REVIEW: Breakfast Waffle Sandwich at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments, The Magic Kingdom

With the debut of breakfast at the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor and Casey’s Corner (even though the latter has already been discontinued), we were also promised that a breakfast waffle sandwich would be coming to Sleepy Hollow Refreshments in Liberty Square at the Magic Kingdom. Well, after I had my Mission to S’mores Latte from Revive in Tomorrowland, I was a little hungry, so I decided to stop by and try this sandwich out…

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“When pizza is on a bagel, you can have pizza anytime.” Well, I guess when a sandwich is on a waffle, you can have a sandwich anytime as well, because the lunch offerings from Sleepy Hollow are also available first thing in the morning.

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You wouldn’t really know that there is a breakfast waffle sandwich offered until you get to the counter, which is where the only sign is. I’m guessing this hampers sales of the morning-only meals, but what do I know about selling food as I chose to go into the blogging field.

Sleepy Hollow Refreshment Breakfast Waffle Sandwich – $8.99

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Sleepy Hollow Refreshments Breakfast Waffle Sandwich – $8.99

The sandwich contains an egg patty with cheese, ham, and tomatoes inside of a waffle, as you might imagine.

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Sleepy Hollow Refreshments Breakfast Waffle Sandwich – $8.99

Overall, I thought it was very good. The cheese could be a little overpowering at times, but otherwise I thought it was of a good size and enough food to hold you over if you have an early dinner reservation or something of the sort. Personally, I prefer the chicken sandwich, but you may not want that to start your day at 9am.

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Sleepy Hollow Refreshments Breakfast Waffle Sandwich – $8.99

If you are not looking for Mickey Waffles or a Doughnut Sundae to start your Magic Kingdom day, the Sleepy Hollow Breakfast Sandwich is a viable grab and go option during the hectic attraction rush of the park’s opening.

RUMOR: Groot and Star Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy are Coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Rumors indicate that both the Groot and Star Lord characters from Guardians of the Galaxy may be coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World.

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We already knew that Star Lord would be coming per an audition posting a few weeks ago, but it now appears that Groot will be joining him in some capacity. It is unknown in exactly what capacity the two will be appearing at the park, but it may be something similar to the Dr. Strange show that was conducted in late 2016.

At Disney California Adventure, a meet and greet experience and other activities featuring Star Lord, Gamora, and Groot will take place over the Summer to celebrate the opening of the Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout attraction.

PHOTOS: New Magic Kingdom Security Checkpoints Being Constructed

As we reported earlier this week, rumors were indicating that the Magic Kingdom would be moving its security checkpoints further out. Well, it appears that construction has begun on the new checkpoints for guests on watercraft and busses.

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This screening area will likely be for guests coming off of the Walt Disney World busses. The temporary tents are being used during the test and adjust period. Permanent structures would be built once the best permanent location is determined.

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The first set of tents would house the bag check. The second is for the metal detectors.

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Guests arriving via watercraft would have their own security checkpoint as well.

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Rumors indicate that monorail and ferryboat guests will be screened at the Transportation and Ticket Center, but we didn’t see any tents erected there as of yet. Guests at resorts taking the monorail would be screened at the loading platform if all of this should pan out.

3/27/17 Marvel News Mash-Up (Spider-Man Homecoming, Guardians Vol. 2, Venom Movie, ETC.)

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” Gets Three New Theatrical Posters!

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With “Spider-Man: Homecoming” opening this July, Marvel and Sony have been working together to start up the marketing push for the picture. It seems like both sides are very happy that Spider-Man is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) by showcasing not only Spidey but Avengers Tower in all of these posters.

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“Spider-Man: Homecoming: opens on July 7th!

Is It The End For Chris Evans As “Captain America”? width=

Say it aint so….but it might be so. Chris Evans, who has played Captain America with his first appearance of the character in 2011’s “Captain America: The First Avenger”, will fulfill his contractual obligation with Marvel after the filming of “Avengers 4”, which will be filmed back to back with “Avengers: Infinity War”. Evans would like to go on playing the iconic character but in the end, it is all up to Marvel, and so far they havent reached out to him.

