Farewell, Club 33

Many times over the last 10 years or so, I’ve been fortunate to have been invited to dine at Club 33, an exclusive, members-only restaurant at Disneyland. The host with the most has been Ken, who is my good friend Mark’s brother-in-law and whose uncle is a club member. Sadly, Uncle Arnold is now quite elderly and in not-such-good health, so his membership will expire soon and will not be renewed. So on Saturday, Ken and Shari (Ken’s wife and Mark’s sister) were kind enough to include me in the final club lunch. Along with Mark, Ken, Shari and me were two women who work with Shari along with their spouses, plus my friends Thalia and Carrie.

Our reservation was for brunch buffet at 11:30am. In addition to all-you-can-eat the seafood bar, salad bar and dessert bar, each diner also may choose a hot entree. despite the presence of shrimp linguini on the menu, I chose steak. After everyone ordered, we all made our way over to the seafood and salad bar. I filled my plate with green salad, chilled lobster tails, the best crab claws I’ve ever tasted and boiled shrimp. Yummy, yummy, yummy. There was also cold grilled vegetables, lamb chops and antipasto, but I stuck with my favorites.

It took a while for our entrees to arrive, so I decided to take a little trip to the dessert table. After all, someone had to sample everything so that we’d know what was good and what wasn’t. I was happy to do my part for the team!





When our entrees arrived, there was a little mix up as initially I was given Carrie’s medium rare steak and she got my medium well steak. Once we realized what had happened, we switched and all was well.

When our entrees arrived, there was a little mix up as initially I was given Carrie’s medium rare steak and she got my medium well steak. Once we realized what had happened, we switched and all was well.

Then, back to the dessert table!! Yes, I went back for more dessert – two more times! Almost everything I had was delicious, but my favorites were the lemon tarts and chocolate mousse. There was also a chocolate fountain that was a particular favorite with many, and they provided chunks of fruit and long wooden skewers for dunking. I like chocolate, but can really take it or leave it, so I passed and concentrated on the lemon tarts. J

Once we were finished eating, I made sure to show Carrie the two balconies that overlooks the New Orleans Square area of the park. Then we went back inside, took a last look around and left for possibly the last time.

So was this the last time? I hope not. Ken, Shari, Mark, me and several others have applied for a group membership. However, the waiting list is quite long; we're told we might have to wait eight years or more. In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy the park and think fondly back upon the many times I was fortunate enough to visit this very exclusive little slice of Disneyland.