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

[Raeven]

Eating a Small Mountain
Aka Carnation Cafe & Jolly Holiday Bakery

Going back to the park later in the day, we were trying my other Disneyland "must do" which was Carnation Cafe. Almost everything on this menu looked delicious to me so I wasn't sure how to pick! After waiting a few minutes we were seated outside. We both decided to go with an app and an entree.

For an app Josh got:

Walt's Chili
Hearty Chili topped with Cheese, Sour Cream, and fresh Tomatoes



Although I think he left a lot of the tomatoes he thought this was delicious. I stole a few spoonfuls and it was really good. I can't eat a ton of chili because it usually bothers my stomach, so I was glad Josh ordered this so I could sample it.

For an app I got the:

Fried Pickles with Dipping Sauce
Dill Pickle Spears dipped in Parmesan and Panko, Fried Golden Brown and served with a House Sauce



I love pickles, but I'm not usually a fan of fried pickles. Still I wanted to try these because everyone raves about them. I thought they were perfect, the coating tasted really good, and the pickle was still juicy without making the outside soggy. I also liked the dipping sauce. The only problem was they were soooo hot that I definitely burned my mouth when I bit into the first one.

For an entree, Josh got the:

Sourdough Bacon-Cheese Melt
Angus Chuck Patty, Pepper Jack Cheese, Grilled Onions, Hickory-smoked Bacon, and Spicy House Sauce on Grilled Sourdough GF bun served with your choice of fresh Fruit or Seasoned French Fries



I was kind of hoping he'd get a burger so I could sample it, but he went with a melt. He actually loved how this tasted all together. I can't remember if they had a dedicated fryer (usually at Disney they do), but I know he opted for the fruit.

And for my entree, I got another app:

Baked Potato Soup
with Bacon, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Sour Cream, and Chives



This won out over the burger because I really love baked potato soup and it was kind of chilly out. Also nothing felt hot anymore after the pickles burned my mouth



This was creamy and delicious. It didn't taste exactly like other baked potato soups I've had before (I would say it was a little creamier/thicker), but it was still very good.

They did rush us a bit here too, but they weren't rude about it, they just dropped off our food quickly, and since we were hungry and wanted to get a spot for the fireworks we ate it all quickly. I'd say overall our meal here was only about 20 mins which seems way too short for a TS meal, but it worked for that night; and I would eat there again.

Later that night at the bakery, I of course got the:

Matterhorn Macaroon
Which is a macaroon dipped in white chocolate.



I normally don't like white chocolate, but I had to try the famous macaroon. I was quite surprised when I bit into it and it was soooo good. I LOVED it! It was soft, delicious, and the white chocolate and coconut really tasted good together. I'll definitely be getting more of these on future trips!



​

 

[Raeven]

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!

Yeah, it worked out really well! You just walk right out of the park and you're in the hotel. We love eating at reservations too, and I don't think we'd make it through the day without sit down meals because sometimes it's our only chance to relax. I'd recommend still booking some reservations we had 1-2 on most days, and I think it worked out well.

They did have quite a few options so I don't want to say they weren't ready for GF customers at all, but I just didn't feel like they had enough basic options (like buns for burgers, fries), and the crouton thing felt kind of careless. Accidentally putting croutons in a soup or salad is probably one of the most common things we've seen when ordering GF, but it's still is a little frustrating because it usually takes time to sort out. And it's always strange when they do that, but bring out the other food with GF modifications.

It is! I'm always surprised when I see places that aren't ready to handle GF food because it is so common everywhere now. We live in a smaller town, and we run into places here that don't know how to handle it sometimes, but as of lately even most places around here have a GF menu. This is probably the best among the Patina group restaurants I know of for GF (although this is the only one I've been to with Josh), but most of the ones at WDW aren't even a little bit gluten friendly as far as I can see by looking at their menus. (For example The Edison and Enzo's Hideaway don't seem to have any GF options).​

 

[PlutosRHM55]

If you thought Disneyland's Mickey Beignets were good, you definitely need to try the one at Ralph Brennan's in DTD. Those are eve better. Like you can't go back after those, it's so hard. I'm sorry you had such rude service in Cafe Orleans. That definitely seemed not ok the way she was acting, she needed to be a bit nicer. No reason for the tude.