The following is from an interview with Chris Evans and Collider:

Are you really going to be done playing Captain America, after the next two Avengers movies?

“It’s really not up to me. My contract is up. I’m not going to sit here and say, “No more.” I think Hugh Jackman has made 47 Wolverine movies, and they somehow keep getting better. It’s a character I love, and it’s a factory that really knows what they’re doing. The system is sound, over there. They make great movies. If they weren’t kicking out quality, I’d have a different opinion. But, everything Marvel does seems to be cinema gold. And like I said, I love the character. The only reason it would end is ‘cause my contract is up. After Avengers 4, my contract is done. Talk to Marvel. If we engage further, I’d be open to it. I love the character. It’s almost like high school. You certainly always look to senior year, and then, all of a sudden, senior year happens and you’re like, “I don’t know if I’m ready to go.” It’s tough thinking about not playing the guy.”

I can never understand why Disney and Marvel had such love for Robert Downey Jr but kind of seems to be leaving Chris Evans out in the cold. Part of it has to do with that Marvel learned from Downey and that after the success of “Iron Man”, they leanred to sign their future actors, like Evans, to long term contracts. But I do believe that Evans deserves his fair share for his contributions to the MCU. It all depends on what happens at the end of “Avengers 4”, which still not official, has to be a continuation to “Avengers: Infinity War”. It is possible that they may finally kill off Captain America and have another character take on the mantle, like Sebastian Stan, who’s character of Bucky in the comics eventually went on to be the new Captain America. Only time will tell.

Source: Collider

“Venom” Is The “Spider-Man” Spinoff Movie That Just Wont Die; Official Release Date Is Now October 5th 2018

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Back when Sony was making a mess with the Spider-Man franchise, they wanted to create an MCU style universe all of it’s own based on characters from the “Spider-Man” franchise that would include spinoffs such as “The Sinister Six”, “Venom” and even an “Aunt May” solo film. Luckily, the reboot of Spider-Man into the MCU put a stop to it, but looks like our luck couldn’t hold out forever.

According to The Hollywood Reporter:

Venom, Columbia’s long-in-the-works Spider-Man spinoff, now has a opening date.

The studio on Thursday announced it has set Oct. 5, 2018, as the release date of that comic book movie. It had previously announced its Girl With the Dragon Tattoo sequel, The Girl in the Spider’s Web, as bowing on that date, but then bumped it to Oct. 19, 2018.

Venom has no director yet, but it does have a script; Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner, the latter of whom worked on 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, recently turned in a draft. (Dante Harper wrote a previous draft.)

Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach, among the stewards of the Spider-Man properties, are producing and overseeing the project. Amy Pascal is also producing.

Venom has been one of Marvel’s top villains and a Spider-Man fixture since he was introduced in 1988, created by writer David Michelinie and artists Todd McFarlane and Mike Zeck. The character is an alien symbiote that needs a human host to survive. In return, the alien vests its victim with incredible powers. He made his first big-screen appearance in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 and was portrayed by Topher Grace.

The studio hopes to launch a franchise with Venom.

Now I was a huge fan of Venom when he was introduced in the Amazing Spider-Man comic books but you don’t want to make the mistake of introducing the character in a spinoff movie. Learn from DC’s mistake with their movies. Don’t play catchup with the MCU. Build your franchise slowly. Have Venom be introduced as a villain in a “Spider-Man” movie. Completely forget the mess that was done by casting Topher Grace as Eddie Brock and Venom in “Spider-Man 3”. I don’t have high hopes for this “franchise”…oh boy.

