out and about: disney california adventure carthay circle lounge
Last trip to disney, we checked out the revamped lounge in carthay circle. I haven’t been back to the lounge since before covid… now, they’ve added in a whole outdoor area, and made the waiting area a dinning area.
Same comfy chairs, just food is availible. And the bar area, itself.
We were seated right next to the elevator, which lead to some interesting people watching. Not only did we hear couples unhappy with their wait, families delighted with the food upstairs… but we also heard this charming gem from a cast member.
There’s a painting on the wall set to mimic the original screen from the first showing of snow white. It’ depicts the donner party… which, if you weren’t acquainted with california history, is where a group of settlers ending up having to resort to cannibalism to survive the harsh snowy winter.
Great time piece… but maybe not the most appropriate for a dinning establishment? Just me?
espresso martini
It’s a classic for a reason.
sparkling mare: saint-hilaire sparkling wine, st-germain elderflower liqueur, and aperol orange aperitif
Okay - so not always a fan of aperol, because sometimes it can be way too heavy handed. But not in this case. It wasn’t at all . It was a mix of a french 75 and a french blonde (french red head?!?).
This was a perfect end-the-night with dinner drink.
bao buns of soy-ginger braised pork belly: cucumber kimchi
You know me… I’m a sucker for anything in a bao bun; and this one is no exception.
Pork belly. Check. Cucumber. Check. Yeah… pretty much everything I want in a bao. The meat was tender, the baos fluffy, albeit a little bit more bun than the norm.
malai kofta potato: indian curry accented with coconut, citrus cucumbers, yogurt
Not my usual flavor profile. But potatoes? Kafta? A little disappointed that it came out looking more like arancini. Wasn’t my fav dish of the evening. Wasn’t bad. But wasn’t something I’d order again.
filet mignon beef skewers: aji amarillo, peruvian stewed beans
You know something is good, if it’s beans, and I like the beans… ‘cause I don’t ever like the beans. But this was good beans.
Overall, our experience was better in the lounge in terms of food and drink quality than it has been in the formal carthay dinning over the last four years.
They change the menu over; and I would totally do it again. Both for the casualness of the meal, and for the shareable aspect. Love a menu full of shared plates.