Full Menus for Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival 2017

WDWNT on February 23, 2017

Spring is already in full bloom in some states, and that is true for California. The Food and Wine fest at California Adventure will be here before you know it, and with that in mind, here is some info to help you plan. Disney has given us a look at the menu offerings for this years event.

width=Nuts About Cheese

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

Uncork California

  • White wine flight
  • Red wine flight
  • Mimosa flight

I Heart Artichokes

  • Artichoke carbonara with garlic aioli and smoked bacon
  • Grilled and chilled artichoke hearts with Romesco sauce
  • Creamy artichoke and dark chocolate cake pop
  • Orange iced tea with orange pearls

Garlic Kissed

  • Grilled beef tenderloin slider with chimichurri sauce
  • Black garlic soy-braised pork belly bao with pickled vegetables
  • Garlic-rosemary and avocado oil ice cream pop

California Craft Brews

  • Southern California flight
  • Northern California flight

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Olive Us

  • Chilled Cioppino soup with shrimp, crab claw and grilled olive bread
  • Warm olive focaccia with olive oil and sea salt
  • Vanilla bean crème fraîche panna cotta with Amarena cherry jus and EVOO madeleine

Bacon Twist

  • Baby iceberg and heirloom tomato wedge with peppered bacon and blue cheese dressing
  • Smoked bacon mac and cheese with barbecue-seasoned crispy onions
  • Maple-bacon Whoopie Pie

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Lemon Grove

  • Roasted cauliflower and Meyer lemon-infused Dannon Oikos®
  • Greek nonfat yogurt cauliflower puree with sundried tomatoes and fried capers
  • Duck confit on potato smash with Meyer lemon preserves
  • Meyer lemon macaron with blueberry marmalade, Meyer lemon cream and blueberry dust
  • Cherry lemonade with cherry pearls

Seafood…Sustained

  • Verlasso® sustainable salmon tataki with avocado-wasabi puree and Furikake dust
  • Cage-free cream cheese deviled eggs with farm-raised smoked trout and chives
  • Passion fruit posset and coconut chia with mango compote and jelly
  • Mango agua fresca

The Onion Lair

  • French onion mac and cheese topped with parmesan crumble and chives
  • Braised Wagyu beef on creamy polenta with haricot vert and red onion salad and roasted Cipollini onion
  • Chocolate-hazelnut and raspberry Feuillete tart
  • Strawberry pineapple float with vanilla ice cream and strawberry pearls

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Off the Cob

  • Sweet corn nuggets with beef chili, spring onions and sour cream
  • Jackfruit carnitas banh mi nachos with cilantro crèma and “pickled” de gallo
  • Roasted sweet corn custard tart with honey tuille and smoked chili-infused chocolate sauce

Sweet & Sourdough

  • Bay shrimp Louie salad served in a mini Boudin sourdough boule
  • White cheddar lager soup topped with bacon, served in a mini Boudin sourdough boule
  • Milk chocolate sourdough bread pudding with vanilla bean sauce

LAStyle

  • Chicken Teriyaki slider with spicy Dole® pineapple jam
  • Korean barbecue beef short rib tacos with Kimchi slaw
  • Fresh strawberry compote, lemon verbena and vanilla bean shortcake parfait
  • Dole® Pineapple-strawberry Float with vanilla ice cream and strawberry pearls

Paradise Garden Grill Beer Garden

  • Beer-battered cod served with steak fries, sweet slaw and spiced remoulade
  • Potato and cheese pierogis with vegetarian sausage served with grilled Anaheim chilies, caramelized onions and sour cream
  • Beer-braised pork tacos served with pickled apple slaw, black beans and queso
  • Sausage platter trio served with braised red cabbage and warm potato salad
  • Large soft pretzel served with beer-mustard dipping sauce
  • Salted caramel budino with vanilla bean Chantilly cream
  • Bienenstich cake with honey-glazed almonds, filled with vanilla bean custard

The festival continues in the Hollywood Backlot area, featuring wine flights at Wineology, beer and beer floats at The Brewhouse, and wine at the Festival Merchandise & Bottle Shop at Stage 17. Reservations are now open for all signature events, and can be made by clicking here. Learn more about the festival by visiting disneyland.com/FoodAndWine

Opening Date Announced for Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission Breakout and More MARVEL Experiences at California Adventure

WDWNT on February 16, 2017

Disney California Adventure park will soon be the destination for adventure, intrigue and triumph as recruits from around the world – like you – join forces with legendary Super Heroes in an ever-expanding universe of stories that will grow even bigger over time. This summer, Disney will take the first steps to bring MARVEL experiences into the park with the May 27 grand opening of the thrilling, rocking attraction, Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!

