If you're reading this and you're an out-of-towner here to do Disneyland, there's a easy way to get an intro into the wonders of Orange County's local Mexican food scene inside The Disney Resort itself. No, I'm not talking about Tortilla Jo's; I'm talking about the chilaquiles at Catal. Catal's breakfast menu even says so. The chilaquiles are in a section called “Eat Like a Local”, which, to its credit, hints that there's more where this came from if you decide to step outside of Mickey Mouse's white-gloved grip.
And even if it's pricey at $14 a pop—double what most restaurants charge in the real Orange County—it's a surprisingly good representative of chilaquiles. The chorizo-flecked ranchero sauce in which the crisp tortilla chips are simmered is flavorful but also just spicy enough to have Aunt Mildred from Iowa fanning herself. Sure, the plate will be garnished with bits of microgreens that no SanTana hole-in-the-wall will ever be bothered with, but Catal's dish is the best kind of primer for chilaquiles, especially if you've never heard of it before. Then, when you're ready for more, read Gustavo's list of OC's best chilaquiles for your advanced training.
Now what do we have to do to get Catal to add banh mi, bulgogi, and shawarma into that “Eat Like a Local” list?
1580 Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, CA 92802, (714) 774-4442; https://www.patinagroup.com/catal-restaurant/
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Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.