DCA Food & Wine Festival - Kanine Krunchies

Happy Wednesday!

I'm SO sorry for the lateness of this post, but a technical blustery day blew our schedule back to today! 

On Friday, I went with a fan of the blog (Hi, Joy!) to check out the offerings at the DCA Food & Wine Festival. 

It's located along the parade route (there isn't any parade right now due to Guardians of the Galaxy construction anyway...), in the same area the Festival of Holidays was placed.  In fact, they just pulled out and redressed the booths. Not that this is a bad thing, if you didn't know, you probably couldn't tell. 

Plus, if it isn't broke, why fix it? 

Or Baroque....

Nice little "Welcome Center" at the entrance, but I'll discuss it later..

Merchandise kiosks....

If you wanna take your wine to-go....(well, not really....)

Here is a look at the full set of F&W merchandise: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/03/inside-scoop-on-2017-disney-california-adventure-food-wine-festival-merchandise/

Also, Disney brings in other companies (mostly botanical and food-related), to fill in the spaces.  It's different, but nice....

And now...the Main Event....

Now, of course, with only three people, the food report just cannot be comprehensive. This is a small operation I'm runnin' here! (For now...) But, hopefully, it will give you an idea of the variety this year...

Yes, the Apple Maple Bacon Whoopie Pie IS back, and as good as it was....

This is the smoked mac and cheese with bacon and barbecue seasoned onions.  It had a nice texture and anyone who doesn't like bacon needs to be considered suspect. 

Here is the bay shrimp Louie salad served in a mini Boudin sourdough bread bowl (from the Sweet & Sourdough booth). 

From "I Heart Artichokes" we have the Grilled and chilled artichoke hearts with Romesco sauce.  Interesting, I hadn't had artichokes before, but the sauce was very good as well. 

At The Onion Lair, this is the French Onion mac and cheese with Parmesan crumble and chives. Another interesting twist.  A little adventurous, but not too much for the more picky eaters in the park. 

Here we have (left to right), Vanilla Bean crème fraîche Panna cotta with Amarena cherry jus and an EVOO madeleine (from Olive Us), Artichoke carbonara with garlic aioli and smoked bacon (I Heart Artichoke), Warm olive focaccia with olive oil and sea salt (Olive Us), and the Passion fruit posset and coconut chia with mango compote and jelly (Seafood...Sustained).

Orange iced tea with orange pearls from I heart Artichokes. 

Bottom line, it was ALL good. Seriously all good.  I don't know that I could think of something to say about anything that was bad, taste-wise.

Again, keep reading, we'll get to the problems.

Here is a complete guide to the food you can sample: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/02/complete-foodie-guide-to-disney-california-adventure-food-wine-festival-2017/

These nice little blurbs were cute, although I'd like proof Walt intended to name the dwarfs after different kinds of wine.  Would have made my grandmother's favorite Disney movie MORE her favorite...

Here is the Mimosa flight from Uncork California.  As you can tell from the sign, you got Pear, Apricot and Mango Mimosa. Again, everything was great. The pear was a little more subtle in taste against the other two, though. 

Now, when you go to drink...look for the numbers first so you remember which is which....

There are two showcase areas, one in Hollywood Backlot (where they are doing more wine and beer tastings) and the other in Paradise Pier.  

Now, for the bad news....

Alright, the food was fantastic.....but Operations strikes again.

Just to back up a little, last year, we partook in several booths before finding the Sip and Savor Passes in the Blue Sky Cellar.  Now, we're not oblivious, we try to get all the information to be had.  Why were they essentially hiding?

So, this year.....
Since seating is kind of hard to come by, my mother went to go get the Sip and Savor Pass, available at few locations (I'll get to that in a minute).

The Sip and Savor Pass is located in the two AP "Corners" in Paradise Pier and the Hollywood Pictures Backlot in Stage 17.  Why are the only two areas where you can get the pass on opposite parts of the park, nowhere near the actual booths?

When she got to the Paradise Pier location, they had the cards...but no registers.   A cast member was actually going down the line of people waiting (starting from the back or the line, which also makes no sense) to inform everyone about the situation.  Not that they weren't working....they just didn't have any. How, on the first day of the festival, do you have NO registers....with two days of soft openings? That will be a theme of the day, by the way...

That Welcome booth right in front of the festival area....it couldn't be made to accommodate the AP Sip and Savor cards? Really?

Then, to make things worse, TWO booths, at noon on the first day of the festival were out of food.  You read that right.  Out of Food.  My mother, being the fantastic assistant to the blog she is, was trying to cover all the bases and the Garlic booth was out of sliders, the Cheese and Nuts booth out of brie.  She went to the Artichoke booth and said, "Ok, if you're out of food, we're going over to Disneyland and eating a burger."  The Cast Member was shocked. The festival starts its day at 11 and at 12 both the neighboring booths are out of food?!

