It’s time once again for the Food and Wine Festival at Disney California Adventure. With food, wine, and fun, join us as we break down all the festival has to offer!
One of our favorite times of year at the Disneyland Resort is the Food and Wine Festival at Disney California Adventure. Boasting over 13 food locations, entertainment offerings, tasting seminars, and plenty of Disney branded merchandise, Food and Wine Festival has something for everyone. With so much going on, it can be a little overwhelming, especially when it comes to the food … and the wine. And not only can you get wine, but there’s tons of beer and cocktail options as well. The festival runs from February 28th to April 21st, so if you are an annual passholder, there’s ample time to take advantage of everything Food and Wine has to offer.
Here’s Part 1 of our guide to help you through this year’s event.
The Marketplace
The Marketplace has 13 food and drink booths with gluten-free, kid-friendly, plant-based, and vegetarian items. Some of the booths we visited on this trip include: Uncorked California, Golden Dreams, California Craft Brews, Off the Cob, and Cluck-A-Doodle-Moo. You can purchase a Sip and Savor Pass ($56 for the general public, $51 for annual passholders) which includes 8 coupons to use at the Festival booths on any food or beverage option, excluding alcohol and a few other offerings. The coupons work best when you use them on anything $6.50 or higher for annual passholders, $7 or higher for the general public. You can find the Sip and Savor pass in many locations such as the Festival Welcome Center, or the Festival Gifts and Festival Merchandise Carts. You can also find festival food and drink offerings at the Paradise Garden Grill and Paradise Beer Garden. Don’t forget to pick up a Food and Wine Tasting Passport and the Festival Guide!
The Food
Here are some of the Food and Drink items we tried on this trip:
Golden Dreams: Brunch Fried Chicken & Waffle Sandwich with Mimosa-inspired Slaw and OJ Bubbles, and the Strawberry-Rose Lemonade with Strawberry, Rose, Pure Amber honey and Fresh Lemon Juice (Non-alcoholic)
For the Chicken & Waffle Sandwich, the slaw was refreshing and the OJ Bubbles added a pop of flavor. The Chicken was a little chewy and consisted of dark meat, but overall the taste was amazing. The Strawberry-Rose Lemonade was thirst-quenching, especially for a warm day, and had just the right amount of sweetness.
Uncork California: Road Trip Mimosa Trio
· Pacific Mimosa – Sparkling Wine, Coconut, Blue Curaçao, and Pineapple Juice
· Mojave Mimosa – Sparkling Wine, Simply Peachâ, and Raspberry Syrup
· Sierra Mimosa – Sparkling Wine, Lavender, and Fresh Lemon Juice
Overall the mimosas were refreshing and light with flavors that complemented each other. Chris’s favorite was the Mojave, it was fruity and tasty. Michelle enjoyed the Pacific, which was sweet and topical.
California Craft Brews: Pepperoni Pizza Egg Rolls with Mozzarella Cheese, garnished with Parmesan Parsley and Red Pepper Flakes, served with Marinara Pesto Sauce
The Pepperoni Pizza Egg Rolls were one of our favorite items from last year’s festival, and we were so happy to see their return. You really can’t go wrong with pizza-flavored anything, and these hit the spot if you need a snack between drinks.
Off the Cob: Mini Chicken Chimis with Chimichurri Corn Pico de Gallo and Chipotle Crema, and Mickey-shaped Caramel-Peanut Milk Chocolate Macaron
The Mini Chicken Chimis were the right amount of hot, a little spicy but not too overpowering. The Corn Pico de Gallo was a perfect pairing and the Chipotle Crema was a refreshing touch. The Chocolate Macaron had to be one of our favorite things out of this festival. Not only was it adorable, but absolutely delicious. The inside tasted like a Snickers bar!
Cluck-A-Doodle-Moo: French Onion Grilled Beef Tenderloin Slider topped with Gruyere Cheese Sauce and Caramelized Onions on an Onion Roll, and the Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch, a Milk Chocolate Mousse filled with Hazelnut Ganache and Hazelnut Pieces
The beef on the French Onion Tenderloin slider was surprisingly high quality considering it came from a festival booth. It went together amazingly with the Gruyere Cheese, which was perfectly melted and creamy, adding so much flavor to the sandwich. The Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch was like a giant Ferrero Rocher chocolate in the best way. The inside was heavenly, filled with rich ganache that was also light and smooth.
The Merchandise
The Festival also extends to shopping locations at the Studio Store in Hollywood Land, Festival carts near Golden Vine Winery, Elias & Co and Festival Gifts and Artist Corner on the Performance Corridor (near the Voyage of the Little Mermaid). Some of the merchandise includes the wildly popular Minnie Ears and Spirit Jerseys, along with T-Shirts, Pins, and Glassware. The slogans for this year’s festival found on the shirts, glassware, and spirit jerseys is “Life is too Short … Eat”, “Have a Grape Day”, and “You Make my Heart Beet.” All insanely cute and an added bonus to any Disney fan’s collection.
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