Saturday, November 29, 2014

Denny’s Anaheim: Craving for All American Cuisine (Anaheim, Theme Park City Series 4)


Denny’s Anaheim 
Craving for All American Cuisine 
(Anaheim, Theme Park City Series 4)


While I was scouting for a budget hotel near Disneyland 
on Booking.com, when I learned that Denny’s Anaheim is
located right next door to Del Sol Inn- I booked the hotel.


With Denny’s as a next door neighbor, I am assured
that my family would be  well fed with good old
American fares on our five- day stay in Del Sol Inn. 


Denny’s had the contemporary interiors,
typical of a classic all American diner look.



Our initial plan was to dine on Denny’s 
everyday during our whole stay in Anaheim
but with the numerous restaurants found
in the area, we were only able to try it thrice.



Except on very early mornings, Denny's was always jam- packed, 
and the queue for those who wanted to dine was kilometric.



We were able to dine three times in the restaurant,
the first of which at nearly midnight after arriving
from a tiring long haul flight from the Philippines.


My wife ordered Moons over my Hammy, a classic
ham scrambled egg sandwich with Swiss and American
cheeses on grilled sourdough served with  hash browns.



My young son had a Peanut Butter Cup Pancake 
made of chocolate chips and white chocolate chips
inside two buttermilk pancakes, topped with hot fudge 
and drizzled with peanut butter sauce.  It was served 
with two eggs and hash browns,  with bacon, a sausage.





My daughter had an All American Slam made of three
scrambled eggs with Cheddar cheese, two bacon strips, two
 sausage links,  and hash browns and and butter pancakes.





I asked the waitress what she would recommend
and she suggested Bacon Avocado Cheeseburger,
so I ordered one.The hand-pressed beef patty was topped
with crispy bacon, fresh avocado, melted Cheddar cheese
and was dressed with  mayo, lettuce,  tomato, red onions
and pickles and served with wavy-cut French fries.



We returned two days later before we visited Legoland,
and I had the very delicious Ultimate Skillet.  It had
grilled sausage, fresh spinach, fire-roasted bell peppers
and onions, mushrooms, grape tomatoes and seasoned
red-skinned potatoes served on a sizzling skillet, topped
with cheddar cheese and two eggs. It was so damn good.



My wife and son loved the Peanut Butter Cup Pancake 
so they orered it again but this time they decided to share it
as the servings were huge and good enough for two persons.

 



While my daughter had Cinnamon Pancake Breakfast 
It had cinnamon sauce and cream cheese icing drizzled
over two buttermilk pancakes. It was served with two
eggs  and hash browns, and a strip of bacon and sausage.





We again returned to the restaurant before
we left for Las Vegas, Nevada  the next day.


My daughter ordered a Lumber Jack Slam that
had two buttermilk pancakes, a slice of grilled
ham, two bacon strips, two sausage links and
two eggs, plus hash browns and choice of bread.






While I could not remember what I ordered, but
I had this very delicious sandwich that had egg
omelet, ham, fresh avocados with melted cheddar
cheese and served with hash brown as side dish.



My wife and son shared their breakfast
and they ordered,  you guessed it right- 
Peanut Butter Cup Pancake Breakfast,



 ...and another breakfast dish that I could not remeber
but they were swearing how delicious it was.



Denny’s Anaheim’s dishes comes in really huge servings
that could be shared by two to three people, but they are so
delicious that we really didn’t care much about the calories.





We are on vacation and the theme park overload in
Anaheim had us walking and puffing all day, burning the
extra calories that we gained from this delectable diner.


Denny’s is an all American original restaurant
and visiting the USA is never complete without
dining in this well loved iconic American diner.


Read my other Anaheim,
Theme Park City Series blogs




(Anaheim, Theme Park City Series 5)



Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Disney California Adventure Park: The Magic Continues (Anaheim, Theme Park City Series 3)

Disney California Adventure Park
The Magic Continues
(Anaheim, Theme Park City Series 3)

Located in front of Disneyland Anaheim
is the Disney California Adventure Park.

 

A visit to the original Anaheim Disneyland is never
complete without visiting its younger sister theme park.


