Two weeks later was day one in Disneyland! We took an early flight so we were in California around 1pm. We had only had Starbucks pastries for breakfast so we were hungry. We checked into the Grand Californian and decided to get a quick meal at the GCH Craftsman Grill.
I wasn't super hungry and was aware that we had an early dinner, so I ordered the
Parmesan Crusted Grilled Cheese off the kids menu. For a kids meal, it was a lot of food! This was much better than I expected it to be. The parmesan gave it a much richer flavor than just a simple grilled cheese would have. The fries weren't anything special, but they were better than the average quick service fries. This was a winner in my book!
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My husband ordered a much larger and much fancier meal. He ordered the
Poke Bowl (choice of Salmon, Tuna or Tofu marinated in Poke Sauce, with choice of Steamed White Rice or Shredded Lettuce with Red Onions, Pickled Cucumber, Edamame, Avocado, Green Onion, Furikake, Sriracha Aïoli, and Togarashi Spice) with tuna. He loved this and thought it was amazing. It wasn't the freshest tasting poke bowl, but it was delicious and a very substantial meal.
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Overall, I loved GCH Craftsman Grill and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for anyone looking for something different at Disneyland. It was quieter than most meals are at lunchtime since it is tucked away at the back of the hotel.
I remember this day being a very crowded day at Disneyland, and after lunch we went into the park. We rode a few rides before our dinner at Blue Bayou. We did the Fantasmic Dining Package, which I think came with an appetizer which I skipped and I believe my husband got a salad which I apparently didn't take a picture of. The bread that came with the meal was soft and herby. It is VERY DARK in Blue Bayou since you're inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, so my pictures are really not good.
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I once again ordered the
Surf & Turf (Split Lobster Tail, Petite Filet Mignon, Au Gratin Potatoes, Chef's Choice Vegetables, Cabernet Sauce). Once again my husband ate my lobster tails. The steak here was okay. It wasn't very tender, but the sauce and the mashed potatoes were very good.
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My husband ordered the
Catch of the Day (Sustainable Fish, Chef's Choice Vegetables, Chef's Seasonal Sauce). He later remarked that the Disney fish of the day is always salmon, and of course it was salmon here. He thought this was okay. There was nothing special about the salmon, but he really liked the corn soup-y side it came with, which was sweet without being too sweet.
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For dessert, I ordered the creme brulee, which is my all-time favorite dessert. This was a fairly standard creme brulee, although I remember that the raspberries weren't very fresh.
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My husband ordered the
Opera Cake (Almond Sponge Cake, Chocolate Ganache, Coffee Buttercream). This was very good, and the almond, chocolate, and coffee flavors blended together very well.
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I don't know how much I would recommend Blue Bayou. I think it's worth going to at least once for the ambiance, but the food was fairly mediocre and of course it doesn't compare to the fabulous signature restaurants at WDW. I think the food is VERY overpriced for the quality, and I generally consider Disney restaurants to be fairly well-priced considering you're paying a Disney tax.