When I first found out that I would be relocating to Southern California, the first Disney thought that came to my mind was I would finally get to experience the Disneyland version of the Food and Wine festival.
As an experienced Walt Disney World resort visitor, I have visited the Epcot based Food and Wine festival MANY times. What can I say, I’m a fan…
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I knew the Disneyland resort to be smaller and I know what the fall Epcot festival brings to the table (Hehe get it.. to the table?). The food, the concerts… the sometimes comfortable weather! This was going to be tough to beat but I went in with an empty tummy and an open mind.
I should be open and honest and let you all know that I’m not an alcoholic beverage fan. Alcohol puts me to sleep and I don’t think Disney would like for me to take a nap in the park. So I did not taste any of the beer or wine – But I did explore the festival and I found some amazing food options and a different focus on food compared to the Walt Disney World festival.
The Epcot festival is centered about the World Showcase and highlights food from the countries (and then some) that are represented along the showcase lagoon. The California Adventure Food and Wine festival is focused on California dishes and mixes in some of the cultures that make up the state. There were 11 different festival marketplace options and each offers a variety of items. Each option offered three or four choices and some offered a signature non alcoholic beverage. They even offer a tasting passport if you like to collect the stamps of the marketplaces you have visited.
“Nuts about Cheese”
“Olive Us”
“Bacon Twist”
“Seafood… Sustained”
“Off the Cob”
“L.A. Style”
“Sweet and Sourdough”
“I Love Artichokes”
“Lemon Grove”
“The Onion Lair”
“Garlic Kissed”
As much as I love food, I’m not a foodie. I have not experienced all of the menu items but with a few days left in this years festival, I’m going to be making a return trip before the festival ends on April 16.
This year, Disney is offering the “Sip and Savor Pass” for Annual Passholders.
For $45, you get a nicely designed lanyard and laminate with eight coupons which can redeemed for food items and non alcoholic beverages. You also get a personal (and very accessible) laminated menu for quick reference.
It’s no secret that Disneyland loves its AP holders and they even offer decorative collectible buttons when you visit the AP booth at the festival and special festival photo opportunities. I was lucky enough to get a visit from everybody’s favorite chef, Remy! So it wasn’t a decision I thought about for too long. I bought one and it was completely worth it. I’ll have to double-check my math, but I figure the value to the pass to be at about $52.
The first item that I tasted came from “Off the Cob” – Sweet Corn Nuggets with Beef Chili. Loved it. Beautifully presented and each flavor mixed together well. Do I sound like a foodie yet?
I’ll admit, I’m a comfort food girl! It a no brainer that I needed to visit “Bacon Twist” for the Smoked Bacon Mac & Cheese and then “Garlic Kissed” for the Grilled Beef Tenderloin Slider.
Please Don’t tell my running coach about how much I ate or that I did squeeze in dessert! How could I not? One of the most popular items at the 2017 festival is the Milk Chocolate Sourdough Bread Pudding with Vanilla Bean drizzle!!! NOM NOM NOM!
By FAR my favorite item was of the liquid variety. I had the opportunity to have an Orange ice tea with Orange peel and Boba which is essentially Tapioca balls. They are very popular in Bubble tea if you have had one at your local mall. The flavor in this beverage was more than perfect. I wanted orange and that’s what I got. The Boba gave the tea a very distinct texture and it was sooooooooooo good!
The festival is very family friendly and included some local entertainment and culinary seminars as well as wine tastings. The festival tends to get crowded on the weekends – but as a non drinker, it was also nice to see most everybody there to experience the festival and not turn it into an opportunity to get drunk. They did have some nice merchandise options for purchase as well.
It’s obvious that Walt Disney World delivers a bigger product and more value as far as entertainment with the major label concerts but I don’t want to discount Disneyland. Its its own adventure and I definitely think I’ll be back for more in 2018!!
