We too enjoyed the California Grill Brunch...we also noted that big disparity in how people were dressed. Some chose to dress up fancy, some way too casual with t-shirts and jeans. I thought the $80 pp charge was in line with the food choices you get. We are also big fans of Artist Pointe, no matter where we are staying in WDW it's our first meal each trip. Loved your reviews.
Sorry to have been so negligent in replying to your comments. School started, what can I say? Anyway, the $80 is steep, no doubt, but as you say, in line with what you get, especially if you can drink a gallon of mimosas. Funny, you have AP as you're starting meal, and we always end our trip with it to cap off our wonderful vacations. Tomato, tomahto. Thanks for the kind words!
NO! Salmon BLT gone already? That definitely takes GP off of our list of things we had to try on our next trip.
Yeah, I'm still angry with them. I will say that I read a post on another thread saying that if you ask for salmon at GP (I believe they wanted it at breakfast with a bagel?), they'll provide it. That is in keeping with the manager with whom I spoke (mentioned a few posts above) who said that if given a little lead time, he was certain they could do the salmon BLT. I'd love to see if that is true, but we won't be going back anytime in the near future. Wanna try it?
Quote from some woman: "
Plus, I am not so old as someone-who-shall-remain-nameless that I am intolerant to change!"
Hey! Don't think I didn't see this, little Miss-You-Know-Who-You-Are-and-So-Do-I. Further, I am not intolerant to change. . .I'm not a fan of change strictly for profit, in the name of making something better when it only arguably does, and mostly when it affects me directly. . .like messing with my wildernessyness. Just sayin'.
HOMECOMIN'
I realize that
Luv and I are one of the few, apparently, who didn't fall in love with this place. She had actually been once before and had reported she was "unimpressed." I, however, must see (or taste) things on my own, so I insisted (okay, asked politely) we go to Homecomin'. My wife merely raised a brow (and smirked a little), and said, "Are you sure?" Yep. So, we went. Turned out to be the updated version of
Father Knows Best (okay, so I recall this solely in reruns). First, the service was solid. Nothing special but nothing bad, either. We sat on the screened in "porch," so had views of the meandering springs, and that was lovely. Overall, the ambiance is just okay, rather like an upscale Cracker Barrel, and I do think they were striving for that down home feel, so that's fine. However, it simply didn't feel special.
The famous deviled eggs
Now, I'm certain these are popular, and for two of the six, I could see why they get rave reviews--tart and creamy at the same time with just a hint of bacon on the finish. However, eating these were like eating Padron peppers--you weren't quite sure which egg would be good and which would be bland. Oddly, as implied, four of the six were just so-so. Yolks are fine without a lot of fussing if they're poached and covering a marvelous chunk of ham, salmon, or English muffin. Once hard-boiled, they need work to overcome the dullness of the dry yolk. In the case of the Floundering Four, the mustard and/or vinegar element was downplayed to the point of oblivion making them merely filling and not terribly tasty. Obviously, the yolk filling was supplied from two different batches. So, I only give these a
B-.
Another shot with my basil bourbon in the background
The drink was quite lovely--bracingly stiff and with a wonderful fragrance and taste of basil. Very good!
The equally famous fried chicken
First, the good news. The chicken was, indeed, juicy and not overcooked, and the mash had a nice flavor to them with some minor chunks of potato. From there, however, I deviate from most of the devotees to Art Smith's homage to down home, southern cooking. While I am sure that millions grew up eating fried chicken prepared like this, millions of us did not. In particular, I did NOT grow up eating sweet-battered chicken such as this, and certainly, I never had anyone, anywhere, sprinkle powdered sugar on top. I want my chicken with the bite that flour and cornmeal produce and with salty, peppery notes. The mash, while okay, wasn't very fluffy--dense, I'd call them. Alone, they may have been fine, but apparently to emphasize just how southern he can be, ol' Art has them add bacon to the mashed taters. Good mashed potatoes don't need bacon--butter, yes; gravy, yes; bacon, no. Speaking of gravy, though, the kitchen committed the mortal sin of making the gravy gooey. If you look at the picture above, you'll notice that the gravy is so heavy that it fails to fall down the front of the potatoes which would by physically impossible if the gravy was a proper consistency. Not to harp too much on the gravy, I also take some umbrage to the fact it's very pale--a true roux gravy from my background should be a light brown since you're using some of the pan drippings to make it. Finally, the donuts-while house made and tasty--add another layer of both sweetness and heaviness since they are a) donuts and b) fried. The addition of the syrup for dipping is totally unnecessary since the chicken AND the donuts are already sweet.
Again, I recognize that this may be a taste of home to many, but it's just not to me. It wasn't a horrible meal by any means; however, it was not to my liking, very heavy and clunky. Moreover,
Luv's salad was overdressed and came out already half-wilted. Fries were tickling her fancy, as well, so she did a side order of them. They appeared hand cut, but they lacked seasoning and crunch--frankly, Wendy's fries are just as good. Based on these things, I just can't recommend Homecomin'. . .unless you like sweet chicken.
GRADE:
C+ Highlights: my drink, views
Lows: Food, overall ambiance