I completely agree on the Mango Dragonfruit Refresher. I tried it before I ever had a Strawberry Acai, but Strawberry Acai is the queen of Starbucks refreshers. Nobody comes close.

Ugh, love the Matterhorn Macaroon. I had the same feeling on it: Never thought I would like it much but alas was pleasantly surprised. It is a very light and enjoyable snack.

 

[cwiklamama]

Thank you for taking the time to write your reports. I always look for your gluten free reviews and keep coming back for all the gif's. Love them!

 

[Cloe Colton]

I agree about sit downs being the only time for rest! haha We'll definitely be doing dinner sit downs because I plan on getting some of the dining packages but I may need to throw a few sit down lunches in there too!

That's crazy how fast they expect you to eat! I would definitely be annoyed at the waitress at Cafe Orleans. How does "there are only five" translate to no one should order them?? Thats bananas

 

[Raeven]

If you thought Disneyland's Mickey Beignets were good, you definitely need to try the one at Ralph Brennan's in DTD. Those are eve better. Like you can't go back after those, it's so hard.

That was one of the places we looked at eating, I’d definitely go there on a future trip!

I'm sorry you had such rude service in Cafe Orleans. That definitely seemed not ok the way she was acting, she needed to be a bit nicer. No reason for the tude.
[

Yeah, it was bizarre. The only thing I could think was that I didn’t order a lot, but it’s not like we only got one thing for two people and then sat there for an hour.

I completely agree on the Mango Dragonfruit Refresher. I tried it before I ever had a Strawberry Acai, but Strawberry Acai is the queen of Starbucks refreshers. Nobody comes close.

So true!

Ugh, love the Matterhorn Macaroon. I had the same feeling on it: Never thought I would like it much but alas was pleasantly surprised. It is a very light and enjoyable snack.

It’s so good! I didn’t expect that at all. I mean I know it’s popular but it didn’t sound like it would be so tasty.

Thank you for taking the time to write your reports. I always look for your gluten free reviews and keep coming back for all the gif's. Love them!

Aw, thank you! I love writing them, and I’m glad the GF reviews help.

That's crazy how fast they expect you to eat! I would definitely be annoyed at the waitress at Cafe Orleans. How does "there are only five" translate to no one should order them?? Thats bananas

It’s probably not always like that (at least I hope so). It was a busy day, but that was our experience everywhere that day.

I was wondering if she was implying since I didn’t even get an entree that if I didn’t have room for that, that I wouldn’t have enough room for a 5 piece dessert since we couldn’t share due to Josh’s allergy? But the thing is you don’t have to eat the whole dessert to get it. And you could not finish your meal and still have room for dessert since restaurant portions are often so big it’s a little unrealistic. ​

 

[kastoney]

So glad to see Carnation Cafe turned things around for you. It seems as if DL TS isn't as good as WDW but you all seem to be doing pretty well food wise. Especially those beignets and fried pickles. I would be all over those. Though your service at the Cafe New Orleans sounds horrible!!!

 

[xlsm]

omg, i didn't think i was behind on this, ahh!!

Overall we loved our meal at Stacked, and would definitely go back in the future if we were near one.

your burgers looked SO GOOD

NIGHTMARE FUEL

and a bag of the Froot Loop milk.

What in the world?? I see farther down you hated it, lol. It's sounds so weird!! Although I know in NYC that the Milkbar place serves that kind of thing

the horchata sauce was delicious on the french toast

I love anything horchata related

and the chilaquiles were delicious

I haven't had chilaquiles in a long time, but I love them. What interesting and varied buffet choices, that's awesome

We'd actually never had a chance to meet the chipmunks before

I did not know this!

Our best interaction of this meal by far was Dale!

I want to watch a day of "Dale School" for CMs, it has to be a hoot. Dale is always the best!!

(Our noses match )

I love this so, so much!!

LOL, this one too!

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

This looks amazing!

