Club 33 — Restaurant in Anaheim

It's not easy to get into here. You need to know someone who knows someone who knows someone. I'm not gonna downplay the exclusivity here. YOU (yeah you) need to be a lucky schmo or a filthy rich schmo in order to get your Disney paws on those two numbers....3 3....say it with me......Club...3 3. You probably aren't going to call in a reservation yourself, but you can certainly ask your secretary to do so. And while you're at it, drop the name of 10 other good friends, cuz you can have a couple guests join you. Oh how lucky they are to sample the wealth and success that you stand on. Did I make my point? I hope not, cuz I'm just one of those lucky guests....hehe.

-=-Costs-=- It's pretty exorbitant. If you do not currently hold a Disney pass, you're gonna have to pay for one. That's gonna be tacked on top of the price of a $100+ lunch (we ain't even talking dinner, schmo's!). the going price for a ticket hovers around the $100 buck range too. Jeebus, you gotta be lucky AND gotta be down to blow a wad.

-=-Buffet-=- What can exclusivity and a wad buy you in a park of overpriced food and movie-theatre-priced popcorn? For one, you get access to the only full bar in the Magic Kingdom. You also get access to a buffet, and choice of fancy entrees. It was not the international food selection buffet of fairy tales but you can have a good fix of cold cuts and crab legs. On another small table will be another awesome surprise...oils for dip, but most importantly truffle oil! I made a point to dip whatever I could in truffle oil. For my crab legs, I bypassed the melted butter and went straight up truffle oil dip. This may mark my first and only time that I'll be able to do this, but it was pretty fun and redeeming. I'm going to ignore the rest of the buffet because that is all that I felt was worth it.

-=-Entrees-=- There's lamb, chicken, steak, fish, and fish. Pretty simple and each entree came with its own selection of sides. One highlighted side here was the truffled mac and cheese that came with the chicken. Luckily, my group shared around so we were able to get a sampling of the dishes here. My favorites for entrees would be the steak and redfish. I like my steaks rare and they overcooked it a bit, but I'll just attribute that to Uncle Mickey not wanting to get sued for poisoning.

-=-Swag-=- Mickey and Goofy came by during our meal so we had fun group pictures with them. When our meal was done, we also asked to hang out on the balcony for a bit and we got more pictures to savor this moment a bit longer. There's a swag cabinet outside with merchandise ranging from hats, shirts, mugs, and shot glasses sporting that exclusive 33 logo. Do yourself a favor and buy at least a shot glass. This is already expensive enough as it is so top it off with a remembrance. It's like 20 bucks ish. Just do it.

Alright, what's dragging this review down though? It seemed that once we went through those 33 doors, the Disney friendliness disappeared. We were told to wait downstairs, in a fairly unfriendly manner. No questions, no howyadoins. Upstairs, lost some Disney charm too, but was a teensy winsy bit better. The food was palatable, but not to the fancy calibre that a $100 price tag entails. Come and dine if you can, but even if I had the means, I would probably not do this weekly or monthly. Yearly, perhaps, if that. Then, I can throw it all up on...

