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View Full Version : Garden Grill and Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta at DCA



cstephens
07-01-2011, 11:24 PM
The husband and I had dinner at Garden Grill tonight, and we loved it. They serve Mediterranean skewer platters. You get a choice of skewer and a choice of sauce, and it comes with rice and vegetables and a pita.

The husband had the steak with the Moroccan chili sauce. I tasted the sauce, and it was really good. Spicy and flavorful. The husband said the steak was pretty good.

http://www.colddeadfish.net/images/DLR2/gardengrillsteak.jpg


I had the lemon-oregano chicken with chimichurri sauce, which normally has cilantro in it, but this didn't. I loved it all around.

http://www.colddeadfish.net/images/DLR2/gardengrillchicken.jpg


We also got the Greek salad to share. The dressing was really good.

http://www.colddeadfish.net/images/DLR2/gardengrillgreeksalad.jpg

The other two skewer choices were a spicy meatball and a tofu. I'm definitely trying those on future visits. There were also two other sauces available. One was some kind of yogurt sauce and the other was tzatziki. I didn't get a chance to ask, but I'm wondering if they sell the skewers a la carte, cause I'd love to be able to get the Greek salad with a skewer on the side. The rice and vegetables on the platter were good (the vegetables tasted good, and they were still crunchy), but if I want the Greek salad, I'd also like some kind of protein to go with it. I'll have to ask next time. The food is served on real plates (not paper or plastic) and you get real silverware (not plastic). It's a counter service place, so you place your order with the cashier, and then you go up to the window to wait for your food.


There is a LOT of seating in the area where the two restaurants are, which is really nice. Most of it is outdoors, but there are several covered seating areas as well.


We browsed in Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta as we were deciding where to eat, and all the menu items looked good. They have flatbread pizza, salads and a couple of pastas. It's a "scramble service" location - you go inside and pick what station you want food from and get it there and then you go to the cashier to pay, kinda like Plaza Inn or Pizza Port or Rancho del Zocalo. They have a side salad, and I was amused that the side salad had pepperoni slices in it.

They also have two desserts that I definitely want to try at some point - espresso brownie and limoncello cheesecake.

http://www.colddeadfish.net/images/DLR2/boardwalkdesserts.jpg


I can definitely see us eating at either of the two places fairly often on our visits. We're planning on trying Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta on Monday.

lowfidelity
07-02-2011, 06:51 AM
I went and had dinner at Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta and it was waaaaay better than the last time I had something at Pizza Oom Mow Mow :p. I had the Portebello Mushroom and Artichoke flat bread pizza along with the Four Cheese Spinach Ravioli. I hate wasting food but it was way too much food for one person. I wanted to sample more than just the pizza. Again, a vast improvement over the previous menu selection.

The patio for dining is very relaxed and comforatable. My one and only complaint is that the music they pipe in kinda creates a busy atmosphere but that may have just been the volume they had it at to drown out GSS as much as possible. It's nothing that would deter me from ever going back though. As a matter of fact this might be new favorite place to eat at DCA!

dban3
07-02-2011, 08:36 AM
This is all very good to hear. DCA desperately needed a new "go-to" counter service eating area and previous Paradise Pier efforts were incredibly poor. The only question I would have - is there enough shading for comfortable mid-day dining when the weather is warm?

With Disneyland Resort providing more options and up-scaling their food offerings, we now get start picking out dining experiences months ahead of a planned trip - this is beginning to get a little like WDW trip planning. Not a bad thing.

cstephens
07-02-2011, 09:46 AM
The only question I would have - is there enough shading for comfortable mid-day dining when the weather is warm?

Well, "enough" is a relative term. As I mentioned, there are several covered areas, but there are also a lot of trees around, which could provide shade once they grow out a bit.

prudence
07-02-2011, 10:54 AM
We ate there yesterday. We tried both the BBQ chicken flatbread and the kefta kabob. We tried both the tzatsiki sauce and the tandoori-spiced yogurt sauce, and both were excellent. The flatbread was certainly better than your average theme park pizza, but I'd be curious to try the portobello next time. We tried all the desserts - the espresso brownie was very good, but the limoncello cheesecake didn't impress us (sad!) The baklava was actually pretty good, considering. It wasn't the drenched in honey sort I'm used to, which made eating it much tidier.