However instead of fries they offered to bring him a side salad...which he couldn't eat because they put croutons on it

What? LOL
"Sorry sir, you can't have the fries b/c they're cross contaminated, but please eat these small cubes of ACTUAL FRIED BREAD."

but honestly I think this tasted just like it could've been cheese.

You got lucky. i have had some very, very gross vegan cheese!!

I know they had vegan cheese, thousand island dressing, sesame seeds, lettuce, onions, pickle, and a vegan "meat" on top. I

It's like a vegan Big Mac!!

These pickles were so good. We all had our best DLR meals at Carnation Cafe. It was our favorite restaurant.

100% my favorite snack and the thing I wish was in WDW more than anything else.

 

[Raeven]

So glad to see Carnation Cafe turned things around for you. It seems as if DL TS isn't as good as WDW but you all seem to be doing pretty well food wise. Especially those beignets and fried pickles. I would be all over those. Though your service at the Cafe New Orleans sounds horrible!!!

I do think DL is known more for it's QS, but TS dining is definitely something we prefer. WDW definitely has more choices, but it's hard to say because we haven't tried very many at DL. (I would probably say WDW seems better in that regard though). We enjoyed Cafe Orleans too, but yeah the service was terrible. I wish WDW had beignets like that though!

your burgers looked SO GOOD

They were soooo good, I want one right now

NIGHTMARE FUEL

I told you it was CREEPY

What in the world?? I see farther down you hated it, lol. It's sounds so weird!! Although I know in NYC that the Milkbar place serves that kind of thing

It was so disgusting! And it was the weirdest thing. It really was just old milk that cereal had sat in and then it was place in a bag for some reason

Is it the same concept there? Or do you think it's flavored with cereal/flavoring to make it taste that way? This was a very specific, gross taste, like it had sat out for a long time, but there's a lot of cereal milk products I've seen that just seem to be flavored like cereal and not flavored by soggy cereal and taste normal.

What interesting and varied buffet choices, that's awesome

I loved the choices!

I did not know this!

It's crazy, I'm not sure how it happened that we never ended up meeting them or doing a meal where they were before this!

I love this so, so much!!

You posted a chipmunk picture earlier this year that I thought was so cute too! The chipmunks take such adorable pictures.

What? LOL
"Sorry sir, you can't have the fries b/c they're cross contaminated, but please eat these small cubes of ACTUAL FRIED BREAD."

I feel like sometimes they make the orders without realizing, but since someone along the way knows about the allergy you'd think they'd notice before it hit the table that they had just done the very thing they were trying to prevent. Like you can have a salad instead of fries, but we made it so you can't have that either

You got lucky. i have had some very, very gross vegan cheese!!

That's what I was scared of! I was really relieved this tasted good.

It's like a vegan Big Mac!!

It is!

These pickles were so good. We all had our best DLR meals at Carnation Cafe. It was our favorite restaurant.

Yeah, that one was my favorite in the park too.

100% my favorite snack and the thing I wish was in WDW more than anything else.

Yes! I don't care about the little things like the fact that, that attraction isn't even in WDW. I just want that macaroon! They can pretend it's Expedition Everest ​

 

[xlsm]

Is it the same concept there? Or do you think it's flavored with cereal/flavoring to make it taste that way?

i think it's flavored that way. They do ice cream and stuff flavored that way too. There's a show on Netflix, I forget what it's called, where it focuses on a chef and their restaurant in each episode, and it was the first one they featured. I watched it last summer I think, but noticed it again the other day when I was scrolling for shows. Theirs doesn't sound gross, LOL

They can pretend it's Expedition Everest

Yes!!! That's exactly what they should do, it would be perfect!!

 

[Raeven]

i think it's flavored that way. They do ice cream and stuff flavored that way too. There's a show on Netflix, I forget what it's called, where it focuses on a chef and their restaurant in each episode, and it was the first one they featured. I watched it last summer I think, but noticed it again the other day when I was scrolling for shows. Theirs doesn't sound gross, LOL

Yeah, that's the big difference maker I've found. Just adding the flavor vs letting soggy old cereal sit in it? I don't know why they'd do that. Whoever came up with that must've thought that would taste a lot better than it does.

