Food & Wine Festival Weekend Guide for March 2-8, 2018

Food & Wine Festival Weekend Guide for March 2–8, 2018

The 2018 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival kicks off today, and runs through April 12, and features a variety of tasting opportunities, beverage seminars, cooking demonstrations, celebrity chef appearances and featured artists.

To help you plan your visits and navigate the event, we've created this guide with menus, prices, and schedules, with each issue focused on the upcoming weekend. Bookmark this page for quick reference during your visit for the first week of the Festival, and check back next Friday for another issue of the weekend guide—bon appétit!

Festival Marketplace Menus

Special dishes created for the Food & Wine Festival, and available at the 14 standalone Marketplace booths located throughout Disney California Adventure park, as well as at the Beer Garden at the Paradise Garden Grill. Most non-alcoholic items at Marketplaces marked with a § (double-S) symbol below are included in the Annual Passholder Sip and Savor Pass (described below).

Nuts About Cheese (§)

Food

Brie Toast with Fig, Mint and Almond Crumble ($4.50)
Goat Cheese Fromage Blanc Tartine with Rosemary and Hazelnuts ($5.00)
Selection of 3 California Cheeses – Point Reyes Blue, Vella Jack and Fiscalini Cheddar ($14.00)

Beverages

Pineapple Mimosa ($14.00)
Raspberry Mimosa ($14.00)
Strawberry Mimosa ($14.00)
Mimosa Flight ($16.00)
Duckhorn Vineyards, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley (3oz for $7.50; 5oz for $14.00)
Baileyana, Grand Firepeak Cuvee, Chardonnay, Edna Valley (3oz for $9.00; 5oz for $17.00)
Chandon, Brut, California ($12.00)

LAstyle (§)

Food

Korean BBQ Beef Short Rib Tacos ($7.50)
Chicken Teriyaki Slider with Spicy DOLE® Pineapple Jam ($6.50)
Mexican Chocolate Custard ($4.50)

Beverages

LVP, Vanderpump, Red Sangria, Spain ($9.50)
Golden Road Brewing, Mango Cart, Wheat Ale ($9.50)
Mango Agua Fresca (non-alcoholic) ($5.00)

The Brewhouse

Beverages

Backlot Michelada ($9.75)
Tropical IPA Shandy ($9.75)
Modelo Especial Lager ($9.50)
Refuge Brewery, Blood Orange Wit, Belgian Wheat Ale ($9.75)
ACE Craft Ciders, Apple Honey, Hard Cider ($9.50)
Smog City Brewing, Sabre-Toothed Squirrel, Hoppy Amber Ale ($9.75)
Ballast Point Brewing Company, Unfiltered Sculpin, IPA ($9.75)
Festival Punch (non-alcoholic) ($5.00)

California Craft Brews (§)

Food

White Cheddar Lager Soup in a Mini Boudin’s Sourdough Boule ($6.00)

Beverages

Beer Flight – Bright & Refreshing ($14.00)
- Three Weavers Brewing Company, Seafarer
- Mission Brewery, Hefeweizen
- Bottle Logic Brewing, Kingdom Common, California Common
- Black Market Brewing Co., Cherry Gose
Beer Flight – Bold & Hoppy ($14.00)
- Stone Brewing, Scorpion Bowl, Tropical IPA
- Hangar 24 Craft Brewing, Betty, American IPA
- Aftershock Brewing Co., Red Alert, Red Ale
- Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Barney Flats
Three Weavers Brewing Company, Seafarer, Kolsch ($9.75)
21st Amendment Brewery, El Sully, Mexican Style Lager ($9.75)
Mission Brewery, Hefeweizen ($9.75)
Black Market Brewing Co., Cherry Gose ($9.75)
Bottle Logic Brewing, Kingdom Common, California Common ($9.75)
Aftershock Brewing Co., Red Alert, Red Ale ($9.75)
Stone Brewing, Scorpion Bowl, Tropical IPA ($9.75)
Hangar 24 Craft Brewing, Betty, American IPA ($9.75)
Karl Strauss Brewing Company, Boat Shoes, Hazy IPA ($9.75)
Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Barney Flats, Oatmeal Stout ($9.75)

Peppers Cali-Ente (§)

Food

Jalapeño Popper Mac & Cheese with Bacon ($7.50)
Verlasso™ Sustainable Salmon Peruvian Poke with a Cucumber-Lime Salad and Aju Verde Salsa ($7.50)

Beverages

Lime Margarita with Jalapeño Garnish ($12.50)
Watermelon Lemonade (non-alcoholic), with optional Habanero Sugar & Chili-Lime Half-Rim ($5.00; $9.00 in souvenir cup)

