Napa Rose Lounge

Name: Napa Rose Lounge
Address: 1600 S. Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, California 92802
Phone: (714) 781-DINE (3463)
Web site: (on Disneyland Resort Web site)
Date & Time visited: Saturday, October 13, 2007 at roughly 8:00 PM
Guests: A whole lot of MousePlanet staff and/or crew people
What we I had: Diligently Selected Cheeses.

This review will be in a different style than usual. Rather than going over the appetizers, small bites and drinks that everyone in our party of nine enjoyed, I'm going to focus solely on my cheese platter. Trust me, everyone else liked what they had.

The "Diligently Selected Cheeses" were served on a platter with various bits of dried fruit and candied nuts, and came with a printed handout naming and describing each cheese in detail. Here they are in order: (typos and odd phrasing are straight from the handout!)

• Brie Val De Saône (vol dee Sone) - France
  This is a rare and hard to get brie cheese, from Vale de Saône near the river Saône. This particular brie has a long history dating back to Charlemagne in 774. Many Bries are around 40% - 45% butter fat, this is over 60% and perfectly ripe. The cream-colored soft interior oozes at room temperature. The flavor is sweet and buttery with hints of almond.


• Bucheron, St. Saviol (boo-share-OH) - France
  This Goat's milk cheese is from Burgundy, France, made in the village of Poitou. This is a fresh, unripened chèvre. This cheese is a pleasant cheese to snack on, which is somewhat tart and chalky on the palette.
• 
  
• Etorki (eh-tor-KEE) -Aquitaine, France
  This is an Aged A.O.C. 100% Sheep's Milk cheese from the high mountains of the Western Pyrenees of France. This is a true world class cheese with a nutty almost fruity character. The cheese has remained unchanged for well over a hundred years due to the remoteness of the area.


• Mimolette (MEE-moh-LETT) - France
  A relative of Dutch Edam, made from pasteurized Cow's milk, Mimolette has a vivid orange color and a distinctive nutty taste. It is aged over 1 year and has a firm, yet flaky texture.


• Grana Padano - Emilia-Romagna, Italy
  This Cow's milk D.O.C. cheese is made througout Lombardy andPiedmont regions of Northern Italy. The name padona means "of the Po River". This cheese is aged over two years and is a Parmesan style. The color is a straw to cream color. The flavor is that of classic Parmigiano-Reggiano, but with wonderful nutty notes and less salty flavor than other parmesans.


• San Joaquin Gold - California, USA
  This is an artisan cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk by Fiscalini Family Creamery in Modesto, California. Its milk comes from it sown herd of 1500 Holstein cows. It just recently won a gold medal at the prestigious London World Cheese Awards. Aged for 15 months, it is semi-hard, with a natural rind and sweet, salty, buttery taste and a rich, nutty flavor and pleasingly crumbly texture.


• Roquefort "Le Papillon" (roke-FORE) (LAY PAPP-ee-yone) - France
  "Le Papillon": the butterfly. The worlds premiere sheep's milk blue-veined cheese. It has a creamy interior with an intense, complex and spicy flavor with hints of bitterness associated with rye bread crumbs, which as used to distribute the bleu veining.


• Shropshire Blue (SHROP-shur-blu) - England
  This cheese was invented in England at the beginning of the centure and currently regarded as a world class cheese. Shropshire is a farmhouse Blue-Vein Cheddar made from Cow's Milk. It has a crumbly, yet firm and creamy texture. This cheese is aged 1 year, and is great with red wine!

Without exception, each one of the cheeses was wonderful. Each cheese's associated paragraph pretty accurately described the flavor and texture, and I made sure to try most of them along with the bits of fruit, candied nuts and toast points. Pure pleasure, completely decadent. I loved it.

Service: Disappointing to start--the server saw a large party and must have assumed we were going to hang out, not order much and therefore tip low--but she perked up once we started ordering drinks and food. The odd thing was that she offered opinions on just about everything ordered. Actually that's not the odd thing--the odd thing was that her opinions were fairly negative and she was somewhat insistent about her preferred alternative. Again, though, she did get a lot better after the initial round of orders. One other sour note was that it was basically impossible to get a glass of water, and once having received one to have it refilled.

Would we go back: Yes, but perhaps in a smaller group.