Yes!!! That's exactly what they should do, it would be perfect!!

I know Everest Macaroon doesn't quite roll off the tongue in the same way, but I don't think anyone would care ​

 

[Raeven]

Dessert for Brunch
Aka Goofy's Kitchen

So when it came to character dining, I just couldn't pick one. I had watched a video awhile ago that had made me want to try Goofy's Kitchen because it looked like it had so many choices, and the brunch had a ton of desserts. (Which as a kid I was pretty convinced that's what buffets were all about, and I'm not sure I've changed my opinion at all since then).



At Goofy's Kitchen you prepay which has the gratuity added in already, and then you get in line for a picture with Goofy.

They will come over during the meal and ask you to buy a physical copy, but they also took a picture on my phone so I'm not sure why I'd pay another $30-40 for the same picture. (I had heard previously that they didn't take pictures on your phone, but they did when we went).

After the picture you wait again until they call your party which for us was only a couple of minutes, and then you can enter the restaurant.

Goofy's Kitchen is famous for their different pizzas, and I'm famous for not getting buffet pictures. Unless the restaurant is totally empty I'm not sure how people do it

They have a table of non dessert pizzas too which I think were cheese, pepperoni, and chicken and waffles, but change every so often.

I was not in helpful mode this morning because my notes just say "see video". Uh, thanks past me you couldn't just list what was on the plate...



But I think I've got this one, I'm pretty sure I know what everything is.

Here's my first plate:

Cheese pizza, bacon, breakfast potatoes, mac and cheese, creme brûlée pizza, bananas foster pizza, a Mickey pancake with chocolate syrup, and chili and cheese tater tots on the side.



The things I liked best were probably the tater tots, pizza, and as always the bacon. (Hard to go wrong if it's crispy though). The cheese pizza tasted like that typical cheese pizza you'd get when you went to a place that holds kid's parties or something, but it wasn't bad and sometimes that hits the spot. (I don't love pizza, but at the same time most pizza does taste decent). The tater tots were pretty good (as they always are at Disney buffets), and it was nice to have something on top that gave it a little more flavor.

The mac and cheese was your typical bland Disney kids mac and cheese, the breakfast pizzas were both kind of gross and very sticky, and the Mickey pancake was just a pancake with chocolate on it. I don't know why I subbed in chocolate syrup for real syrup though since I didn't really like it. I don't remember if the potatoes were good or bad which leads me to believe they weren't that good.

And we got pins!


(But I had already eaten the pizza by then )

Josh said the chef here wasn't as friendly as the one at Storyteller's and there seemed to be less choices for him despite there being more food overall. He got Mickey waffles, another bacon and cheese omelet, potatoes, and bacon.



His omelets are always delicious, but I always get so much food that I never make it to the omelet station.

Characters had started to reach us by then:





Now what we were all waiting for...aside from Josh who I think just ate some fruit...dessert!



Goofy's Kitchen had an endless dessert table.

I got: a red velvet cupcake, 2 bread pudding squares, a chocolate chip cookie, chocolate s'mores cake, dirt and worms, 2 cream puffs (one chocolate, one caramel), and a cinnamon bun.



My favorite things were the Dirt and Worms, chocolate S'mores cake, and caramel cream puff. Much like the cheese pizza the Dirt and Worms is a simple kid's dessert that I remember eating at many restaurants when I was a kid, but it's still good. The S'mores cake was moist and gooey, and much better than I expected. The cream puffs weren't the same as other cream puffs I had, but I liked the caramel filling more than the chocolate one.

The bread pudding disappointed me the most as it didn't really seem like a bread pudding to me and wasn't as custard-y as bread pudding typically is. It wasn't gooey and delicious just kind of wet and gelatinous. After that I was pretty full, I don't think I got to every dessert on the plate because dessert had won this time.





Overall there were way more food choices here, and the brunch had an incredible amount of desserts. There were definitely more lunch choices than breakfast. I do think this is a good one for kid's. I saw a lot of reviews say there was a lot of "kid food" there, and I get what they mean more after we ate there. It wasn't just stuff kid's would like, a lot of it reminded me (in taste) of things I'd eaten or would've chosen as a kid or had at birthday parties/restaurants when I was a kid.

