Trying Something Different

Although he had considerably fewer miles to travel than Brennan, Joachim Splichal, another big gun in the restaurant industry, is also going to Disneyland.

Splichal has more than a dozen restaurants in the greater Los Angeles area but said this is the first time he has ever designed a restaurant within the confines of a large development.

“It really is quite different from a free-standing restaurant,” he said. “There has to be much more planning and coordination and you have to have your design approved [by Disney]. Fortunately, they are pleased with what we did.”

The two-story restaurant will have Mediterranean cuisine and feature an outside wine bar and tapas bar serving small appetizers.

Splichal, best known for the Patina restaurant in Los Angeles, is making Downtown Disney the site of his second Orange County eatery. The other, Pinot Provence, is in the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel.