Downtown Disney Dining - The Rainforest Cafe

When staying at the Disneyland Resort, dining at the Rainforest Cafe is a popular thing to do - a very popular thing to do if you ever had to wait for a table.  It is easily the most popular restaurant in Downtown Disney.  But the Rainforest Cafe is a chain restaurant with locations across the country and from what I understand, all pretty much themed the same way.

It's the theming that draws people by the droves into the Rainforest, especially if you have children. With animatronic gorillas and simulated thunder and lightning storms starting up every 15 minutes or so, you can't help but be mildly amused and entertained. Unless you have seen this act a dozen times before as Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I have, then the noise and distraction becomes a bit of an irritant while you are trying to enjoy your meal.

Dining outside Disneyland Park what the Rainforest Cafe does offer you is a large and varied menu with all the standards - appetizers, soups & salads, pastas & pizzas, burgers & sandwiches, and an assortment of seafood, chicken, meat entrees.  Also add a large dessert menu and the typical chain restaurant cocktail menu into the mix of choices.  Virtually everyone will find some menu item of interest.  None of these dishes will be particularly memorable but I'm willing to bet most everyone will find them in the pretty good to very good categories.  I have sampled various appetizers, pasta, seafood, and the ribs from their menu and never been disappointed though once you get back home after a trip to the resort, that Rainforest meal probably won't be at the top of your great memories list.  But the restaurant is fine for what it is.  They also offer a breakfast menu but I'm usually in too much of a hurry to get into the park rather than stop for leisurely breakfast.

If you never been to the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney - go and check it out (make sure you ask for a second floor table to really see the show).  If you been there a few times, there are better choices for dining in Downtown Disney and the hotels.  Oh, and don't forget to stop by the gift shop on the way out.  Restaurants with gift shops - I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

Reflecting On Delectable Pillows of Goodness

It's breakfast time. I'm getting hungry. I'm rummaging through piles of Disney photos and I come across this one, the two characters that stand outside Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney. And when I think about Ralph Brennan's, fine restaurant as it may be, I think about the delicious beignets they serve from their express dining area. Forget about Disney snacks, these little pillows of fried dough covered in powdered sugar are simply a breakfast (or snack treat anytime) that you will be sure to remember. Served piping hot and in a paper sack, the grease from beignets mixing with the powdered sugar create the perfect bite-size snack treat. Add a cup of good coffee you will be set with a smile on your face and a buzz from the sugar and caffeine.

Disneyland makes beignets over in New Orleans Square (I think they call them fritters at the Royal Street Veranda). Don't even try to compare those with what Ralph Brennan's serves. There isn't any comparison. I was fortunate enough to have had beignets at the legendary New Orleans French Quarter eatery Cafe Du Monde, world famous for their beignets. You know, I don't remember those. I do remember Ralph Brennan's though and I'm getting more hungry just thinking about it.

Downtown Disney Dining - Naples Ristorante

I'm going way out on a limb here but it's a personal opinion - the pizza I have had at Naples Ristorante in Downtown Disney is the best I pizza I have ever had in my life. Now, I have never been to New York to have their legendary pizza and I'm not a fan of the deep dish variety Chicago is famous for serving up, but I have had really pretty good pizza in the San Francisco and the Bay Area through the years.

No, what Naples serves isn't Papa Murphy's, Papa John's, Pizza Hut, or Round Table. What they serve takes pizza to a whole new level. It starts with the crust, fresh out of a really roaring hot pizza oven, the crust is nicely blackened, crispy, but with just enough chew to know this is a bread dough and not a cracker. The sauce excellent not tasting anything like typical pizza/marinara/spaghetti sauce you normally get. And the pizza isn't drowned in an acidic sauce, it comes off as flavorful and just right. I believe I saw cans of real Italian San Marzano tomatoes back by where the pizza is made. Add some real mozzarella cheese (not the stuff you pick up at the grocery store), some herbs, and olive oil and your off to a real good foundation.

Mrs. DisneylandTraveler likes the sausage and peppers (below) as her toppings while I, being the more adventurous of the two of us, love the prosciutto and arugula (above). Hers - excellent. Mine - to die for. Please note that the pizzas shown in the pictures are individual servings. You get plenty for your money - an individual pizza will run around seventeen bucks. Maybe add a salad and a glass a wine and you will be good to go. When the weather is nice, the outside tables are preferable.

Naples also has a walk-up section for quick service pizza, sandwiches, salads, and drinks called Napolini. The pizza is still very good, available by the slice at a little under 5 bucks, but you're limited to just cheese or pepperoni as your choices. This also is a go to option for Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and myself outside the park.

Naples Ristorante - if you want great pizza and a nice dining experience. Napolini - if you just want to get a really good slice of pizza and drink when you are in a hurry. You can't go wrong with either. Just wish that statue out in front wasn't so creepy looking.