious to try them. I know they had vegan cheese, thousand island dressing, sesame seeds, lettuce, onions, pickle, and a vegan "meat" on top. I've never had a cheese substitute so I was curious, but also prepared to hate it since I love cheese, but honestly I think this tasted just like it could've been cheese.



The meat on the other hand wasn't quite as good an imitation as the Impossible burger I had earlier in the week at Seaworld, and I couldn’t really taste any pickle, but overall it was pretty good.

It was a pretty large serving too and it was around $10 I think. I've heard they have this snack normally during the day too, but I think it's a limited time offering so I'm not sure if they still do.

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[lvcourtneyy]

Frustrating that Uva wasn't that accommodating to Josh being gluten free but glad you had an enjoyable meal regardless. Not putting croutons on a salad seems to be a pretty simple thing not to do! I have a friend whose gluten sensitivity is so high that having them on the plate would've caused her not be able to eat it at all.

 

[Lesley Wake]

They also brought him his own hash browns, pancakes, and french toast:

I know they have to bring it in separate plates because of the allergy, but it's always so hard to make room on the table when everything comes in it's own plate

It looks like he was very hungry!

As many people have said it's a little bit like AKL and WL combined, and definitely has that same attention to detail. I would definitely love to stay here one day.

It is gorgeous! Sometimes when I want to chill, I will just go and sit in the lobby for a bit (especially at Christmas time). The renovated rooms are reportedly nice, though its sooo expensive to stay there!

Here's all the event snacks, I made little marks next to the ones I wanted to try the most:

I'd be interested in the Infinity Stone churros!

 

[Raeven]

Frustrating that Uva wasn't that accommodating to Josh being gluten free but glad you had an enjoyable meal regardless. Not putting croutons on a salad seems to be a pretty simple thing not to do! I have a friend whose gluten sensitivity is so high that having them on the plate would've caused her not be able to eat it at all.

Yeah, it wasn't too bad just not as accommodating as I thought based on the review. The crouton thing didn't really push it in their favor though, but it's one of the more common mistakes we seem to encounter with the GF stuff. Usually we have time to get it replaced though. Oh wow yeah that would be bad then, Josh seems okay with it being on the plate as long as it's not touching anything he's eating. We're still wary of cross contamination for the most part, but this time he was able to get by, by just eating the burger.

It looks like he was very hungry!

It does The chefs always bring out such huge portions for the allergy items. I guess so you don't have to ask for more if you want it.

It is gorgeous! Sometimes when I want to chill, I will just go and sit in the lobby for a bit (especially at Christmas time). The renovated rooms are reportedly nice, though its sooo expensive to stay there!

I'm sure it's beautiful at Christmas!

I'd be interested in the Infinity Stone churros!

They were all different flavors like apple, orange, cherry, grape, etc but I wasn't sure if any of those flavors would be good on a churro. ​

 

[Lesley Wake]

They were all different flavors like apple, orange, cherry, grape, etc but I wasn't sure if any of those flavors would be good on a churro.

I’ve tried a bunch of different churro flavors over the past year. Some have been better than others but the best is still classic cinnamon.

 

[Cloe Colton]

Thats a good idea to grab brunch at the Grand Californian while in DCA. I might have to work this into our plans! I'm definitely torn on booking reservations though because I don't know how long anything takes in Disneyland so I'm worried we'll spend too much time eating since its our first trip (but we love eating in WDW so I might just have to do it lol). Definitely a struggle! But I would like to at least see the Grand Californian so that might be a good way to do it!

Thats a shame about UVU not being GF friendly! Definitely surprising how many places aren't when it seems there are a lot of people who are GF now!

 

[Raeven]

Pomme Frites & Beignets
Aka Cafe Orleans

So one of my "must do" restaurants for Disneyland was Cafe Orleans. I knew I wanted to try the pomme frites and beignets for sure, and I love the theming in New Orleans square. Luckily the scheduled refurb got pushed out to the following week so we were able to score a reservation.

So for my meal I got the:

Pommes Frites
traditional French Fried Potatoes tossed with Parmesan, Garlic, and Parsley served with Cajun Spice Rémoulade



This was like an endless portion of fries, so I'm glad I got it for a meal. These were pretty good, they tasted like your typical truffle/garlic fries but I didn't have a problem with that. I thought the remoulade was good too, and not too spicy.



Josh got the:

Bourbon Street Chicken
Honey-kissed Chicken with Hoppin' John, Seasonal Vegetables and Bourbon Sauce



He said it was really good, but his favorite part was the beans for some reason

One thing we found was that in both DL restaurants we went to this day it seemed like they were trying to rush people out, and I get it a lot of people want to eat there and some are waiting, but we were also trying to enjoy our meal, and I don't feel like we were taking an overly long time.



"Taking our time" for Cafe Orleans means we still spent under an hour there, but our waitress seemed really frustrated by us. Maybe because we had indoor seats? Maybe because I didn't order a big meal? But I don't think we should each have to order a 3 course meal to get treated politely.



After she saw we'd finished our entrees she literally threw the check onto the table. I don't think she was too happy when I said I wanted dessert. In fact she tried to discourage me from getting it by saying "you know there's 5 of them" in an annoyed tone.



For dessert I got the:

Mickey Beignets
with raspberry sauce and creme anglaise



When she dropped this off it only had the on dipping sauce, and I really wanted to try the creme anglaise so next time she walked by I asked if that came with the dish too, and she told me they were all out.



These were incredibly fluffy and delicious beignets. They are by far the best ones I've ever had at Disney. The ones I had at WDW aren't even close. For science I tried both the glove and the head, and I liked the head better because it was super fluffy, but the glove was a little crispier.

Service left something to be desired at Cafe Orleans, but I would come back in the future for the food.








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