Carthay Circle, located in Disney's California Adventure, is a restaurant that many overlook. The outside of the building is a replica of the theater where Snow White premiered. It's not flashy, and blends in nicely with the surrounding architecture.
As you enter, you are quickly approached by cast members in suits and formal attire. You check in at the front desk, then take a seat in one of the many leather chairs in the lounge area. The lighting is subdued, drinks are available for purchase if you are so inclined and it's quiet. I immediately felt relaxed and looked forward to a slower than Disney paced dining experience.
When our table was ready, we were ushered to the upstairs dining area. We were quickly served some ice cold water, our drink order was taken and we were looking over our menu. Since we had opted for the Frozen lunch package, we didn't have a lot of choices, other than our main dish.
Honestly, I felt a bit like an uncultured buffoon. I had to look over the menu later to even know what I had eaten. But it was tasty!
The meal began with warm bread. We then had what appeared to be small, round bread balls with lingonberry jam. I wasn't really sure how to approach this. It seemed I had more jam than bread. And how do you get jam to stick to a small, round surface? I did my best.
We then had a small portion of soup and a salad. Both were so tasty. Again, I'm not entirely sure what was in either. The salad had a spring mix feel to it, with tomatoes, spinach and a vinaigrette dressing.
For our main entree, we both went with the beef. It was so, so yummy! It was herb crusted, with a blue cheese risotto. It sat upon some unique potatoes. There might have been a vegetable or two, but I was caught up in the steak.
The meal ended with "Olaf's Dream Summer Vacation". It was so cute, I felt a bit guilty digging in. But once I realized it was a cream puff, with chocolate sauce and a white chocolate Olaf head, I dug in. I even ate his chocolate arms. Who knew a snowman could be so tasty?
If you can afford around $100 a person, I highly recommend this dining experience. I felt pampered and well taken care of, and the food was amazing.
The dining package included passes that put us on the front row for the Frozen show. Even on a day when the park was not crowded, folks were lined up for this show hours before it started. I think the value of not having to wait in line for that long factors into this package. For me, it was worth every penny!
Our second splurge was the Fantasmic! package at the Blue Bayou. Have you ever been on the Pirates ride? Well, you surely noticed the restaurant on the right side as the ride begins. That's Blue Bayou.
Again, we were well taken care of. We checked in, and within minutes were seated.
My only complaint is with my old man eyes I could not read the menu! It's pretty dark in there. I had to take out my phone so I knew what I was ordering. Trust me, no other complaints!
We started off with breads. I believe we had sourdough and some sort of cornbread. For starters, we chose between soup and salad. I chose the New Orleans Gumbo. I would have been happy if the meal had just been a huge bowl of it. Chicken, sausage, spices and white rice all combined for a tasty warm-up for the taste buds.
For my entree, I chose the portobello mushroom. It was served on a bed of Louisiana popcorn rice. It was spicy, but not uncomfortable. I was very full by the time I polished it off. Again, I'm pretty sure there were vegetables, but it was dark....
The dessert was "Sorcerer Mickey Fantasmic Dessert". Milk chocolate mouse with a chocolate glaze. It was great!
The meal came with a cushion for watching the show. We lined up at 8 pm for the 9 pm showing. We were pretty far back in the line, but still ended up with great spots, smack dab in the middle. By the way, the new Fantasmic! is incredible!
Just as an FYI, the dining package seating went in three waves. First, they positioned the Riverbelle terrace folks to the right of the show. Blue Bayou was then put in place front and center. Lastly, the Hungry Bear crowd was placed to the left. Those poor souls didn't have cushions.
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