San Fransokyo Square will open officially on August 31 at Disney California Adventure. The Disneyland Resort revealed that news today during a backstage media preview for the area, which replaces Pacific Wharf.
Disney has been introducing the new "Big Hero 6"-themed area in phases, starting with the debut of new menu items at the area's restaurants. We were invited to sample about half a dozen new items during the preview today.
The Lucky Fortune Cookery gets its new menu on July 19, and we tried the Karaage-inspired Crispy Chicken Sandwich and Baymax Macaron. (Do keep in mind that, save for the macaron, all items served today were sample sizes - not the size you will get in the park.)
The sandwich is advertised as coming with slaw and Togarashi mayonnaise, but I only got a hint of vinegar and a lot of salt on my tongue. Nevertheless, it's a fine, hearty fried chicken sandwich, if you're in the mood for that. The Baymax Macaron is another stupid large Disney character macaron, but it's all good - a crispy, airy shell filled with a chocolate hazelnut surprise.
The Pacific Wharf Cafe is getting a new identity as Aunt Cass Cafe when the changeover is complete. Today, we tried the Curry Beef bread bowl, Soba Noodle Salad, and Japanese-style Fluffy Cheesecake that will feature on the cafe's new menu.
The Curry Beef bowl delivers all the spice that was missing on the chicken sandwich, hitting your taste buds with flavorful Japanese curry smothering bits of beef, carrot, and potato. The cold noodle salad was refreshing, with lots of yummy veggies giving the dish substance. Together, the two provided a lovely combination of heat and coolness. The cheesecake wasn't as sweet or as dense as American cheesecakes, tasting more like a light ricotta souffle. But it wasn't as tall and jiggly as some of the Japanese cheesecakes you might see elsewhere in LA (or on your Instagram feed). The cherry compote just dominated the understated cheesecake on the tongue. It's a nice flavor, but not as appealing to me as the Baymax Macaron.
We also tried the San Fransokyo Style Street Corn, the one new item from Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill. With bonito flakes and Togarashi mayonnaise along the queso fresco, this take on the classic Mexican elote delivered an additional fish-like flavor thanks to the bonito flakes. "Your taste buds are wondering, 'where am I right now?,' and I think that's that's really exciting," Chef Jeremiah Balogh said of the dish.
I'm not a big corn fan, so I can't give a fair evaluation since I'd never choose elote from a menu. But I think Chef Jeremiah's take is spot on. It's, uh, a curious taste combination.
Disney also introduced us to the Hiro and Baymax characters who will be greeting guests in the land. Baymax blinks, and talks!
Finally, we saw some of the merch that will be available in the land, including a set of four San Fransokyo medallions, two new Baymax T-shirts and a ball cap, and the Baymax sipper.
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