Dec 27

Carnation Cafe – Anaheim, CA

Disneyland Park

Main Street

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Carnation Cafe serves up famous traditional American fare including Walt’s very own favorites. Since this restaurant is so popular, you pretty much need a reservation to come eat here any time. Make sure you are fairly certain about your reservation time because there is a $10 fee if you don’t show up. When we arrived for lunch, the restaurant did not seem too busy, but there were quite a few people in the waiting area. The hostess will only let you check in if you are within 5 minutes of your scheduled reservation and will provide you with a buzzer. Soon, we were called by the hostess and brought to our table. After the server took our drink orders, we were ready to order.

Today, we ordered Walt’s chili, fried pickles with dipping sauce, baked potato soup, and Walt’s homemade meatloaf. After a short wait, our appetizers started arriving. Walt’s chili came in a decent-sized bowl topped with tomatoes, sour cream, and cheese. The chili itself was fairly meaty and flavorful. Each bite was delicious and satisfying. The fried pickle was OK, but wasn’t special at all. The baked potato soup was creamy and tasty, but did not have a lot of flavor. There were chunks of potato with bacon bits and cheese. Walt’s meatloaf had a great texture, but the glaze had a very strong condensed ketchup flavor that was quite overpowering. The mashed potatoes were plain, and the roll was not very soft. Although all the food tasted fresh, there were inconsistencies in the tastiness of the food.

Overall, Carnation Cafe serves up tasty food including Walt’s favorites that are worth trying. Service was fair, but we could of had more water refills. Prices are a bit on the high side for the amount of food you get, but that is expected from in-park eating. The annual pass discount is accepted here and definitely helps make the meal a bit more affordable. If you have never tried Carnation Cafe, you should give it a try as it is one of the most inexpensive table-service Disney restaurants available.

Dec 23

XA Sweet & Savory Cafe – Orange, CA

424 S Main St

Orange, CA 92868

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

In search for food in the Anaheim area outside of Disneyland, we decided to try XA Sweet & Savory Cafe in Orange. Writing on the walls express the idea that the cafe serves up healthy unique food. Upon entering the empty restaurant, we were quickly greeted by the cashier. After explaining the menu to us, we decided to order.

Today, we ordered the build your own entree with one entree that included chicken breast, garlic noodle, and green beans, and a second entree that included wild cod, garlic noodle, and sautéed broccoli  While waiting for our food, we were able to sample a couple of cookies since it was our first time here. The bacon chocolate chip cookie was savory and sweet while still being very soft and chewy. The green tea chocolate chip cookie had hints of tea flavor, but was mostly chocolate chip. The cookies tasted pretty good and chewy, so we opted to order 6 more cookies to go: Mexican hot chocolate, chocolate chip, Thailand durian, bacon chocolate chip, s’mores, and blueberry marshmallow. All of those cookies tasted good and the flavors are all pronounced in each cookie, but you have to be someone who likes soft chewy cookies. Our entrees arrived in large square plates with each dish presented well. The chicken breast was juicy and the tamarind sauce went well with the meat and garlic noodles. The green beans were fresh and the entire dish tasted healthy. Parts of the noodle tasted dry and were hard, but the noodles did not taste overly garlicy. The entree with wild cod tasted just as good. Even with the same shortcomings in the noodles, the dish still tasted great and healthy since the fresh lemon basil sauce complimented well with the fresh cod. The broccoli was not as fresh as the other vegetables, but still tasted good with the rest of the dish.

Overall, XA Sweet and Savory introduces a very customizable menu where you get many options of meat, sauces, and sides. The dishes are presented well and taste delicious. If you are looking for a unique inexpensive dining experience, you need to give XA a try.

Dec 20

Flo’s V8 Cafe – Anaheim, CA

Disney California Adventure

Cars Land

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Located inside Cars Land, Flo’s V8 Cafe serves up various American fare including ribs and sandwiches. As you enter the queue, you are able to review the provided menu before you get to the register to order. After ordering, you head to the pickup window behind the cashiers to pick up your food.