Plaza Inn

Name: Plaza Inn
Address: Disneyland, California 92802
Phone: 714-781-DINE (3463)
Web site: (on Disneyland Resort Web site)
Date & Time visited: Sunday, September 16, 2007, 12:15 pm
Guests: Jennfer and me
What we had: Broasted Chicken (Jen), Cobb salad (me).

Not a lot to say; the Plaza Inn has the best fried (or broasted, whatever) chicken in the Disneyland Resort and the Cobb salad is always satisfying.

Service: Not really applicable, as this is a "scramble service" restaurant, where guests go to various stations to order and pick up their items. The Cast Members working the individual stations were nice enough.

Would we go back: Yes.

Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen

Name: Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen
Address: 1590 S Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, CA 92802
Phone: (714) 776-5200
Web site: RBJazzKitchen.com
Date & Time visited: Saturday, September 15, 2007, 8:40 pm
Guests: Jennifer and me
What we had: Absolut Peppar Bloody Mary (we each had one), SDJ (appetizer--Jen), Cajun popcorn shrimp (me), Grilled Tournedos of Beef (Jen), Blue Crabmeat Topped Blackened Salmon, Bananas Foster (shared).

The place was crowded and we didn't have a reservation, so we walked around Downtown Disney for a while and came back to find that the estimated 40-minute wait was spot-on. We were in the upstairs dining room, opposite the glassed-in wine cellar and in between two large parties--so it was quite loud for a while.

If I'd written this review sooner than seven weeks after the meal I might be able to be more specific. I don't remember what the "SDJ" was other than an appetizer. My cajun popcorn shrimp were cooked just right and came with three tasty dipping sauces. Jennifer quite enjoyed her Tournedos of beef, two medallions of filet mignon with crawfish mashed potatoes. My blue crab-topped blackened salmon was excellent. At the server's recommendation, we tried the house specialty dessert Bananas Foster. Though the presentation was impressive, prepared at the table, the dish itself was underwhelming.

Service: A little slow but not bad, and the server was also dealing with two large parties at the same time. Water refills were prompt and the dirty dishes were cleared right away.

Would we go back: Maybe. It's a bit pricey and if we want New Orleans / Cajun we'd probably rather go to Nolas here in Palo Alto. Still, when in Anaheim it's worth trying.

Redd Rockett's Pizza Port

Name: Redd Rockett's Pizza Port
Address: Disneyland, California 92802
Phone: 714-781-DINE (3463)
Web site: on Disneyland.com
Date & Time visited: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 2:00 PM
Guests: Jennifer and me, plus Steven, Jenn and AVP
What we had: (I only know when Jen and I had) Chicken Fusilli (Jen), Starfield Salad (me), focaccia breadstick

If Redd Rockett's can be said to have a signature dish, the Chicken Fusilli is it. It's lost some quality--and quantity--in the nine years the restaurant has been open (has it really been nine years?!) but it's still probably the best item on the menu. Jen said it was okay, but it was a good thing I had a packet of red pepper flakes in my camera bag because the sauce needed some extra flavor.

The Starfield salad contains field greens, golden raisins, candied walnuts, blue cheese and other good things. The Cast Member behind the counter kindly made a fresh salad for me sans tomatoes, and since the dressing comes separately it was easy to put on just the amount I wanted and not drown the greens. The focaccia bread used to be separate breadsticks, and then a long piece of bread sectioned into three parts, but it's now just the long piece with no cuts so you have to tear it. Marinara sauce is included for dipping.

Service: This is a "scramble service" place, so the level of service you get greatly depends on what you want and where you get it. I thought we did all right with our selections and interactions with Cast Members working behind the counter, and the person working the register did her job quickly and efficiently.

Would we go back: Yes.

Cafe Orleans

Name: Cafe Orleans
Address: Disneyland, California 92802
Phone: 714-781-DINE (3463)
Web site: on Disneyland.com
Date & Time visited: Sunday, July 15, 2007 10:10 AM
Guests: Jennifer and me
What we had: Creole Eggs Benedict (Jennifer), Cafe Scramble (me)

Creole Eggs Benedict means standard Eggs Benedict only with Andouille sausage instead of Canadian bacon, and a spicier sauce. Jennifer enjoyed the dish. A Cafe Scramble is eggs, potatoes, onions and peppers scrambled together with spices and seasonings. Nothing too unusual, but well-executed and a generous portion.