Source: THR

Sony Looking At Bringing “Black Cat” And “Silver Sable” Together For Another “Spider-Man” Spinoff Movie width=

Here comes more bad news courtesy of Sony. Looks like Sony is venturing into another spinoff movie using characters from the “Spider-Man” franchise. This time it is Black Cat and Silver Sable in what smells like an answer to DC’s “Gotham City Sirens” movie that has Harley Quinn, Catwoman and Poison Ivy,

According to The Hollywood Reporter:

Sony’s Spider-Man universe is getting a little bigger.

The studio, already in deep development on villain offshoot Venom, is now developing a feature project centered on the female characters Silver Sable and the Black Cat.

Chris Yost, who worked on the upcoming Marvel movie Thor: Ragnarok, is writing the script, building on a previous version written by Lisa Joy, the co-creator of HBO’s Westworld.

The studio is hoping to go to directors soon with an eye toward a fall start date. Matt Tolmach and Amy Pascal are producing the project, which was previously known as the “secret female spinoff project.”

Silver Sable, created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz in 1985, is a mercenary who runs a company that hunts war criminals. The character has been both antagonist and ally to Spider-Man.

Black Cat, an acrobatic cat burglar whose real name is Felicia Hardy, has a long and tangled romantic history with Spider-Man in the comics. The character was cut from scripts for the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, and a “Felicia Hardy” (played by Felicity Jones) briefly appeared in Amazing Spider-Man 2, though no Black Cat connection was ever made explicit.

Source: THR

I’m waiting for an announcement for the “Aunt May” solo movie to hit any day now.

IMAX Releases A Black Light Poster For “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2”

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Pretty trippy….dude. With “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2” just a little more than a month away. IMAX is bringing out it’s big guns and wants you to not only see the movie on the big screen, but on the “really” big screen that only IMAX can provide. Fans will want to see all the action that was specially formatted for IMAX screens.

“Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2” opens May 5th!

Sideshow Collectible Corner

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“Jane Foster Thor”

Odin said it himself, and it says it right on Mjolinir itself, “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Looks like times have changed, and so has the inscription, because for a while now, Jane Foster has been wielding the might Mjolinir.

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From SideShow:

This new Thor: Jane Foster Premium Format™ Figure is an excellent representation of everything our fans have come to expect from our Premium Format™ sculptures. Combining highly detailed sculpts, dynamic composition, beautiful painting, and expertly tailored fabric elements to make museum-quality collectibles that are sure to be the proud centerpiece of any collection.

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Standing over 20” high, the Goddess of Thunder stands on a mountaintop, resplendent in a winged helm, highly detailed and layered mail armor and lustrous red cape.

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She proudly holds the fabled hammer Mjolnir (with its newly altered inscription) as the clouds swirl around her feet.

Every minuscule detail – from the contrasting layers of her fabric belts and skirts to the tiny runes on her hammer – has been rendered in astonishing detail.

The Sideshow Exclusive variant features an alternative swap-out left arm and hand holding Jarnbjorn, the Dwarven forged Battle Axe of Thor.

Source: SideShow

That’s it for this time!

Portobello at Disney Springs Closing April 23 For Refurbishment

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Portobello will be closing as of April 23rd, 2017, to undergo a lengthy refurbishment. In collaboration with award winning Chef Tony Mantuano, they are looking to provide an authentic Italian dining experience, which will include a new family style menu, and craft Italian wines & beers. Portobello is expected to open in fall 2017.

D23 Offering Behind The Scenes Tour of Pandora: The World of AVATAR with Joe Rohde

D23 is offering you the chance to be among the first to explore Pandora – The World of Avatar, not only before it opens to the public, but with Imagineer Joe Rohde! In addition to a guided walk-through of the exotic new land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park with Joe, attendees will enjoy lunch at Tiffins with Mr. Rohde and fellow D23 Members.

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The tour/experience will begin promptly at 11 am eastern. Tour will roughly last about 3 hours, and check-in will be made at the Tiffins Restaurant in Animal Kingdom. You will not be able to check in prior to 10:45 AM.

