The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (234 page)

             
Welcome to the
Plaza Inn
, a
Main Street
landmark (it began life as the
Red Wagon Inn
) and one of
Walt
’s favorite places to dine.  They still fry and season the chicken here, so it’s succulent and crispy.  (Kids’ meals feature a healthier, but still tasty,
baked
chicken leg.)  Three generous pieces of chicken, a mountain of mashed potatoes, gravy, and heaping helpings of vegetables like seemingly bottomless green beans—it’s a flashback feast amid lovely Victorian surroundings.


        
Gumbo
(
DL
)

             
Welcome to the bayou, y’all!  Nothing says you’ve reached
New Orleans Square
(or
N’awlins
Square
) more clearly than the fragrance of gumbo drifting over the district.  Brewed up with that
Disney magic
touch in the square’s underground kitchens, gumbo is ladled into fresh, chewy, sourdough bread bowls and served piping hot.  Gumbo is not just a southern dish, it’s specifically a Louisiana dish.  It’s not only a wildly varied blend of ingredients, it’s a cultural mélange containing elements from African, European, South American, and Native American cuisine.  Fish, meat, veggies, spices, and rice are all (potential) components of this rich dish.  Yankees, prepare to be amazed (and instantly addicted) if this is your first taste of gumbo.  Guest with special requirements (vegetarian or kosher, e.g.) should check with servers before diving into this meal.


        
Kebabs
(
DCA
)

             
A Mediterranean and Middle Eastern specialty, kebabs are bits of roasted meat and/or vegatables often served (as they are at
Paradise Pier
’s
Paradise Garden Grill
) on skewers for portability and ease of eating.  Guests can order beef, chicken, steak, tofu, or veggie kebabs, all of which are served with your choice of sauce and cucumber salad, pita bread, and rice pilaf.  Kids’ selections include beef and chicken skewers.  Grab a kebab and relax in the surrounding garden where you’ll often find bands playing, or nosh while you stroll the boardwalk.


        
Macque Choux
(
DL
)

             
This vegetarian dish is a classic Louisiana specialty, a blend of French and Native American influences.  Vegetables such as corn, tomatoes, and peppers are cooked and seasoned to produce macque choux.  The
Blue Bayou
’s version is a vegan
Portobello Mushroom and Couscous Macque Choux
, a delicious selection for vegans and vegetarians, and even for adventurous paleos.


        
Monte Cristo Sandwiches
(
DL
)

             
Available at the
Blue Bayou
and
Café Orleans
,
Disneyland
’s
Monte Cristo Sandwiches
are legendary.  A toothsome feast for meat-lovers and cheese-lovers.  Slices of ham, turkey, and cheese are batter-fried and paired with a fruit sauce.  Vegetarian?  No problem.  The
Three Cheese Monte Cristo
(mozzarella, Swiss, brie) at
Café Orleans
does away with the meat while remaining sublimely tasty.  Around the holidays, look for poppable
Merry Monte Cristo Bites
at
Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree
.


        
Tri-Tip Sliders
(
DCA
)

             
A source who prefers to remain anonymous put me onto the
Cove Bar
’s
Tri-Tip Sliders
, with one caveat:  You might get a funny look (and a long delay) if you request ketchup with this dish.  The
Disneyland
website describes the sliders as “ultra-tasty bar bites” and Guests by and large seem to agree that they’re ultra-tasty.  Rubbed with pepper and served on toasted brioche with onions and “Mojo Criollo Sauce” (garlic sauce), the sliders present a nice balance of savory and zesty flavors and tender and crunchy textures.  Slide into flavor!

Beverages

              [An asterisk (*) next to a beverage name means that the drink, or at least one version of the drink, contains alcohol and is only for Guests 21 years of age and older.]


        
Boysen Apple Freezes
(
DL
)

             
Playing on the phrase “poison apple” (a key element of the
Snow White
tale),
Boysen Apple Freezes
aren’t toxic but they’re hypnotically addictive.  Pick one up for (practically) a song at
Maurice’s Treats
in
Fantasy Faire
.  Frozen apple juice is injected with wild berry juice for a blood-curdling effect, and crowned by fruity foam that simulates the poisonous vapor of the
Wicked Queen
’s elixir.  For a few additional dollars, purchase this unique new treat in a
Princess Goblet
or
Beast
Stein
that the kids can wash out and take home—instant souvenir.  Naysayers remark on a “medicinal” quality to the drink, but
Boysen Apple Freeze
fans say its novel flavors make an effective thirst-quencher on a hot day when you’re watching the show or waiting in line to meet the princesses.


