MrKurtNielsen.com

As many of you know, one of my closest friends in the wrestling business is Percy Pringle, a.k.a. Paul Bearer. For the fifth year in a row, I will be staying with him at his lovely home in Mobile, Alabama as we attend the Gulf Coast Wrestlers Reunion. It is always a highlight of my year. The event is for people involved in the wrestling business only. As a professional wrestling fan for over 30 years, I’m thrilled to be welcome, as I am rubbing elbows with true giants of the business.

Sadly, Percy lost his dear wife, Dianna, one month ago. I was lucky enough to get to know her. What a grand lady she was! I spent countless hours talking to her, eating her wonderful home cooking, and getting treated to her true southern hospitality. Being from the West Coast, I never had the opportunity to have homemade fried chicken — it’s not something a lot of people out here make themselves. Dianna was kind enough to make me her special fried chicken a few years back, and I will never forget how terrific it was.

So, it will be bittersweet going to Mobile this year. Dianna will be on my mind all the time, as you might imagine. But there’s so many good memories, and so many good friends out there for me to visit, I won’t be able to stay down for too long. And don’t forget all that wonderful food! I’m going to eat like a horse. Diet be damned! I will stick my head in a trough full of banana pudding and won’t come up for hours!

And, of course, I will do my annual visit to the grave of Stan “Plowboy” Frazier in Biloxi, Mississippi. Yes, I might just wear overalls (just like I did last year). I pick up all my overalls in Pascagoula, MS, where Frazier lived most of his life. He’s a strange role model, I won’t deny… but he’s mine!

Now, those of you who want a letter from me, you better raise your hand now cuz I’m going to be out for a short while. But if you do request it, I will gladly mail you from somewhere along the Gulf Coast… I swear!

Okay, I had best pack. We’ll be back next week!

In honor of my upcoming trip to Mobile, where the food is abundant and glorious, here’s one of the finest eating stops on the West Coast: the world famous Farmers Market on 3rd and Fairfax.

If you ever come down here for a visit, please be sure to stop by. Heck, give me a call and I’ll show you where to go!

www.farmersmarketla.com

It’s the simple pleasures of life that really do it for me. But sometimes I’m a bit naughty…

I would have to say that New Orleans Square might very well be my favorite section in all of Disneyland. From the eerie grandeur of the Haunted Mansion to the minute details throughout that evoke the jewel of the Gulf Coast, there’s real life, drama and class in every corner. All the space is perfectly proportioned, too, without an ounce of fat. Everything makes sense. Here, it seems, no corners are ever cut. Magnificent!

Happily, all of the food establishments in New Orleans Square are just as quality-driven. I can’t list one place there that is even average, not even the food carts. What brings out this special magic? It’s hard to say. Maybe because people associate New Orleans with food excellence, the park felt morally obligated to step up their game. It does not make sense that a section only a few feet away (like Frontierland) can produce food of such a different quality, but I swear it’s true, folks.

I don’t think you can do better in the park, for price, value and overall appeal, than the French Market Restaurant. Located attractively by the train station, facing the Rivers of America, this is a wonderful establishment that is considered casual dining, moves like quick service, and gives you the feeling that you are truly somewhere special. The Blue Bayou has all the reputation (and prices to match!), but I honestly feel this is the gastronomic heart of New Orleans Square.

In the open-air dining area, you can watch people casually strolling by as you listen to live jazz and sip a (non-alcoholic) Mint Julep. No matter how harried things can be, this festive environment has a way of soothing the mind, even in the dead heat of summer. All of the elements that make the park so great meld here in this one spot: the trees, the architecture, the smatterings of kitsch, the whimsy, the charm. You could ask for no better backdrop for a meal, I can assure you!

The food is just great. Given the constraints of food service in this capacity, they do some really amazing things. The jambalaya is not your typical Cajun style (this is Disneyland, after all, so they don’t really over-spice), but I really love it. They spoon a large ladle of tomatoey rice with vegetables, make a deep well and top it with a generous portion of shrimp and chicken. Flanked by cheddar cornbread and perfectly cooked tender-crisp vegetables, it’s a marvel. I had this very meal outside in the pouring rain, underneath a small cloth cover, and had one of the most pleasant eating experiences in my life.