I adore the new seating area. It's clear a lot of effort went into it, from the tilework to the thistle motif in the metal screens in some areas. We spent part of the time under a covered area (there are fans!) and part at a shady table enjoying the live music. I really hope the live music stays around. If they're going to push the "mediterranean" flavor of that area, the music really fits. It reminds me of the jazz music in NOS.

currence
07-02-2011, 11:27 AM
We browsed in Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta as we were deciding where to eat, and all the menu items looked good. They have flatbread pizza, salads and a couple of pastas. It's a "scramble service" location - you go inside and pick what station you want food from and get it there and then you go to the cashier to pay, kinda like Plaza Inn or Pizza Port or Rancho del Zocalo.

They also have the self-service fountain drinks like Pizza Port or Rancho del Zocalo. Unfortunately, at least the one cashier I spoke with indicated that the soft drinks are not refillable. That has always been a selling point of those DL locations, especially on extra hot days where hydration is so important. One family member we sometimes visit the park with will only go to locations with refillable sodas. I was hoping a third restaurant (or fourth since we also frequent whitewater snacks) would be added to our dining rotation - but alas, if the one cashier I spoke with is correct, that is not to be. It also makes me worried that the refill policy on the other two locations will change to no refills allowed if they haven't already.

olegc
07-02-2011, 12:37 PM
i went to pizza port on thursday and the cashier there told me one (1) refill was allowed if i showed my receipt so that the cashier could mark it. That was new to me - used to be able to just walk up and refill on my way out.

cstephens
07-02-2011, 01:44 PM
Unfortunately, at least the one cashier I spoke with indicated that the soft drinks are not refillable.

Hmmm, interesting. We'll see what happens when we go on Monday. I wouldn't necessarily take the word of one random cashier, though, since information seems to flow oddly.



i went to pizza port on thursday and the cashier there told me one (1) refill was allowed if i showed my receipt so that the cashier could mark it. That was new to me - used to be able to just walk up and refill on my way out.

Yeah, both Pizza Port and Rancho are hit-and-miss about that. When I go for a refill at either place, I always bring my receipt now, just in case. (We had lunch at Pizza Port last Sunday, and no one said a word to me when I went to get a refill.) As far as I can tell, it's only something they do when they're not busy, when the cashiers aren't doing anything anyway. Because otherwise, they're too busy to notice people going to get refills, and they'd also have to stop helping whomever they're helping to check someone's receipt.

olegc
07-02-2011, 04:30 PM
Yeah, both Pizza Port and Rancho are hit-and-miss about that. When I go for a refill at either place, I always bring my receipt now, just in case. (We had lunch at Pizza Port last Sunday, and no one said a word to me when I went to get a refill.) As far as I can tell, it's only something they do when they're not busy, when the cashiers aren't doing anything anyway. Because otherwise, they're too busy to notice people going to get refills, and they'd also have to stop helping whomever they're helping to check someone's receipt.

i'll agree with that..

Kuzcofan
07-02-2011, 05:03 PM
Does anybody have a picture of the menu? How expensive is everything?

Mermaid
07-02-2011, 06:33 PM
Yeah, both Pizza Port and Rancho are hit-and-miss about that. When I go for a refill at either place, I always bring my receipt now, just in case. (We had lunch at Pizza Port last Sunday, and no one said a word to me when I went to get a refill.) As far as I can tell, it's only something they do when they're not busy, when the cashiers aren't doing anything anyway. Because otherwise, they're too busy to notice people going to get refills, and they'd also have to stop helping whomever they're helping to check someone's receipt.

Yeah, in April I had to show my reciept so I was ready with it in May. The line was really long so I asked a CM if I needed to wait in it for the refill and she said no, you can just take it. I am not sure if it was just because the line was so long or if it was one of those, depends on who you get things.

Mom2
07-02-2011, 10:04 PM
Cstephens- Was the pita bread burnt? It looks very charred in the photos. Just wondered if it tasted burnt?

cstephens
07-03-2011, 01:12 AM
Cstephens- Was the pita bread burnt? It looks very charred in the photos. Just wondered if it tasted burnt?

No, it tasted fine to me. I think the marks were only on the one side. It's actually a very large piece of pita bread. I think it would have been fine to just have half the amount.

mousterpiece
07-03-2011, 03:15 PM
Kuzcofan, I saw a thread on MiceChat where the entrees for both restaurants hovered around 9 or 10 bucks. Pretty reasonable considering that the food at these restaurants aren't mostly typical stuff.

I'm going to the parks in a few weeks, but I think I need to stop reading about the restaurants--my stomach is growling just looking at those pictures!

