The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (184 page)

Lucky Fortune Cookery
often has the shortest lines–if not the fastest service–on the wharf, so stop here if your time is limited.  Wharf seating is plentiful.  Even if you’re not thirsty or hungry, take a moment during your walk along
Pacific Wharf
to pause by the
Lucky Fortune Cookery
and appreciate its design and, at night, the beauty of its neon signs and paper lanterns. 
Did You Know?
  One of
DCA
’s
Opening Day
attractions was
Golden Dreams
, a 22-minute award-winning film hosted by
Whoopi Goldberg
.  Housed in a theater next to the
Bay Area
’s replica of the
Palace of Fine Arts
rotunda
, the film was a sometimes humorous but always moving presentation about the many different peoples and cultures that built California, from Native American days through the present.  One of the most affecting portions of the film was a segment about Japanese brides arriving in California to meet their husbands, often for the first time, and the resistance and prejudice with which they were sometimes “welcomed” to their new land. 
Walt
was an avid traveler and always a proponent of using entertainment as a vehicle to bring different cultures together, a spirit probably best exemplified by the
“it’s a small world”
attraction built for the 1964 – 1965 New York World’s Fair and then installed at
Disneyland Park
in 1966.

Mendocino
Wine Bar
(S)

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FastView:
Guests relax and taste the diverse contents of the
Golden Vine Winery
’s cellar while taking in pretty views.
]

Relax on the lower terrace of the lovely
Golden Vine Winery
, a tribute to California’s wine country and vintners, and enjoy a wide selection of California wines.  This location has been known by many names; the name may change, but it’s still all about the wine here.

If you want to sample a range of wines,
be prepared to pay $10 to $20 per Guest (plus tax) for the Wine Tasting packages.

There’s something for every palette, from Chablis to Chardonnay to Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel, from Cabernet Sau
vignon to Merlot and Pinot Noir.  There are wines from America, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, and South America.  Even beer lovers aren’t left out, as they can choose from selections priced between $6 - $7 per glass.

Festival Tasting
($10) promises three one-ounce pours of red or white wine,
Sweet Tasting
($16) three one-ounce pours of sweet wine, and
Premium Tasting
three one-ounce pours of premium wine, either white ($16) or red ($20). 
Port Tasting
costs $16 per Guest and provides three one-ounce pours of port coupled with three bleu cheeses. 
Spakling Flights
($16) promise three one-ounce pours of sparkling wines.  The
Mendocino Bar Special
is a mimosa ($12.50).

Wine tasters or t
eetotalers alike can enjoy the
Mendocino Cheese Box
for $15.  Teetotalers and designated drivers can safely swig apple cider ($7.50) or sodas and waters for $3 each.

Until recently, when perusing the menu you found
Disney
-related vintages such as the
Silverado
Sauvignon Blanc from
Diane Disney Miller
’s Napa Valley vineyard, and the
Fess Parker
Frontier Red Blend from
Fess Parker
’s winery.  (The late
Fess Parker
starred in
Disney
’s
Davy Crockett
television films in 1954 and 1955, and
Westward Ho, the Wagons!
in 1956.)  Whatever vintage you choose, sit back, relax and enjoy your wine, the plashing of the fountain, and your conversation with family and friends in the gracious ambiance of the
Wine Country Trattoria
’s terrace. 
Did You Know?
  In the 1970’s
Diane Disney Miller
,
Walt
’s eldest daughter, and her husband
Ron Miller
purchased Napa Valley land that included vineyards.  The couple adored the property but initially weren’t interested in becoming vintners.  As time passed their interest in wine-making evolved.  In 1981 they founded and built the
Silverado Vineyards Winery
, which produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Sangiovese, and Sauvignon Blanc.  For more info: 
www.silveradovineyards.com
.

Pacific Wharf Café
(B, L, D, S)

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Sandwiches, soups, and bread bowls of both the hearty and light variety.  The bread bowls are fresh, and there’s plenty of seating on the wharf.  Breakfast here before the crowds descend for a lovely start to your day at the park.
]

The
Pacific Wharf Café
is a pretty building, painted blue with white trim, gracing the northwest corner of the wharf, just down the road from the
Boudin Bakery
and right next to the
faux
fishing net bursting with
faux
fish (“Pacific Wharf/Record Catch/7 ¼ tons” reads the sign, a perfect photo op for the whole family!).

T
he
Pacific Wharf Café
is the place to go for a filling meal on a chill autumn or winter day.  Its menu is one of the most extensive of the wharf eateries, and you’re likely to find something for everyone in your group.

Start your
DCA
day with one of three substantial breakfasts:  the
Breakfast Croissant Sandwich
with bacon, cheddar cheese, and scrambled eggs for around $6, the
Egg and Bacon Boule
with scrambled eggs cradled in a fresh bread bowl and bacon and fruit on the side for about $6, or a serving of piping hot
Oatmeal
with brown sugar, honey and raisins for around $4.  (Expect prices to rise slightly in 2014.)

As delicious as the breakfast meals are, the café specializes in sandwiches, soups
, and salads, and, given that the
Boudin Bakery
is next door, it should come as no surprise that the bakery supplies the fresh bread for the sandwiches
and
for the bread bowls in which all soups and salads are served.

