Somehow, every time I plan on going to Disneyland, I end up going to Disney's California Adventure instead. DCA doesn't have the same magical ambiance or soul soothing nostalgia that Disneyland does but it does have cocktails, wine, hotlink corn dogs and now, a Ghiradelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop.
If you haven't been to DCA in the past year, you are missing an amazing renovation that converted the previous ho-hum entrance to a time machine directly to Burbank in the 1920s. The recreation of Buena Vista street is done in a Spanish Colonial Revival style that does actually does evoke a sense of Disney history previously lacking from the former named Sunshine Plaza.
But my focus during this DCA trip was to enjoy a treat from Ghiradelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop and a hotlink corn dog at Corndog Castle. I'm pregnant, don't judge me.
Ghiradelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop
Now, I've been to Ghiradelli shops twice in my life. Once in San Francisco and once in Las Vegas. In neither place was I given a free sample of Ghiradelli just for entering the store so I automatically put this Anaheim based shop at the top of Ghiradelli establishments.
Can I just say that this is also a great upgrade from the original Mission Tortilla Factory that occupied this space. Chocolate sample > Tortilla sample, in my opinion. Even if you got a full free package of tortillas on your birthday, I still think Ghiradelli is superior and more San Francisco Wharf appropriate.
The menu at this little shop consists mainly of various sundaes, malts, shakes, floats, chocolate baked goods, chocolate treats, chocolate drinks and specialty coffees.
I was hoping that there would be chocolate sodas, egg creams and other old school soda fountain beverages as the name would imply they had, but no. At least, not on the menu I read.
I settled on a Lemon Fizz (lemon sorbet, club soda and sliced strawberries) which is basically a strawberry lemonade slurpee. DH picked out the Sea Salt Caramel Banana Shake, a superior drink to my own choice, and enjoyed every second of it.
While we were in line, the man behind us told his children, "This is an occasional thing. That's why it's called a treat. And not like that Dairy Queen crap." If it didn't reek so much of a spiteful tirade against a possible ex wife squabble I would say, "Exactly."
No offense Dairy Queen.
It seemed like the hot item at the shop was actually the sundaes, especially since they looked like cups of ice creamy joy, but I just had Coldstone's a couple of nights before and wasn't in the mood ice cream overload.
I'm pregnant, not cruising for diabetes. Though I don't know that the Lemon Fizz was a better anti-diabetes choice in the end.
Corn Dog Castle
DCA underwent a massive remodel around the World of Color area over the past few years adding things like the Little Mermaid ride and a new plaza for food. During that remodel, I tried multiple times to come to DCA for a hotlink corn dog only to be disappointed because it was closed during construction. I was devastated by the idea that Corn Dog Castle might be no more.
Because honestly, who cares about a stupid mermaid who would give up her greatest strength, her voice, for a chance at some guy she had never actually met before. How would that be more important than a corn dog with a hot link in the center instead of a boring old beef frank?
Lucky for me and for the Disney planners, Corn Dog Castle reopened with the same great joy on a stick.
The regular corn dog is just as good as the ones you can find on Disneyland's Main Street at the Red Wagon. Even the Cheddar Cheese stick is quite good since it's both bigger and tastier than anything offered at Hot Dog on a Stick. But the real star of the show, to which many of my Instagram friends confirm, is the hotlink option. I don't know of anywhere else that makes this culinary wonder.
Every corn dog is offered with a bag of Lay's potato chips or a bag of apple slices. Personally, I assuage my deep fried guilt with the apples. I don't usually eat the apples by the time I'm full of corn dog but at least I didn't eat the oily potato chips right?
If you've never had one of these, please don't judge them by their appearance or by their non-Disney counterparts. This is a taste sensation that is unrivaled.
Grab 3-4 packets of mustard (avoid the ketchup), douse liberally and enjoy every sinful bite.
I dropped my last bite of corn dog on the floor and I can't tell you how sad faced it made me. Like a kid who dropped an entire ice cream cone round side down on the dirtiest of concrete.
But here's a picture of my first bite in all it's beautifully lumpy glory.