Uncork California

Beverages

White Wine Flight ($16.00)
- Twomey, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa County, Sonoma County
- Cambria Estate Vineyards & Winery, Benchmark, Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley
- Sofia, Rosé, Monterey County
Red Wine Flight ($16.00)
- La Crema, Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
- Ferrari-Carano, Merlot, Sonoma County
- Rodney Strong, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County
Sparkling Wine Tropical Float ($14.00)
Sofia Blanc de Blancs, Monterey County ($12.00)

Strawberry Patch (§)

Food

Strawberry & Coconut Rice “Frushi” with Sweet Oikos® Greek Nonfat Yogurt Wasabi Sauce ($4.50)
Watsonville Strawberry Pie ($5.00)

Beverages

Strawberry Frosé ($13.00)
Strawberry Pineapple Float with Strawberry Popping Pearls (non-alcoholic) ($6.00; $10.50 in souvenir tumbler)

Avocado Time (§)

Food

Avocado & Pepper Jack Petite Guacamole Burger ($7.75)
Spice Oumph!® on Pita with Avocado Hummus and Garlic Sauce ($6.00)
Avocado Ice Cream Bar ($4.50)

Beverages

Kickback Michelada with Flavors of Pineapple and Lime ($9.75)
Black Market Brewing Co., Deception Coconut Lime, Blonde Ale ($9.75)

Eat Your Greens (§)

Food

Grilled Asparagus Caesar Salad ($5.50)
Compressed Asian Cucumbers with Green Sauce, Toasted Almonds and Sea Beans ($6.00)

Beverages

Lolea, No. 2 Sparkling Frizzante White Sangria, Spain ($9.00)
Beet Kombucha Sangria ($9.50)
Health-Ade Beet Kombucha with Wild Berry FOMZ (non-alcoholic) ($5.50; $10.00 in souvenir tumbler)

Citrus Grove (§)

Food

Citrus-Brined Pork Roast with Tangy Barbecue Sauce and Lemon Pepper Slaw ($7.00)
Crispy Orange Chicken & Rice with Garlic Cracker ($7.50)
Meyer Lemon Macaron ($4.75)

Beverages

Meyer Lemon Ginger Mule ($12.25)
White Blend, Conundrum, California (3oz pour $7.50 5oz pour $14.00)
Fever Tree Ginger Beer ($6.00)

I Heart Artichokes (§)

Food

Grilled & Chilled Artichoke Hearts with Romesco ($6.50)
Fried Artichoke Carbonara ($6.00)
Bourbon Chocolate Whoopie Pie ($4.50)

Beverages

Tio Pepe, Fino Sherry, Gonzalez Byass, Spain ($11.00)
Mumm Napa, Sparkling Wine, Brut Prestige, Napa Valley ($12.00)

Cluck-a-Doodle-Moo (§)

Food

Grilled Harris Ranch Beef Tenderloin Slider with Chimichurri Sauce ($8.00)
Salt & Beer Vinegar Parmesan Chicken Wings ($7.50)
Oikos® Greek Nonfat Yogurt Panna Cotta with Red Raspberry Compote ($4.75)

Beverages

Festival Beer Flight ($14.00)
Estrella Damm, Lager ($9.75)
Towne Park Brew Co., Pale Ale ($9.75)
Bootlegger’s Brewery, Thai Tea Far Out, West Coast IPA ($9.75)
Lost Coast Brewery, Downtown Brown, Brown Ale ($9.75)
Justin, Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles ($9.75)
Orange-Vanilla Cream Float with Whipped Cream (non-alcoholic) ($6.50; $11.00 in souvenir tumbler)

Off the Cob (§)

Food

Sweet Corn Nuggets with Beef Chili ($6.75)
Shrimp Boil Tacos with Andouille Sausage and Fresh Corn ($7.00)
Caramel Popcorn Crispy Treat ($4.00)

Beverages

Popcorn Lemonade Cocktail ($12.25)
Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co, Paradise Rd, Pilsner ($9.75)
Popcorn Lemonade with Whipped Cream and Candy Corn Garnish (non-alcoholic) ($5.50; $10.00 in souvenir tumbler)

Garlic Kissed (§)

Food

Creamy Mac & Cheese with Garlic Bread Crumble ($7.00)
Black Garlic Soy-Braised Pork Belly Banh Mi ($7.50)

Beverages

Bloody Mary with Garlic-Stuffed Olive ($12.25)