But on the negative side of that for adults, the things kid's like aren't always the best tasting food and are usually pretty bland. So while they had more choices and desserts, I definitely preferred the food over at Storyteller's, and the character interactions too. Aside from a moment when Pluto came over and did a little dance for us, the characters really kept all their interactions as quick as possible because the restaurant was so full. There were also several things on the buffet that didn't seem like they were getting refilled or had been sitting out awhile from the looks of it (like the dessert pizzas). So all in all I'd say it probably wasn't worth the price, and we wouldn't do it again; but it was fun to try. I would recommend this for people with kids, but if I had kids I'd be a little more hesitant to book this because it's pretty expensive.

​

 

[Raeven]

LA: The City of Cookies
Sauced Up (Los Cerritos)/Milk Jar Cookies (LA)

Later on in the day when we were driving to LA, I decided I wanted to stop for a special treat on the way there since it really only made sense to do on a day we had a car. In Los Cerritos (which was about 20 minutes away) they had a new poutine restaurant called Sauced Up.



I got a classic poutine in a snack size to go because I wanted to make sure to arrive on time to the pop up we were visiting in LA. When I opened the bag though it looks like they gave me a regular size because this was GIANT:





This was so delicious! It was all melty, and so so good. But it was a little hot, and it was in a box that didn't seem terribly stable for eating in the car. I ate some of it, but it's hard for me to eat while in the car and not get car sick, so I didn't get to eat as much of it as I wanted to.



I think my one food regret was not getting this at a different time. I planned to have a little more when we got back to the car after the scary movies pop up, but I had indigestion, and since we wouldn't be getting back to our hotel room till much later that night I couldn't put it anywhere, and it just seemed kind of gross to hold onto it then.

After the pop up we were steps from Milk Jar Cookies though. One of the places I'd looked at when we were thinking of spending more time in LA. We hadn't really got to any of the San Diego snack places I had looked at (I always ambitiously plan out snacks, but I'm never hungry enough after a meal or throughout the day to go get them) so I wanted to get a cookie here. At the time I thought I'd be able to eat this and more poutine, but afterwards I had a bit of indigestion so that was the end of my LA eating journey.



Anyway onto my cookie:

They had all kinds of cookies here, but I chose a classic chocolate chip and milk, while Josh got a coffee. (They did have GF choices here too though). This cookie was chocolate-y, melty, and gooey, and absolutely perfect. This is kind of what I thought Gideon's Bakehouse was going to be like (if you remember from my last DTR that cookie ended up being a huge disappointment for me), but this is my ideal cookie.



Bonus: Josh's dinner at In N Out

Because I was already full/had indigestion. I asked Josh what he wanted to grab for dinner, and he decided on grabbing In N Out quickly (well as quickly as you can with the lines there). Since we were going to a comedy show he wanted to see that night, and we wanted to stick near the venue. He got the 4x4 with fries again, but just got the lettuce wrap this time to avoid the confusion that happened the last time he tried to order it without any bun or lettuce wrap.

I had a few of his fries and these were actually cooked much better than the ones we had at the one in San Diego, but they still didn't change my mind about In N Out.



I know it's a little disappointing food-wise since we had planned to eat at a restaurant in LA (that had an almost entirely GF menu and looked pretty cool), but we just weren't that hungry when we got there so maybe next time.

​

 

[Raeven]

Trying Disneyland's Famous QS
Aka Little Red Wagon/Jolly Holiday Bakery

For lunch on our last day we decided not to go to Tortilla Jo's and stay in park and try some QS. I opted for one of the famous corndogs from Little Red Wagon with a side of garlic pickle ranch and Lays potato chips:



I enjoyed the garlic pickle ranch to dip it in, but I honestly didn't really get the hype with these corndogs.