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This new adventure blasts you straight into the “Guardians of the Galaxy” story for the first time ever, alongside characters from the blockbuster films and comics. As you help Rocket bust his pals out of the Collector’s Fortress, you will experience randomized ride experiences complete with all-new visual and audio effects and music inspired by the popular film soundtracks. You never know which adventure you will get!

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There will be even more ways to step into Super Hero stories with Summer of Heroes, May 27 through September 10. Answer the call for this limited-time celebration as you join the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy for all-new epic experiences.

Summer of Heroes will launch these new, year-round experiences:

  • Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Dance Off! – Don’t be surprised if you run into the Guardians of the Galaxy on their way to the Milano, with Star-Lord firing up his old-school boom box to get the party started. Gamora may prefer to stand back and observe, but everyone else is bound to get in the groove and show off their moves during this awesome rock ‘n’ roll bash!
  • Super Hero Encounters – For the first time, citizens of Earth will come face-to-face with Groot, one of the Guardians of the Galaxy! You can also step up to meet the First Avenger, Captain America, along with everyone’s favorite web slinger, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

And for a limited time, step up to the challenge with new adventures during Summer of Heroes:

  • Avengers Training Initiative – Black Widow and Hawkeye assemble young recruits for a series of tests to see if they have what it takes to join the ranks of the Avengers.
  • Heroic Encounter: Black Widow – Black Widow will arrive on the scene several times throughout the day in an armored Avengers vehicle for her heroic encounter with park guests.
  • Grab a Piece (or Bite) of the Action – All that heroism making you hungry? Want a token as proof of your adventures when you get home? Special themed merchandise and food will be available throughout Hollywood Land.

The summer brings even more to get excited about over at Disneyland park as classic favorites return with the reopening of the Disneyland Railroad and Rivers of America attractions, with the “Fantasmic!” nighttime spectacular returning later in the summer. Opening dates will be shared soon for these attractions. And don’t miss your chance to see the classic Main Street Electrical Parade during its limited-time run at Disneyland park through June 18.

#HeroUp at Disney California Adventure park with Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! and Summer of Heroes, beginning May 27!

California Food and Wine Festival Special Event Registration Now Open

WDWNT on February 6, 2017

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Starting today, reservations for select seminars and events for the Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival can be made by guests. The dates for the festival are March 10th through April 16th, 2017. There are many different options for this event, including:

  • The popular “In the Kitchen with…” series debuts for the 2017 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival. See your favorite celebrity chefs Guy Fieri, Robert Irvine, Cat Cora, G. Garvin, Graham Elliot and Jet Tila demonstrate their skills in the kitchen, try a tasting menu created by the chef and even get an autograph! Cost is $99 per person, plus tax and gratuity.
  • The popular Sweet Sundays events are back! Join celebrity pastry chefs Duff Goldman, Emily Ellyn and Keegan Gerhard as they show how to make some of their delectable desserts. Cost is $79 per person, plus tax and gratuity.
  • Winemaker Dinners highlight wines from California vintners Duckhorn Vineyards and Flora Springs Winery, with a four-course meal carefully selected to enhance the flavor of the wine. While you dine, enjoy insights and inspiration behind the pairings by a knowledgeable winemaker. Cost is $150 per person, plus tax and gratuity.
  • A special Winemaker Dinner featuring Disney Family of Wines includes Fess Parker Winery, GoGi Wines, Lasseter Family Winery and Silverado Vineyards. The wineries at this event each have a special connection to the Disney legacy. Cost is $200 per person, plus tax and gratuity.
  • New to this year’s festival, Brewmaster Beer Dinners feature prix fixe dinners where hand-selected beers from California-based breweries will be paired and served with a four-course specialty menu prepared by Disney chefs. Knowledgeable brewmasters present each beer and describe the chef’s inspiration for the pairing. Cost is $150 per person, plus tax and gratuity.
  • There’s fun for the whole family! Kids ages 3-11 can partake in the return of a complimentary, hands-on experience called Jr. Chef, which will take place daily.

For more info, a list of all the seminars and classes, and pricing of the premium seminars, visit the reservation page at Disneyland.com/foodandwine. Reservations can be made 60 days in advance prior to each events date.

RUMOR: Disney Junior – Live on Stage Removing Puppets to Become Screen-Based Show

WDWNT on January 29, 2017

The Disney Junior: Live on Stage show at Disney California Adventure will be closing for several weeks later this year to undergo a major overhaul that should be removing puppets from the show.

Disney Junior: Live on Stage at Disney California Adventure may be removing puppets

Disney Junior: Live on Stage at Disney California Adventure may be removing puppets

When the show returns later in 2017, it is rumored to be a screen-based show hosted by a single entertainer, utilizing clips from various Disney Junior programming. Not only will newer Disney Junior programs be incorporated, but the puppets that have been a staple of the show since it opened will be history as part of cost-cutting measures. The puppeteers in Disney Junior are union entertainers, and apparently this did not help their case (according to sources). 

