Hungry Bear Leads to a Happy Bear!

The MountainEars getting ready
to enter the Hungry Bear!

The Hungry Bear quick service restaurant at Disneyland Park is a recently renovated counter service eatery located in Critter Country.  Critter Country houses such famous attractions as Splash Mountain, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and much more. 

This eatery is located right off the Fastpass return area for Splash Mountain.  It has a great view of the Rivers of America which houses attractions for both Critter Country and Frontierland - which always leads to a fun time trying to figure out which attractions belong in which area of the park - I'll give you a hint, Critter Country only has around 1-2, Frontierland has the rest ;)

As you would expect from any quick service eatery in Disneyland, there was nothing spectacular about the service, other than you order your food from a kiosk and pick up your food at the counter.  However, the service seemed quicker than usual, and we're thinking its because this eatery is a little hidden, which we didn't mind!  Also the Cast Members were more than generous to give out extra cups of water (which are free and consist of filtered water BTW) which was a nice perk!  

Also as you would expect from any quick service eatery in Disneyland, once you have grab your food you grab yourself a seat, however this is where things change...  

Sailing Ship Columbia getting ready to
float by the Hungry Bear dinning area!

Sailing Ship Columbia floating by
the Hungry Bear dinning area!

There is both an upstairs and a downstairs dinning area, with tons of seating and not tons people! We went downstairs and sat right next to the Rivers of America and saw Canoe Paddlers from Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes exploring the rivers manually, and sailors exploring the rivers not so manually on both the Sailing Ship Columbia and Mark Twain's Riverboat (PS we recommend trying Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes, they're cute and fun, just don't sit behind two kids who have no idea how to paddle unless you want to really "experience" the rivers)!   We also saw people exploring the Pirates Liar at Tom Sawyer's Island, people walking into New Orleans Square and people using the hidden bathrooms next to us which are great because less people use them!  Overall this is GREAT people viewing area with a nice quite atmosphere - and we highly recommend it!

Ducks near the Hungry Bear
dinning area!

We also saw a few ducks both in the rivers and in the dinning area with us, which was cute and nice!

And as you would expect from any quick service eatery, plating is nothing spectacular, other than being served your food in a basket.  However this is where things change again...  

The food looked exactly what it looked like it the picture - WHICH NEVER HAPPENS!  Of course we know Disney isn't like McDonalds or Burger King in that their food for the most part looks exactly like it is pictured or as you would expect.  However this was picture perfect.  

From left: Fried Green Tomato Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries,
and Ham Sandwich with Strawberry Pie

And as you WOULDN'T expect for any quick service eatery, the taste is AMAZING!  I (Danny!) got a Fried Green Tomato Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries (to share) and Jaime got a Ham Sandwich and a Strawberry Pie (to share).  Both were elegant!  The Sweet Potato Fries were fresh and warm and the Fried Green Tomato sandwich made me enjoy fried green tomatoes from when I was a kid and my southern neighbors Kathleen and Adeline would cook friend green tomatoes for me.  They were fresh and sweet.  Crispy and warm.  Tasty and savory.  And overall great! The pie was sweet and also fresh, which again is GREAT to have mid summer! Jaime really enjoyed her sandwich. She remarked that the wheat bread was hearty and a great quality and the meat was very tasty. She normally does not get any sort of condiments like mayonnaise on her sandwiches (this one included) and liked that she could really taste the nuttiness of the bread and the sweet and saltiness of the meat. The pie was so delightful! We opted for the seasonal pie since it was summer and we really enjoy fresh berries. The whipped cream was light and sweet, the berries were tart and plump and the crust was tender and just the right thickness. Overall, even though it was a small pie it was a great size to share and not too heavy for the middle of a hot day.

Overall, if you can't tell - we highly recommend this quick service eatery for its uniqueness in quick services dinning location, atmosphere.

Taste: 8/10

Originality: 5/5

Plating: 4/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Service: 5/5

OVERALL: 27/30

1900 Park Fare: A Photographic Recap

A highlight of our trip that I think we can all agree upon was our visit to the 1900 Park Fare restaurant located in the Grand Floridian Hotel. While the restaurant itself gets hit or miss ratings we were all very pleased with our food, service, and of course the characters! We arrived for a later dinner with Cinderella, Prince Charming and the step family. Danny will do a more in-depth review of the food later on, but I couldn’t wait to share this great story!

 Upon arrival to the Grand Floridian we were treated to a picture in from of the castle. This seems to be the only group shot we managed all trip! We were seated in the main dining area directly adjacent to the buffet area and in full view of most of the restaurant. It was nice getting to see the characters interacting with other guests, dancing with the small children and being able to determine when they would be at our table.

Our first visitor was Prince Charming who gave Michael and Brice a little lesson on royal posture. He was nice, but a little dull. As Michael pointed out – how much personality can he really have given that he has about 10 minutes of screen time in Cinderella? Touché.  As you can see from the nice man accidentally photo-bombing on the right, we were quite close to the buffet area.

Next came Cinderella's step mother, Lady Tremaine, who was spot on! She made small talk with Danny about his shirt featuring Maleficent. She was very snarky and true to her character. It is very refreshing to get to interact with the characters that can speak back and not just pantomime.

Following her mother, as usual, came Drizella who was instantly smitten with a certain someone. Not only did she insist on extra pictures but kept making eyes at Jed all night from across the room! No further explanation necessary! Just enjoy the awkward.

