Big Thunder Ranch BBQ

Today I'm going to do my first table service restaurant review. For those who aren't familiar, table service is the terminology Disney uses to describe a typical restaurant with a wait staff. Big Thunder Ranch BBQ (BTR BBQ) is located in the Frontierland section of Disneyland Park. I'm not quite sure what the technical name of the place is since I have seen it called the Roundup and BBQ, Celebration BBQ, and Big Thunder Ranch BBQ, but we will go with BTR BBQ. This is one of the table service restaurants that I would recommend you set an Advanced Dining Reservation (ADR) for if you're going at dinnertime, sometimes they turn people without ADRs away. Also be aware that the dinner hours usually end fairly early (about 6:30 was the latest I could get) since it closes for Fantasmic! due to fireworks safety. The check-in desk looks like this:

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You will probably have to wait a little while for your buzzer to go off, but it's in a neat area of the park, so no big deal! All of the seating is outdoor and each party gets seated at their own covered table with bench seating:

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During your meal, there is usually some corny entertainment going on at the stage located near the back of the restaurant. The lunch and dinner menus are the same, except at dinner, you also receive sausage and corn cobs. You can view the menu here. This restaurant is all-you-can-eat, served family style in cute pails:

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 As you can probably tell from the photo, it's good! In case you're from a place with good BBQ and you're afraid it won't be good, don't be afraid! I am originally from Texas and I've had both better and worse BBQ there. The meat is cooked perfectly and very tasty. The beans taste like Bush's (and could be), which are pretty good beans in my book. I don't recall how the cornbread was, so I'm guessing it wasn't stellar, but it's rare to find good cornbread at any restaurant, really. I give the meal as a whole a 4.5/5 on the table service scale. I'll definitely be back, even though it is a tad expensive. Show up hungry!

For dessert, we ordered the family-size chocolate chip cookie bake:

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It's hard to fit more food in your stomach after an all-you-can-eat meal, but this is a dessert you definitely want to save room for. It comes to you with the cookies still hot, 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream on top, and a little jug of hot fudge to pour on top. After we let it cool for a minute, we didn't even serve it, just dug in with forks. It was super delicious! I give it a 5/5 on the table service scale. It's a must-do.

For the overall restaurant experience, I would give BTR BBQ a 4.5/5 on the table service scale. It's often a restaurant that is overlooked due to the more well-known table service restaurants in the New Orleans Square area, but this restaurant is definitely one worth visiting!

Tangaroa Terrace

Tangaroa Terrace may be my favorite counter service location in the Disneyland resort.

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It's located at the Disneyland Hotel, which is situated on the far side of Downtown Disney from the park esplanade. It's only about a 10 minute walk through Downtown Disney from the parks, though, and you could ride the monorail to shorten your walk a bit if you wanted!

Plenty of seating outside, and some inside!

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You order here at a snazzy kiosk:

You can view the menu here. After you order, grab whatever else you need (like dessert) from the grab and go case.

http://www.diszine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/tangaroaterracegrabngo-300x225.jpg

 

After this, you check out and get a number that you place on your table. They deliver your food to you, and it's on real plates! We ended up eating here twice on our first trip since we loved it so much! We tried a few items, but most importantly, the Hawaiian Cheeseburger:

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Yes, it tastes like it looks. The sweet potato fry trend continues here, and they are delicious as always. The multigrain bun is soft and fresh. I would say that the Angus patty is, you know, a Disney patty. It could be moister or seasoned better. But don't worry.. the teriyaki sauce and grilled pineapple ring totally make up for it! This was so delicious we ate it twice in one trip! On the counter service scale I give it a 5/5 for sure!

We also tried the Barbeque Chicken Sandwich:

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In theory, it sounded great. Just like the burger, it's not your typical chicken sandwich. The patty is panko-crusted and the sauce is tamarind barbeque sauce. The bun is that awesome multigrain again! Maybe it was because we ordered the burger as well or maybe it was because we liked Hungry Bear's chicken sandwich better, but this sandwich just wasn't my taste. If it's your taste, it is very good, though! Just a preference thing. On the counter service scale, I give it a 4/5. I'd give it another whirl.

On another occasion, we tried the Kalua Pork Flatbread:

http://www.mouseplanet.info/gallery/d/129450-1/TTKaluaPorkFlatbread-20110528-BW.JPG

 

I get that it's a flatbread, but this one just fell flat for me. I think I don't like the flavor of barbeque sauce on pizza, so I just didn't dig it. Not much crust and not much toppings. The quality is definitely there, but meh for me. On the counter service scale I give it a 2/5. It might be your thing, but I wouldn't order it again.

We also sampled the Sweet Potato Cake:

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It's a very pretty pink, and it was definitely very soft with a good amount of cream cheese icing. It tasted just like carrot cake basically, which I love, so this was a hit. It's rare that we order a dessert at a counter service spot because they're usually boring and not good, but this was great! On the counter service scale I give it a 4/5. I would order it again.

All in all, I give Tangaroa Terrace a 5/5 on the counter service scale. It is a must-do for us. A side note is that Trader Sam's, the tiki bar that looks AWESOME, is right next door. You can even order tapas there or better yet, walk over and order yourself a Hawaiian Burger and I think they will deliver it to the bar. Tasty!

Hungry Bear

OK, first food review! I'm going to start of with one of my favorite counter service locations: Hungry Bear!