No exact date for the closure of the show has been made yet, but it should be in April. There is no word if similar changes will be made to the Walt Disney World show in the future.

The show was last updated in 2013 to include Sophia the First and Doc McStuffins:

Live Action “Beauty and the Beast” Preview & Props Coming to Hollywood Studios and California Adventure

WDWNT on January 29, 2017

Beginning February 10, guests visiting Disney Parks will be able to preview a scene from Disney’s epic new live-action adaptation “Beauty and the Beast” in sneak peeks planned for Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts.

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At Disney California Adventure park, the preview of “Beauty and the Beast” will be presented in 3D with special in-theater effects at the Sunset Showcase Theater in Hollywood Land, while guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will get to see this advance look at a segment from the film as part of the One Man’s Dream attraction. Each sneak peek location will also include a display featuring a collection of props and costume pieces actually used in the film’s production.

The props on display at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will include Belle’s iconic yellow dress and the Enchanted Rose from the film.

Plan to catch the 8-minute sneak peek from the film at Disney Parks starting February 10, and you can experience “Beauty and the Beast” when it’s released to U.S. theaters in 3D on March 17.

BREAKING: Disneyland Introducing a Paid Digital FastPass Service Called Disney MaxPass

WDWNT on January 16, 2017

Disney today finally announced the further expansion of FASTPASS to two of their most popular attractions — Toy Story Mania in Disney California Adventure park and Matterhorn Bobsleds in Disneyland park. However, the bigger news is that the eventual introduction of digital FASTPASS at the resort will be part of a paid service.

Later this year, Disney will launch Disney MaxPass, which will allow guests unlimited downloads of their high-resolution PhotoPass images, but also enable the convenience of mobile booking and redemption of Disney FASTPASS return times – all by using the Disneyland App. Disney MaxPass will be available for an introductory price of $10 a day. Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders also will have the opportunity to purchase Disney MaxPass on a daily or yearly basis.

Guests will continue to have the option of Disney FASTPASS service at no cost by obtaining FASTPASSES at attraction FASTPASS kiosks, just as they do today.

This contradicts rumors of the last year or so about the installation of the system and ensures that paper FASTPASS service will remain at the Disneyland Resort for the time being.

CONCEPT ART: Cast Costumes Revealed for Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout Attraction

WDWNT on January 8, 2017

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror has only been closed for two days at Disney California Adventure, but Disneyland Resort is already looking forward to the opening of the replacement attraction by previewing the new cast member costumes for Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout.

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Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout cast member costumes

In the attraction’s story, cast members will be employees of the Tivan Group, run by Taneleer “The Collector” Tivan, welcoming guests to see his prized possessions, including the recently acquired Guardians of the Galaxy.

Partnering with MARVEL Studios and using both films in the series as a guide, the costumes are made to look like something straight out of the movies.

Disneyland Retooling Eastern Gateway Project Amid Good Neighbor Hotel and Business Concerns

WDWNT on December 26, 2016

In response to the Eastern Gateway plans for the Disneyland Resort and concerns that good neighbor hotels and nearby businesses, Disneyland may now be re-examining some aspects of this plan according to the OC Register:

Local entrepreneurs again voiced concerns over the effect a proposed parking garage and bridge to the Disneyland Resort would have on their businesses, this time in front of the Planning Commission on Monday evening, while Disney officials struck a collaborative tone – stressing their willingness to find solutions to their counterparts’ worries.

Disney intends to create a new transportation hub, parking structure and a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard connecting them with Disneyland and Disney California Adventure ahead of the opening of ÒStar WarsÓ land in its signature theme park. Above, a view from the south end of the parking structure off of Disney Way. (Rendering courtesy of the Disneyland Resort)

Disney intends to create a new transportation hub, parking structure and a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard connecting them with Disneyland and Disney California Adventure ahead of the opening of ‘Star Wars’ land in its signature theme park. Above, a view from the south end of the parking structure off of Disney Way.

Further underscoring the work still to be done to appease hotel and restaurant owners over access to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure is that the city announced it is pushing back a scheduled Jan. 23 meeting to approve a permit for the bridge. A new date has not been set.

“We’re going to keep collaborating, keep working hard in the coming weeks and months,” said Joe Haupt, the president of Spectrum Development Group, a consultant for Disney.

Business owners, though, tried to pressure Disney to follow up on promises of collaboration by stating their case to the commission, the first time they have addressed a formal body of public officials. Council chambers were filled and about a dozen people spoke.

“Our problem is that it literally routes pedestrians away from our businesses,” said Mariam El Haj, who is part of a family ownership group that operates the IHOP on Harbor Boulevard. “We ask that the greatest creative minds come up with a more creative solution.”