Every time I have come here, either with a group or by myself, I have been nothing but satisfied. Some of the food isn’t always tip-top — it can happen, and it’s understandable. On one visit my Roast Beef Royale’ had somewhat gummy potatoes, and the beef seemed a bit over-tender (if that even seems possible), but it was all still highly edible. The consistency of the French Market still tops that of the other restaurants in the park by a wide mile.

They also have lovely desserts. I had a mini cheesecake with raspberries and a Jack Skellington head perched atop — it was something you would expect to see at only the fanciest of cafes, and was available here for a modest fee. Again, just magic.

Overall Grade: A
If you really want to put a big exclamation point of your Disneyland experience, I would strongly suggest you eat here. It is everything the park should be, and if I didn’t already vow to eat at every restaurant in the park, it would be the only place I’d ever dine.

Cuisine: American, Cajun-Creole, Healthy Selections
Service Type: Casual Dining
Price Range: $$ ($10-$20 per person) *
Meals Served: Lunch, Dinner, Snack
Location: New Orleans Square

I was at Disneyland the other day, consuming several large cups of the coffee with endless refills, bouncing gleefully over my recent discovery. Once I found out about this treat (available only at the Market House on Main Street U.S.A.), I figured it was time to grind it into the ground and drink all I could. On a regular visit, I can easily consume six of the 16-ounce cups over the course of a day. They say it’s not great for your nerves, causes acid stomach and will discolor your teeth, but I never cared.

Everything sort of changed this last weekend. I don’t know if it was the madness of Midway Mania (the ride I just stepped off of) or the 3 cups of coffee that I had within a small window of time that caused it, but my hands started to shake. I tried to hold my hands still. I could not. My friends all surveyed the situation, with great glee, and came to the same conclusion: I had overdosed on coffee.

I realized that if I ever hope to maintain steady hands and not come off like a knock-off version of Kate Hepburn, trembling like a feather in a breeze, I had best put on the breaks. So, for a time, I will stick with Sanka and ride that train around the park until I feel it’s time to step off.

I’ve long kept non-caffeinated products in my larder. I have several jars of Postum hoarded, of course, but I will only partake on special occasions since it’s no longer in production and as precious as gold. Pero is quite good, though not the same as Postum and does not feel like a coffee substitute — it is it is its own thing. The only legitimate solution is to swim in Sanka, my faithful instant friend.

A part of the Maxwell House family, Sanka is America’s first brand of instant coffee, dating back to the early 1900s. The younger ones won’t recall this, but for many years Sanka (and Postum for those of the Mormon persuasion) were regularly served at major restaurants. You didn’t ask for a cup of decaf: you asked for a pot of Sanka. Its impact is still felt — though most establishments no longer serve Sanka, the orange color of the product’s label is the main reason why they use orange to identify decaffeinated coffee in restaurants to this very day.

I won’t say it tastes as good as regular coffee, because it doesn’t. The slogan “Sanka… Everything You Love About Coffee” is somewhat misleading. Like other substitutes, it has its own character and drawbacks. I’d say it’s slightly bitter, and doesn’t even smell like regular coffee. But if you like the taste of instant coffee (and I do once in a while), you learn to live with it.

Naturally, my love for Sanka goes deeper than just my want to calm my jangled nerves. Sanka was a sponsor of The Andy Griffith Show. Back in the day, many of the key products were worked into little commercial skits featuring the characters. If you were not paying full attention, you would swear these spots were part of the actual episodes. Andy and company really sold the Sanka well — to this day, the spots make you want to run out and buy the stuff. And when you sip it, you feel like you’re in the sheriff’s office, gnawing on one of Aunt Bee’s fried chicken drumsticks and discussing American history with ol’ Barn.

Don’t believe me? Take a gander yourself and see if you’re not swept away…

I think it’s now time for me to fetch some boiling water and make myself a cup. Would you care to join me?

Friends, please do visit this place. Everything is done with extra care, and the quality is sky high. You’ll fall in love with their stuff, just as I and many of my friends have. There’s sweets and sandwiches and everything inbetween. Good eats!

MILK
7290 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
themilkshop.com

In my quest to eat at every restaurant and food service cart in the park, I’m bound to stumble upon some lemons. Mickey’s Toon Town does not evoke images of grand dining, and the realities are very much the same.

As you might surmise from the name, this establishment specializes in hot dogs, from the foot long to children’s size. The food is predictable and moderately priced. Pluto’s Dog House caters mostly to parents and children who want something safe as they chill with Roger Rabbit or Clarabell Cow. (Likewise, the neighboring Daisy’s Diner, serves mostly pizza, another ageless favorite.)

