Disneyland Resort-Munchies and Crunchies

I listened to the podcasts, I read the blogs, and with so little time, choosing which foods to eat during our Disneyland trip was agonizing. I wanted to eat everything, but alas, my tummy is only so big.

The strategy, book two amazing dinners and wing the rest.

California Adventure

We had an early (4:00pm) dinner reservation, so we decided to have an early (11:00am) lunch. 

Location often plays an important role in our park quick service choices. 

We were walking through the Pacific Wharf area at 11 am on our way to Paradise Pier, so decided to stop in to the Pacific Wharf Cafe for some grub. 

Though it wasn’t cold, there was a briskness to the air that made soup a viable option.  The bonus, the soup is served in a fresh baked sourdough bread bowl. 

We opted for the broccoli cheese soup.  It was creamy, cheesy goodness, with a decent amount of broccoli chunks.  A bread bowl always seems like a good idea at the time, and don’t get me wrong, this bread bowl was fresh, chewy, and tasty, but it was impossible for me to finish.  Shannon however had no problems polishing off his edible vessel.

The bonus of Pacific Wharf, is the seating area.  

There are plenty of tables, and the setting provides some appealing scenery.

Since we missed our morning cups of coffee, due to all of our Cars Land hustling and bustling, we thought a mid-afternoon cup of Joe would be nice.  Of course, if you can get a dessert coffee, all the better, so we moseyed into one of our favorite places, Ghirardelli’s. 

Although mostly known for their chocolates and ice cream treats, Ghirardelli’s also whips up delightful caffeinated beverages. 

I slipped my free upon-entering-the-shop piece of chocolate into my pocket for later. 

Of course I completely forgot about it and hours later found a packet of chocolate liquid in my pocket (at least the liquid remained in its packet).

This was my favorite Ghirardelli’s we’ve visited thus far. Every couple of minutes, the San Francisco background scene either had a trolley that ran through (a little reminiscent of Mr. Rogers), or, it erupted into an earthquake. 

It made waiting for our drinks entertaining.

After receiving our drinks, we settled down at a little outdoor table. 

We relaxed and savored our drinks, while doing a little people watching. Across from our table, there sat a group of executives, men in their suites and ties, ladies in their pencil skirts and pantyhose, chowing down on an enormous, gooey, ice cream sundae.

Disneyland Park

Since evading giant boulders is hungry work, after knocking out Indiana Jones first thing, we made our way to Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe for breakfast.  

We knew that we had a magnificent feast waiting for us at the end of the day, so we ate cautiously.  We shared a stuffed croissant breakfast sandwich and fruit cup, and because the Disney Dreamgirls podcast so highly recommended them, a Matterhorn macaroon.

The croissant sandwich was very tasty, with nice fluffy eggs and perfectly cooked bacon.

Now we are no strangers to coconut macaroons. We never leave Wildwood, NJ without grabbing one for the road, and we are always happy to purchase the sugary treat in any other location we happen to be. Now we are spoiled forever.

The Matterhorn macaroon was by far the best coconut macaroon we've had to date. It was moist, light, and the white chocolate coating on top was a great touch.  It was also not overly sweet.  So delicious was the Matterhorn macaroon that we shared, before leaving the park, we stopped into Jolly Holiday to get two more to have for breakfast the following morning. Sadly we did not get to ride the actual Matterhorn as it was closed for refurbishment. 

In the afternoon, we decided to forgo a meal, and instead picked something to have as a snack. We wanted something that was just enough to tide us over until dinner. I wanted something that was considered a signature Disneyland snack, so we queued up in front of Edelweiss Snacks for some chili-lime corn-on-the-cobb.

We were running, running, running all day, so I was as grateful for a chance to sit and rest for a moment, as I was for the fresh, slightly smokey, lightly citrus-y corn.

After unwrapping your corn, you need to wait a few minutes, because if you don't, you will be greeted with the fires of hell on your lips.  They sure know how to keep that corn hot. Once the corn cools a bit, you can chomp away.  

For those worried about the chili rub being too spicy, I felt that it was more smokey than spicy.  It was the ideal snack to fuel us up for the rest of our running, and not too filling so we could bring on the chef tasting dinner later.

All of the uneaten Disneyland Resort treats will have to wait for a future trip.