This year's festival nearly doubles the number of marketplaces from last year's event, which marked the return of the festival to the Disneyland Resort after a five-year absence. The festival will offer food at 11 marketplaces this year, as well as taking over the menu at the Paradise Garden Grill, which now has become standard practice at DCA's festivals.
The marketplace themes this year will be ingredients rather than California geography, which should help fans navigate the many offerings. It makes sense for Disney to offer geographic marketplaces at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival that clearly inspired California Adventure's event — that's a natural extension of World Showcase's national pavilions. But in a state where every community has mashed up cuisine from the countless ethnic backgrounds of their residents, pavilion names such as "LA Style" and "By The Bay" told people nothing about what they served.
So here is the food line-up for this years festival, courtesy Disney:
Nuts About Cheese
Brie toast with fig and mint and roasted California almond crumble
Baked ham and Swiss cheese Croque Monsieur roll with smoked pistachios
Chevre fromage blanc tartine infused with rosemary and honey, topped with toasted hazelnuts
Almond milk tea with pudding
I Heart Artichokes
Artichoke carbonara with garlic aioli and smoked bacon
Grilled and chilled artichoke hearts with Romesco sauce
Creamy artichoke and dark chocolate cake pop
Orange iced tea with orange pearls
Garlic Kissed
Grilled beef tenderloin slider with chimichurri sauce
Black garlic soy-braised pork belly bao with pickled vegetables
Garlic-rosemary and avocado oil ice cream pop
Olive Us
Chilled Cioppino soup with shrimp, crab claw and grilled olive bread
Warm olive focaccia with olive oil and sea salt
Vanilla bean creme fraiche panna cotta with Amarena cherry jus and madeleine
Bacon Twist
Baby iceberg and heirloom tomato wedge with peppered bacon and blue cheese dressing
Smoked bacon mac and cheese with barbecue-seasoned crispy onions
Maple-bacon Whoopie Pie
Lemon Grove
Roasted cauliflower and Meyer lemon-infused yogurt cauliflower puree with sundried tomatoes and fried capers
Duck confit on potato smash with Meyer lemon preserves
Meyer lemon macaron with blueberry marmalade, Meyer lemon cream and blueberry dust
Cherry lemonade with cherry pearls
Seafood…Sustained
Salmon tataki with avocado-wasabi puree and Furikake dust
Cage-free cream cheese deviled eggs with farm-raised smoked trout and chives
Passion fruit posset and coconut chia with mango compote and jelly
Mango agua fresca
The Onion Lair
French onion mac and cheese topped with parmesan crumble and chives
Braised Wagyu beef on creamy polenta with haricot vert and red onion salad and roasted Cipollini onion
Chocolate-hazelnut and raspberry Feuillete tart
Strawberry pineapple float with vanilla ice cream and strawberry pearls
Off the Cob
Sweet corn nuggets with beef chili, spring onions and sour cream
Jackfruit carnitas banh mi nachos with cilantro crema and "pickled" de gallo
Roasted sweet corn custard tart with honey tuille and smoked chili-infused chocolate sauce
Sweet & Sourdough
Bay shrimp Louie salad served in a mini Boudin sourdough boule
White cheddar lager soup topped with bacon, served in a mini Boudin sourdough boule
Milk chocolate sourdough bread pudding with vanilla bean sauce
LAStyle
Chicken Teriyaki slider with spicy pineapple jam
Korean barbecue beef short rib tacos with Kimchi slaw
Fresh strawberry compote, lemon verbena and vanilla bean shortcake parfait
Pineapple-strawberry float with vanilla ice cream and strawberry pearls
Paradise Garden Grill Beer Garden
Beer-battered cod served with steak fries, sweet slaw and spiced remoulade
Potato and cheese pierogis with vegetarian sausage served with grilled Anaheim chilies, caramelized onions and sour cream
Beer-braised pork tacos served with pickled apple slaw, black beans and queso
Sausage platter trio served with braised red cabbage and warm potato salad
Large soft pretzel served with beer-mustard dipping sauce
Salted caramel budino with vanilla bean Chantilly cream
Bienenstich cake with honey-glazed almonds, filled with vanilla bean custard
The big question yet to be answered is how much any of this will cost. Items at last year's festival ran 15-45% higher here than for similar items from the previous Epcot Food & Wine fest. Disney last year initially offered an AP holder festival passport that ended up costing more per item than buying dishes individually. DCA kept the marketplace prices high for its holiday food festival last year but did bring them down a touch for the recent Lunar New Year fest. Will Disney reduce the prices from last year's event to encourage more sales? Or will prices stay up... and fans continue to stay away? We will find out when the event launches next month.
Review of last year's event:
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