After being on hiatus because of the pandemic, the Food and Wine Festival is officially back at Disney California Adventure Park. This year has seen the return of some popular dishes from previous festivals. This includes Artichoke Toast with Olive Tapenade, the Impossible Slider with Guacamole, and the Maple-Bacon Churro. However, many dishes are completely new for festival Guests.
There are a couple of dishes that are causing quite the stir amongst Disneyland Resort foodies. One of those dishes is the peanut butter and jelly macaroni and cheese, which can be found at the Nuts About Cheese food booth. Disney describes the dish as “Peanut Butter & Jelly Mac with brown sugar streusel and strawberry crackle”. The “crackle” is actually strawberry Pop Rocks candy.
The dish immediately got people talking. The combination of peanut butter and jelly with mac and cheese was a hard flavor profile to comprehend. Well, with such an interesting dish being available, there’s no way I couldn’t try it. I am glad I did, so I can save you from spending the money on it.
First, let’s start with the positive. This dish was incredibly creamy. When it comes to mac and cheese at Disneyland food festivals, it can be really hit or miss. Sometimes the dish is rich and creamy, and sometimes it is drier and seems to be more oil-based. However, the cheese sauce combined with the creamy peanut butter gave the mac and cheese an extra creamy aspect.
Unfortunately, that was the only positive thing I can say about this dish. When I really think about it, the dish was not “spit it out in your napkin” bad. It just wasn’t good. Now, I love a good salty and sweet combination. But this did just not fit the bill. I love macaroni and cheese and I love peanut butter and jelly. They should just not go together in this dish.
The jam was incredibly sweet, and the pop rocks and brown streusel on top just added another level of needed sweetness. The friend I was with ordered the dish and I took one bite and was done. He kept asking if I wanted more, but it was just so he wouldn’t have to eat it all by himself. He finished it just because he had spent the money on it and didn’t want to waste it. The PB&J Mac and Cheese will set you back $8.25.
While I would tell you to not spend your money on this dish, I also always tell people to try things for themselves. I have heard other people say that they love this dish, but it was just a complete miss for me.
The DCA Food and Wine Festival runs daily at Disney California Adventure Park and will wrap up on April 26. Festival booths open at approximately 10:30 a.m. and close around 8 p.m. The Sip and Savor pass is also available for purchase, and Magic Key Holders are able to get a discount on the pass.