On the tour, guests will learn how the thriving Pandoran landscape conveys intrinsic park messages of the value of nature, transformation through adventure, conservation and stewardship. All attendees will receive a commemorative keepsake for this special engagement. Tickets will be $250 per person, plus a $5 per person processing fee. Tickets will go on sale Wednesday, April 5 at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. EDT). Please check back here at the official D23 website for this event for the ticketing link when available.

NOTE

  • D23 Gold and Gold Family Members may reserve a ticket for themselves and one (1) guest.
  • Due to the nature of this experience, all attendees must be at least 21 years of age or older to partake in this D23 event.
  • This event does not include admission to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Guests will need to have or purchase admission to Disney’s Animal Kingdom to attend. If planning to use a Walt Disney World Annual Passport to attend, each guest should check blockout dates to verify that the pass is valid for admission on Friday, May 19.
  • A very limited number of tickets are available. D23 Members will be required to provide their membership number when reserving tickets. Tickets may be picked up only with a valid photo ID AND D23 MEMBERSHIP CARD. D23 Members who do not bring their membership card may not be admitted to the event. Ticketed Members who do not attend the event forfeit their place as well as all experiences, benefits, and gifts associated with the event.
  • All D23 Special Events are subject to change without notice. There are no cancellations or refunds, and tickets are not transferable.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: Filming, photography, and other recording will take place at Walt Disney World Resort during the event you will be attending. By entering the premises, you irrevocably consent to and authorize The Walt Disney Company, its affiliates, successors, and assigns (collectively “Producer”), to photograph you, make sound recordings of you, and use such photographs and recordings throughout the world, for any purpose whatsoever in perpetuity, including, but not limited to, television broadcasts and home entertainment products, including, but not limited to, home video and DVD. All such photographs and sound recordings will be the sole property of Producer.

*Event is subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather. As this is an early exploration of Pandora – The World of Avatar, please note that access to some areas of the Valley of Mo’ara on Pandora may be limited during your visit.

Apple May Be Looking to Buy the Walt Disney Company

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According to Yahoo Finance, many industry insiders are speculating that Apple could be looking to buy the Walt Disney Company…

Apple’s cash pile of more than $200 billion is a favorite topic of investors, bloggers, and traders. It might be the largest cash reserve for any private company in history. So what is Apple going to do with all that dough?

One theory is that Apple will use its stockpile to buy Disney, according to RBC analyst Steven Cahall:

“Bulls think it portends well for a swan song exit via a sale to a giant like AAPL,” Cahall wrote in a note sent out to clients on Friday.

After all, we are living in a world where “content is king.” Currently, there is a battle raging among content providers for your eyeballs. Content providers, want you hooked and ready to consume more of your favorite content and all of the other licensed products that go along with it.

When analysts and investors think of content, Disney is the first name that comes to mind.

Disney’s “Frozen” is the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Additionally, five of the 10 highest grossing films of 2016 were Disney movies: “Captain America: Civil War” was the highest grossing film of 2016 with 1.153 billion in revenue, also included were, “Finding Dory”, “Zootopia”, “The Jungle Book”, and “Star Wars: Rogue One.”

RBC is not the only one speculating an Apple takeout of Disney is a possibility.

In her fourth-quarter investor letter for 2016, Samantha Greenberg, founder of hedge fund Margate Capital, raised the same possibility, describing the company as a “logical acquisition target” for Apple:

Apple has talked about the benefit Apple sees when it owns exclusive content, and owning Disney would reduce Apple’s exposure to product cycles, expanding AAPL’s valuation multiple…It would also be an accretive use of Apple’s cash and even more so if Apple’s $200Bn of offshore cash can be repatriated favorably.
Additionally, in November 2016, Liberty Media Chairman John Malone predicted that if Disney were to spin-off ESPN, Apple could buy it.

