California Grill: Dinner Review

Amanda makes a poor entree choice but writes a great review

- Amanda L, February 13, 2011

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A bit of back story...

My friend Andrew and I had planned to start the day with breakfast at the Polynesian's Kona Cafe. But I woke up at 7:50 AM and felt as if I'd been punched in the face: you know that horrible, achy feeling when you can't even walk without feeling like your body is falling apart?

I'm not being dramatic. That's how lousy I felt.

So Andrew called Dining Services to cancel Kona, but they were able to rebook us for another morning. I fell back asleep around 10:00 AM, having decided that we WERE going to California Grill for dinner.

I awoke feeling better and we grabbed a bus to the Contemporary (via Downtown Disney).

We arrived over an hour early for our 7:30 PM ADR at California Grill. At 7:00 PM we decided to check in and I asked the host for a window seat. As we walked off with the pager, it went off! Jackpot!

Our host led us to a gorgeous window seat overlooking the Magic Kingdom.

I was so excited that I even took a picture of my napkin!

Bread and Beverages

Tom, our server, was very professional but down-to-earth. Since the California Grill is such an up-scale restaurant, we decided to order 'drink drinks', as we call them.

Andrew had a Patron Silver Margarita. I think tequila tastes like bug spray, but I have to admit that this drink was smoother than any other margarita I've ever had.

I chose a Strawberry Daiquiri. I'm not sure what brand of rum they put in my drink, but it was horrible: it didn't burn but had an overly strong aftertaste. Blech! A daiquiri should be mega sweet with very little booze. That's what I expected, and that's why I ordered it. I still drank it, though. Without much enjoyment.

The bread came with creamy butter dotted with sea salt which gave it a nice crunch. I could have easily filled up on bread but restrained myself.

We chose not to order appetizers - mostly because I had pumped myself full of decongestants and didn't want to jeopardize the rest of the meal by becoming sick before we got to dessert.

Entrees

For my entree, I chose the Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Goat Cheese Polenta, Button Mushrooms, Zinfandel Glaze, and Sage ($34). And I chose it even though I don't really like pork. Or goat cheese. And definitely not mushrooms.

So why did I order it?

I blame the decongestant. It was a major faux pas on my part and so it's not entirely fair for me to judge a dish comprised mostly of things I normally don't like to eat.

But, since I did eat it, I can tell you that the pork was tender and flavorful (though I did crunch into something ROCK hard which was pretty off-putting) and the goat cheese polenta was rich and creamy.

It just wasn't for me.

Andrew, not being full of decongestant, chose something he knew he'd like: Oak-fired Filet of Beef with 'Loaded' Mashed Potatoes, Broccolini, and Teriyaki Barbecue Sauce ($44).

He loved it and ranked it right up there with the bacon-wrapped meatloaf he had eaten earlier on this trip.

In a perfect bit of timing, Wishes started just as our dinner plates were being cleared away.

Dessert

As soon as Wishes ended, Tom returned for our dessert order.

Andrew ordered the 'Celebration' Dessert: Warm Heirloom Apple Torte with Salted Caramel, Almond 'Glass', and Apple-Jack Ice Cream ($12).

Again, right up his alley, and he ate it all, which is crazy, considering how little he eats at home. The ice cream was especially delicious.

For me, Valrhona Chocolate Cake: Warm Chocolate Cake with Molten Center, White Chocolate Ganache, Peppermint Bark, and Egg Nog Ice Cream ($13). They simply could have called it 'totally reminds Amanda of Christmas'.

The cake was too rich to finish, but I ate all of the wafer and all of the ice cream.

With dessert I ordered Diet Coke and Tom didn't charge me for it: thanks!

How It Went Down

California Grill is beautiful and a great experience.

I just ordered the wrong entree.

Amanda is a student in Maine, which she considers unfairly far away from Disney World. She only experiences the Magic every few years but looks forward to becoming a regular and fueling her Disney addiction.

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