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Disappointment at CA Grille

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Tue, 05/19/2009 - 18:28
fjfuchs
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Disappointment at CA Grille

During our recent trip, my wife and I were looking forward to dining at the California Grille atop the Contemporary to celebrate our anniversary. Based on the meal I was served, I would suggest you look forward to the view but NOT the food if you are planning on the California Grille. The food portions were small and, although good, the food was nothing remarkable (I had the $40+ filet). The asparagus was about as tender as an Oak branch and undercooked at that. Service was slow and the price is as high as the restaurant. For the price and better food, I recommend going elsewhere unless you can snag a seat by the window for Wishes.

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Tue, 05/19/2009 - 19:33
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fjfuchs wrote:
During our recent trip, my wife and I were looking forward to dining at the California Grille atop the Contemporary to celebrate our anniversary. Based on the meal I was served, I would suggest you look forward to the view but NOT the food if you are planning on the California Grille. The food portions were small and, although good, the food was nothing remarkable (I had the $40+ filet). The asparagus was about as tender as an Oak branch and undercooked at that. Service was slow and the price is as high as the restaurant. For the price and better food, I recommend going elsewhere unless you can snag a seat by the window for Wishes.


I'm sorry you had a bad time! I've had a few "less-than-perfect" California Grill experiences, but we've enjoyed most of our opportunities to dine there.

Did you get the chance to see Wishes?

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Tue, 05/19/2009 - 22:31
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We've eaten there half a dozen times over the years.

Food has always been good, service has been fine.

And most better restaurants you go to tend to HAVE smaller portions, unless its a particular sized steak.

Sorry it didn't work for you.

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Wed, 05/20/2009 - 04:41
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That's too bad! I've always enjoyed California Grill. I think I have a different "standard" for Disney food--I never expect it to be worth $100/plate or anything. But I'm usually pleasantly surprised!

At Cali Grill you're definitely paying for the "atmosphere" an view, which is worth it--but the food has always been decent in my opinion. Especially that goat cheese ravioli!

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Wed, 05/20/2009 - 14:11
greebil
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my biggest complaint there has been service. i think the food is pretty good and i knew what i was getting into price wise, but sometimes the service can be spotty, which is surprising. in fact some of the worst dining experiences i've had service-wise at wdw have been at the fancy places.

Wed, 05/20/2009 - 20:08
fjfuchs
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These responses are making me wonder if I'm getting over-critical in my old age. I didn't really mean to turn anyone off to the Calif Grille but rather to see if mine was a unique experience. I guess it is the second of the two. The restaurant does provide a different view of Wishes.

Thu, 05/21/2009 - 04:57
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fjfuchs wrote:
These responses are making me wonder if I'm getting over-critical in my old age. I didn't really mean to turn anyone off to the Calif Grille but rather to see if mine was a unique experience. I guess it is the second of the two. The restaurant does provide a different view of Wishes.


Yours isn't the first disappointed review I've heard. I think it's a good restaurant, but NO restaurant (in my Disney experience) is one that you can count on every time. Unfortunately, most of us can only go to California Grill once or twice, so if there's a bad experience, it gets thrown off the list. That's how we are with a couple of restaurants at Disney that everyone else just raves about. We just don't want to take the risk again.

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Thu, 05/21/2009 - 16:28
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We just ate there Mother's Day weekend. It was great. The service was very good & we had a fabulous window seat overlooking MK. It was after Wishes was over, so that wasn't a big deal, but it was nice to watch the Castle turn colors during our meal.

I will say that usually when we do CG, I feel "Wow, that was the best meal all trip" This time, while it was great & delicious, I didn't get that Wow! This is the Best feeling. In fact, our Wow! meal that weekend was BlueZoo.

I don't think you're being over-critical, I think even CG has it's less than stellar moments. Bummer that you caught one. Mine wasn't bad, it just wasn't the usual high that I usually get there.

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Thu, 05/21/2009 - 18:00
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Leota wrote:
In fact, our Wow! meal that weekend was BlueZoo.



I've heard so much good about BlueZoo. What are its specialties?

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Thu, 05/21/2009 - 18:03
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I'm just sitting here in Kentucky today and wishing I had the opportunity to HAVE a "less than perfect" meal at the CG sometime soon.

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Thu, 05/21/2009 - 18:04
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MouseTraveler wrote:
I'm just sitting here in Kentucky today and wishing I had the opportunity to HAVE a "less than perfect" meal at the CG sometime soon.


Any trips planned soon, MT?

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Thu, 05/21/2009 - 18:09
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SpaceAce wrote:
MouseTraveler wrote:
I'm just sitting here in Kentucky today and wishing I had the opportunity to HAVE a "less than perfect" meal at the CG sometime soon.

Any trips planned soon, MT?



I have one buried in the back of my mind for a land/sea adventure in September or October, but a LOT has to happen between now and then in order for it to happen.

Trust me, if it comes to fruition, you guys will be the FIRST to hear about it!

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Thu, 05/21/2009 - 22:30
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Our first trip to CA didn't stand out to us and we probably wouldn't have gone back if we hadn't been staying in the Contemporary. We're glad we did though because we LOVED the soup. We actually changed our ADRs and we back for a second time because we had such a good experience.

Fri, 05/22/2009 - 12:02
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SpaceAce wrote:
Leota wrote:
In fact, our Wow! meal that weekend was BlueZoo.



I've heard so much good about BlueZoo. What are its specialties?

I second Leota's endorsement of Bluezoo. That was one of the best meals of my trip, too. Part of what's great about it is the atmosphere--very grown up, very few if any children there. I had one of its specialties, the Cantonese Lobster. It was a monster-- laugh --but really, really good. (And really expensive, but luckily, my dining companion had a 20% discount she shared with me, so...score!) I probably wouldn't order that again, just because it's too big for me, but there were plenty of other things on the menu that looked awesome. Also, they have a beautiful shrimp appetizer that is just as tasty as it is beautiful. Photos below:

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Fri, 05/22/2009 - 14:54
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Can't see the pics, SF--are they on your blog?

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Fri, 05/22/2009 - 16:16
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Sigh. I did the same thing last time I posted photos here--forgot to make them open to the public at Phanfare. gaah Can you see them now?

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Fri, 05/22/2009 - 16:24
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Thats one of the things I love about this board. I'd never even HEARD of 'BlueZoo' until a couple of days ago.

Looks like a place I'll have to check out next trip!

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Sat, 05/23/2009 - 03:19
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Gorgeous photos, SF! Those look truly professional.

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Sat, 05/23/2009 - 14:50
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Why, thank you, bali.

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Tue, 05/26/2009 - 15:06
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Maybe they noticed you had a camera before they plated your food. The presentation is great.

 
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