Wow! Absolutely DELICIOUS food and excellent lunch experience. First of all, I just want to say thank you to Matt, our inviting and very helpful server! You're awesome. I'm going to walk you through, step-by-step, the process of walking in through the door of Club 33 to walking out. After waiting and shopping around for half an hour til our reservation, my party of three including me went up to the door, rang the bell, and entered the Court d'Anges. After having cleaned our hands with cold towels and taken quite a few photos, we were led by a lovely server whose name I unfortunately do not remember, to the elevator. The elevator opened to the entryway upstairs, where there is a harpsichord that belonged to Lillian Disney that Sir Elton John and Paul McCartney have played on, near two display cases with various merchandise ranging from $15-$2000+. Here, Mickey and Minnie Mouse paid Club 33 customers an unexpected visit later that lunchtime. After coming up through the elevator, we were led to Le Grand Salon, where my party and I were seated. After choosing our drinks (I chose the Riverboat Rhapsody which doesn't look as good as the others but was really good anyway), my friend and I walked around a bit, going from the balcony where people on the ground stared and probably wondered how the hell we got up there, to the bathroom, which is ornately decorated but doesn't exist in terms of pictures (video recording is banned, and photos of the bathroom are too). Here is what I had for the four-course lunch: First course: Traditional Escargot This was GODLY. GOOD. I mean, DAMN. Juicy, delicate, tender, and savory. I cannot recommend this enough. Plus, the rosemary brioche bread complemented everything very nicely. Oh yeah, escargot is my favorite food now. Second course: Waldorf Salad Some kind of mixed greens with paper-thin apple slices, grapes, candied walnuts, and a delicious Balsamic-y sauce. Just right of a portion. Entrée: Grilled Petit Filet Mignon Almost perfect! The only thing it lacked was a little savoriness. Medium-rare made it just juicy enough, and it wasn’t too oily or tough. The texture was perfect, actually. The sauce was just as good, in that it wasn’t overpowering, but delicate and blending well with the meat. There were also some chopped carrots(?) mixed in, as well as some onion. Delicious. Impromptu extra course: Diligently selected cheeses Three cheeses, each paired with something else to make it’s own, distinct flavor, as well as a small puff pastry with each. There was blue, some kind of soft brie, and something like a mix of gouda and parmesan. I wasn’t really listening when the special server explained each cheese. I really liked the bread with brie, but that was about all of the cheese I could get my hands on. Finale: Mansion Ice Box Cake Perfectly sweet, contrasting the cappuccino I had. Whipped cream encased in a shell of paper-thin chocolate, on top of airy chocolate cake. A great way to finish off a great meal.

I really want to come back, the food was delicious! Club 33 was truly a pleasure. I hope I can make it into my second Disney experience. Until then, have these photos. I know that's all you clicked...

Got an invite to Club 33 from a friend of a friend. Lunch service. Bucket list complete.

They call a day before to go over details including dress code (lunch hours: jeans ok without rips or tears, tennis shoes ok if in good condition, no slide in sandals [they must wrap around the heel], no tank tops, and no bra straps showing [our friend wore a tank dress and her bra straps were showing so she put a cardigan on but the staff said all she had to do was take her straps off and tuck her bra straps into her dress]). You find out where the entrance is.

Upon arrival in New Orleans square, you ring the doorbell near an obscure door and are escorted into a tiny lobby, then out to an enclosed patio. Fresh cold or hot towels are provided as well as chilled water. The patio is beautifully decorated and you have a few minutes to relax in various wrought iron bistro sets and take photos. There’s a spiral staircase leading up to the restaurant where our group took many photos. There is an elevator for those unable to navigate stairs.

After 10 to 15 minutes you are escorted up to the restaurant. You are greeted there and brought to your table. The entire time being escorted you learn Disney history/trivia by the host and also rules (no photos of people outside of your party).

The dining experience—out of this world. They have an extensive cocktail and wine menu and serve those first, giving you lots of space to relax and enjoy. We walked out to the various balconies to take pictures over New Orleans Square after ordering our drinks. The balcony area is set up for tables for two—very quaint and romantic. The menu is a 4 course prix fixe menu with lots of options for the two vegetarian friends we were with. Each menu item and even drinks on the menu are extensively explained and come with a story of Disney’s history. They pace the meal expertly, never leaving you feeling rushed. The bread basket is incredible—soft, warm, fluffy, savory. Each dish was expertly created and left our tastebuds wanting more. The pictures and menu descriptions do not do the food justice. Even though you get dessert, they also give each guest two Club 33 macarons to take with you.

There is a members only lounge we did not see.

We stayed three hours. We were never asked to leave. They allowed us to take our time and enjoy ourselves taking photos and shopping for only-at-Club 33 merch in the entry lobby.

Truly, it was the whole experience, the uniqueness, the exclusivity, and the oh-my-gosh-I-can’t-believe-I-was-invited feeling that lasted in my heart leading up to the moment and still...