Junk Food Hangover

I think I have a junk food hangover. Beignets and coffee for breakfast, churro for mid-morning snack, corn dog and soda for lunch…yes, I was at Disneyland. Had it been the old Pre-Downtown Disney days, the rest of the day (meal-wise) would have continued to go downhill.





Perhaps fried chicken tenders or pizza in Tomorrowland, or a Monte Cristo sandwich at Blue Bayou. But ever since they added California Adventure and Downtown Disney, you are just a hand stamp away from a decent meal.

First, lets start off with California Adventure. They serve alcohol! We enjoyed a nice wine tasting in their wine bar/ restaurant (next to their own little vineyard), followed by a beer. That park needs the diversion of alcoholic beverage service, because there are really only two rides worth going on (Soaring Above California and Tower of Terror).



For a “real” meal, head straight to Downtown Disney. Several times on previous trips, I have enjoyed sandwiches as La Brea Bakery, and pizza at Naples, but this time we shared several appetizers at Uva Bar, a circular bar/resaurant in the middle of Downtown Disney. The only downside of dining in Downtown Disney, is the have new-age/Yanni/John Tesh-like musicians who set-up stands hawking CD’s and playing their music too loud. Aside from that, a good time and a nice rest is to be had. The menu at Uva is set up of small dishes, perfect to share. We started off with some fries, perfectly good and satisfying, served with ketchup and aioli. The highlight was the spicy tuna tartate, with avocado and friend wonton skins. The tuna was a nice, light, reprieve from the day’s fried carb extravaganza. The grilled steak with chimichurri sauce was tender and cooked just right.





The three sliders were straight out of a Popeye cartoon, and the calamari was great (when dipped into the aioli).


If we had this meal outside of Disneyland, this food would have been just OK, but after a morning of junk food, the protein and mental stimulation caused from using a knife and fork to eat (along with our cocktails) brought us all a well needed second wind.