Disney California Adventure Park brings to life well
loved classic Disney and the more recent Pixar stories
on eight theme park zones offering exciting attractions.


The fun begins at the Buena Vista Street where various 
Mexican fiesta  themed restaurants and stores are found.


Gone was all American themed restaurants and diners 
and the miniature Golden Gate Bridge that was here
 on our last visit after a major renovation few years ago.


It was replacedby a Hispanic looking arch instead.


There really no reason for one to stay long in this zone as 
it only serves as the portal for other theme par zones but
with the Christmas Season coming the roadside carolers
made us linger a little bit more to listen to their angelic voices.


We went directly to the Cars Land, as this was one
of the reasons why we decided to return to Disneyland.


This attraction was still under construction three
years ago and this new themed zone based on the hit
cartoon Pixar movie Cars, awesomely came to life.


We directly to walked to Radiator Spring Racers and fell in line 
on the new zone’s centerpiece attraction . and it  was a perfect 
concept of transforming the movie into an exciting ride.


The ride begins as a scenic leisurely drive in revved-up cars
to Radiator Springs to meet the talking-autos gang, and later
pit them against another carload of guests for a thrilling roller-
coaster ride pretending to be cars racing- to-the-finish finale. 


There are two other attractions in this zone like the 
Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, and  Luigi’s flying Tire.


We then crossed the Scenic Pacific Wharf where
a number of wonderful seafood restaurants are located,



...where we took our snacks and cookies,



…before going to the Pacific Pier where
a lot of exciting rides are located.


For those with young kids, they should
not miss the Toy Story Midway Mania,



The later leads to Midway Boardwalk, where newer
 attractions are located, like Goofy’s Sky School, 




…and Little Mermaid- Ariel’s Undersea Adventure,
which just like the Cars attraction was still being built
during our last visit here about three years ago.



There are other benign kiddie rides in this attraction, and
some extreme rides like the giant Mickey’s  Fun Wheel,


and the humongous wooden rollercoaster
the rickety looking California Screamin’.


The Grissly Peak, is just few steps away and
the Grissly River Run, a white water rafting ride
is the zone’s must not miss centerpiece attraction.



It is also in this zone that we let loose our son’s
hyperactivity where he could run around and
play in  the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.


The Candor Flats zone is easy accessible from here,
and one should never miss Soarin’ Over California,
where one can have a relaxing simulated hang glider
ride over several scenic California landmarks realistically
projected on a giant concave screen with 5D special effects.


This is also the best stop for burgers and fries for late lunch or even
early dinner as it is where the Taste Pilot Grill Diner is located.



Our last stop was the Hollywood Land, also the site of
several wonderful kiddie rides that one should not miss.


These are the Moppet Vision 3D, and  Monster’s Inc., 
Mike and Sulley  To The Rescue, where guests board 
taxis on a journey through the streets of Monstropolis where 
they meet various characters of  Pixar’s hit movie Monsters Inc.


Also on this area is the Twilight Zone’s Tower of Terror,
located at the Hollywood Tower. It is one of the highest
structures in the park and an extreme accelerated  drop
tower thrill ride themed as a seemingly ordinary hotel
elevator, with some mysterious supernatural influence.


My daughter and I tried this ride during our last visit
three years ago, but decided to skip it this time as we both
got dizzy and wobbly after riding this extreme attraction.


We did not stop the Bugs World.This is actually our least favorite 
part  of the park as most of the attractions here are also found in 
most non- Disney theme parks and even on ordinary town carnival 
fairs, but we posed to take some souvenir photos. 


The centerpiece attraction for this zone is a 3D Movie, 
called It’s Tough To Be A Bug based on a Pixar
movie, A Bug's Life, that guests should not miss.



We capped our visit with  Disney California Adventure Park's
own version of Disney's Parade featuring cartoon characters
popularized by various Pixar hit  films in the past, 





...together with classic Disney characters.



The magic never stops at the Disneyland Park
as it continues to its nearby sister theme park- 
at the Disney California Adventure Park



The Disney magic goes on.

Read my other Anaheim,
Theme Park City Series blogs