Maybe I just don't like corndogs? I've had the corndog nuggets before at Casey's (pre any strange changes of the chicken variety) and liked them, but I wasn't crazy about this. I'm not the biggest fan of hot dogs, and I thought the breading was a little too sweet. It was an okay meal, but I kind of wished I gotten the non GF version of what Josh had.

Josh went to Jolly Holiday Bakery and got the GF Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup:



He never gets to have grilled cheese so he was excited for this, and I know he thought it was pretty good. I did note thought that I thought the tomato soup was a little spicy so I'm not sure how much I would've enjoyed that.

Various Snacks #2 (Disneyland)

This probably doesn't need it's own post so I'll tack it on here, but I wanted to try some famous Disneyland snacks. However I wasn't super hungry, and didn't get to all the ones I wanted. (Like the churros, Jack Jack cookie, etc).



But one thing I made sure not to miss was a Disneyland pickle.



I looove pickles (unless their sweet pickles) so I was pretty excited they just sold pickles in the park as a snack.



However it was a bit of a disappointment. The pickle wasn't very juicy, and it actually didn't taste too sour either; it was a very disappointedly bland pickle.

​

 

[kastoney]

They will come over during the meal and ask you to buy a physical copy, but they also took a picture on my phone so I'm not sure why I'd pay another $30-40 for the same picture. (I had heard previously that they didn't take pictures on your phone, but they did when we went).

That is so weird. I remember when Tusker House used to do this and I could never quite understand why someone would pay that much for a picture

Goofy's Kitchen is famous for their different pizzas, and I'm famous for not getting buffet pictures.

I was not in helpful mode this morning because my notes just say "see video".

You're cracking me up this morning!

got: a red velvet cupcake, 2 bread pudding squares, a chocolate chip cookie, chocolate s'mores cake, dirt and worms, 2 cream puffs (one chocolate, one caramel), and a cinnamon bun.

That may seriously be the most desserty dessert plate I have ever seen!!! No wonder you skipped dinner.

Yum!!!!! I had no idea poutine restaurants (or cookie ones for that matter) were even a thing. Only in CA!

I enjoyed the garlic pickle ranch to dip it in, but I honestly didn't really get the hype with these corndogs.

I love me a corn dog so I'd likely be all over this. Though I'm guessing the hype is largely just that you are in DL not that is all that good. The garlic pickle ranch does sound interesting though.

I looove pickles (unless their sweet pickles) so I was pretty excited they just sold pickles in the park as a snack.

I had no idea pickles in Disneyland were even a thing

 

[Tracy161]

They couldn't do fries and didn't have GF buns which isn't too terrible

I continue to be baffled that places IN Disneyland (and other super popular places) don't have a variety of GF options - it seems like it should be a staple?

OMG these look amazing.

In fact she tried to discourage me from getting it by saying "you know there's 5 of them" in an annoyed tone.

This is so frustrating. I don't understand when this kind of thing happens! I was a server for many years and I'd NEVER treat a customer like this.

Because before this person captured our picture, they also captured this gem:

#ThanksPhotoPass

Ooooh, dessert/breakfast pizzas sound amazing - too bad they kinda fell flat

I was not in helpful mode this morning because my notes just say "see video". Uh, thanks past me you couldn't just list what was on the plate...

Goofy's Kitchen had an endless dessert table.

My kind of place!

 

[Raeven]

That is so weird. I remember when Tusker House used to do this and I could never quite understand why someone would pay that much for a picture

I guess maybe someone will buy it, but I don't get why on top of everything else you're spending would you have to buy the picture too?

Yum!!!!! I had no idea poutine restaurants (or cookie ones for that matter) were even a thing. Only in CA!

There were so many restaurants that carried just one specialty thing when I looked there was french fry restaurant too!

I had no idea pickles in Disneyland were even a thing

Yeah, they have them on carts all over the parks, but sadly I think sitting out like that (even though their in packaging) is maybe why they didn't taste as good as a normal pickle.

I continue to be baffled that places IN Disneyland (and other super popular places) don't have a variety of GF options - it seems like it should be a staple?

Me too, it would be easy enough to just have those on hand especially when other restaurants around the area do.

This is so frustrating. I don't understand when this kind of thing happens! I was a server for many years and I'd NEVER treat a customer like this.

