The Grey Stuff at Disneyland

Who hasn't wanted to try the Grey Stuff? Now, you can at Disneyland. Growing up, Beauty and the Beast was a classic Disney princess movie that most of us loved. As an adult (and now a foodie), my favorite part of the movie is the scene where Lumiere sings "Be Our Guest" and shows Belle all the foods that they serve. One of the dishes he offers Belle is the grey stuff. Many people have speculated what the grey stuff really is, but Disney has made their own versions for guests to enjoy in Disneyland and Walt Disney World. And with the release of the new live-action Beauty and the Beast film, Disney has temporarily reimagined the Village Haus Restaurant into the Red Rose Taverne. As soon as I heard about the changes, I was immediately excited to be able to finally try the grey stuff.

So, on a little bit of a rainy day, I headed to Disneyland to try out the Red Rose Taverne. This was actually a few days after the takeover began. I lined up well before the restaurant opened (11 am) to avoid the huge line that formed the days prior.

On the outside, the building is the same but the Village Haus signs are now covered with Red Rose Taverne banners. 

Two of the windows at the front of the restaurant were changed to rose stained glass windows. 

This big curtain welcomes you as you enter while also hiding some of the Pinocchio decor.

I tried Gaston's Brew which is an apple-mango punch with passion fruit foam. It's so funny how much this looks like beer. It is really fruity and delicious. 

And finally, here is the Grey Stuff Gateau. It is a white chocolate mousse flavored with cookies and cream, red velvet cake with a raspberry and raspberry jam in the center sitting on a shortbread cookie, and topped with crispy chocolate pearls.

It actually is pretty delicious. The mousse is like a light whipped frosting with a hint of the cookies and cream flavor. It goes pretty well with the red velvet cake and raspberry. The chocolate pearls give a little bit of a crunchy texture to the dish. The shortbread cookie was like a little bonus that I ate at the end. If I'm able to eat at Red Rose Taverne again before it is changed back, I will have to try one of the savory dishes but also save room for more of the grey stuff. For now, the restaurant will remain indefinitely.

Boysen Apple Freeze at Disneyland

The weather is finally starting to cool off a bit, but I recently went to Disneyland while it was 100+ degrees out. It can feel even hotter sometimes because of the hot pavement and all the walking you might be doing.

I decided that I needed a cold drink to help make it a little more tolerable to walk around. I remembered a drink called Boysen Apple Freeze that is fairly new at Disneyland. It can only be found at Maurice's Treats in Fantasy Faire of Fantasy Land next to the castle. 

Maurice's Treats is a little snack stand that serves strawberry, chocolate, and cheddar garlic pastry twists along with the Boysen Apple Freeze drink or bottled water. The Boysen Apple Freeze can be purchased in a souvenir cup for $9.99. (I didn't get a picture of them, but the Disney Parks Blog has a good picture.)

Since I already have the princess cup, I opted for the disposable cup for $4.69. The Boysen Apple Freeze is frozen apple juice with wild berry and topped with passion fruit foam. This drink is really good and probably my favorite drink in the parks (so far). It was really refreshing on such a hot day too. Another park guest saw me with it just after taking this picture. She asked me what it was and where I got it from. I pointed her to the stand which was maybe 10 feet away. She had her husband buy a couple for them and their two little princesses to share. They all loved it too. She told me she was so glad that she ran into me. I'm happy to share these hidden gems.

It's definitely worth checking out this unique treat while exploring Fantasy Faire.