Well, this CM was kind enough to explain.  The food is made with remote preparation system and brought TO the booths.  OK, fine, I get it, the booths are small. But why is the food not brought over fast enough? Or why is communication so bad booths have no food to serve customers? At lunch?

As the CM put it, "I thought two days of soft opening were to fix these problems."
Apparently, not.

For at least two years now, in so many events, in both parks, we've seen issues with Operations.  Basic bonehead problems.  At what point is Disney going to look into this and fix it? Who needs to be fired? Who needs to be brought in?

The supposed hallmark of Disney's legacy is service.  Walt said himself you could build anything you want but it's the PEOPLE who make the endeavor work. It's also the people who can mess up a good event, attraction or experience.  And right now, I'm finding nicer Team Members at Universal and Knott's. The wrong people in the executive areas are setting things up without a thought for logistics, alienating their core audience, Annual Passholders.  Not smart.

Plus, once you lose the aspect of your company that sets you apart, superior service, then what do you have? Crowds, angry entitled parents, 1/3 of the park's attractions down, an hour to get into the park because of inefficient security measures, where does it end? It certainly won't when people stop coming, but does something large and problematic from a PR perspective have to happen before this kind of thing gets reined in?

Now that the Festival has run a few more days, I sincerely hope the issue is rectified.


So, that's it for the moment.  The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Thank you to Joy and my mother, Regina, for helping out with the event!

And thank you, readers, for coming back! If you have any questions, similar experiences to share, comments PLEASE feel free to add your comment below.  This blog can only grow with the help of its readers.

Have a great day! 

Kanine Krunchies: Steakhouse 55 Revisited - OC Restaurants Week

Happy Monday, Everyone!

I wanted to shoot this out to everyone quickly.  This week, until Saturday, is OC Restaurants Week, an opportunity for you to try out different 4 and 5 star restaurants in Orange County.

More information: http://www.ocrestaurantweek.com

One of the restaurants offering a special menu this week is the Disneyland Hotel's Steakhouse 55.  Now, the blog reviewed it last year at this time (View the original blog here.) So, this will be a small update, just to bring you up to speed and hopefully remind you to go in and sample if this is normally out of your budget!

5:10 was about the earliest seating we could get.  I recommend you make your reservation ASAP and arrive early.  You don't want to come into this refined experience harassed and worried about being on time.

The decor is just so perfect, with splashes of Walt everywhere.  (Seriously, they're always lucky I don't attempt to make off with this stuff!)

Here is the menu for OC Restaurants Week (zoom for better viewing).

As Naomi says, "I like bread."

She's to the point.

We also got this nice little pre-appetizer. Watermelon braised (I think so) in basil with a feta cheese.  You wouldn't think this made a great combination, but the sweet and savory was quite interesting.

Your starter choices were either the French Onion Soup or a Wedge Salad.  We all elected for the salad.  The dressing was a little strong for me, but it's a great salad, nonetheless.

Naomi (who is 13) happily chose the prime rib.  All of the entrées come with sautéed French green beans and scalloped potatoes.  The prime rib came with horseradish and au jus.

Scalloped potatoes....the return of the potatoes dressed like a brownie.  This time, it has a Parmesan top.

Here is the Filet Mignon.  The third option was a good looking salmon, but you're in a steakhouse, eat the STEAK!

For dessert, the Vanilla Bean Crème Brȗlée, which comes with a cute little fresh made donut!

The other option was the chocolate mousse cake.

As opposed to a moose cake, which is its own problem.

And just a quick shot of the coffee service.  It's all such a great presentation in a refined atmosphere, so close to a theme park!

That's all for now.  I have a nice loaded week for you all, so check back, and head over for OC Restaurants Week!

Kanine Krunchies: Red Rose Taverne

Happy Monday, Everyone!

On Friday, I was able to get a fairly comprehensive look at the new Red Rose Taverne in Fantasyland.

Just to catch you all up, it is not a new restaurant so much as an overlay of Pinocchio's Village Haus, intended to celebrate (and promote) the upcoming live action release of Beauty and the Beast. Maybe you heard about it.....(March 17th.  St. Patrick's Day).

However, since I got to the parks early on a Friday, with my mother, grandmother, great-uncle and great-aunt (senior count: 3), I was not 100% in control of the day.  But that led to a more comprehensive review for you, and interesting content for a little while! Consider them all my support team!

OK, this is Adventureland at 9 am.....

The Adventureland restrooms are still under refurbishment.  Just FYI, you can head either to the Rancho De Zocalo restrooms (tiny, though), the Main Street restrooms near Star Tours (a little closer than the Carnation Cafe) OR.....if you're going to the Tiki Room anyway, they do have a little tiny restroom.

I don't think I've ever seen Adventureland this empty in daylight.

Granted once we got off the Jungle Cruise, there were already a bunch of strollers parked there.