 Not too long after, we got a visit from Anastasia who was in for a surprise! Danny decided the time was right to once again awkwardly present someone with a ring. Not me. It was nice getting to watch this little moment as he used very similar rings. Her reaction came with screaming, jumping and frantically calling her mother over to witness, unlike my quite awkwardness.


 Anastasia of course said yes and seemed quite delighted! Like any true lady would, she gave Danny back his ring to be sized before the big day. She even left an extra sweet little note in Danny's autograph book stating that she was his true love. How sweet. The otherwise perfect moment was only marred by the poor Drizella who felt scorned by her sweetheart. Being the gentleman that he is, Jed promptly went over to make things right and explained that he would have asked but still needs to get a ring.


 


Do you see pouty Drizella in the background? Looks like someone needs to make an apology.

 

Last but not least came Cinderella herself. It was unanimously decided that the sweet characters are nowhere as fun as the naughty ones! We took a few pictures with Cindy and called it a night.

If you are debating going to the 1900 Park Fare, I say, do it! The hotel is stunning and worth a visit in itself but the food was surprisingly good and the interactions we had were hysterical! 

Carthay Circle Restaurant Review

Bar area in the main dining room
of the Carthay Circle Restaurant

With the recent overhaul of Disney California Adventure came a spectacularly themed new dining location for foodies and boozies alike. The Carthay Circle Restaurant is exquisitely themed after the venue where Walt Disney premiered “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” decades ago. On the main level of the building you will find a lounge serving a variety of food and drinks in addition to the restaurant check-in stand. Once checked in your host will escort you upstairs to the main restaurant. There is the main dining area, patio seating, and several smaller, private rooms. Alex, our server when we went in August, was very helpful in explaining the theming behind the rooms and pointing out all the little details that make a park Disney. For instance, in one of the smaller rooms there is a large table with an intricate stone base. The base was made to represent the wishing well in “Snow White” and rumor has it that John Lassiter himself had recently eaten at that very table. From the floor to the ceiling, the details of the Carthay Circle restaurant are breathtaking. But… the food is even better!

Danny and I had been drooling over the menu from the day the Disney Food Blog posted it and couldn’t wait for our trip to arrive.

We had debated over getting the Signature Fire Cracker Duck Wings or the Carthay House Biscuits for our starters. The wings are made with soy, lime, and Sriracha chili sauce whereas the biscuits are stuffed with white cheddar, bacon, and jalapeno. I’m sure you can see why this was such a debate. Lucky for us, the Carthay Circle threw us a curve ball when we were presented our table with a basket of warm sourdough bread and some butter. The decision to get the duck wings was then an easy one.

I am drooling a little thinking about how great these wings were. The Sriracha and soy was a wonderful compliment to the decadent, deep fried duck wings. It was a prefect balance of salt and spice. The wings were literally melting in our mouths. We especially appreciated the lime wedges as the hint of acid cut through the richness of the duck. This was a great portion to share but I wouldn’t say no to having this as an entrée in future trips.

Moving on to the entrees, I ordered the Strawberry-Lemond Roasted Organic Chicken Salad. The dish included jicama, haricot verts, upland cress and a buttermilk-lemon vinagrette. This is a wonderful, light, seasonal lunch. The greens were crisp with a great crunch and the chicken was very moist and juicy. The only thing I would change would be the dressing. I found the salad to be a little overdressed for my tastes but I think that was partly to blame for the fact that the dressing was so thin, which I wasn’t totally expecting; the dressing was, however, very flavorful and complimented the components of the dish well.

Danny’s lunch is something that I am still thinking about months later. He selected the Korean Pulled Pork Sandwich topped with Kimchi, Sriracha mayonnaise, a fried egg and cilantro; this also came with a side of fries. WOW! The pulled pork may have been the best I have ever had. As a fan of “traditional” barbequed pulled pork I really enjoyed the flavor profile of the sandwich a lot more than I thought I would have. The egg was expertly prepared and the runny yolk gave the meat an extra flavor dimension and some much needed richness to balance the Sriracha and kimchi. The fries came in their own little cup and were clearly a step above traditional park fries. Earlier I said I would consider getting the wings as an entrée, but that would only be if this sandwich is no longer offered. As much as I would like to go and try new things how could I knowing that this phenomenal dish is calling my name? Knowing that the Carthay Circle is prized for their wine collection, Danny wanted something to accompany his lunch. Once again, our server Alex was extremely helpful, talking through the available wines and what would go best with Danny’s meal. He ended up ordering the house chardonnay – this wine was sweet with notes of honey. Danny said that even though he enjoyed this wine, next time he would like to try something that has more of a California vibe such as a zinfandel.

Last but not least came time for dessert. Once again, the options were all mouth-watering. We selected the Toasted Lemon Pound Cake, with fresh blueberries, lemon curd and a Tahitian vanilla Chantilly. This was a taste of summer! The lemon pound cake was rich and sweet whereas the lemon curd was creamy and tart. I am a huge fan of the lemon-blueberry romance; taking a bite with a little of each component was heavenly. I don’t expect this to be on the menu come January during our next trip, a good thing since it will require me to try something new. I do hope, however, that it will be back next summer! If it is there when you go, which I hope you do, get it!

Hands down, our entire experience was outstanding. The ambiance, service, variety and food were second to none. For our dining reviews we are using a modified Iron Chef rating system which also includes overall ambiance and service since this isn’t a TV show where the chef will walk your dish over and explain things ;)

Taste: 10/10

Originality: 4/5

Plating: 4/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Service: 5/5

OVERALL: 28/30