Festival Beer Garden

Beverages

Beer Garden Flight ($14.00)
- Legends Craft Brewery, American Lager
- Modern Times Beer, Lomaland, Saison
- Stereo Brewing Company, Tales of Brave Ulysses
- Sierra Nevada, Tropical Torpedo, Tropical IPA
Legends Craft Brewery, American Lager ($9.75)
Saint Archer Brewing Co., Blonde Ale ($9.75)
Barley Forge Brewing Company, Nom Nom, Mango Hefeweizen ($9.75)
Modern Times Beer, Lomaland, Saison ($9.75)
Stereo Brewing Company, Tale of Brave Ulysses, Scottish Ale ($9.75)
Sierra Nevada, Tropical Torpedo, Tropical IPA ($9.75)
Noble Ale Works, Big Whig, IPA ($9.75)
Unsung Brewing Company, Naturia, Double IPA ($10.00)
Goose Island Beer Co., Matilda, Belgian-Style Pale Ale ($10.75)
Lindemans Brewery, Framboise, Raspberry Lambic ($13.00)

Paradise Garden Grill

Food

Beer-Battered Cod with Steak Fries, Sweet Slaw and Spicy Remoulade ($12.99)
Vegetarian “Meatball” Sandwich with Marinara Sauce Topped with Melted Mozzarella Cheese and served with Kettle Chips ($10.99)
Beer-Braised Pork Tacos with Pickled Apple Slaw, Black Beans and Queso ($10.99)
Sausage Trio Platter with Braised Red Cabbage and Warm Potato Salad ($13.99)
Large Soft Pretzel with Beer-Mustard Dipping Sauce ($5.29)
Salted Caramel Budino with Vanilla Bean Chantilly Cream ($3.99)
Bienenstich Cake with Caramelized Almonds and filled with Vanilla Bean Custard ($3.99)

Beverages

Brewery Ommegang, Hennepin, Farmhouse Saison ($9.00)
Innis & Gunn, Original, Barrel-Aged Scotch Ale ($9.00)
Zilliken Estate, Riesling, Mosel, Germany ($11.00)

Annual Passholder Sip and Savor Pass and AP Corner

None of the Marketplace booths offer a discount to annual passholders, but APs can again purchase the “Sip and Savor Pass” for $45. The passport provides eight tasting portions of selected food and beverage items from 12 participating Festival Marketplace booths. The passport is not valid at the Festival Beer Garden, Paradise Garden Grill, Uncork California, or The Brewhouse booths.

The average price of the items you can purchase with this pass is $6, or $48 for eight items. Because sales tax is not applied to the price of the Sip and Savor Pass, but is to the food items, so you also get an 8 percent advantage when you use the pass because you aren't paying sales tax.

If you use all eight tabs to purchase one each of the eight most expensive items at the Festival, at best you save $15.75 (plus tax) compared to paying cash. If you use all eight tickets to buy the $8 Grilled Harris Ranch Beef Tenderloin Slider with Chimichurri Sauce, you'll save $19 plus tax. However, every $4 dessert or $5 non-alcoholic beverage you buy with a tab eats into that savings.

The passport itself is a plastic credential with eight snap-off tabs, strung on a lanyard printed with an Anual Passholder logo. Building on the popularity of a 2017 promotion, Disney has designed a series of 12, one-inch buttons with the “AP” logo in varying color combinations. You receive one of the buttons each time you redeem a tab, and so can collect a series of eight when you redeem the whole pass. Of course, you'll need more than one pass if you want the whole set of 12 buttons.

We deemed the 2016 version of this offer to be a waste of money, and the 2017 offer to be a slightly better value. For 2018, our advice is again to decide what dishes you're interested in trying, and then crunch the numbers to decide if this is a good deal for you. To get the most value from the pass, you need to be prepared to pay separately for less-expensive items, which will raise your overall spending.

If you really, really want the lanyard and pin series, but don't think you can eat enough grilled beef tenderloin sliders to make financial sense, consider buying one lanyard for your family or friends group, and use the tabs only for the big-ticket dishes. The Sip and Savor Pass is valid for the entire festival, so you can return each weekend to try new dishes and use up the tabs.

You can purchase the pass at the following locations:

Festival Merchandise carts
The AP Corner
The Studio Store in Hollywood Land
The Festival Gifts stand in the Hollywood Backlot

For 2018, the AP Corner has relocated to the Hollywood Backlot, outside Stage 17. This area opens at 11:00 a.m. each day, and offers a special PhotoPass backdrop for passholders, as well as annual passholder-exclusive collectible buttons. There is a small charging station to power up your mobile devices (bring your own USB adaptor), and a collection of exclusive annual passholder merchandise from the event. Surprise Disney characters will be available for a special photo opportunity each day from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. and from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m.

Celebrity Chef LIVE! at the Hyperion

Celebrity Chef LIVE! at the Hyperion is a new feature, with chefs Guy Fieri and Robert Irvine taking the stage inside the Hyperion Theater. These hard-ticket events are $99 per person, and include samples during a post-show Tasting Party.