Today, we decided to order the roast beef and cheddar sandwich and the BBQ pork ribs. I ordered the roast beef and cheddar sandwich without the onions, but the sandwich still had a lot of flavor. The roast beef was plentiful and tender. There was also plenty of cheese flowing over the meat. I ordered my sandwich with a side of mac n cheese, but the mac n cheese was fairly bland. The BBQ pork ribs were coated with a Coca Cola BBQ sauce, which added a delicious touch to the fall off the bones ribs. The meat was tender and juicy. I wished the ribs were bigger since the plate was fairly big, but the sides completed the meal on the plate. The coleslaw and mashed potatoes were a bit plain, but the mashed potatoes did taste really good with the BBQ sauce on it.

Overall, Flo’s V8 Cafe serves up pretty good tasting entrees inside the park. Although the sides have their shortcomings, the main course really shines. Even at lunch time, the lines were quite bearable. If you are inside California Adventure and are looking for a quick place to eat, Flo’s V8 Cafe will do the trick.

Dec 16

Paris Baguette – Arcadia, CA

400 S Baldwin Ave

Arcadia, CA 91007

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Located outside the Santa Anita Mall in Arcadia, Paris Baguette serves up various baked pastries and cakes including French macarons. Trays and tongs are available for you to place all of your bakery selections. Most cake items need to be requested from behind the counter.

Today, we decided to get the strawberry bar cake, fresh strawberry cake, and chocolate chiffon cake. The strawberry bar cake was a very dense sponge cake with a distinctly odd strawberry flavor, but tasted fake. The fresh strawberry cake was very light and airy and was not too sweet. The whipped cream on top was light and fluffy. The strawberry flavor inside was light and fresh. The chocolate chiffon cake was moist and airy. The chocolate flavor was light and not overpowering. The whipped cream was also light and fluffy.

Overall, Paris Baguette serves up various baked items including cakes. We only tried the cakes, so we cannot really comment on the rest of the items. The cakes were all sponge cakes, which were nice and light. The bar cake was disappointing and tasted very different from the actual cakes. Prices are reasonable, but overall taste is a bit lacking. If you are in the area, you may want to give Paris Baguette a try, but I would not set expectations too high.

Dec 13

Din Tai Fung #2 – Arcadia, CA

1088 S Baldwin Ave

Arcadia, CA 91007

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Located in the heart of Arcadia, Din Tai Fung serves up their famous pork soup dumplings, xiaolongbao, to the masses. Originating from Taiwan, this famous eatery draws in millions of customers each year to try their dumplings. We decided to visit their newer location as the original was next door with a completely separate line. Once we arrived, we checked in with the hostess who provided me with a ticket and took my cell phone number for a digital wait-list. We waited inside where we watched staff behind a large glass window create dumplings. We were given a paper menu where we can decide and mark what we wanted to order. Within 30 minutes, we were called to head to our table on the second floor.

After we were seated, the server confirmed our order and provided us with our hot tea. While waiting for our food, we mixed our dipping sauce at the table. There was a dish of sliced garlic already on the table, so I added soy sauce and vinegar. Today, we decided to order the pork chop fried rice, pork xiaolongbao, pork and crab xiaolongbao, and the pork and shrimp shao mai. The pork chop fried rice came on a fairly small dish with a large piece of sliced-up pork chop on top. The pork chop was tender, juicy, and had a nice amount of crisp on the outside. The fried rice was fairly light and did not taste oily. I liked how the rice had a good amount of egg and complimented well with the pork chop. The pork xiaolongbao was very fresh and had a savory soup. After biting into the dumpling, you can pour out the soup into a spoon and drink the soup. There was not a lot of meat inside, and each dumpling was quite small but went well with the vinegar soy sauce. The pork and crab xiaolongbao definitely has a crab taste in the soup, and you can taste the texture of the crab inside as well. You don’t taste the crab much at all when dipped into the sauce. The pork and shrimp shao mai was presented beautifully with the shrimp on top of the dumpling. There was actually some soup in the dumplings like the xiaolongbao too. This dumpling was not as savory as the pork xiaolongbao and looked better than it tasted. All of the meat in all the dumplings tasted fresh and delicious.

Overall, Din Tai Fung serves up delicious soup dumplings that are definitely worth trying. Staff is professional and courteous. Prices are on the high-end, but are definitely worth it.The xiaolongbao are definitely worth trying if you come here. If you like to have rice with your dumplings, I recommend the pork chop fried rice. Whether or not you tried soup dumplings before, you must give Din Tai Fung a try if you get the chance.

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