Moana didn't seem to do be doing meet & greets outside the Oasis as usual, but coming back from the Haunted Mansion, she was in front of Tarzan's Treehouse.  Now, even for what was a quiet period, it was causing a bit of a traffic jam, so I'm not sure who let that happen.

Just another quiet view.

And just a little jaunt around New Orleans Square.

Look! A quiet Indiana Jones! Again, we're in unicorn territory!

The Main Event: Be Our Guest! 

Now, that you're in the mood.....

So, like I said, the Village Haus is currently being re-themed...temporarily to support the release of the live action Beauty and the Beast. Friday was the first day of operation, and God Bless the Cast Members, they were working their behinds off.  Lines were out the door, so please pack your patience. 

Here is the menu, if you want to check in advance: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/02/beauty-and-the-beast-inspired-red-rose-taverne-opens-february-24-at-disneyland-park/

Quick banners on all signs, but still very nice.

Now, while I don't mind the re-theme...temporarily, I do love the original Pinocchio theme. It just has always maintained that old school Imagineering look.  While Imagineering does so well these days at being on model, as they call it, Disneyland's design has always had its own aesthetic that is comforting and singular.

Look! It's Gaston!

(Btw, I did catch him in passing in Fantasyland. Y'know, while riding a sea of screaming toddlers and  harassed parents.)

He really does use antlers in all of his decorating......

And the frescos I love (would you call them frescos in this case?) were quickly and efficiently covered with beautiful backgrounds from the original 1991 animated film. Again, nice, not complaining, but concerning in their own way.

I know, I know, change is good. It's just not always easy.

The lovely Pinocchio figure in the center of the restaurant has been replaced with a nice little rose display.  It doesn't have an equal visibility factor, though. Y'know...clear glass....

Again, nice overlay.

I just wanted to show a little bit more of the detail they didn't cover up.

Funny how easy it is to go from Italian Provincial to French Provincial, huh?

Cute little rice crispy treats! I just kind of wonder how they get the pictures on there......

The menu boards, while digital, didn't have their frames replaced.  So they are still Pinocchio themed.

Now...to the food.   Let's just start with the question on everyone's lips. How's the grey stuff?

It's delicious!

Don't believe me?

Well, go try it yourself then!
(That's the line, right?)

In all seriousness, I've been wondering about the grey stuff ever since it appeared at the Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. To take ONE line from the song and help flesh out the world like that....perfection. And it tasted wonderful.

Inside was a lovely and moist red velvet cake, and a whole little raspberry! The sugar cookie base was a nice little finish.  I'm not big on the desserts in the Disneyland restaurants, but this might be a sign things are heading in a new direction.

The other dessert is the Lemon Rose cake, which wasn't my cup of tea, but still a nice dessert with a BEAUTIFUL presentation.

It's got another fanciful strawberry filling.

I had the Slow-Cooked Beef Poutine.  Now, I hadn't had poutine at all before, so I was being about as brave as I get.  The cheese curds were interesting, and the waffle fries a little soggy.  I saw this complaint on Instagram, and I think it was just misunderstanding of the dish.  Personally, I kind of agree, I'm not a fan of soggy, but it wasn't the restaurant's fault so much as that seems to be the tradition with poutine, which I believe is Canadian.

All the pieces were very good though, especially the slow-cooked beef.  It was tender and flavorful.  So, depending on how you feel about poutine, it's all good.

This was the Beast's Burger, with garlic fries.  My grandmother was raving about it even a day later.  The meat was very good and the ciabatta-like bun was a great match.  Not to mention the garlic fried were great.  If they revert back to the Pinocchio theme, they should keep the garlic fries.

This is the Classic Angus Burger, dressed up with the garlic fries.  It's nice to have a more simple staple on the menu for the less daring.

THIS is the Poutine Flatbread.  Yes, with fries ON it.  My great-aunt (and she's pretty great, and a darn good sport this day!) said it was also very good.  They're really scoring with the meat, here.

My mother was responsible and had the Chef's Chopped Salad.  It actually has shredded apples in it! The dressing was an odd vinaigrette type concoction, but also very good.  She described the salad as very light and bright.  It's a great alternative to some of the salads in-park.

A Note on AP Days

I didn't get to"explore" AP Days really this week, but here's the recipe card and button for the week, resetting on Friday. The recipe is from the old Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship, talk about a blast from the past! I'm not a seafood person myself but I still greatly appreciate the effort to get a true old park recipe!

Also, as to the characters to meet this week, they've got the Country Bears! Now, the Bears were making appearances during the Festival of Holidays, so it's nice to see Disney understanding the demand over here.  Listen, y'all brought Captain EO back......can we get a little Bear action? You're gonna need something back in Critter Country when Star Wars Land opens.........I'm just sayin'!

I think for now, that well does it.  If you have any questions, particularly about Red Rose Taverne, PLEASE feel free to comment below, it's really easy. I'll be back on during the week with a few other things, and I don't think I can hold Fred back from a post much longer.  He's getting kind of antsy....if rabbits get antsy.....