disneydreamer1980
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2017
Following!
"What A Desolate Place This Is" - August 2020 Dining Report - Update 9/29 Wine Bar George
- Thread starter Dis_Yoda
- Start date
kastoney
Disney foodie served with a side of sarcasm
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2010
My teeth hurt just reading this
I think we are going to drive in November so we'll have a car for the first time ever and plan on driving ourselves everywhere. Glad to hear parking isn't an issue
Looks like a great first vacation drink. Love the cup too!
But at least it was a sanitized butt
Why am I not surprised by your mask? Love it!
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2008
Welcome!!!
Breakfast of champions (or just lazy people visiting a 7-11 that had too many massless people for me to wander the store much)My teeth hurt just reading this
Yes. We only used our own transportation this time around - either by feet or by vehicle. Figured it was less aggravating than dealing with buses. Parking wasn't an issue but there are no trams so you have to walk from the car to the park but oh well. Rather stay active!
It was! Too bad I'm too lazy to carry a cup or else it would be a good addition to our tiki cup collection.
I know you would doing them along side me!
Yup! Squeaky clean!But at least it was a sanitized butt
Yes! We ordered one of the 4 packs of Star Wars masks when they were first were released. I also picked up a Haunted Mansion one this weekend. We both have to wear masks at work so might as well make it fun!
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2008
Tutto Italia
After we cooled off, The Land was closed so we headed over to Nemo where we walked on and then Spaceship Earth where we got stopped for a few minutes at the front again because of the cleaning cycle. There was a party in front of us that had a meltdown and left over it. The process takes like 5 minutes? I don’t get huffing over that and abandoning a line when you literally are the next party to go on when it’s over. My husband’s mask made his photo funny at the end.
We next headed to Test Track which had a 25 minute wait listed. As we got right before the ‘build your vehicle’ room (you can’t build your vehicle at the moment) the ride closed for weather. We looked at the radar and knew it should be about a 25 minute storm give or take. Some people abandoned the line but we decided to sit down and wait it out as 1) its hot outside, 2) who wants to walk around in a Florida Thunderstorm and 3) what else are we going to do? My husband took a small nap and I just played on my cell phone. I guess we forgot about cameras on this ride too…
When we got off, we headed over to the Land for a short ride on Soarin’. I love the creative ways they have the parties sectioned off from one another using a car booster seat. We only had about a 10 minute wait! When we got off, we had about 40 minutes until our ADR time at Tutto Italia but my husband looked at me and said he was tired and asked if we could skip Living with the Land and go check in early. They were ready for us as we already had a table number next to our name on their sign in sheet that I saw upon check in.
The tables were nicely distanced from each other. As all menus are on-line now through using QR codes, we looked it over on my phone. We decided against a bottle of wine since we would be driving back to the hotel after dinner and each got a quartino for ourselves that would match our respective entrees. My husband was happy with his selection of the white and I was with my red.
Pecorino Il Fueduccio, Pecorino Light Body 2018 Quartino
Tageto, Donna Olimpia, Cabernet, Merlot, Petit Verdo, Cab Franc, Full Body, 2016 Quartino
Very quickly after ordering (like less than 10 minutes), a food runner brought us our meals.
My husband went with the chicken pasta. He loved this as their parmesan cream is flavorful, the pasta isn’t overcooked and the chicken decently seasoned.
Petto Di Pollo, Grilled Chicken Breast, Fettuccine Pasta, Parmesan Cream
I almost got the same thing as him but I was feeling like I needed something hearty and the heat-induced non-hunger had subsided. This was an excellent lasagna with a nice balance of meat to cheese.
Lasagna Alla Bolognese, Traditional Preparation from Emilia-Romagna with Beef, Veal, and Pork Rague, Bechamel, Parmesan
Our service here wasn’t up to the par it usually has been in the past. After ordering, we didn’t really see our server again after we got our wine until it was time to pay. Our water glasses weren’t refilled at all. I’m not sure if he was annoyed we didn’t order appetizers or if he was having an off day. I know they don’t have all their usual servers given the circumstances so we’ll still consider it for future trips.
On our way out of the park, we stopped by Germany to get some caramel goodies to enjoy later. That caramel corn is addictive. I got through half the bag while I was watching Thursday’s episode of Big Brother before I said I need to stop myself.
