I'm starting to realize the stakes are high when dining at Disneyland and DCA. Most of us are there for a very limited amount of time, we're spending a fortune, and there's no guarantee we'll pick a winner. In the six months since my last visit, it seems that every menu has either had a huge overhaul or at least some slight changes. On a recent visit with my family and a friend, we had no choice but to go all in.
Our friend, Sidney, loves spicy food. She keeps hot sauce packets in her purse. So naturally, she was keen to try the $7.99 Angry Dog at Angry Dogs in Pixar Pier, DCA.
[caption id="attachment_2911" align="alignright" width="300"]Angry Dog[/caption]
It’s described as a spicy All-Beef Hot Dog with a small bag of "Hot Fries". The “hot fries” are just a bag of spicy puffed snacks, which is kind of a disappointment. Sidney liked the flavor of the hot dog. She described the spiciness as similar to a pepperoni stick. I think the real fun lies in the condiment selection. You can choose Keeping It Together (Ketchup), Displeased (Yellow Mustard), Agitated (Brown Mustard), and Seething (Sriracha Ketchup). None were too spicy for Sidney and she would order this again.The Pacific Wharf in DCA is essentially a food court consisting of: Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill, Lucky Fortune Cookery, Pacific Wharf Cafe, Ghirardelli, The Pacific Wharf Distribution Co. beer truck, and Rita's Baja Blenders (frozen margaritas, both with and without alcohol). It’s been our go-to for family meals because there’s something for everyone.
[caption id="attachment_2909" align="alignleft" width="260"]Street Tacos Plate with Potato Cakes[/caption]
Although I normally opt for Lucky Fortune Cookery, I noticed Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill has a new menu so I decided to take a chance. With a goal of eating light to save room for ice cream later, I ordered two meals to split between three of us. I started with the $12.49 Street Tacos Plate with Potato Cakes, which was adorably plated to look like a Mickey. Potato cakes in a taco were a novelty to us. They were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, but nothing special flavor wise. My husband and daughter thought melty cheese inside would have made the the potato cakes feel more like an entree. The side of the rice and beans did make the meal more substantial as the three tacos were small.
[caption id="attachment_2910" align="alignright" width="200"]Cocina Bowl with citrus-marinated chicken[/caption]
We also tried the $12.49 Cocina Bowl with citrus-marinated chicken, which consisted of chicken, cilantro-lime rice, epazote black beans, queso fresco, roasted corn, cucumber-tomato slaw (I ordered without the queso fresco). Surprisingly, it was not served in a bowl, rather on a plate side by side and seemed like it was a far smaller serving than, say, the bowls across the way at Lucky Fortune Cookery. The chicken had the consistency of chicken you find in canned soup with no hint of citrus. The roasted corn and the cucumber slaw was refreshing but too heavy on the onions for my taste. The rice and beans were fine and offered a nice base for the other ingredients.
Although tasty enough, neither meal was a great value compared to the previous Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill menu. I hope Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill continues to update their menu until they get it right. I look forward to giving them another shot.
[caption id="attachment_2931" align="alignleft" width="276"]Tortitas de Papa Con Queso[/caption]
Paradise Garden Grill in the Paradise Gardens Park area of DCA is usually Mediterranean food but it has been temporarily themed with a special menu in honor of Coco. My husband and daughter split the $11.99 Tortitas de Papa Con Queso. This consisted of two medium size crispy mashed potato cakes filled with gooey cheese, served on a bed of rice, topped with smoky flavored salsa, and more cheese. This is how we wished the Cocina Cucamonga potato cakes had tasted. The pickled onion salad was a heaping serving of iceberg lettuce, two thick slices of tomato, and a pile of pickled onions. We all agreed there should have been less lettuce and wish it came with black beans but we would order this again.
