Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival 2018 - Review

The boyfriend and I definitely partook in DCA's Food and Wine Fest - although we didn't post much about it. :( I know, I'm sorry, but life has been a bit hectic recently... I've decided to go back to school (post-bacc) full time for a bit, which means that I won't be working and that has it's own trials and tribulations. It's great to do something I want to do though, and I have the most supportive man by my side.

Still, I'm sure that's not really why you're here. I'll cut to the chase, here are some pictures and thoughts on the Food and Wine Festival food (which we like less than the festival of holidays - but still enjoyed!).

We tried the: Avocado & Pepper Jack Petite Guacamole Burger, Avocado Ice Cream Bar, Grilled Harris Ranch Beef Tenderloin Slider with Chimichurri Sauce, Salt & Beer Vinegar Parmesan Chicken Wings, Creamy Mac & Cheese with Garlic Bread Crumble, Black Garlic Soy-Braised Pork Belly Banh Mi, Fried Artichoke Carbonara with Garlic Aioli and Smoked Bacon, Bourbon Chocolate Whoopie Pie, Chicken Teriyaki Slider with Spicy Dole Pineapple Jam, Korean Barbecue Beef Short Rib Tacos with Kimchi Slaw, Mexican Chocolate Custard, Mango Agua Fresca, Spanish Red Sangria, Sweet Corn Nuggets with Beef Chili, Shrimp Boil Tacos with Andouille Sausage and Fresh Corn, Jalapeño Popper Mac & Cheese with Bacon, Verlasso Sustainable Salmon Peruvian Poke, Large Soft Pretzel with Beer-Mustard Dipping Sauce, Beer-Braised Pork Tacos with Pickled Apple Slaw, Black Beans, and Queso, Beet Kombucha Sangria, Festival Punch with Pineapple and Guava Juices, and Salted Caramel Budino with Vanilla Bean Chantilly Cream.

Disclaimer: This was over multiple trips O.O, I swear!

FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL FOODS

Avocado & Pepper Jack Petite Guacamole Burger:

This was essentially the same thing that you could get from most hipster restaurants for their slider appetizer, tasty, small, and overpriced. Still, the boyfriend thought the meat was well seasoned and moist. 4.0/5 Stars.

Avocado Ice Cream Bar:

I'm honestly not a huge avocado fan. It's a sin, I've been told. Yet, I insisted on purchases an Avocado Ice Cream Bar. Maybe it was just the extreme heat getting to my head that day, but I did enjoy it. I tasted like frozen milk and avocado - which is what I suppose you would imagine it to taste like. However, the texture was so creamy (but not exceedingly melty) and made for a nice treat on a hot day. 4.5/5 Stars.

Grilled Harris Ranch Beef Tenderloin Slider with Chimichurri Sauce:

I like sliders! I think they're cute - I don't think they're uber special, however I do like them. This meat was so tender, I would have loved a burger like this (though the piece was a bit fatty where I would imagine a burger wouldn't be quite as appealing. This is what I expect out of a slider, a hugely tender and fatty morsel that makes you want more even when you know you shouldn't. 4.6/5 Stars.

Salt & Beer Vinegar Parmesan Chicken Wings:

These were good, not too special though. I'm glad they were crisp, but I didn't think they were particularly more or less appetizing than any other salt and vinegar parmesan chicken wing I've had. 3.5/5 Stars.

Creamy Mac & Cheese with Garlic Bread Crumble:

This was delicious! We actually tried it twice and it was better the second time around when it was served a bit warmer. It was oozing with garlic and goodness. Though, I could really only get a few bites in because of how strong it was. I suppose that's why these are served in their small portions. 4.3/5 Stars

Black Garlic Soy-Braised Pork Belly Banh Mi:

I have never been disappointed with Disney Pork Belly. Pork Belly is so decadent and self indulgent. It's delicious. In Banh Mi form, even more so. 5/5 Stars.

Fried Artichoke Carbonara with Garlic Aioli and Smoked Bacon:

I didn't really like this one, though the boyfriend thought it was pretty good (ironic, considering I'm the once who actually likes artichokes). I'm typically meh about most breaded/fried foods. I didn't get enough artichoke and instead got oil and breading. I thought the aioli and bacon were good, but I was disappointed in the highly anticipated artichoke of the dish. 2.7/5 Stars

Bourbon Chocolate Whoopie Pie:

I adore most everything Disney makes in this form factor, be it macaroons, Whoopie pies, cookie sandwiches, etc. But I do have a sweet tooth. The dessert was moist and had a depth of flavor outside of just chocolate. 4.4/5 Stars

Chicken Teriyaki Slider with Spicy Dole Pineapple Jam:

I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not a pineapple burger type person typically but I thought the spicy jam was delicious and paired really well with the chicken. This was a dark horse and one of my favorites from the festival. 4.7/5 Stars.

