Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [200]
Napa Rose ( 714-300-7170; Grand Californian Hotel, 1600 S Disneyland Dr; mains $32-38, 4-course prix fixe $75; dinner) There are echoes of Frank Lloyd Wright in the stunning white-tablecloth dining room of the Grand Californian Hotel, where soaring windows, high-back Arts and Crafts–style chairs and towering ceilings befit Disney’s – and possibly all of Orange County’s – finest restaurant. On the plate, the contemporary ‘California Wine Country’ (read: Northern California) cuisine is as impeccably crafted and visually stunning as Sleeping Beauty Castle. Make reservations and bring your checkbook.
Outside Disneyland
Most restaurants on the streets surrounding Disneyland and DCA are chains. By driving just a mile or so away, variety improves.
Chu’s Wok Inn ( 714-750-3511; 13053 Chapman Ave, Orange; dinner $7-15; 9:30am-9pm Sun-Thu, 9:30am-10pm Fri & Sat; ) There’s table service at this family-run, hole-in-the-wall Mandarin Chinese strip-mall restaurant near the Crystal Cathedral. It’s just east of Harbor Blvd at Haster St.
Joe’s Crab Shack ( 714-703-0505; 12011 Harbor Blvd, Garden Grove; mains $8.50-23; 11am-10pm Sun-Thu, 11am-11pm Fri & Sat) This dockside fish house, complete with a decorated corrugated-metal ceiling, has a decent selection of some pretty good food, especially for a chain seafood restaurant. Lots of customers digging into crabs and nibbling on mac and cheese.
Mr Stox ( 714-634-2994; 1105 E Katella Ave; mains lunch $12-19, dinner $20-40; lunch Mon-Fri, dinner daily) Mr Stox serves some of Anaheim’s best Cal-American cooking in a clubby atmosphere with oval booths and thick carpeting. The chef bakes five different breads daily. Prime steaks. Great seafood. Pricey. Wear nice shoes and make reservations.
Anaheim White House ( 714-772-1381; 887 S Anaheim Blvd; mains lunch $13-22, dinner $27-39; lunch Mon-Fri, brunch Sun, dinner daily) Fancy your dinner inside a wedding cake? With delicate white lights on the outside and ornate gold leaf on the inside, this unapologetically frou-frou restaurant is just one fancy spoon from over-the-top. But formality can be refreshing in laid-back SoCal, especially if backed by fine Franco-Italian cuisine. From prawn-garnished fettuccine to filet mignon with gorgonzola sauce, the choices are delectable. Great for special occasions. Make reservations and get gussied up.
Return to beginning of chapter
DRINKING
You can’t buy any alcohol in Disneyland Park, but you can at DCA and in Downtown Disney.
Uva Bar ( 714-774-4442; Downtown Disney) Named after the Italian word for grape, centrally situated Uva is the best outdoor spot in Downtown Disney to sip wine, nibble tapas and people-watch. There are 40 wines available by the glass.
ESPN Zone ( 714-300-3776; Downtown Disney) Come early and score a leather recliner with waitress service at this sports and drinking emporium with 175 TV monitors – there are even screens above the men’s room urinals. Only dedicated sports fans will be able to tolerate the visual and aural onslaught.
Hook’s Point ( 714-781-3463; Disneyland Hotel; closed Sun & Mon in winter) A great alternative to the frat-boy joints, this quiet wine bar in the Disneyland Hotel has good fruit-and-cheese platters and sparkling wine by the glass.
Return to beginning of chapter
ENTERTAINMENT
Disney’s cocoonlike atmosphere can lead one to forget there’s a thriving city outside its walls. But without venturing too far from the magic, you can actually catch great live bands and major-league games. Too tired to venture far? No worries, Downtown Disney offers occasionally decent live music, a 12-screen cinema and hours of people-watching.
Downtown Disney
AMC Theatres ( 714-769-4262; 11am-11pm Sun-Thu, 10am-midnight Fri & Sat; ) Pick from 12 screens of current-release movies; every theater has stadium seating. Parking is free for up to five hours with movie validation.
Ralph Brennan’s New Orleans