As you may already know, I go to Disneyland more often than I should. And you probably already know that Disneyland has nothing good to eat. Seeking something good to eat, I had a chance to eat at Napa Rose, their most expensive restaurant on the property available to the public. They are touted for their amazing wine selection and fine cuisine. It is definitely a step above the Blue Bayou — it doesn’t exude cheap pirrates and theme park rides. Napa Rose is classier, quieter, and the experience is just more like fine dining.
We were given complimentary bread. I like it when restaurants give you different kinds of bread to eat, not the same boring rolls or slices. The parmasan crisps were really savory, and the bread was soft. It was a great starter.
Other than the bread, we started off with the Smiling Tiger salad. This was a great start of the meal, and a very decadent and tasty salad. For one, it had tempura fried lobster. The lobster flavor was all packed inside the batter and it was crunchy and delicious. On the bottom had spicy beef, which was more of a marinated beef. The Asian greens mixed in with the coconut lime vinaigrette was tasty. A bit on the sweet side, but sour as well. This was a great salad with a lot of flavor.
As we were waiting for our food, we were given portabello cream bisque in a tiny pot, compliments of the chef. To our amazement, though the wait wasn’t that absurd, we enjoyed this soup. It was cream of mushroom, but obvious not from the can. It was rich in flavor and warmed the belly up. Service like this really makes eating meals so fulfilling. After that, we felt good.
We wanted keep the Asian theme continuing from the smiling tiger, so we ordered the Sizzling Beach Rock — It was a a combination appetizer of garlic seared shrimp, soy glazed spare ribs, and lemon grass chicken skewers, and large tiger shrimp cooked on a hot beach stone. The appetizer was for sharing. the spare ribs and chicken skewers were kind of dry. My favorite were the garlic shrimp, though, the tiger shrimp on the beach rock was even better. All the little sharable appetizers was such an amazing thing to look at, as well as to eat.
I ordered the grilled Kurobuta pork rack chop. This was a Berkshire pork chop stuffed with spanish chorizo on a rustic summer garden (okra) ragu. The pork chop was thick and the chorizo inside was amazing. Though some bites were kind of dry, the chorizo and ragu helped make each bite be juicier.
Eating here, though not inside Disneyland, it still has some magic inside. The tall ceilings and masterfully designed interior really make this place special. They are all about service and good food. The wine selection is impressive and food is elegant. Napa Rose is a nice place to celebrate a special occasion, or maybe have a glass of wine. It has all of the whimsical and magical essences of Disneyland, but for adults.
What is a theme park without cotton candy, popcorn, and corn dogs? Well, without it, you don’t have yourself a theme park. Corn dogs is on a stick, and is easy to eat on the go. It is no wonder that there is almost always a line for the Corn Dog Cart at Disneyland. Good to know that this American classic snack can be had at America’s favorite theme park. But is it my favorite corn dog? It’s hard to say. As for as classic corn dogs go, they are one of the best.
Waiting in anticipation, I was never this excited about a corn dog, ever. It might have been the Disney magic people keep talking about. The cart is a small wagon type food stand towards the end of Main St. The corn dog was deformed looking — this was interestingly a plus for me. I never understood how corn dogs have that perfectly balled tip. The batter was light and crispy, a bit greasy, but delicious. Most importantly, the batter stuck to the hot dog.
