DISNEY'S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE: A Touch of Disney Food Festival 2021
Recently, my family and I had enjoyed a day at the Disneyland Resort, where we attended the A Touch of Disney Food Festival at the Disney's California Adventure theme park. Below is a selection (in alphabetical order) of the food and drinks I had enjoyed at the festival:
DISNEY'S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE: A TOUCH OF DISNEY FOOD FESTIVAL 2021
Chicken Gumbo - This is a Louisiana-style stew with chicken, Tasso ham, Andouille sausage, and vegetables. Louisiana natives might find this delicious stew a little more acceptable, but I found it a bit too salty for my tastes.
Grilled Beef Tenderloin Slider - A sandwich sample with grilled beef tenderloin, picked onions and chimichurri. The beef proved to be very tender, but lacked any flavor. Unfortunately for me, the pickled onions and chimichurri was not enough.
Impossible Cheeseburger Mac ‘n Cheese - This dish proved to be a very pleasant surprise for me, considering I usually dislike the mixture of macaroni and cheese with any form of meat, aside from seafood. The macaroni and cheese proved to be solid, but the addition of the Impossible ground meat and special burger sauce really made it enjoyable for me.
Strawberry-Rose Lemonade - Although I found this drink delicious, I also thought it was a bit too sweet. The addition of rose petals sprinkled on top was . . . interesting.
One-Half Monte Cristo Sandwich - This popular dish is a sandwich that consists of sliced turkey, ham and swiss, deep fried in a light batter, dusted with powdered sugar and served with berry purée. It is one of favorite Disney Park food selections of all time. Although it is usually served in New Orleans Square at Disneyland, it originated in California.
Pork Belly Banh Mi - This variation of the Vietnamese sandwich consists of marinated and grilled pork belly, pickled daikon, carrots, sliced cucumber, jalapeño, cilantro and seasoned mayonnaise and served in a French baguette. Considering my last encounter with pork belly at a Disney park (Walt Disney World's EPCOT), I had doubts I would enjoy this. The sandwich, thanks to the well-seasoned pork belly, proved to be one of my favorite selections at the festival.
Sweet-and-Spicy Chicken Wings - I really enjoyed this selection of deep fried chicken wings (no batter) with a honey glaze and black sesame seeds spread over them. The dish is served with Togarashi aïoli on the side, but I found the latter bland and unnecessary. The honey glaze provided enough flavor for the chicken.
Walt's Chili - I have always been a fan of the Disneyland Chili, but I did not expect to enjoy this variation with cheese, sour cream, green onions and beef chunks, instead of ground beef. A tad salty, but very enjoyable.
Watermelon Agua Fresca - This drink was surprisingly not that sweet. And yet . . . I really enjoyed. Despite the fact that my family and I had attended the festival on a cool day with overcast skies, this drink with watermelon juice and touches of lime proved to be very refreshing and enjoyable.
Did anyone else attend?