Patina May 22 Food and Drink event with photos

[Frogberto]

I have photos, and a full review of the selections at the event last night, up at:

http://www.micechat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26737


The Patina Group hosted a culinary tour of their Downtown Disney restaurant locations on Monday, May 22nd, from 4-9 p.m. This was not a guided tour per se, but a self-guided exploration of the three Patina restaurants in Downtown Disney. A "reception area" at each location provided an opportunity to sample dishes made at that restaurant, and wristbands were available at checkin.

The cost was $10 per person, and the event was limited to Disneyland Resort annual passholders and their guests.

So, let's begin the tour! First up on the list was Tortilla Jo's. Because alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks were included for your $10.00, this was a good deal indeed. The margarita below was $8.50 on the menu, and the bartender made these good and STRONG, and kept them coming:



The restaurant also had a Trio Mexicana, that is, a singing group that serenaded each table. They had limited seating, but not many people waiting too long.



Food never looks appetizing when photographed, but this selection from Tortilla Jo's below isn't really half eaten, just not cleanly arranged on the plate. Service was buffet style, and included tortillas, chips and salsa, guacamole, marinated shredded beef and chicken, and fajita beef and chicken, as well as rice, beans, and an assortment of desserts, including cookies:



I think we also had a few glasses of a Cabernet thrown in there in between Margaritas. They asked if I wanted Cabernet or Merlot, to which the only appropriate response is, "I am not drinking any friggin' MERLOT!" Things are starting to get hazy here, and we were only at the first restaurant! Time to move on.



And move on we did... to Catal. What a mess. Catal was busy with regular diners, and pushed us to the back corner of the upper level. They were constantly running out of food, definitely didn't have enough tables, and had a huge line waiting for food to be restocked.

Below is the "White Wine Sangria", which was okay. The bartender seemed overwhelmed and ran out of strawberries later in the evening. This drink is made with white wine, white grape juice, fresh mint, and slices of strawberries, and ice:


I never tasted much of what they had at Catal, but when they restocked a dish, there was a feeding frenzy. They had a spinach and cheese salad, tender beef cubes, an apple cobbler dessert (replaced with a brownie dessert when they ran out), and these unidentified appetizers, which ran out before I had a chance to taste them:



My only thought is that Catal, which didn't seem enthused by passholders, made an environment that caused people to move on, and not spend too much time there. A shame, as Catal has many Mediterranean tastes that might appeal to diners to come back for lunch or dinner another time.

Final stop was Napoli, where they had more than sufficient seating, white and red wine, and three stations, which prevented long lines at any one place.

On the plate below you'll see a little lasagna, (they had vegetarian and meat, which was nice), a polenta with red sauce, part of a cheese pizza, and prosciutto. A crostini with olive tapenade is also on the plate, and they had bruschetta as well. Very tasty.


All in all, I loved Tortilla Jo's, which is really the only time I've had a good time at that restaurant. Catal, which was my favorite before this event, was an unpleasant place to be with all the food delays, the long line, and the impatient diners and frustrated staff. This really is an incredible deal for $10.00, however, and overall, the value for price was amazing, and some of the food was really good.

My 14 month old son didn't care much for any of it -- he preferred the fries he had earlier at the Storyteller's Cafe. Sometimes he can be the harshest food critic of all:

[disney_leonard]

Great report and photos Frogberto! We were there as well and found it to be as good as November's event. I agree that Catal wasn't set up for the event this year. They had a buffet line that essentially "dead ended" into a bus station whereas last time they had multiple stations that kept lines from forming. The food at Catal was fantastic when it arrived and while it lasted. We were disappointed with Napoli as the pizza was undercooked and very doughy. Tortilla Joe's did a great job. We did not encounter any rude servers but many were overwhelmed at Catal.

A big THANKS to the Patina Group for holding these events for AP'ers.

[cstephens]

Hmmm, we had a very different experience. Catal is always our favorite on these things even though we go there often because they have the best food. Mexican, Italian, yeah, it can be good, but nothing like Catal's. I was actually surprised at Catal's setup this year because there was more room. Last November, the food was set up in the rotunda, with the seating in the outside area. This time, they had two whole sections, inside and outside, for seating, but there were definitely much more people in attendance this year. We were originally going to sit at the bar but a table opened up outside as we were in line getting our food. So much of the food was fabulous, even better than what they had last November. I had quite a bit of the compressed salad (it wasn't spinach, btw) even though it's on the regular menu, but it's a great salad. I liked that all the dishes had signs so you knew what everything was. I ended up passing on the short ribs because I'd had them off the regular menu before. Loved the white wine sangria and even had a refill. The staff was also pretty good about clearing and resetting tables quickly. They do have a space disadvantage compared to the other two restaurants since both Naples and TJ's are two-story restaurants whereas Catal (as opposed to the Uva Bar) is only upstairs. Not sure I understand the comment about people not spending a lot of time there - that's why all the tables were taken up much of the time.