It is! I'm still not sure why she seemed so frustrated with us (my guesses were that we were seated inside and not rushing through our meal and that we didn't order tons of food), but you would think she'd want us to order more

Ooooh, dessert/breakfast pizzas sound amazing - too bad they kinda fell flat

Yeah, they were pretty disappointing. I expected them to be better, but they were both pretty blah. ​

 

[Raeven]

Truffles & Steak, Oh My!
Aka Steakhouse 55

Our last meal of the trip was Steakhouse 55. We had wanted to do at least one nicer meal at Disneyland, and I've wanted to go to Steakhouse 55 for awhile so that was our pick. I ended up only having room for it on our last night, but I think that worked out well because we had already finished in the parks, and it was a nice last meal of the trip.


I love the decor of Steakhouse 55 and all the pictures of Walt.

I think nowadays you would describe this whole look as "having swag":



To start they brought some sourdough bread for me:



I was pleased that both the bread and butter were warm. (I hate when the butter is cold and doesn't spread, but it's even worse when the bread itself is cold). The bread had perfectly crisp crust, and was actually really really good. I'm normally not a fan of sourdough, but I loved this bread.

And they had GF bread for Josh:



I put that "Josh got a Scotch" however I have no idea what kind since I guess I didn't ask him
It did take about an hour for our food to come out which did seem like a long time because we were hungry, but other than that the service was great.



I on the other hand just stuck with water which you probably wouldn't guess by how this next picture turned out




I have no idea why it's so blurry but this is Josh's steak the:

SH55 Dry Rub Bone-in Rib-Eye - 18-oz



He said the rub was a little spicy, and it wasn't as good as the steaks he had at Shula's or The Palm but it wasn't bad.

For a side he got:

Garlic Potato Gratin
Bravo Farms White Cheddar, fresh Thyme



This didn't seem too potato-y to me, and it was also very garlicky so I wasn't the biggest fan of this, but Josh does like that garlicky taste.

For my steak I got the:

Center-cut Filet Mignon - 8-oz with Bernaise sauce



This was so good! It was tender and delicious and the Bernaise was good too. I'd rank it right under Shula's which is my favorite steak.

I'm also the kind of person that can't resist a dish with truffle or mac and cheese in it. So what I really can't resist is truffle mac and cheese.



So for my side I got the:

Macaroni & Cheese
Black Truffle, Cheddar Sauce



It was cheesy but not a super creamy kind of cheese, like it says in the description it was a cheesey sauce. It was delicious though, and I wished I could've eaten more of it.

At this point I was sure we'd finished, but then the waitress gave us the dessert menu and well I had a change of heart...



I got the:

Chocolate Banana Tart
Manjari Chocolate Ganache, Banana Sponge, Chocolate Chantilly, Candied Hazelnut



Eh, I probably could've skipped dessert. It was alright, but nothing special. I expected more flavor out of it. Honestly, I expected both the chocolate and banana to be more flavorful. The chocolate shell didn't have much flavor, and the banana flavor in the tart was good but you really had to dig in there to get any.

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[Tracy161]

(Yes that's Tinkerbell on my necklace, I've had that charm since I was a kid).

I love that! And I love the necklace. Great picture of the two of you... as always

I think nowadays you would describe this whole look as "having swag":

Definitely!

I on the other hand just stuck with water which you probably wouldn't guess by how this next picture turned out

You sure about that?

there's still a wrap up and a comparison between WDW/DL dining coming!

Looking forward to it! I'd be curious to hear about the theming and ambiance between the two - does one generally have better theming throughout its restaurants? Or generally better ambiance? How did the crowds compare between the two? And any difference in expense? (probably not?)

 

[lauraleh]

Love your best burger quest!! We are huge burger fans. Our fav in LA was the Burger Lounge near Santa Monica Pier. Also fried pickles... yum.

Goofy looks adorable, as do all the other characters but this is the 2nd mediocre review I've seen of Goofy's Kitchen.
Good to know.

I love corndogs so I was a big fan of Disneyland's version but WDW doesn't wow me.