        
Croquet Tinis*
(
DCA
)

             
Order these madly popular, rather expensive cocktails at the
Mad T Party
to assist you in your journey down the rabbit hole.  (Purchasers must be 21, with a valid ID, and there’s a limit of two per person to keep the
T Party
from devolving into sheer lunacy.)  Order these insanely fun drinks at
Drink Me
or the
House of Cards Lounge
and savor the
Underland
twist on the Cosmopolitan (a vodka martini with cranberry juice and lime).  The martini glasses glow and change colors—one reason for their steep price tag—adding to the mad spectacle and fun.


        
Dole Whip Floats
(
DL
)

             
Prepare for adventure with one of
Disneyland
’s most beloved and requesting quaffs!  This treat is sold outside the
Enchanted Tiki Room
, at the very gate to
Adventureland
.  Servers combine creamy
Dole Whip
(pineapple soft-serve) with a glass of pineapple juice, and add a cherry skewered on a pretty little paper umbrella.  Be sure to grab a spoon as well as straw to fully enjoy this refreshing treat.  Lines are usually long, and well worth the wait.  During one visit, the author’s niece missed a chance to get a
Mint Julep
because we had to wait in a long, long line for the author’s
Dole Whip Float
. 
Dole Whip Floats
are perennially popular
Disneyland
treats that have inspired a T shirt avaible at nearby
Adventureland
shops.  Float away to a South Seas paradise!


        
Ghirardelli Chocolate Shots*
(
DCA
)

             
Belly up to the
Cove Bar
—not
Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop
—to try these potent but sweet shots paired with “alcohol-infused strawberries”.  Drink responsibly, and enjoy the
Cove Bar
’s magical views—especially during
World of Color
shows.


        
Karl Strauss Beers*
(
DCA
)

             
A beer cart at
Pacific Wharf
, a beer stand at
Paradise Pier
, and restaurants throughout
DCA
all serve
Karl Strauss
California brews.  Hand-crafted and a cut above the average beer,
Karl Strauss
brews are populare with Guests, and make a fine accompaniment for
DCA
’s California cuisine.  A source who prefers to remain anonymous recommends the
Red Trolley Ale
.


        
Milk Shakes
(
DCA
)

             
Nothing says “vacation” or “road trip” like an old-time milk shake, and no one crafts milk shakes like the
Taste Pilots’ Grill
and
Flo’s V8 Café
.  Select chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry and prepare to delight your taste buds with shakes thick enough to stand your plastic spoon up in them. 
Flo’s V8 Café
tops its shakes with tasty candy bits, and the
Taste Pilots’ Grill
caps their shakes with
Matterhorn
-sized mountains of whipped cream.  A nostalgic summertime joy any season you visit.


        
Mint Juleps
(
DL
)

             
One of
New Orleans Square
’s many hidden treasures, the
Mint Julep Bar
serves sodas, juices, and coffees, but its specialty is
Disneyland
’s non-alcoholic
Mint Julep
.  Love-at-first-taste for some Guests, and an acquired taste for others, the
Mint Julep
has a distinctive mélange of flavors like nothing you’ve tried before.  The secret of a top-class
Disneyland Mint Julep
includes club soda, crème de menthe, lemonade, and lime juice, with lots of sugar and ice, all garnished with cherries, pineapple, and mint leaves.  (Real mint juleps contain bourbon.)  The absinthe-green result looks like something Kentucky ladies gentlemen would drink by the barrel on shaded porches on hot Southern days.  You can drink it by the glass at the
Blue Bayou
,
Café Orleans
,
French Market
, or
Mint Julep Bar
.


        
Nob Hill Chills
(
DCA
)

             
As an unashamed chocoholic, the author has consumed many a chocolate beverage, but never anything quite like the unique—yet simple—
Nob Hill Chill
at
Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop
.  (
Ghirardelli
is of San Francisco origin and Nob Hill is one of San Francisco’s elite neighborhoods; the chill, one assumes, is a reference to Nob Hill frostiness.)  The
Nob Hill Chill
is a rich chocolate shake liberally infused with
hot fudge
and topped with chocolate chips.  Finally, someone asked “Why should sundaes have all the fun?” and decided that shakes need hot fudge too!  Turns out milk shakes and hot fudge are a powerful combination. 
Ghirardelli
’s hot fudge is fresh, and the contrast of the satiny fudge with the thick shake, the warm fudge with the cold ice cream, is to-die-for.  Get a straw, get a spoon, get whole bunch of napkins, and get to
Ghirardelli
at
Pacific Wharf
for a
Nob Hill Chill
.


        
PB&J Sodas
(
DL
)

             
One of the pleasant surprises at
Carnation Café
on
Main Street
, the
PB&J Soda
is a palette-pleaser for young and old alike.  This nostalgic drink reminds Guests of their best childhood memories while they create new memories at
the happiest place on earth
.


        
Pimms Punch*
(
DCA
)