Service: Pretty good. Our assigned server was on a break when we were seated, so another Cast Member took over for him, but then he came back except he was only there about half the time. The other people working the area covered for him, though, so overall we didn't feel neglected.

Would we go back: Yes. This was the first time we'd tried the new breakfast offering at Cafe Orleans, and we'll probably try it again.

French Market

Name: French Market
Address: Disneyland, California, 92802
Phone: 714-781-DINE (3463)
Web site: on Disneyland.com
Date & Time visited: Saturday, July 14, 2007 8:20 PM
Guests: Jennifer and me
What we had: We made up for last time by ordering the French Market fried chicken, and since we'd had a snack a few hours earlier we decided to share a single order. It turned out to be just enough food. Unfortunately, the chicken itself was not as good as we both remembered. Dry, much smaller pieces (is Disney buying smaller chickens?) and a decided lack of the spicy flavor we'd enjoyed on previous visits.

The accompanying salad and french fries were fine, and we skipped dessert since we knew we'd be stopping by the Critter Country candy shop later.

Service: Good. The line moves very slowly at this restaurant, but it seems to be more a function of the design (buffeteria) than the actual level of service provided by the Cast Members working there. When we did finally get to the front of the line, the Cast Members assembled our order quickly and correctly.

Would we go back: Yes.

Stage Door Cafe

Name: Stage Door Cafe
Address: Disneyland, California 92802
Phone: 714-781-DINE (3463)
Web site: on Disneyland.com
Date & Time visited: Saturday, July 14, 2007 6:00 PM
Guests: Jennifer and me
What we had: Mozzarella sticks w/french fries

Not a lot to say; this was a snack to tide us over until a late dinner (see next post). The mozzarella sticks were fresh out of the fryer, crispy on the outside and hot and cheesy on the inside. The accompanying marinara sauce was nothing special, but did add a nice contrast to the breading on the mozzarella sticks. The fries were also fresh and flavorful.

Service: Counter-service. It felt like we were disturbing the Cast Member working the register, when we entered the mostly-empty building and waited a couple of minutes for her to take our order. The order was accurate, though, and it wasn't a big deal.

Would we go back: Yes. The Stage Door also features chicken strips and fish-and-chips.

French Market

Name: French Market
Address: Disneyland, California, 92802
Phone: 714-781-DINE (3463)
Web site: (on Disneyland Resort Web site; Flash)
Date & Time visited: Monday, November 6, 2006 12:50 PM
Guests: Jennifer and me
What we had: French Market fried chicken (Jen), Sally's s'creamed chicken (me).

The standard French Market fried chicken is really good. Tons of flavor, juicy, crispy, a winner every time. I wish I'd ordered it. The other chicken dish is a seasonal offering tied to the "Haunted Mansion Holiday" next door, and is served in a "Zero" dog bowl. Unfortunately the dog bowl is the most interesting thing about this dish; the chicken itself was dry and overcooked, and the "s'cream" sauce--what there was of it--was flavorless. The portion was apparently a breast, but it was hard to tell because whatever piece it was had been cut in half with the bone still in. It was served on a bed of "dirty" rice, which was your basic New Orleans-style red beans and rice without the red beans. Wholly unsatisfying.

Service: Not really applicable as it's a "buffeteria" location, but the Cast Members behind the counter were friendly enough and got us our order without a wait.

Would we go back: Yes, but I won't be giving the s'cream a second chance.

Club 33

Name: Club 33
Address: 33 Rue Royal, Anaheim, CA 92802
Phone: (888) 617-4381
Web site: (no official site, no Google Local page)
Date & Time visited: Sunday, November 5, 2006, 8:30 PM
Guests: 25 MousePlanet staff members including Jennifer and me
What we had: Seared Ahi tuna appetizer, field greens salad with two cheeses, grilled salmon, creme brulee.

We shared the appetizer and each had our own salad, entree and dessert. My only minor complaint was that the field greens salad was a bit dry; the flavor was good and everything else was excellent. The Ahi tuna appetizer was crusted with sesame seeds and served on a bed of creamy risotto that was just perfect. The salmon was very good but did need a bit of salt & pepper seasoning for my taste. I'm not particularly partial to creme brulee but this was good, served in a rather large portion with fresh berries in an unusual square ramekin.

Service: Legendary. Beverage and water refills when the glass is half-empty, re-folding napkins when you get up to use the restroom or check out the merchandise case, ultra-attentive. A somewhat longer than expected wait to receive our main dishes, but then again there were 25 of us and they managed to get each entree out simultaneously and still hot.

