I have loved the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival these last two years. It’s such a wonderful time to try some of the most delicious culinary experiments! While last year’s offerings were generally underwhelming to me, this year’s were OFF THE CHARTS!
Before I give you a quick rundown of my absolute favorite items, I wanted to do a quick plug for the Annual Passholder Food & Wine Fest “Sip and Savor” Pass. Basically for $45 you get a lanyard with 8 tabs that are redeemable at any of the booths participating in the Food & Wine Festival. This is a great deal if you’re going to be trying premium food items which usually come in around $7-8 per item. That’s a cost savings of about $2 per order on select food items! (Heck, I’ll take every cost-savings I can while I’m at Disneyland. :P) Unfortunately you cannot redeem your Sip and Savor tabs for alcoholic beverages but you can use them for non-alcoholic ones. You can purchase your Sip and Savor pass over by the AP Corner in Paradise Pier.
Now, on to my top picks from this year’s festival!
I tried a lot this year and rather than writing a review of everything I tried, I wanted to get right to the good stuff. Below are the items I would highly recommend for everyone and things I’ll definitely be getting again:
1. French Onion Mac & Cheese – The Onion Liar
Oh my goodness, this mac & cheese nearly killed me with its goodness. Mac & cheese and French Onion soup are two of my favorite items on any menu. Putting them together was just pure genius to me. There is a parmesan crumble on top as well as chives. Of the two mac & cheese offerings at this year’s fest, this one is my favorite hands down. (I would actually recommend NOT getting the bacon mac & cheese as it tasted like Velveeta with bacon bits thrown on top).
2. Milk Chocolate Sourdough Bread Pudding – Sweet and Sourdough
This was by far my favorite sweet treat (even more than the lemon macaroon which was also very yummy). The bread pudding is baked to perfection and really melts in your mouth. The chocolate is a nice additional flavor but not too overwhelming. And finally, the drizzle of vanilla bean sauce is the pure heaven!
3. Mimosa Flight – Uncork California
I loved this little taster at Uncork California. It comes with a pear, apricot, and mango mimosa and the juices are so fresh I swear they’re fresh squeezed! This is a true taster (meaning that the pours are very small) so I recommend trying all 3 for the $16 price point and then ordering a full glass of your favorite after.
4. Fried Artichokes Carbonara – I Heart Artichokes
I’ve never been particularly partial to artichokes. I don’t hate them but they’re definitely not my favorite. All that said, I Heart Artichokes has made me fall in love with this little underrated vegetable! The fried artichokes are topped with bacon and drizzles with a garlic aioli. It was pure heaven.
BONUS: Ballast Point Brewing Company Sculpin IPA
Living in Los Angeles there aren’t many places I can get this on tap without driving pretty far so seeing this beer at the California Craft Beers booth was such a pleasant surprise. This is probably my all time favorite IPA.
