Grand Californian Holiday

Welcome to the Grand Californian at the Disneyland Resort, where Holiday decor greets you at the entrance. I'd never noticed these before, so not sure if they are something new or not. The gingerbread house inside the lobby was impressive.



The Christmas Tree towers over the lobby:



A nighttime view of the pool, with the lights behind the Castle visible in the background:



The rooms at the Grand Californian are spectacular, with Craftsman-style furnishings throughout.



For dinner on this particular visit back in November, we ate at the Napa Rose, being fortunate enough to get the Chef's Table.





What a good looking bunch.



Executive Chef Andrew Sutton was front and center:



It was a joy to watch him work with his team; rather than create a loud and raucous reality show yelling match, he quietly showed them how to create what he envisioned.



Each mouth watering course was a work of art.



Digging the copper pot that the Truffled "Mac & Cheese" Orecchiette Pasta is served in.



The rose for which the restaurant is named.



More grand-ness awaits at my main website.

Dinner at Napa Rose, Pt. 2

Hands down, Napa Rose is the best restaurant at the Disneyland Resort, both in and outside of the park.

The entry hall gives a grand welcome with its warm woods, high ceiling, and amber lights.



The spacious lounge is the perfect place to hang out while waiting for a table.



This time I tried the Napa Passion cocktail. Yum. It was gone before I knew it.



A panorama shot of the dining room. Flooded with natural light from the large windows, this is a beautifully designed space.





The fresh flowers at each table are a small touch that go a long way to show that even the details get the most careful attention here.



I started off with delicious heirloom tomato salad. Portions here are perfect.



The lamb melted in my mouth. Perfectly seasoned, well accompanied with a variety of vegetables.



The dessert, a Bananas Foster Creme Brûlée was tasty, but left me wanting more. I'm a dessert pig. I'll admit it.



You just can't go wrong at this place.

See more Daveland Napa Rose photos at my main website.

Dinner at Napa Rose, Pt. 1

Before seeing Cher at the Anaheim Honda Stadium, we stopped at the Disneyland Resort's Grand Californian Hotel for dinner at the Napa Rose.





Although the Grand Californian is a huge facility, because of its Arts & Crafts design, the space seems very warm and approachable.



The knick-knacks throughout the lobby and in the display cases are worth a second look.



And there are the windows for Club 33 members.



Merchandise, merchandise, merchandise. I guess they are attempting to clear house of items with the old logo before the ones with the new (gasp) logo are introduced.



Here is the new logo. Ta-da! Looking like a melting door knocker, the designer needs a serious lesson in Art Nouveau.



Have you put in your order for a Club 33 paperweight yet?



We'll get back to the Napa Rose for tomorrow's post.

See more Daveland Napa Rose photos at my main website.

Disneyland Trip Report: Napa Rose

Last weekend marked the 7th time I have run in the annual Disneyland Half Marathon. I missed the first year due to a bone spur; after seeing all of the fun three of my friends had running it, I decided it was time to get off the sidelines and start running again. Even though the course has been the same, each year has provided a different challenge, depending on the amount of training I have done and also the temperatures. Southern California is known for its perfect weather, but even perfection has a few flaws. This weekend looked like it could be a scorcher.

The price of the race was a scorcher, too. The cost rose to $175, which is an amazing amount when you consider that it doesn't go to charity nor does the race provide the same "bang" it did in its initial years. What's even more amazing is that despite the price hike, the event sold out in record time. A classic case of supply and demand.



The Expo Event for the race is always held in the Disneyland Hotel. The goody bags used to be filled with snacks, running beans, and other assorted helpful vendor goodies (thus the name of the bag). This year, the bag came with one Clif Bar and an assortment of Disney printed propaganda that found its way into the circular file. A "Little Mermaid" magnet was included too, which had a real potential for disaster as the racing bibs are not supposed to get anywhere near a magnet or they would be rendered useless for the timing of the race. I will give kudos to the race shirt, though. Every year they keep getting better as far as the visual design appeal.

Sean Astin was speaking in the ballroom as I was picking up my goodie bag. There were a fair amount of people listening to him as he imparted some inspirational words.



The prop set for the Half Marathon Runners' photo opp:



After a nap back at the hotel, it was time to head over to the Grand Californian Hotel for the "last supper" before the race. So much has been said about how Disney California Adventure was so poorly done in its original incarnation, yet one cannot say the same about The Grand Californian. It is the crown jewel of the Disneyland Resort.