“Fundamentally, Tim Cook is a global player, and fundamentally, ESPN is a domestic service,” Malone said, that Apple and Disney would be a better fit without ESPN because then they would both be global players without domestic ESPN holding them back.

While the likelihood of such a deal might be a long shot, it is interesting to ponder what such a deal could mean for both companies.

Stay tuned for more information on this story as it becomes available.

REVIEW: Nearly Every Food Item (and Some Drinks) from the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival 2017; Better Than Any Epcot Event

Earlier this month, the Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival 2017 kicked off at the Disneyland Resort, running daily until April 16th. Being Orlando based, all of my experience with such events has been at Epcot, so I was excited to see a festival in another Disney theme park for a change.

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The number of booths at this event isn’t as staggering as Epcot, but on a weekend, it can be just as busy, if not worse than a Saturday and Sunday in October during the Florida Food and Wine event. If you can, I suggest you visit on a weekday for the DCA event, as we had a wonderful time doing this on Wednesday and Thursday, but it was kind of a disaster from Friday-Sunday.

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Booths selling food and drink at this event are spread from Hollywood Land to Paradise Pier, with most of them along the Performance Corridor in the center of the park, with the exception of LA Style, the Festival Showplace, and the Brewhouse near Monsters Inc. – Mike and Sully to the Rescue.

Jason Diffendal joined me on the trip out to the Disneyland Resort last week for a number of reasons, and the Food & Wine Festival was one of those reasons, so some off the thoughts you read below will also be his or include his point of view.

OK, let’s review this thing…

Nuts About Cheese

We begin at the booth I was probably the least excited to try…

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Here’s the full menu:

  • Brie toast with fig and mint and roasted California almond crumble — $5.00
  • Baked ham and Swiss cheese croque monsieur roll with smoked pistachios — $7.00
  • Chèvre fromage blanc tartine infused with rosemary and honey, topped with toasted hazelnuts — $4.50
  • Almond milk tea with pudding — $4.50

Baked ham and Swiss cheese croque monsieur roll with smoked pistachios — $7.00

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This was one of our favorite dishes. The smoky flavor from the pistachios was amazing, and paired well with the ham and cheese.  This is a must-purchase item.

Chèvre fromage blanc tartine infused with rosemary and honey, topped with toasted hazelnuts — $4.50

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This was nothing special, but I wouldn’t call it bad.  It seemed somewhat of a small portion size though, price considered. I know what you’re thinking about other festivals and how portions are never huge there, but there are some options at this event that can be quite filling.

Almond milk tea with pudding — $4.50

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This was hands down the worst item at the festival. I imagine this is what expired chocolate milk tastes like, because that is the only flavor I could possibly attribute to it. The pudding was in “chunks” and settled to the bottom, so when you drank it through the straw it had the texture of drinking curdled milk.

Uncork California

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There was no food at this booth, as you might have guessed from the name.  We didn’t try any of the wines; the single glasses are rather pricey considering that you can get most of these at your local wine shop (at least in California). Here’s the full menu:

  • White wine flight — $16.00 – Duckhorn Vineyards, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley; Mer Soleil Vineyard, Chardonnay, Santa Lucia Highlands; Lasseter Family Winery, Enjoué Rosé, Sonoma Valley Estate Grown
  • Red wine flight — $20.00 – Flora Springs Napa Valley Family Estate, Merlot, Napa Valley; Flowers Vineyards and Winery, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast; Groth Vineyards and Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
  • Mimosa flight — $16.00 – Pear Mimosa, Apricot Mimosa, Mango Mimosa
  • Chandon, Brut Classic, Sparkling Wine, California — $12.00
  • Twomey Cellars, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa-Sonoma County — $16.00
  • Patz and Hall, Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast — 18.00
  • Duckhorn Vineyards, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley — $13.00
  • Mer Soleil Vineyard, Chardonnay, Santa Lucia Highlands — $13.00
  • Lasseter Family Winery, Enjoué Rosé, Sonoma Valley Estate Grown — $17.00
  • Flora Springs Napa Valley Family Estate, Merlot, Napa Valley — $14.50
  • Groth Vineyards and Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley — $19.00
  • Pear Mimosa — $14.00
  • Apricot Mimosa — $14.00
  • Mango Mimosa — $14.00