Many seasoned Guests swear by the warm, thick soups–the
Broccoli and Cheese
,
Clam Chowder
, and
Tomato Bisque
(which replaced the
Santa Rosa Corn Chowder
), all $9.59 each.

The two sandwiches on the menu are the
Roast Beef Sandwich
and the
Turkey Sandwich
, priced at $9 each and served on freshly baked bread.  “Golden State” salads include the
Chinese Chicken Salad
($10), the
San Francisco Shrimp Louie
($10.50), and the
Sonoma
Chicken & Apple Salad
($10), presented in fresh sourdough bread bowls, like the soups.

Children dine for
about $6.50 on either the
Kid’s Turkey Sandwich
with apple slices or
Kid’s Power Pack
of crackers, fruits, veggies, and yogurt.  Every kid’s meal comes with a small juice, milk, or water.  Remember that kid’s meals are sized for children nine or younger; older kids and heavy eaters will need a grown-up portion or should share a meal with a parent.  Toddlers eat
Yummy Cheesy Macaroni
with apple sauce and a small drink for around $4.50.

In addition to entrées, the
Pacific Wharf Café
sells loaves and rounds of
Boudin
’s
Sourdough Bread
($5) or
Mickey Shaped Bread
($7).  The
Mickey Bread
is, of course, a bit pricier, since it’s shaped like
Disney
’s famous mouse.  With pats of real butter, the bread alone can make for a delicious light meal!  The café also serves an array of baked goods, fruits, and pastries, ranging from $2 to $4 each, everything from apples to cookies, crispies, muffins, and sticky rolls.

Wash it all down with cocoa, coffee, juice, milk, soda, tea
, or water ($2 - $3.50).  Unlike some of the other wharf eateries,
Pacific Wharf Café
doesn’t serve alcohol.  After you have your food and drinks, choose a table on the roomy wharf, perhaps one overlooking the lovely little tidal bay. 
Did You Know?
  California is known for its beaches and wharves as much as its farms, forests, mountains, or deserts, and fishing has always been one of California’s most important industries. 
Pacific Wharf
’s dining district is a miniature of Monterey and the famous Fisherman’ Wharf in San Francisco, and celebrates the contribution of California’s fishing and canning industries to the state’s success.  Over the years California fishermen have harvested anchovies, bass, clams, halibut, mackerel, sardines, shrimp, and tuna, among many other sea creatures.  For more about this topic, explore the photos, artifacts, and placards displayed in the windows between the
Pacific Wharf Café
and the
Boudin Bakery
.

Pacific Wharf Distribution Co.
(Formerly
Karl Strauss Biergarten
)
(S)

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The hand-crafted beer’s still flowing, but the beloved black pepper popcorn is gone.
]

DCA
has undergone a lot of big changes in recent years, but sometimes it’s the little changes, that happen without fanfare, that hit home.  Take the
Karl Strauss Biergarten
truck, for years a reliable fixture of
Pacific Wharf
.  In 2012, it suddenly stopped selling its signature
Black Pepper Popcorn
.  The response to my sister-in-law’s inquiries:  The popcorn machine was broken.

Somehow the machine
never did get fixed.  And the truck’s name seems to have changed.  While it still sells
Karl Strauss
beer, and there’s a big red banner over the counter touting the
Kart Strauss Handcrafted Beers
vended here, this is no longer the
Karl Strauss Biergarten
.  It is now the generic-sounding
Pacific Wharf Distribution Co
.  Why the change?  Perhaps because in summer 2012,
Karl Strauss
opened a new picturesque brewery garden restaurant at its San Diego production facility.

The
Disney
blogosphere is oddly silent about the changes.  Usually even the most minute alterations in the parks give rise to copious comments.  Can we
ever
expect the
Black Pepper Popcorn
to return?  According to a knowledgeable Cast Member questioned in early January 2013:  “No … The machine kept breaking.”  Apparently it wasn’t worthwhile to keep fixing the problematic machine.

It doesn’t take a German scholar to suss out that
Biergarten
is German for “beer garden,” and true to its name, the
Karl Strauss Biergarten
, now
Pacific Wharf Distribution Co.
cart, sells the handcrafted beer and pretzels that one would expect at any beer garden worth its barley.

Located between the
Lucky Fortune Cookery
and the
Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill
, the truck would never be allowed to set up shop in dry
Disneyland
, but
DCA
was meant from its inception to offer a somewhat more grown-up experience for Guests, including a taste of one of California’s many outstanding micro-breweries.  Most people think “wine” not “beer” when they consider California, but the Golden State has its share of excellent, home-grown brews.

Karl Strauss
was born in 1912 in Minden, Germany, a brewer’s son.  It seems that his whole life was dedicated to brewing beer.  It’s what he studied in college in Munich, and when he emigrated to the United States in the 1930’s, he became a highly successful brewer and later VP at Pabst Brewing.  Upon retirement, he and a cousin teamed up in San Diego, California in the late 1980’s and launched the
Karl Strauss Brewing Company
.