The hot dogs were what we expected. No surprises.

I opted for the kids meal, since it had a container of macaroni and cheese, and I blanched at the idea of eating another generic hot dog. This was nicely presented in a box with apple slices and a color-changing straw for my small soda pop. I was pretty pleased with the mac & cheese until I tasted some of the product that touched the side of the container. I don’t know what heating method they use, but the styrofoam flavor is rather pronounced and revolting — it actually seeped in to my food. You no longer think mac & cheese after a while: you wonder if consuming this meal is going to kill you or not.

Overall grade: C-
I wouldn’t count this as a total wash, but it’s not all that great, either. There are lots of whimsical places for you to sit, and if you’re looking for some cheap regular food, it’s an alright option. Personally, I have no desire to ever come back.

Cuisine: American
Service Type: Quick Service
Price Range: $ ($10 per person or less)
Meals Served: Lunch, Dinner, Snack

The world is changing every day… but many things we now take for granted are still valid and wonderful. Some things should not be lost, or relegated simply to holiday time, because they are really magic. So, I offer YOU this special challenge!

Are you up for the task? Then, all you need to do is E-MAIL me to get the ball rolling!

I have faith in all of you.

Dagnabbit, I love the morning! Here’s some of my ramblings on that magic time of day…

For years this was a firm favorite of ours. I never remembered the Village Haus being more than burgers and fries, but all the food was good, easy on the pocketbook, and the restaurant offered playful surroundings that were a feast for our collective eyeballs. We stopped coming here for some reason — why, I cannot say. But with such cheerful memories of the past, and the greatly improved fare throughout the park, I thought this old friend needed to be loved by us once more.

First off, the place is rather chaotic inside. I mean, getting through the front door is a battle! Every single table outside was occupied, and there were dozens of people milling around, all looking for a place to plant their group. Inside is no better. We had all assumed this was due to the primo locale and the fine quality within. But if the food was good enough, as we hoped it was, it would be worth any effort on our part to squeeze through the mouse-capped sea of humanity.

The line for the food and the entire process that followed was more of the same. It was just a big mess. Granted, it’s an extremely busy restaurant, and the turn-around here is enormous, but don’t you think they would have things under control after 25 years? It was almost like a brand new restaurant with fresh staff, fully unaware of customer service and crowd control. People seemed agitated and almost resentful of one another. The fact that we got a table was a miracle — we had to hover for some time for that achievement, and our food was cold by the time we finally got to it.

Three of my meal mates had the bacon cheeseburger with fries. I opted for the standard cheeseburger, with a lighter addition of a “salad.” When I saw my “salad,” which fit into something not much larger than a salsa cup from El Pollo Loco, I almost wanted to laugh. I suppose this was a healthier choice through attrition.

The burgers were all dry and tasteless, from the bun to the meat. We understand that meat has to be cooked well in order to be completely safe in most high volume institutions, but does the very life need to be taken from it, as well? The beef could have used some serious seasoning, and the buns should have been at least steamed back to a more pliable state. When you eat a burger and notice the predominant taste is lettuce, and your condiments shine through like the morning sun, you are not in very good territory. The “salad” was fine, but it was so dang small, I was eating it in slow, methodical bites just as one would eating in a swanky restaurant to maximize their enjoyment of an over-priced nouveau appetizer.

As we ate, the table vultures were swarming with reckless abandon. This just compounded our unhappiness. All we wanted to do was grab our things and get the heck out of there. Seriously, it was like being at a McDonald’s in a bad neighborhood, watching people two tables down get in a shouting match. So much for being the Happiest Place on Earth!

We all agreed after the experience to never come back here, that any nostalgic heart strings once pulled by the Village Haus had snapped. If Pinocchio has no strings to hold him down, you can bet he’s running out of that place just as fast as we are.

Overall grade: D+
I give it a higher grade than I otherwise would based only on the fantastic look of the place. You can ignore the idea of eating here completely, especially if you have a group. I say look at it while you walk to another establishment and enjoy the rest of your day.

Cuisine: American, Vegetarian, Healthy Selections
Service Type: Quick Service
Price Range: $ ($10 per person or less)
Meals Served: Lunch, Dinner, Snack
Location: Fantasyland