The GC also boasts the best restaurant at the Resort, The Napa Rose (and yes, I am including Club 33 in the competition).



Once you enter, you can feel the warmth of the Arts & Craft inspired design, which was given a tastefully modern spin.



While waiting for your table to be readied, guests can enjoy a cocktail and appetizer in the spacious lounge.



I was able to enjoy dinner at the Chef's Table, which affords a view of the meal being prepared. In addition, we chose to let the Executive Chef, Andrew Sutton, create a special menu for us. He asked about food allergies and specific dislikes, and then went to town whipping up something that would help our run the next morning.



The five-course dinner was incredible. Sutton's choices were innovative, delicious, and visually appealing in how they were plated.



A light dessert was served with wishes for a good run written in dark chocolate:



Well-fed, walking home to the hotel, I passed the starting line marquee. I couldn't wait for the race to start the next morning!



See more Napa Rose photos on my Napa Rose web page.

Trip Report: Tinker Bell Half Marathon 2013 Pt. 3

Over at Buena Vista Street, the diehard fans in the online community were buzzing about the new two-tone color scheme of the Hyperion Bridge that spans both sides of the street. Here's how it previously looked:



It seemed an odd design choice, since it doesn't match the historic bridge it was modeled after, but there you have it. Maybe they had some extra paint that needed to be used up.



A free parking lot at a Disney property? Somebody, please tell me where I can find this!



A FauxD© view of the fountain outside of the Carthay Circle Restaurant:



These decorative book covers, created to look as if they were vintage, sure could sell a lot of books if they were real at The Los Feliz Five and Dime! They have generated some interest and have a mini cult-type following:







I am glad that with the DCA remodel the Grizzly Bear and falls area was kept; as they age, they keep looking better.





Next, I checked out Blue Sky Preview Centerand The Fantasy Faire exhibit which I previously covered here a few days ago.

I was having a great time in the parks, but the crowds were growing, so I headed over to The Tinker Bell Half Marathon Expo to get my bib and other race materials. Compared to the Annual Disneyland Half Marathon, this event is definitely somewhat lackluster in the amount of excitement and buzz that surrounds it.



Hoping I could check in to my hotel early and get a nap in, I made my way to The Paradise Pier Hotel.



Due to an overbooking situation at the Disney Resort's Hotels, both Disneyland and Paradise Pier Hotels were completely full. I was asked if it was okay if they moved me over to the Grand Californian for the same price. Let me think about that...



I wasted no time walking across the street to the Disney Resort's premier property, The Grand Californian.



This place is so well done, from the lobby, to the hallways, to the elevator, to the room.



The room was gorgeous, and the Craftsman-style decor is right up my alley.





A beautiful view, too.





After a quick trip down to Whitewater Snacks, I picked up a lite lunch and then crashed on the couch for a few hours.



Upon awaking, it was time for exploring and a little picture taking.



From the big picture down to the details, this hotel is tops. I love every corner of it!







I had a difficult time getting a reservation for dinner; most of the restaurants were either booked or unavailable until around 9:30 at night. With the race beginning at FIVE FRIGGIN' A.M., that was unacceptable. I took a chance and walked into Napa Rose shortly before they opened for dinner.



My chance paid off, and we were able to get a spot at the Chef's Table.



I couldn't have asked for a more spectacular experience.



Watching the crew putting together the food made for a very entertaining dinner.



Both the chef and sous chef were gracious and answered a number of questions that I posed for them about the ovens and some of the things they were making.





I had pasta, and it basically melted in my mouth. It was so delicious.



I hadn't really trained too hard for this particular race, and at this point, I figured my diet (thanks to the holidays) was already blown, so what the heck...bring on the dessert.



The trio of sorbets was out of this world: Chocolate/Peppermint, Green Apple, and Lemon Pomegranate. Very refreshing!



I couldn't help but covet the Cinderella birthday cake for Joel which was (cruelly) placed right near where I was sitting in full view.



Before heading to bed, we took a quick walk through Downtown Disney. It really is a vibrant spot at night and a nice place for locals (and visitors) to congregate.







NEXT UP: The Race!

See more vintage & current Disneyland photos on my Disneyland web pages.