5 best things I ate at Disneyland’s Great Maple restaurant

An upscale restaurant offering a comfort food twist on American classics is basking in the glow of the grand opening of the Pixar Place Hotel that has been three years in the making at the Disneyland resort in Anaheim.

The Great Maple restaurant serves as the flagship eatery in the newly renovated Pixar-themed hotel that debuted on Tuesday, Jan. 30.

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As part of the hotel’s gradual transformation, Great Maple opened in November with a menu that includes hamburgers, fried chicken, ribs, fish, steak, seafood, pasta and salads.

During a media preview, I tasted about a dozen items from the Great Maple menu. Here are five of my favorites:

1) Fried Chicken & Doughnuts

It’s pretty hard to resist the buttermilk fried chicken and maple bacon doughnuts topped with a healthy dose of maple syrup. It’s always a good sign when a restaurant’s signature dish lives up to its reputation.

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2) Portobello Mushroom Fries

Billed as “Everyone’s Favorite Starter,” the parmesan-crusted portobello mushroom spears are topped with red pepper flakes and basil pesto aioli. This was the biggest surprise on the menu — and an open secret for Great Maple regulars.

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3) Soda Pop Baby Back Ribs

The fall-off-the-bone slow-braised and grilled half rack of ribs comes with hot honey slaw and a white cheddar biscuit. It was hard to stop eating these sweet, sticky and finger-licking good ribs.

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4) Steakhouse Burger

The thick and juicy burger is served with aged white cheddar, arugula, tomato, pickled red onions and aioli with a side of French fries, parmesan truffle fries, champagne maple vinaigrette salad or mini Caesar. Everyone does a gastropub burger — but this one stands out from the pack.

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5) Mac & Cheese

Mac & Cheese is one of my five basic food groups — so I have a high bar when it comes to this American comfort food staple. Great Maple’s corkscrew pasta with aged white cheddar, American cheese and herb panko gratin comes with an option to add maple chili bacon. When has bacon not made anything better?

Southern California-based Great Maple has other locations in Fashion Island, Pasadena Paseo and San Diego.