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It is a very cute and rustic counter service restaurant located in the Critter Country area of Disneyland park. It has ample seating on two levels, all outdoor, with great views of the Rivers of America.

http://www.themouseforless.com/tripplanning/
menus/dl/images/DL/HungryBearOutside2.jpg

http://wdwinfo.com/disneyland/dining/photos/hungry-bear2.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2526/3716868363_704c50c7c5_z.jpg?zz=1

 Here's a link to the menu.

In my opinion, the things to get here are the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich or the Crispy Chicken Sandwich. They always get the best feed back, supposedly, the burgers are just OK. We sampled the Crispy Chicken Sandwich with sweet potato fries:

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We are both big fans of sweet potato fries, and these are good ones! Crispy enough and not too browned. The chicken was cooked nicely. The honey mustard sauce was very flavorful, and the multi-grain bun (or whatever it's called) was really soft and fresh. It seems like a normal fried chicken sandwich, but I swear it tasted better! I'd rate this a 5/5 on the counter service scale and will go back to Hungry Bear just to order this.

We also sampled the Turkey & Provolone Sandwich with sweet potato fries:

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It's pictured with half of the sandwich and slaw, which we didn't try. It has basil mayonnaise, but it just wasn't that flavorful. Just a good quality deli meat and cheese and some mayo, really. I'd rate it a 3/5 on the counter service scale and won't order it again. It's good, but I like more flavor.

Overall, I'd rate Hungry Bear a 5/5 on the counter service scale. It's really one of the best. Good quality and if you order right, good flavor. People go crazy over the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich, so I'd go for that, or if you're more of a carnivore like me, go for the Crispy Chicken Sandwich. You won't regret it!

Disneyland vs. Disney World

A lot of people ask me why I prefer Disneyland Resort (DLR) over the Walt Disney World Resort (WDW). Each person who forms their preference has their reasons, and I can only speak for mine. This will just be a very general overview!

Size. Yes, DLR is WAY smaller. It has 2 theme parks and Downtown Disney (DTD) compared to WDW's 4 theme parks, DTD, and 2 water parks, among other, more minor destinations. But I love the size of DLR. Since it's "only" 2 parks, I can plan a 5 or 6 day trip and really take my time enjoying all the details and minor attractions, as well as have time for afternoon breaks, a day to sleep in, etc. Everything is within easy walking distance, including the 2 parks, DTD, the onsite hotels, and even offsite hotels for those on a tighter budget. It is kind of a pain at WDW to wait for transportation and then spend 10-15 minutes on average getting anywhere. Even if you drive yourself, it can still be time consuming. So I love being able to wake up, get ready, and walk 8 minutes or so to the park gates. It's really magical!

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Attractions. Even though DLR has half as many parks, they really pack a punch. Not only are there a whole lot of attractions squeezed into a relatively tiny area, but there are a lot of really great ones! At WDW, there are more attractions, but in each park, there are usually quite a few that can be considered "skippable" or to-do if you have time. At DLR, however, you'll find that is not the case to the same extent. If you study a park map or attraction list, like the ones here you'll see what I mean! I see DLR's attractions as more of a "best of" than WDW which I view more as a "takes longer" if that makes sense.

Historical Significance. I mean, DL is Walt's park! You only have to look at a photo like the one below to realize the importance of it. Not only is DL park about 15 years older than WDW's Magic Kingdom, but it was the first of its kind.

http://dbhennigan.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/walt-disney-disneyland-castle.jpg?w=315&h=344

Counter Service. The counter service (also called quick service or fast food) at DLR is better than at WDW. More variation in the menus, better quality at many locations, and better flavor at most locations. I think that since mostly SoCal residents visit the parks and lots of fast food is available outside the resort, DLR has really had to increase quality in recent years to try and keep people in the parks to eat.

Nighttime Shows. "Remember... Dreams Come True" is the most amazing fireworks show I have ever seen. Wishes at WDW just does not compare. Fantasmic! at DLR is a much better show than WDW's because you are closer to the action, it utilizes the 2 riverboats instead of a cheap prop-style boat, the Peter Pan scene is much more entertaining and complex than the Pocohontas scene at WDW, and instead of a big puppet, DLR uses a GIANT animatronic dragon that breathes fire. World of Color is in a league all its own and will leave your mind blown. Enough said.

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Weather. It's SoCal. It's sunny and not humid and really doesn't rain all that much. Pretty mild all year, maybe a little hot if you go in the summer. WDW is HOT like.. heat stroke hot. Humid like.. is that sweat or did I accidentally land in a swamp? There are short windows of time during the year that WDW has pretty good weather but they are relatively more rare. We went in January and there was a cold snap.. it was only in the 40s and we're used to colder, but in that humidity it feels COLD! And it rains a lot in Florida, especially in the summer. It's not really a coincidence that so many Florida sports teams are named after bad weather!

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If you've never visited DLR before, now you know some of the highlights of what it has to offer over WDW. If you've visited both, maybe I seconded your opinions or maybe you prefer WDW. To each his/her own! These are my opinions and many people share them and many people don't. My advice to everyone is to try it out and judge for yourself! And don't forget to have a magical trip!

Introduction

Welcome! This blog is intended to provide reviews of attractions and eateries in the Disneyland Resort. It is written by a Disney fan, for Disney fans! I believe the main focus of the blog will be dining locations, as there isn't enough information about Disneyland dining currently available, in my opinion. As far as attractions, I will most likely take an approach of comparing it to any similar attractions in Walt Disney World, since general ride reviews depend heavily on family structure, age, preference, etc. If I think of other things to add to this blog along the way, or people ask for specific things, the contents may shift a little bit! I do not take may photos in the parks, and when I do, they look terrible, so I will be borrowing photos from around the internet, and will cite accordingly. Thanks!