AVP
07-03-2011, 07:14 PM
Does anybody have a picture of the menu? How expensive is everything?MousePlanet has all of the menus for all three new locations:

http://www.mouseplanet.com/guide/435/Disneyland-Resort/Disney-California-Adventure/Paradise-Pier

Kuzcofan
07-04-2011, 03:29 PM
MousePlanet has all of the menus for all three new locations:

http://www.mouseplanet.com/guide/435/Disneyland-Resort/Disney-California-Adventure/Paradise-Pier

Great, thank you very much!

cstephens
07-06-2011, 09:03 PM
We had lunch there on Monday. I can post pics if anyone is interested and hasn't already seen them. Food was delicious! That corner is now my favorite meal spot, but then I have to choose what I actually want to eat from one of the two restaurants.

I got a regular drink, and later, I went in to get a refill. I had my receipt with me just in case. No one blinked an eye at me as I went and refilled my cup.

We sat near the bandstand, and there was a band playing. It was nice accompaniment to our meal and conversation. The trees provide some shade in that area, though random leaves do fall down.

fairestoneofall
07-08-2011, 02:37 PM
We had lunch there yesterday. I had a great salad (anitpasto?) that I think they referred to as a chef salad. Hannahbelle's DD had the sun dried tomato chicken pasta, I tried a bite, it was yummy. The boys had pizza and mac and cheese, they were happy. I'll eat there again.

cstephens
07-08-2011, 03:56 PM
I had a great salad (anitpasto?) that I think they referred to as a chef salad. Hannahbelle's DD had the sun dried tomato chicken pasta, I tried a bite, it was yummy.

Italian chef salad. The husband and I split it. Liked it a lot. I had the chicken sun dried tomato pasta and really liked it. I liked that it was a little spicy, but I think they should warn people. I have a couple friends who don't do spicy AT ALL who wouldn't have been happy to have that sprung on them, since there's no indication that it's spicy.

ScottC4746
07-09-2011, 11:24 PM
I went today and got the lemon chicken with chimichuri sauce and asked for it on the side, which they did. I am glad as the sauce was a bit zippy. Glad they are using real plates and flatware. More green. If only the beverage glasses would come in actual glasses to cut even further on trash.

adriennek
07-17-2011, 09:25 PM
I had the steak and tasted all of the sauces. My sauces came on the side.

I LOVED the chimichurri sauce. Unlike Scott, I didn't taste any 'spice' or heat to it. But it was packed with flavor. I used the extra sauce on my pita bread. Yum.Yum.Yum. and YUMMMM. I liked the tzatziki sauce and the Morroccan chili sauce as well. The tandorri yogurt sauce was good but I have to be in the right mood for those flavors. The cumin rice with orzo was wonderful. I really liked the cumin flavor. I was seriously impressed to find a dish with so much flavor at a theme park.

Doc had the lemon oregano chicken and beef kefta. The beef kefta was spicy! I'm glad I got the steak because while I liked the kefta, again, I have to be in the right mood for that much spice. Again, I'm definitely pleased to see something with so much flavor in a theme park but they still have the other options for guests who prefer something less kicky. (BTW, my steak was not "flavorless." It had a nice flavor to it outside of the sauces but nothing too exotic or spicy.)

The kids all had flatbread pizzas from next door. My eldest had the portobello mushroom and spinach pizza which had artichoke hearts and pesto on it, too. He let me have a bite and it was very tasty.

We will DEFINITELY be back!!!

ScottC4746
07-18-2011, 06:27 AM
I went a couple of weeks ago to the Garden Grill and was very pleased. I would call this upscale Disney fast food. I was also thrilled to have it served on real plates and real forks and knives. Makes the restaurant more green than to have all that paper and plastic to dispose of.

Drince88
07-18-2011, 07:17 AM
Makes the restaurant more green than to have all that paper and plastic to dispose of.
Provided they're using environmentally friendly detergents and not using too much water.

I just think it's kind of funny that they named these restaurants essentially the same as restaurants already in existence in WDW. I guess it's part of the 'one park' initiative?

dban3
07-18-2011, 04:10 PM
Provided they're using environmentally friendly detergents and not using too much water.

I just think it's kind of funny that they named these restaurants essentially the same as restaurants already in existence in WDW. I guess it's part of the 'one park' initiative?

Well, I'm not sure about the restaurant names but the front entrance looks strangely familiar. Certainly didn't have to pay an architect to come up new plans for an entrance, they were already sitting in file somewhere in the Disney Park offices.