I ♥ Artichokes

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I usually don’t “heart” artichokes, so the reactions I had to dishes here were pretty unexpected…

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The full booth menu:

  • Artichoke carbonara with garlic aioli and smoked bacon — $6.00
  • Grilled and chilled artichoke hearts with Romesco sauce — $5.25
  • Creamy artichoke and dark chocolate cake pop — $4.25
  • Orange iced tea with orange pearls — $4.00
  • Ace Premium Craft Cider: SPACE Bloody Orange Hard Cider, Sebastopol — $9.25

Artichoke carbonara with garlic aioli and smoked bacon — $6.00

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The garlic and smoked bacon make these artichokes the best I’ve ever had. Enjoyable for sure, it is also a nice portion size.

Grilled and chilled artichoke hearts with Romesco sauce — $5.25

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I’ve never really cared for artichoke hearts, but this was a great dish as well. If you enjoy such things, be sure to order this one.

Creamy artichoke and dark chocolate cake pop — $4.25

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You read that right, it’s an artichoke and dark chocolate cake pop…

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I would never think that these flavors would go together, so I was deeply intrigued to try it. Perhaps a bit scared as well…

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Believe it or not, it was one of the highlights of the 2017 lineup. The filling was sweet and creamy and the dark chocolate coating was perfection. I know it might sound peculiar, but this is a must-buy if you are going to the event.

Ace Premium Craft Cider: SPACE Bloody Orange Hard Cider — $9.25

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I am not a cider fan, but Jason was excited to try this, so these are his words: Ace is a fairly well-known cider both on the west coast and the east coast. Being an unfiltered cider, this was somewhat different in appearance but lack of filtration doesn’t really impact the taste.  What did impact the taste, though, was the blood orange juice, which made this a very pleasant drink. As with the wines, the cost was higher than I would have expected for the portion size seemed to be the same as a wine pour even though this is cider.

Garlic Kissed

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Here’s the full menu:

  • Grilled beef tenderloin slider with chimichurri sauce — $7.75
  • Black garlic soy-braised pork belly bao with pickled vegetables — $7.00
  • Garlic-rosemary and avocado oil ice cream pop — $4.50
  • Murphy-Goode Winery, “Liar’s Dice”, Zinfandel, Sonoma County — $6.50
  • Dr. Loosen, Dr. L, Mosel, Riesling, Germany — $6.50

Grilled beef tenderloin slider with chimichurri sauce — $7.75

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As you can see, this was a fairly sizable piece of beef for the price, and it was definitely tasty.

Black garlic soy-braised pork belly bao with pickled vegetables — $7.00

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If you are a pork belly fan, you’ll love this.  The meat was very good, and the bao was fantastic, which we didn’t expect coming from a booth in the middle of California Adventure.

Garlic-rosemary and avocado oil ice cream pop — $4.50

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Alright, here comes another weird one…

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This is a prime example of how the menus at this festival are a lot more adventurous than any festival at Epcot.  This ice cream pop was great, and was one of the better desserts at the festival. You might think how could this be good, but the milky flavor accented by rosemary and avocado flavors makes a lot more sense once you try it.

California Craft Brews

As with the wine booth, no food here, but a nice variety of California brews.  We opted for the beers at the Beer Garden instead. Here’s the full menu anyway:

  • Southern California flight — $13.25 – Mother Earth Brew Co., Honcho, Hefeweizen; Black Market Brewing Co., Deception Coconut Lime, Blonde Ale; Left Coast Brewing Company, Una Mas, Amber Lager; Stone Brewing, Tangerine Express, IPA
  • Northern California flight — $13.25