California Grill
We were checked in and were told no problem. We were told to head around to the elevator and she'd be down in a second. We walked up and the doors opened. We headed up and were handed a pager and told it would only be a few minutes...it buzzed immediately.
We love California Grill, it is Tyler's reigning favorite, but we have always had dinner during fireworks so at night when it is dark. This 5pm ADR was new for us.
We were walked to our table and of course I am thinking we are going to get a not as desirable table since we were late. But we were lead to one of the best!
How's that for an awesome view? And very different from the view at night...although night time is super cool too!
Our waitress, Joanna, came by and explained what the Deluxe Dining plan included (basically the whole menu!) and took our drink orders...the kids ordered a Coke and a water...they offer you your choice of three different types of water (we chose Evian at the cost of $28.00 if we had not been on the dining plan...and she did not mention the cost when we asked for water so I would have been surprised at the cost since we would have been fine with tap water) and serve from the iced bottle (think champagne style) and Skyler loves that! I also got water with my drink. Cary ended up ordering a Coke once he finished his drink. I ordered the
Blackberry Sour
Ketel One Citroen Vodka, House-made Lemonade, Fresh Blackberries
Cary ordered
San Francisco Mai Tai
Captain Morgan, Almond Orgeat Syrup, Fresh Juices, Gosling’s Black Seal Floater
It took a little longer for Cary and my drinks to be brought out so we already had our other drinks and bread, oils and sun dried tomatoes, and salted butter.
We both really enjoyed our drinks...Cary was on a Mai Tai streak and he was enjoying it. Both felt like they had a decent pour of alcohol but were not overpowering...I don't like the alcohol-y taste so I appreciate the kind of drink that you don't notice until you need to function....LOL! The bread was a crunchy outside with a warm soft center and the kids attacked! We liked that we could have the "fancy" tomato spread AND the plain old butter (for those boring people in my family) and I thought the tomato/oil spread was super good. It was easy to spread over the bread and made for a different bread service than we usually get.
Skye found a not so hidden Mickey below...
We always only order three meals here because Skyler's FAVORITE food is here on the kid's menu. So for appetizers I ordered what is on my receipt as "pizza corn". It is not on the online menu anymore and I keep saying I am going to either take a picture of the menu for the items we order or write down the description...but I didn't.
So here's the picture...and let me just say that the description did not prepare me for what this was...but I enjoyed it!
Other than being a bit well done on parts of the crust, this was really good! I liked that there were not so many sprouts that is was overtaken by them. The peppers had a little kick but not too crazy with all the other flavors...just enough. And I really can't tell you what else was on it besides, obviously, corn. I really enjoyed it, cary has a piece but no one else would try it.
Cary ordered what is on the receipt as "New Moon Roll" but is also not on the menu any more. It was a lobster roll and was super good and fresh!
There was avocado over the outside of the roll and the sauce was slightly spicy but not hot. We both loved this sushi but the kids wont touch it. Skyler wants to like sushi and she's gotten close to trying it but still hasn't yet.
Tyler and Skyler shared the
Pepperoni
House-made Bison Pepperoni, Tomato Conserva, Fontina, Asiago, Parmesan, Mozzarella, Basil-Oregano Pistou
And he was kind of surprised when it arrived. He knew it was different than the regular pepperoni flatbread he has made for himself here but he did not realize it was a green pesto type basil thing. And the pepperoni did not look like pepperoni. At first he was put off...because hes a freak! But he decided to be adventurous and tried it...and he really liked it and did not even try to scrape the green stuff off! LOL! We all tasted it and it was really good...and different than your usual pepperoni pizza. I think he'd order it again.
For entrees I got something else not on the menu anymore...the Surf & Turf as it is listed on the receipt.
