Most of us are familiar with the CHOC Walk held each October at the Disneyland Resort benefiting the Children’s Hospital of Orange County. But, did you know that they hold charity events all year round? On Thursday, Aug 14th, the CHOC Walk in the Park committee held their 7th Annual Taste of Downtown Disney at the Disneyland Resort. This event offered guests the opportunity to try foods from many of the restaurants located at the Downtown Disney district.
Four different packages were offered: $75 for the tasting event, $100 for the tasting event plus a VIP viewing area for the fireworks, $150 for the tasting event plus a VIP viewing area for World of Color and $200 for the tasting event plus a spot on the private terrace of Tortilla Joe’s for tequila tastings, red wine, ports and fine cigars.
Check in was at the conference center in the Grand Californian Hotel where attendees were grouped by different colored lanyards. Each group had a different rotation as to not overcrowd each experience. Each rotation lasted 15 minutes. I was given a white lanyard as part of the Snow White tour, which was one of the five $75 ticket groups. At first I was a little nervous because I was attending solo, but I quickly was adopted by two great gals who really made the event even more special. Cast Member Earl was assigned to our group to make sure we made it timely to each rotation.
Our first stop was at Naples. Starbucks Tazo Passion Fruit iced tea was available upon entering if you didn’t consume alcohol. Waiters passed trays of single ravioli. Tastes of Rosatello (Moscato and Rosso) and Mezza Corona (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) wines were offered. The tasting buffet, prepared by Chef Umberto Rubelli, included skewers of cantaloupe, prosciutto, mozzarella and cherry tomatoes and toasted garlic crostini with bruschetta.
We were then escorted to Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen and taken to the balcony overlooking Downtown Disney. Tastes of Greg Norman Pinot Noir and Chateau St. Jean Bijou Chardonnay were available. Waiters passed around hors d’oeuvres of shrimp two ways (cold shrimp over cucumber with aioli and roe and a Cajun spiced fried shrimp). We were also offered a pot pie made with alligator, duck and ham. I was reluctant to taste the pot pie, but am so glad that I did. It was amazing.
Our third rotation landed us at ESPN Zone. Gentlemen from the Bottle Logic brewery offered two very different tastes. Their “Toasted in Tahini” Pale Ale was a blend of coffee and coconut. I was a little skeptical about this blend as I don’t like coconut, but this ended up being one of my favorite beverages of the evening. Their “Leche Mole” Milk Stout is made with coffee nibs, chilies and bourbon soaked vanilla beans. This was very dark and was not my favorite. There were tray passed garlic fries, pork belly marinated in pesto, and a dessert of a Guinness brownie with mousse and whipped cream.
Tortilla Joe’s was our next stop. I was so excited to see the waitress greet us with full sized margaritas made with Partida Blanco Tequila! There were also craft beer tastings provided by the Iron Fist brewing company. A made-to-order guacamole station was set up to accompany homemade tortilla chips, and trays were passed offering shrimp ravioli with mole and a braised short rib with a parsnip puree.
Our fifth stop was Catal’s Uva Bar. Upon entering we were given the “209 cocktail”, made with No. 209 gin. It was heavily flavored with basil and was a little hard to enjoy. A hummus station was set up offering pita bread alongside Baba Ghanoush (made with eggplant, tahini, olive oil lemon and garlic), hummus (made with chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil) and Mouhammara (made with pomegranate, red bell pepper and walnut). Tray passed offerings were sliders made with seasoned beef, arugula and a red bell pepper aioli. There were also chicken spring rolls with veggies and a buttermilk emulsion.
After all of the eating and drinking we sure were ready for a break! We were given a palate cleanser of a York Peppermint Patty and a small bottled water as we were seated at the end of Downtown Disney to see an artist from Art Attack create a wonderful painting by just using his fingers. He started with a black canvas, and after 15 minutes of non-stop paint spreading to upbeat music, a heart encasing the CHOC bear was born. Each painting created throughout the event were auctioned off at the end of the evening.
Our next experience was at WonderGround Gallery. Ginger lemonade provided by La Brea Bakery was available along with a bacon, turkey and provolone panini. Artist Matt Spangler was hard at work creating one of his robot paintings. It was very easy to shop as the store was closed to the public for the evening. I purchased a haunted mansion mug that matched a painting I already have hanging in my home. Although it wasn’t clear if an event discount was available on purchases, they did still honor their normal annual pass discount.
Our last rotation of the evening was at the House of Blues bar which is located on the balcony of the venue. The Firestone Walker Brewing Company offered tastes of their Pivo Pilsner and Easy Jack IPA. Both were exceptional, and went well with the buffet offering of a skewered bratwurst basted in a honey and beer sauce, placed over a mini grilled cheese bite with a cheddar-beer dipping sauce. This was by far my favorite stop as I enjoyed the food and talking to the folks from the brewery about their samples.
Tables and chairs were set up outside the House of Blues for all lanyard-colored groups to mix and mingle over a dessert buffet. Jamba Juice offered sample cups of their strawberry-banana smoothies. Starbucks was also present with a good old cup of Joe. Next to Starbucks was a massive buffet of assorted muffins, pastries and cookies provided by the La Brea Bakery. A “to go” bag was provided if you didn’t want to eat your dessert right away.
The event concluded with a short walk back to the Grand Californian Hotel to pick up our goodie bag. We received a nice box of Ambrosial Crush red wine dark chocolate truffles, an ESPN Zone arcade card and assorted coupons for Downtown Disney discounts. Those that used the valet at the hotel were provided free parking. This was a wonderful event that I cannot recommend enough. Mark your calendars for next year!