Advance reservations are required via the Disneyland website.

Friday, March 9 – Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive-Ins and DivesGuy's Grocery Games)
Friday, March 30 – Robert Irvine (Dinner: Impossible; Restaurant: Impossible)

Sweet Sundays

Sweet Sundays are back for 2018, offering visitors a chance to start the day with a cooking demonstration by popular bakers and pastry masters. These hard-ticket events are $99 per person, and include a light breakfast and sparkling wine toast.

Seminars are held inside Napa Rose restaurant at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa at 10:00 a.m., unless otherwise noted. Advance reservations are required via the Disneyland website.

March 4 – [Sold out as of press time] Keegan Gerhard (Food Network Challenge)
March 11 – Emily Ellyn (Food Network StarCutthroat Kitchen)
April 8 – [Sold out as of press time] Duff Goldman (Cake MastersAce of CakesKids Baking Championship)

Wine, Beer and Spirit seminars

Seminars are held on the Sonoma Terrace at the Golden Vine Winery. The price is $20 per person , plus tax. All participants must be age 21 or older to enter the venue; neither children nor strollers are allowed in the seminars.

Advance reservations are required via the Disneyland website. Listed below are the events for the week of March 2–8 that were not sold out as of press time. Visit the Disneyland website to view the full Festival schedule, and book future events.

Saturday, March 3

All events sold out

Sunday, March 4

11:45 – MacMurray Estate Vineyards
1:30 – Eden Canyon Vineyards
11:45 – Legends Craft Brewery

Monday, March 5

All events sold out

Tuesday, March 6

5:00 – Disney Sommelier Series – The Diversity of Napa Valley

Wednesday, March 7

5:00 – Disney Sommelier Series – Chardonnay from Oak to Steel

Thursday, March 8

5:00 – Disney Sommelier Series – BUBBLES!

Culinary Demonstrations

Disney is trying a new approach for 2018, moving the live culinary demonstrations outdoors again—this time to the rarely used Palisades Stage in Paradise Park. This standing-room-only location provides more visibility for the speaker, but little to no seating area, and no samples of the dishes being created.

For $30, you can purchase a Culinary VIP ticket, and receive both a seat for the presentation and a sample of the dish. Afterwards, you can enjoy a meet-and-greet with the chef. Advance reservations are required via the Disneyland website.

Listed here are the events for the week of March 2-8. Visit the Disneyland website to view the full Festival schedule, and book future events.

Saturday, March 3

4:00 – John State, Disney Culinary Director [VIP package sold out as of press time]
6:00 – Brian Malarkey

Sunday, March 4

4:00 – Wing Lam
6:00 – Keegan Gerhard

Junior Chef

The popular Junior Chef offering is back for 2018, and in a new home in Hollywood Land. The Junior Chef program gives children ages 3 to 11 the opportunity to help “bake” a sweet treat, with help from Goofy and some Disney chefs. Every participant receives a packaged baked treat to enjoy after the activity. Long-time Disney fans may remember a similar program offered at Disneyland, and Disney tours the program around for community events.

The free offering is scheduled three times per day, so check the event schedule for the day you want to visit. Participation is first-come, first-served, and each participant must be accompanied by someone 14-years-old or older.

Family-Friendly Seminars

Previously known as “Lifestyle Seminars,” these brief 20- to 30-minute presentations focus on different aspects of the food world, from gardening to cooking. The seminars take place at the Backlot Stage in Hollywood Land each Friday through Sunday. Disney does not post the schedule online in advance, but instead posts the current week's schedule every Friday morning. We will share the March 2–4 schedule as soon as we have it.

Friday, March 2

12:45 – TBA
1:45 – TBA
3:45 – TBA

Saturday, March 3

12:45 – TBA
1:45 – TBA
3:45 – TBA

Sunday, March 4

12:45 – TBA
1:45 – TBA
3:45 – TBA

Festival Artist Showcase

Disney will again feature popular artists during the Food & Wine Festival, with several debuting new product scommissioned just for this event. You can meet the artists and purchase their creations during scheduled events each weekend of the Festival. Look for the Artist Showcase area near Festival Gifts.

Friday, March 2

2:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Artist Showcase with Noah

Saturday, March 3

2:00 – 4:00 – Artist Showcase with Daniel Killen, Mike Peraza, Patty Peraza, Noah, and Jeremy Fulton
5:00 – 7:00 – Artist Showcase with Daniel Killen, Mike Peraza, Patty Peraza, Noah, and Jeremy Fulton

Sunday, March 4

2:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Artist Showcase with Daniel Killen, Patty Peraza and Mike Peraza

Author

Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix

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