The evening was capped off with an impromptu historical tour of the Club, presented by a member of the wait staff who'd been there 25 years.

Would we go back: Oh please oh please.

Rancho del Zocalo

Name: Rancho del Zocalo
Address: Disneyland, California, 92802
Phone: 714-781-DINE (3463)
Web site: (on Disneyland Resort Web site; Flash)
Date & Time visited: Saturday, February 4, 2006, 6:00 PM
Guests: Jen and me
What we had: Carne Asada and Cheese Enchilada platter (Jen), Monterey Chicken Tacos (me)

The food at Zocalo has gone pretty steadily downhill from a promising start when it opened in place of the late, lamented Casa Mexicana several years ago. The menu has changed a few times, never for the better, and at the moment has only about six choices. Except for one small piece, the grilled beef in Jen's Carne Asada was burned and charred beyond recognition; when she tried to eat it, she ended up choking on the gristle. My chicken soft tacos were all right, but there was very little chicken and the seasoning was quite bland. Adding a copious amount of Ortega Hot Sauce helped but tended to drown whatever flavor the dish had. The rice and beans were acceptable if not stellar. The guacamole did appear to be fresh.

Service: Not really applicable, as this is a "scramble service" restaurant, where guests go to various stations to order and pick up their items. The design of this restaurant has never lent itself to easy navigation, and the lack of clear signage or direction in which of the two main stations has which of the dishes or where to queue for the stations just leads to confused knots of people pushing their way to the counters. The bussers are very quick to clear and clean tables in the outdoor eating area, which is very much appreciated.

Would we go back: Sadly, probably not; at least not until they change the menu again.

Tortilla Jo's Cantina

Name: Tortilla Jo's Cantina
Address: 1510 S. Disneyland Drive, Building A, Anaheim, California 92802
Phone: 714-535-5000
Web site: www.patinagroup.com/tortillaJos
Date & Time visited: Saturday, December 17, 2005, 8:00 PM
Guests: Shawn & Colleen, Jen and me
What we had: Tacos Dorados [crispy chicken tacos] (me), Tortilla soup (Jen), Beef nachos (Shawn & Colleen split).

We've been to the Cantina several times (though somehow I've neglected to review it until today) and never been disappointed. By contrast, we've eaten inside the main restaurant twice and had poor service, wrong food and generally unfortunate experiences both times. The Cantina is one of those hidden-in-plain-sight secret places; excellent food, huge portions, inexpensive and rarely a wait to be seated.

My crispy chicken tacos were very tasty and Jen liked her tortilla soup. The soup is not on the Cantina menu but she was able to order it--actually off the childrens' menu--from the main restaurant. I didn't ask Colleen or Shawn how they liked the beef nachos, but the plate was empty when we left so it couldn't have been too bad.

Service: Excellent. Our server was training a new employee and managed to provide a high level of service at the same time. Drinks were refilled before they were completely empty, food orders were taken as soon as we were ready and delivered quickly, all with a smile.

Would we go back: Yes.

Blue Bayou

Name: Blue Bayou
Address: Disneyland, California, 92802
Phone: 714-781-DINE (3463)
Web site: (on Disneyland Resort Web site; Flash)
Date & Time visited: Saturday, December 17, 2005, 1:10 PM
Guests: Shawn & Colleen, Jen and me
What we had: Crab cakes (Jen), Clam chowder (Colleen), Mardi Gras salad (2; Colleen & Shawn split one and I had one), Monte Cristo sandwich (Shawn & I split).

I'd been craving a Monte Cristo for some time, but can't finish one myself, so it was pleasant to be able to share one. Jen loved her crab cakes, and the Mardi Gras salad was good for a "mixed greens" dish.

Service: Very good. We'd actually had this particular server on a previous visit, with a party of ten, and were rather less than impressed. This time, with just four, he was fine. We were unfortunately seated towards the back of the restaurant, near the kitchen, but on the positive side we were under a light; rare in the very dark atmosphere of the Blue Bayou.

Would we go back: Definitely!

Uva Bar & Cafe

Name: Uva Bar & Cafe
[see below for location & Web site]
Date & Time visited: Friday, October 14, 2005, 11:00 PM
Guests: Jen and me
What we had: Ketel One vodka martini (me), Washington Apple-tini (Jen), mezze platter plus an extra side of pita.

