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Old 17 Apr 07, 08:32 AM  
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Let's Eat! - California Grill

California Grill

Our first visit to the California Grill was magical, everything we hoped it would be. We had fantastic service, delicious food, exciting atmosphere, a table by the window to watch the fireworks….

Our second visit was extremely disappointing. We had very poor service, mediocre food, flat atmosphere, a table too near the kitchen…..

So I was a bit nervous about returning as we’d come close to striking Cali Grill off the list after the last time.
I’d read though, that Chef Jens Dahlman (who was previously Head Chef at the Flying Fish) had been recently appointed Head Chef at the California Grill, and as we’d been so impressed by our meal at the Flying Fish in October I really wanted to sample some more of his excellent culinary skills.
So, we thought we’d give the California Grill another chance to see if we could recapture the magic of that first visit.
If we had a repeat performance of the second disappointing visit, we’d strike it off the list for good.

It was a freezing night so it was helpful to be able to just hop on the monorail from the Poly to the Contemporary which, with stops at the Grand Floridian and the Magic Kingdom took about ten minutes.
Once at the Contemporary, we checked in at the dedicated podium on the second floor, and were then directed to the elevator where a CM escorted us up to the restaurant on the fifteenth floor, where we checked in again.
It seems a bit of a palaver but it helps to prevent people coming up the busy restaurant just to view the fireworks.

In keeping with tradition, we had a cocktail at the bar whilst waiting for our table and salivating over our menus.
Tonight’s chosen cocktail was a Cosmopolitan for us both. Expertly chilled and made real strong with just a hint of cranberry juice, we both decided it was the best Cosmo we’d ever had.





I’d decided not to ask for a window table tonight as I didn’t want the hope of seeing the fireworks to dominate the meal – I was here to eat!
After about 10 minutes our buzzer went off and we checked back at the podium to be told we had a window table and that the fireworks would be starting in about 15 minutes.
Lucky or what?!
A well made cocktail - seated quickly - window table - fireworks in fifteen….. we were off to a good start!

Our waiter tonight was Saad, who’s been working at the California Grill for twenty two years!
He turned out to be a delightful waiter. He was polite, knowledgeable, warm and friendly, attentive yet discreet and he also seemed to have perfect timing. What more could we ask?

We ordered a bottle of San Pellegrino mineral water and some wine; Clautiere Viognier, Paso Robles for me and Gary Farrell Chardonnay, Russian River for Paul.
Saad quickly brought out some rich, fruity olive oil and some Sourdough bread to munch on while we watched the fireworks.





Just after Wishes had ended Saad brought out our appetizers – both of which were outstanding!
I had Chilled Maine Lobster with California Blood Orange, Celery Root Salad and a Citrus Vinaigrette.
This was utterly delicious! Even better than the lobster appetizer I had at the Flying Fish.
The flavours and textures married so well – every mouthful was a joy!





Paul’s starter was another winner!
Salad of Endive and Mache with Pomegranate Vinaigrette, Candied Walnuts and Point Reyes Blue Cheese.
It was a perfect combination of ingredients, and as he broke open the garnet coloured pomegranate seeds, the juice poured out to make a scrumptious pool of sweet/sharp dressing.
You know how much he loves this kind of salad and he ranked this one very highly indeed.





For my entrée I had something I wouldn’t normally choose: Braised Short Ribs with Parsnip Apple Puree, Caramelised Root Vegetables and Natural Jus.
Long, slow cooking had given the meat an intense, rich flavour and it just fell apart when I went to cut into it.
The mashed potato was deliciously sweetened by the parsnips and apple and along with the combo of the roasted baby onions, parsnips and carrots and the full flavoured beef, it made for the perfect dish for such a chilly January evening.

They have an extensive wine list at California Grill and I love to choose wines I’ve not tasted before. To accompany my entrée I chose a glass of Paige 23 Syrah from Santa Barbara. Very nice!





For reference, the Vegetarian entrée was Whole Wheat Lasagna with Wilted Arugula, Baby Spinach, Bitter Greens and Rustic Tomato Ragout.

It sounded quite creative, but Paul didn’t fancy it – he doesn’t like the texture of whole-wheat pasta.
So for his main course, he chose to have another two appetizers. Well, he couldn’t decide which one to choose, so had both 
Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Pesto, ≈≈≈≈ake Mushrooms and Basil.
And also a Flatbread: Braised Artichoke, Oven-dried Tomatoes, Ricotta Cheese and Salsa Verde.
He really enjoyed them, but it was a lot of food and one or the other would have been plenty.
He had a glass of Keenan Merlot from Napa Valley which he was very impressed with.








I’d intended yet again, on ordering the cheese plate as the cheeses always sound so tempting here but as usual was far too full, so I settled on a coffee and shared Paul’s dessert.
Oh my goodness! It was fantastic. I really wished I’d ordered one for myself – full up or not!

‘Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Jelly’
Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Molten Center, Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce








The dining room at the California Grill is vast and it can be rather loud, but tonight the noise hadn’t intruded on us at all and we were both really relaxed.
It was getting late but we were enjoying the evening so much we didn’t want to leave, so I had some more coffee and Paul enjoyed a very generous glass of Bushmills “3 Wood” Single Irish Whiskey.
Then it really was time to say our goodbyes and head back downstairs to hop on the monorail for the short ride back to the Polynesian.
We had a fabulous night, easily as good as our first magical evening at the California Grill.
Absolutely everything we ate was incredibly delicious, as were all of the wines - and the service was impeccable.
And while I’m really not that bothered about seeing the fireworks from here, it was a jolly nice bonus.

California Grill is back on the list!
And next time I am having that cheese plate!
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Old 17 Apr 07, 08:41 AM  
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Great report Su and I love the look of that Cosmo
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Old 17 Apr 07, 09:04 AM  
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I am really glad that you gave it another chance and really enjoyed it
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Old 17 Apr 07, 09:12 AM  
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Great report as always Sue - I can't wait to try California Grill out next year
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Old 17 Apr 07, 09:49 AM  
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Thats a relief you enjoyed it, we have booked to dine there in a couple of weeks time.
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Old 17 Apr 07, 10:14 AM  
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Brilliant report again Sue. Thanks for sharing.

Caron
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Old 17 Apr 07, 10:24 AM  
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Great report Sue - we also had a great meal there the other week - our first time and had the same waiter too!

Pam.
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Old 17 Apr 07, 11:05 AM  
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Hey Pam Welcome home!

Glad you enjoyed it too.
What did you have to eat?

Thanks for the kind comments foodfans Hope your appetites are nicely whetted!
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Old 17 Apr 07, 11:21 AM  
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Wow it looks and sound amazing! We don't have an ADR for this - do you think we are too late to try and get one with just over 40 days to go?
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Old 17 Apr 07, 11:26 AM  
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Hi Ben.
As there are just the two of us and we're pretty flexible, we hardly ever make our adrs till a couple of weeks before we go and we almost always get what we want - so I'd say yes, go for it!
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