Korean Barbecue Beef Short Rib Tacos with Kimchi Slaw:

Frankly, I was disappointed. I mean, these were tasty, but I've seen Disney make better tacos, and do better with KBBQ theme. This seemed like a crowd pleaser cop out that was neither very original or different in flavor. Short answer, this was basic. Maybe I'm being too harsh though, they tasted good. 4.0/5 Stars.

Mexican Chocolate Custard:

This was super chocolatey, creamy, and delicious. Also, it made the Mexican boyfriend happy. He's not much of a dessert eater, but he said this was one of his favorite things. 4.6/5 Stars.

Mango Agua Fresca:

Again, this was a fast favorite for me and the boyfriend. Legit, we got 4 of these in total over the course of our trips. Yum! This is essentially liquid mango, what more can you expect from it? Also, sporting that souvenir cup for only a few dollars more! 4.8/5 Stars

Spanish Red Sangria:

I like Sangria and I don't drink enough to tell much of a difference between them. It was good. I wish I had more to offer you. xD 4.2/5 Stars

Sweet Corn Nuggets with Beef Chili:

I believe this is a return item for the festival, and for good reason. I love chili. I can't make a chili for crap, but I love eating it. This fulfilled that chili craving for me! 4.4/5 Stars

Shrimp Boil Tacos with Andouille Sausage and Fresh Corn:

Did I say the Banh Mi was my favorite? I think I have to take it back and place that here instead. Goodness these were delicious, I loved everything about them. The seasoning was so on point and had all the right flavors. I felt like I was at a Cajun boil restaurant while eating these. These were so much better than I anticipated. 5/5 Stars

Jalapeño Popper Mac & Cheese with Bacon:

This was behind the garlic Mac and Cheese for me to be honest. The boyfriend did enjoy it though and appreciated that it had a bit of a kick to it. I had to go buy us waters to get through it - and we eat spicy food all the time. It was a nice deviation from typical food offerings. 4.1/5 Stars

Verlasso Sustainable Salmon Peruvian Poke:

Honestly, I was so full by the time I tried the Poke that I feel like I didn't get to appreciate it much. It tasted very fresh and well seasoned, but my heart wasn't in it. I barely got it down. However, two different people came up to me while I was eating it and inquire about where to get it, so I suppose it looked very tasty or I looked like I was enjoying it! 4.2/5 Stars.

This last batch I didn't get pictures of but wanted to shout out:

Large Soft Pretzel with Beer-Mustard Dipping Sauce: I LOVED the beer-mustard sauce. The soft pretzel was standard - but I love mustard and would seriously just buy this mustard off the shelf if I could. It was strong and really cleared those nasal passages! 4.8/5 Stars.

Beer-Braised Pork Tacos with Pickled Apple Slaw, Black Beans, and Queso: The slaw, beans, and quest were quite good and I would love to see more of in other dishes they create. However, I thought the tacos were a bit underwhelming. There was no noticeable beer-braised taste, and albeit tender, they weren't special. 3.8/5 Stars.

Beet Kombucha Sangria: I wanted to play hipster and cool and try this. I actually really liked it. It was one of those "dangerous" drinks that you can't tell there is alcohol in it. It just tasted fruity and fantastic. I'd be so down to buy this bottled. 4.9/5 Stars.

Festival Punch with Pineapple and Guava Juices: I like Guava and the boyfriend likes Pineapple, this was a refreshing drink for both of us - especially because the Mango Agua Fresca line was long. 4.4/5 Stars.

Salted Caramel Budino with Vanilla Bean Chantilly Cream: This was heavenly. Probably the dessert I liked best from the festival - I was pleased over and over again with each bite. 5/5 Stars.

Finally, I also tried the DCA Rose Gold Macaron now on sale. This treat is gorgeous, I barely even wanted to eat it, I just wanted to save it. To be honest, I didn't actually like it very much. It had some seasoning in the filling that I can't quite put my finger on. However, neither me or the boyfriend really liked it. We didn't finish it. Still, I appreciate the beauty in it!

Disney, FoodKimberly YoungerApril 22, 2018Disney California Adventure Parkdisney california adventure, disney pass, food and wine festival, 2018Comment