[caption id="attachment_2932" align="alignright" width="285"]Yucatan-inspired Vaporcitos[/caption]
I ordered the $11.99 Yucatan-inspired Vaporcitos, which is a generous chicken tamale with a side of rice and black beans (normally comes with cheese on the beans, I ordered without). It was large enough that I couldn’t finish and wound up sharing some with my husband. The tamale had a good ratio of masa to filling. The filling was shredded chicken, onions, and tomatoes. The rice and beans were basic but good and it came with a side of smoky salsa. All the flavors complemented each other well. I would absolutely order this again but I'll have to hurry- the Disneyland website indicates this menu will only be available through November 4, 2018.
[caption id="attachment_2906" align="alignleft" width="225"]Pizza Planet![/caption]
In Disneyland I had to stop by Alien Pizza Planet (formerly Pizza Port) in Tomorrowland. The name change is about twenty years overdue. Once you've seen Toy Story, Pizza Planet is the only name that makes sense so I hope they don't revert back to the former name. If I remember correctly, the EarzUp! gang is with me on this one.
[caption id="attachment_2907" align="alignright" width="180"]Mozz-114 Cheese Pizza[/caption]
My son, who has never met a cheese pizza he doesn't like, ordered the $7.49 Mozz-114 Cheese Pizza - Slice. He thought it tasted like Little Caesars and the crust was better than he remembered from previous visits. I think most little kids would be happy with this pizza, both in terms of taste and size. However, one slice was not filling enough for my 21 year old boy so he wound up ordering a second slice. I ordered the $10.49 Nebula Noodle Salad which was described as grilled chicken breast, edamame, green beans, mint, cilantro, red cabbage, shredded carrot, and cold soba noodles in a ginger-lime vinaigrette.
[caption id="attachment_2908" align="alignleft" width="199"]Nebula Noodle Salad[/caption]
The chicken tasted pre-packaged, which I don’t care for so I ate around it. Otherwise, this salad was delightful. The green beans were crunchy, the noodles were the right size and consistency to get some in each bite, the cabbage and carrots were slightly softened so they weren’t too chewy. The dressing had a tangy flavor, and there was a spice mixture sprinkled on top that tasted like seaweed and sesame seeds and went perfectly with the edamame. It was light enough that I felt ready to run around the parks right after eating. I went back to Alien Pizza Planet a different day and ordered the Nebula Noodle Salad again but this time I asked them to hold the chicken and add extra edamame. I can only hope I'm lucky enough to get a chance to order this winner again in the future.
Angry Dog[/caption]
It’s described as a spicy All-Beef Hot Dog with a small bag of "Hot Fries". The “hot fries” are just a bag of spicy puffed snacks, which is kind of a disappointment. Sidney liked the flavor of the hot dog. She described the spiciness as similar to a pepperoni stick. I think the real fun lies in the condiment selection. You can choose Keeping It Together (Ketchup), Displeased (Yellow Mustard), Agitated (Brown Mustard), and Seething (Sriracha Ketchup). None were too spicy for Sidney and she would order this again.
The Pacific Wharf in DCA is essentially a food court consisting of: Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill, Lucky Fortune Cookery, Pacific Wharf Cafe, Ghirardelli, The Pacific Wharf Distribution Co. beer truck, and Rita's Baja Blenders (frozen margaritas, both with and without alcohol). It’s been our go-to for family meals because there’s something for everyone.
[caption id="attachment_2909" align="alignleft" width="260"]
Street Tacos Plate with Potato Cakes[/caption]
Although I normally opt for Lucky Fortune Cookery, I noticed Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill has a new menu so I decided to take a chance. With a goal of eating light to save room for ice cream later, I ordered two meals to split between three of us. I started with the $12.49 Street Tacos Plate with Potato Cakes, which was adorably plated to look like a Mickey. Potato cakes in a taco were a novelty to us. They were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, but nothing special flavor wise. My husband and daughter thought melty cheese inside would have made the the potato cakes feel more like an entree. The side of the rice and beans did make the meal more substantial as the three tacos were small.