Our second stop was Tortilla Jo's this year. I had to stand around for a while before there was any staff that came by so I could ask them to clear the table for us. Had just a sip of the margarita - it was definitely as strong as last year. I tasted some of the beef and chicken from the taco bar and some of the steak from the fajita bar - they all had good flavor. Dessert was boring (cookies - yawn), so I passed.

Last stop was Naples. The inside was full, so we went outside instead. They were already out of the polenta when I got there, and the anti-pasta plate was mostly decimated, but to be fair, this was at about 8:30, and I was already full, so I mostly just tried the gelato - they had two flavors left when I got there.

Next time, I'm going to vote for going back to the Catal/Naples/Tortilla Jo's route since TJ's doesn't have dessert that I care about so won't miss.

[mckygirl99]

I think that Torilla's Joe's was the most fun of all! We started there and ended there. Come on, all you can drink margaritas and all-you-can eat chips, guacamole and salsa! My kind of night! Naples was not so good and Catal was OK. I did really like the wrapped shrimp with the orange sauce but I felt trapped and confined there. We did not stay longer than 30 minutes. I think next time we will just skip Naples and Catal all together and spend the night at TJ. Having at least one drink pays for the event!

[olegc]

Food - by far catal. They win hands down (if you went back you had a chance at prime rib over risotto with a truffle cream sauce). The short ribs alone took the prize - and the sangria was true - not that purple slushy stuff at TJs. You can't mess up fajitas and soft tacos too much - both meats had LOTS of flavor and no grizzle. Nice job. Naples - That restaurant puzzles me so - they could do so much more in presenting their menu but they decide to bring out the basics... pizza, lasagna, antipasto... whatever happened to variety or northern italian quisinne?

Atmosphere - I guess TJs.. Music, margarita's, and a nice view of the courtyard makes for a great stay. Naples might be second because of the balcony - but that wind starting whipping in and it got cold... I always prefer Catal but it was bustling so the "feel" changed... see below.

Crowds - much more crowded this time - and with two private parties at catal is made it more "snug".... (ABC networks were holding meetings and dinners all over the place). However, for $10 a head, I can't complain that much.

Our guests kept wanting to move to the next one, etc. instead of relaxing - and that made it a hectic evening. The "pressure" to leave once you were done was there as well due to crowds and the staff clearing plates right away.

Service - Catal wins again (drinks and table needs). Naples, for all of the hype, needs to have more than one server outside to bring drinks.

TJs could have had more bartender help but it was not much of an issue.

Overall - it's a good night to bring friends and I for one find it a great perk for a Passholder without having to do much - and no, I don't need to get free pins or t-shirts, thank you!

[Karin]

This was our first time attending this event, and when AVP advised me "to pace myself", I really should've listened better.

We started out at TJ's. I had the soft corn tortilla taco with the asada and lettuce, rice and beans and the guacamole was fabulous, basic, but really good and fresh! Who doesn't love cheap booze? The strawberry daquiri was yummy and DH had a strawberry margarita I didn't hear him complain about.

We then moved on to Catal. I already love their compressed salad with arugala, parmesan cheese and julianned apples. I pass the nuts to DH. I am not a walnut fan. The short ribs were out of this world! I haven't had them there before. Yum-o! The shrimp was good, but the saltiness of the serrano ham overpowered the shrimp. The sauce was mild and good. I didn't have the sangria, wanted to, but didn't, for other reasons. The ahi tuna on the cracker with the avocado was ok, a tad bland for this fish lover's taste. The onion tartlet on the other hand was mucho delicioso! Oooops, wait. This wasn't the mexican restaurant. It was very delicious!

We did have to wait for a table to be cleared off for us (party or 7) but they made quick work of it and brought us waters all around.

Onto Naples and I was hurting by now. Too much food! I shouldn't have had that 2nd palte at TJ's. Yes, ma'am, AVP. Next time I'll know better.

I wanted to try to pizza and the polenta, but just couldn't. After sitting with the group for maybe 20 minutes, I found enough space to slide about 4 bites of gelato in around the sides, a taste or two of the chocolate and a taste or two of the mixed berry sorbet. Yummy!

I had to call it quits after that. Drive me home, DH! I fell asleep in the car.

Overall, we were really, really pleased! We'll be back and now I know it's ok to leave work a little early to get there.

I now know I want to eat at Catal more often.