And apparently we were all having reading issues because I did not notice that there was a sauce on the lobster (which I would have asked for on the side because Skye was planning on sharing it with me. But I was able to get it off mostly and she was able to get some from the bottom side of it. It was cooked really well. I liked the sauce but I like Lobster better with just it's regular flavor. The sauce on the lobster was different than the one that the filet sat on...it had more spice to it. The files was awesome...and I loved the green sauce...unfortunately I cannot tell you what it was because it's not on the menu anymore. I did not get to eat a lot of it though...you'll see why in a bit.
Tyler got the Kansas City Strip with Aged Gouda Macaroni and Cheese ( that is also not on the menu anymore!) and he was not happy with it.
It looks pretty doesn't it? Well he got through about half of the steak and was going to give up. It was very sinewy and hard to even cut. The parts he could get off he liked and it was cooked medium rare as he likes it but he was not a fan. The mac and cheese was a "grown up" version and he ate some of it and Skye ate some of it. She liked hers better though. I, being the wonderful mother I am, gave Tyler about half of my steak which he thought was loads better even with the sauces. I ate the rest of his, what I could get off of it. It had good flavor but it was a difficult cut. I am not sure if that is what that cut of meat is normally or if he just got a bad piece. It had the potential to be so good! I also liked the mac & cheese better than either of them.
Skyler got the
House-made Macaroni & Cheese
Served with choice of two (2) Selections and choice of Small Lowfat Milk, Small Dasani® Water, or Small Minute Maid® Apple Juice
And I always fail to realize at the time that they NEVER offer her her two sides! Yet, we pay full price for it. Anyway, she says this is THE best mac & cheese anywhere. It is pretty good. She also shared here and there with everyone else.
And Cary got the
Oak-fired Filet of Beef
Aged Gouda Macaroni and Cheese, Grilled Sweet Onions, Sautéed Ice Spinach, Steak Sauce
Except, as you can see, it came with a mashed potato and asparagus. His was the clear winner. It was a simple, typical dish but it was simply the best of our options...not that I regret my choice, but Tyler definitely did! He gets his medium well and Skye ate his asparagus. He was happy with is meal, for sure.
At one point they came around and closed the blinds half way because the sun was at a wrong angle for dining at that time of the day.
For dessert I ordered the
Lavender Doughnuts
Blueberry Gin Jam, Pistachio Crumble, Blueberry Frozen Yogurt
Suprise! It is still on the menu...and it was super good! Lavender is an odd flavor to me but it was so subtle that it worked in this. The doughnuts were a light sugar doughnut and the crumble underneath gave it all a crunchy texture....and the Blueberry Frozen Yogurt topped the whole thing off really well. We all liked this.
Cary ordered the
Strawberry Crème Brûlée
Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée, Fresh Local Strawberries, Cornflake Crunch, Coconut Whip, Sponge Cake
And he really enjoyed it. I liked that it wasn't a typical creme brulee presentation. It all went together perfectly and the creme brulee was really creamy with a nice, crunchy layer of sugar on the top.
Tyler ordered the
Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Milk Chocolate-whipped Panna Cotta, Pretzel Crunch
It wasn't very lava-y though. There was a soft inside but it did not flow out like it is supposed to...but it all tasted good and the ice cream with all that chocolate was perfect. Skyler and Tyler ate most of this.
All in all, we love California Grill. I think it is Tyler's favorite...and a top for the rest of us. It is upscale but not stuffy. There are people in all sorts of dress and although I wish they would not wear their park clothes, it does not really affect our experience. There are young people, old people, kids, babies, all sorts of people eating there at all the same time. We have watched crazy families who were loud and obnoxious and have also seen people on a romantic date night.
We have been here many times and it is an expensive meal.Our total here was $414.15 which was $11.72 out of pocket for Skye's mac and cheese and $402.43 on the dining plan...we used 6 credits. I am sure we will be back in the future.
OOP TOTAL $430.41
Mugs total = $80.90
DDDP TOTAL $1036.73
OVERALL TOTAL $1467.14
DDDP Credits used = 16
Snack Credits used =3
Mugs = 4