[caption id="attachment_2910" align="alignright" width="200"]
Cocina Bowl with citrus-marinated chicken[/caption]
We also tried the $12.49 Cocina Bowl with citrus-marinated chicken, which consisted of chicken, cilantro-lime rice, epazote black beans, queso fresco, roasted corn, cucumber-tomato slaw (I ordered without the queso fresco). Surprisingly, it was not served in a bowl, rather on a plate side by side and seemed like it was a far smaller serving than, say, the bowls across the way at Lucky Fortune Cookery. The chicken had the consistency of chicken you find in canned soup with no hint of citrus. The roasted corn and the cucumber slaw was refreshing but too heavy on the onions for my taste. The rice and beans were fine and offered a nice base for the other ingredients.
Although tasty enough, neither meal was a great value compared to the previous Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill menu. I hope Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill continues to update their menu until they get it right. I look forward to giving them another shot.
[caption id="attachment_2931" align="alignleft" width="276"]
Tortitas de Papa Con Queso[/caption]
Paradise Garden Grill in the Paradise Gardens Park area of DCA is usually Mediterranean food but it has been temporarily themed with a special menu in honor of Coco. My husband and daughter split the $11.99 Tortitas de Papa Con Queso. This consisted of two medium size crispy mashed potato cakes filled with gooey cheese, served on a bed of rice, topped with smoky flavored salsa, and more cheese. This is how we wished the Cocina Cucamonga potato cakes had tasted. The pickled onion salad was a heaping serving of iceberg lettuce, two thick slices of tomato, and a pile of pickled onions. We all agreed there should have been less lettuce and wish it came with black beans but we would order this again.
[caption id="attachment_2932" align="alignright" width="285"]
Yucatan-inspired Vaporcitos[/caption]
I ordered the $11.99 Yucatan-inspired Vaporcitos, which is a generous chicken tamale with a side of rice and black beans (normally comes with cheese on the beans, I ordered without). It was large enough that I couldn’t finish and wound up sharing some with my husband. The tamale had a good ratio of masa to filling. The filling was shredded chicken, onions, and tomatoes. The rice and beans were basic but good and it came with a side of smoky salsa. All the flavors complemented each other well. I would absolutely order this again but I'll have to hurry- the Disneyland website indicates this menu will only be available through November 4, 2018.
[caption id="attachment_2906" align="alignleft" width="225"]
Pizza Planet![/caption]
In Disneyland I had to stop by Alien Pizza Planet (formerly Pizza Port) in Tomorrowland. The name change is about twenty years overdue. Once you've seen Toy Story, Pizza Planet is the only name that makes sense so I hope they don't revert back to the former name. If I remember correctly, the EarzUp! gang is with me on this one.
[caption id="attachment_2907" align="alignright" width="180"]
Mozz-114 Cheese Pizza[/caption]
My son, who has never met a cheese pizza he doesn't like, ordered the $7.49 Mozz-114 Cheese Pizza - Slice. He thought it tasted like Little Caesars and the crust was better than he remembered from previous visits. I think most little kids would be happy with this pizza, both in terms of taste and size. However, one slice was not filling enough for my 21 year old boy so he wound up ordering a second slice.
I ordered the $10.49 Nebula Noodle Salad which was described as grilled chicken breast, edamame, green beans, mint, cilantro, red cabbage, shredded carrot, and cold soba noodles in a ginger-lime vinaigrette.
[caption id="attachment_2908" align="alignleft" width="199"]
Nebula Noodle Salad[/caption]
The chicken tasted pre-packaged, which I don’t care for so I ate around it. Otherwise, this salad was delightful. The green beans were crunchy, the noodles were the right size and consistency to get some in each bite, the cabbage and carrots were slightly softened so they weren’t too chewy. The dressing had a tangy flavor, and there was a spice mixture sprinkled on top that tasted like seaweed and sesame seeds and went perfectly with the edamame. It was light enough that I felt ready to run around the parks right after eating.
I went back to Alien Pizza Planet a different day and ordered the Nebula Noodle Salad again but this time I asked them to hold the chicken and add extra edamame. I can only hope I'm lucky enough to get a chance to order this winner again in the future.