Disneyland Trip Day 1-Steakhouse 55

When my sister Lindsey called to ask if I could drive 

with her to Southern California 

for a wedding she wanted to attend, 

I jumped at the chance. 

My first thought was
DISNEYLAND.   

Even though Travis and I had just been last year 

(I never got around to posting our trip last September), 

I was hoping to go back.  

Isabelle was more enamored with the characters
than any child I've ever seen.  

I wanted to bring her back one more time
before that magical stage is over.   

I convinced my hubby that a quick two day trip to Disneyland

for the kids could be my birthday gift.   

Travis prefers to only go there once every 4 years or more.     

I would rather go 4 times a year.  

Maybe we can compromise and go once every year? 

Travis was fine with the girls trip
and gave the ok for my Disneyland gift.
Quite frankly,
 he was looking forward to the peace and quiet!

My only concern (besides taking 4 kids by myself) 

was that going to Disneyland in August
was going to be hot and crowded, 

but I went ahead and booked the trip.  

I also talked Lindsey into taking Vivien one of the days 

so I could have an extra adult to help me watch Isabelle
while the older kids did the big rides.     

We found great deals for our hotels on Priceline (only $50 a night), 

and discounted Disney tickets for $75 off each two day hopper ticket.     

I have to thank my brother in law Joe and sister Tami, 

who are the masters of finding super deals for the family!

We headed out at 8am and made great time.  

Made one stop at a restaurant which took us an hour and a half, 

but other than that our stops were minimal.
We were surprised how normal the
traffic seemed in LA on a Tuesday afternoon.

I-5

Most of the drive looks like this.  Once you hit the grapevine, you can  feel  LA getting closer.

We checked in to our hotel around 5pm
after hitting some crazy traffic around Anaheim.
Our first hotel was the  
Holiday Inn Disney Resort.

 Baila's poor doll looks like it came from 

Sunnyside DayCare

Since it was my birthday, 

we decided to splurge on a nice dinner.

Steakhouse 55 was formerly "Granville's" restaurant, and we had 

eaten breakfast there when we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel 

in 2005.   It was the best breakfast we have ever had, and 

the price was good.  I was excited to try out their dinner.
I called after arriving to our hotel and had no trouble making
dinner reservations for 8pm that same evening. 

 These pictures are in front of the Disneyland Hotel.

Isabelle age 2, Luke age 8, Lainey age 9, Baila age 6, and Vivien 8 months.

Steakhouse 55
is located inside the Disneyland Hotel.
We were able to park at the hotel 

and get 5 hours free Downtown Disney Parking 

with validation.

Goofy's Kitchen is located right next to Steakhouse 55, 

and Isabelle went crazy trying to catch a glimpse of Pluto.

The menu was a little higher priced than I had expected, 

so Lindsey and I decided to make this our "splurge meal."

We are both light eaters, 

so from the start of the trip we 

chose to share meals.
(well to be quite honest,  we are both too cheap)
 This would help us stay on budget and 

avoid extra calories! 

  Steakhouse 55 is similar to
"Ruth's Chris" 

in their menu style.

Click here for the full menu with prices. 

We started with a salad;

"Spring Greens with Candied Pecans and Raspberry Vinaigrette."

It came with fresh raspberries and this amazing berry sauce.   Mmm, it was divine.

Hard to share this one!

Next we tried the scrumptious

"Steakhouse 55" Seven Onion Soup, Parmesan Crisp."

It's not your traditional French Onion soup, 

but we LOVED it. 

For our entree,  Lindsey recommended we share

the rib eye steak.  I have gone long periods giving 

up red meat, but it was too hard to resist trying 

this steak on our vacation. 

  It was really really good, but Lindsey 

still likes the rib eye at "Ruth's Chris" better. 

We also ordered the 

Chef's Potato Stack Au Gratin, 

and it was better than any steak!

I've learned from past dining experiences not to order "kids meals" because they
usually go untouched, and they are always the same 

unhealthy options of corn dogs, chicken fingers, or pasta with french fries as a side. 
With two vegetarian kids, and one who hates dairy,  I wish there
were better options for children. 

They usually fill up on the bread anyway,

so I ordered them a side of veggies to share instead. 

The bread was so warm and fluffy.

Even the broccoli was fantastic!

For dessert we chose my favorite-"Creme Brulee."  

Wow, it was heavenly. 

The waiter brought me a birthday dessert as well. 

It was so decadent! 

chocolate mustache

I was very nervous to bring the kids to this very classy restaurant because the ambiance was 

quiet and candlelit.   I took a gamble and it turned out fine.
They were so focused on coloring the whole time,
and the late hour made them groggy.
Baila fell asleep right there on the table while she was coloring.  

Vivien also did great

One of my favorite reasons for choosing Disney dining is the outstanding service. 

They always make me feel special.  

Make sure to try this fabulous restaurant
next time you visit Disneyland!

  
After dinner we walked through the Disneyland Hotel to show 

the kids where they stayed for their first trip 

to Disneyland in 2005.  Baila was only
1 1/2 and has no memory of it, but Luke and Lainey remembered
quite a bit.

  I wanted to 

show Lindsey all the waterfalls and lights around the Disneyland 

Hotel pool and gardens, but much of the area was blocked 

off for recent renovations.  If you are considering 

staying there this year, be sure to check when 

the remodeling will be complete.

Last we headed over to Downtown Disney for some window shopping. 

We had a very fun day and made it to 

bed sometime after midnight.