Everything I've said about the Uva Bar still holds; good atmosphere, fair service, very good food and drink. Not too many smokers this time, which was nice. The mezze platter is a stack of warm pita served with three Mediterranean dips: baba ganoush, roasted red pepper puree, and hummous. All three were delectable, and our only complaint was that the amount of pita was not enough to use up the supplied dips. We got an extra side of pita for $1.

Service: Decent.

Would we go back: Yes.

Pacific Wharf Cafe

Name: Pacific Wharf Cafe
Address: Disney's California Adventure, Anaheim, CA 92802
Phone: 714-781-DINE (3463)
Web site: (on Disneyland Resort Web site; Flash)
Date & Time visited: Sunday, September 25, 2005, 12:40 PM
Guests: Jennifer and me
What we had: Turkey baguette sandwich, corn chowder in a bread bowl.

This is part of the Boudin Bakery Tour complex in the Pacific Wharf section of DCA, and as such the breads and baked goods could be expected to be of superior quality. Jen's baguette seemed to be pretty ordinary, but my sourdough bread bowl was fresh-baked and delicious. The corn chowder soup was thick and hearty, though it did benefit from a splash of Tabasco. Jen enjoyed her sandwich as well.

Service: Not really applicable, as it's a counter service location. The Cast Members working the counter were friendly and efficient and we got our order within a few minutes.

Would we go back: Yes.

Uva Bar & Cafe

Name: Uva Bar & Cafe
[see below for location & Web site]
Date & Time visited: Saturday, September 24, 2005, 11:30 PM
Guests: Adrienne, Tony & AVP, Alex, Sheila, Mox, Jennifer and me
What we had: Calamari appetizer, spicy chicken wings appetizer, chicken Panini sandwich, Gazpacho, Manchego compressed salad, Cobb salad, penne pasta with tomato sauce. I don't recall who had what except that I had the salad and Jen had the pasta.

Service: Fair to good. Granted this was a large group (eight) on a busy night, but we were rather neglected at times. It took probably twenty minutes to get a table (or more accurately, two round tables pushed together), but drink and food orders were taken pretty quickly. The worst wait was, unaccountably, when it came time to request the check; our server was nowhere to be found. Drink refills were reasonably frequent.

Nearby smokers were again an issue, especially the guy with a stogie at the next-but-one table. As the Uva Bar was the only place still serving food at this late hour, we were stuck unless we wanted to go to Denny's.

Would we go back: Despite the somewhat negative tone above, the answer is still yes. In fact, we'll likely be there tomorrow night, and I'm eagerly anticipating a Ketel One martini.

Granville's Steak House / Steakhouse 55

Name: Granville's Steak House (since renamed to Steakhouse 55)
Address: Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim, CA, 92802
Phone: 714-781-DINE (3463)
Web site: (on Disneyland Resort Web site, Flash)
Date & Time visited: Sunday, August 21, 2005, 10:50 AM
Guests: Jennifer and me
What we had: Eggs Benedict (Jen), American Breakfast (me)

Service: Fantastic! Friendly, attentive without being overbearing, service with a smile.

This is usually an expensive surf-and-turf dinner place, but they've recently started having a resonably-priced full-service breakfast as well. Jen said the eggs benedict ranked at or near the top of her scale. My "American Breakfast" (eggs, potatoes, sausage) was decent.

Would we go back: Absolutely.

Uva Bar & Cafe

Name: Uva Bar & Cafe
Address: 1580 Disneyland Drive, Suite 103, Anaheim, California 92802
Phone: 714-774-4442
Web site: www.patinagroup.com/catal
Date & Time visited: Friday, August 19, 2005, 10:15 PM
Guests: Jennifer and me
What we had: Turkey Club sandwich and "Napoleon Dynamite" martini (Jen), Compressed Manchego salad and Ketel One vodka martini (me)

Service: Good, for a bar. That means long periods with no attention at all from the server, but when she was around she was very nice.

Jen enjoyed her sandwich very much and her "Napoleon Dynamite" was great. The Manchego salad was extremely good, and my martini was perfectly made and so smooth that I didn't realize how strong it was until a few moments later.

Would we go back: Yes. In fact we've been back since then. The only real disappointment is that since the place is an outdoor lounge, smoking is allowed and therefore ubiquitous.