Disney’s Eastern Gateway Project is part of a $1 billion investment deal the entertainment company made with Anaheim last year, partially to avoid a gate tax, that would see a 6,901-spot parking garage and new security area go up behind independently owned hotels and restaurants on Harbor Boulevard. A 15-foot high, 65-foot wide bridge would span Harbor Boulevard to take Disney guests into the esplanade to buy tickets and enter the park.

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The original plan would require hotel and restaurant patrons to walk one block southward and cut through a walkway to get to the security area. From there, they could enter the park.

Disney officials have since suggested allowing access to the security area from the backs of hotels and improving signs directing people to restaurants and shops.

Several pointed questions – such as about the practicability of building a bridge versus a tunnel or about the width of the bridge – suggested skepticism of the plan by some on the commission.

The proposal irked some of the more than 25 business owners along Harbor Boulevard. They argued at a community workshop last week and again Monday that the bridge is an inconvenience to their guests – who can now cross Harbor to the esplanade – and will decrease foot traffic along Harbor, the majority source of their patrons.

Placing the security behind their businesses also struck a nerve with some owners, who said Disney is bolstering the safety of their main entrance while making increasing the vulnerability of customers and employees of the local businesses.

“Our family is also interested in safety and security for our guests and employees,” said Greg Eisenman, general manager of Tropicana and Camelot Inn hotels. He added that putting a security screening area behind the local businesses put the puts the risk “in our backyards.”

Dan Hughes, the former Fullerton police chief and Disney‘s vice president of security and emergency services, said that moving the security area back and creating a buffer between screening and the park allows officials to better “observe behaviors” and identify those who may pose a threat to the resort.

Lunar New Year 2017 to Include “Mulan” World of Color Tag, Meet and Greets, Food and More

WDWNT on December 26, 2016

The biggest Lunar New Year Celebration yet at Disney California Adventure park is coming in 2017.

Expanding to 17 days this year – Friday, Jan. 20, through Sunday, Feb. 5 – the festivities will feature delicious food, colorful live performances, fun-filled activities, beautiful decor, special limited-time merchandise, Disney characters in their Lunar New Year best and more.

Each night, before “World of Color,” the Lunar New Year Celebration will culminate in a new six-minute pre-show called “Hurry Home,” presented in water, animation and special effects on Paradise Bay. This charming story of a Little Lantern on its journey home to join its Lantern family in celebrating Lunar New Year features animated appearances by Mulan and Mushu in “dream sequences” inspired by traditional Chinese paper cut-out style animation and a score highlighted by an original arrangement of the music created for the Grand Opening of Shanghai Disney Resort by Academy Award-winning composer Tan Dun (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”).

Lunar New Year, traditionally celebrated within Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese cultures, commemorates the moment when both the sun and the moon begin their journey for another year. Highlights of the celebration at Disney California Adventure park include

  • Three new Asian marketplaces offering foods inspired by Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese cultures.
  • Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Mulan and Mushu, dressed in their best to celebrate Lunar New Year.
  • Entertainment throughout the Paradise Garden area, including a troupe of Chinese acrobats and a variety of authentic musicians and performers.

Celebrate the tradition, sights, sounds and tastes of Lunar New Year with a touch of Disney magic, only at Disney California Adventure park from Jan. 20 through Feb. 5.

New Year’s Eve Festivities at California Adventure Includes Concerts and Live Music in Cars Land

WDWNT on December 26, 2016

As posted on the Disney Parks Blog:

It’s hard to believe 2016 is already coming to a close. Have you made your New Year’s Eve plans yet? For those of you looking to welcome 2017 at Disney California Adventure park on December 31, we have quite a party planned for you. Here’s just a sampling of what’s in store:

  • Hollywood Land – Join us in front of our brand-new stage at the end of Hollywood Blvd. all night long for tunes spun by world-famous DJ Roueche and special performances by Hollywood Records artist Olivia Holt. You don’t want to miss the countdown to midnight here, with rooftop fireworks and “Auld Lang Syne.”
  • Paradise Bay – To mark the arrival of 2017, Disney California Adventure park is hosting the “Party of the Year!” At night, the waters of Paradise Bay become a sparkling winter fantasy with two scheduled performances of the all-new “World of Color – Season of Light” at 8:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Leading up to midnight, DJ Wendy keeps the energy building with an awesome dance party around the lagoon. Our New Year’s countdown culminates in a musical celebration punctuated by fountains, pyrotechnics, fireballs and lasers!
  • Cars Land – Choose to welcome in the new year country style under the neon lights of Cars Land with appearances by the Kelly Rae Band and DJ Trevor.

It all promises to add up to the biggest party of the year!