Caramel Corn & Vanilla Caramels
After we cooled off, The Land was closed so we headed over to Nemo where we walked on and then Spaceship Earth where we got stopped for a few minutes at the front again because of the cleaning cycle. There was a party in front of us that had a meltdown and left over it. The process takes like 5 minutes? I don’t get huffing over that and abandoning a line when you literally are the next party to go on when it’s over. My husband’s mask made his photo funny at the end.
We next headed to Test Track which had a 25 minute wait listed. As we got right before the ‘build your vehicle’ room (you can’t build your vehicle at the moment) the ride closed for weather. We looked at the radar and knew it should be about a 25 minute storm give or take. Some people abandoned the line but we decided to sit down and wait it out as 1) its hot outside, 2) who wants to walk around in a Florida Thunderstorm and 3) what else are we going to do? My husband took a small nap and I just played on my cell phone. I guess we forgot about cameras on this ride too…
When we got off, we headed over to the Land for a short ride on Soarin’. I love the creative ways they have the parties sectioned off from one another using a car booster seat. We only had about a 10 minute wait! When we got off, we had about 40 minutes until our ADR time at Tutto Italia but my husband looked at me and said he was tired and asked if we could skip Living with the Land and go check in early. They were ready for us as we already had a table number next to our name on their sign in sheet that I saw upon check in.
The tables were nicely distanced from each other. As all menus are on-line now through using QR codes, we looked it over on my phone. We decided against a bottle of wine since we would be driving back to the hotel after dinner and each got a quartino for ourselves that would match our respective entrees. My husband was happy with his selection of the white and I was with my red.
Pecorino Il Fueduccio, Pecorino Light Body 2018 Quartino
Tageto, Donna Olimpia, Cabernet, Merlot, Petit Verdo, Cab Franc, Full Body, 2016 Quartino
Very quickly after ordering (like less than 10 minutes), a food runner brought us our meals.
My husband went with the chicken pasta. He loved this as their parmesan cream is flavorful, the pasta isn’t overcooked and the chicken decently seasoned.
Petto Di Pollo, Grilled Chicken Breast, Fettuccine Pasta, Parmesan Cream
I almost got the same thing as him but I was feeling like I needed something hearty and the heat-induced non-hunger had subsided. This was an excellent lasagna with a nice balance of meat to cheese.
Lasagna Alla Bolognese, Traditional Preparation from Emilia-Romagna with Beef, Veal, and Pork Rague, Bechamel, Parmesan
Our service here wasn’t up to the par it usually has been in the past. After ordering, we didn’t really see our server again after we got our wine until it was time to pay. Our water glasses weren’t refilled at all. I’m not sure if he was annoyed we didn’t order appetizers or if he was having an off day. I know they don’t have all their usual servers given the circumstances so we’ll still consider it for future trips.
On our way out of the park, we stopped by Germany to get some caramel goodies to enjoy later. That caramel corn is addictive. I got through half the bag while I was watching Thursday’s episode of Big Brother before I said I need to stop myself.
Caramel Corn & Vanilla Caramels
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2008
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2008
Backlot Express
We woke up naturally around 6AM even though we didn’t need to get up at that point. I made coffee and had one of the ready to eat Bakerly French Pancakes I had brought along with us. I updated this report because why not be a little productive?
At 9AM, we left the room and drove over to Hollywood Studios. There was some traffic on the way in when we arrived but we were parked by 9:25AM in a non-terrible location and heading inside the park. They have the new style of metal detectors there and they were a breeze to walk through. The park was already open and moving so we decided to start in Toy Story Land before deciding where to head next. Our first ride was Slinky Dog Dash which didn’t have a very long wait. What was an adventure was that it was going to be a ‘dash’ to see if we were finished with the ride by the time it turned 10AM to try for our boarding group for Rise of the Resistance.
I’m sad we didn’t get our slinky dog photo as it would have been funny seeing me staring at my phone waiting for the 10AM mark to hit. It hit 10am as we were just off the ride…
250 minutes would be right around 2PM so perfect time for a ride than leaving the park for the day. We headed off to do Toy Story Mania which proved to be harder than normal as fog from wearing masks added a new adventure to the experience! This didn’t stop my husband from excelling…
Yeah, I hate him too somedays.
We whirled and swirled some saucers before heading into Galaxy’s Edge
Apparently I forgot that my husband had never gone on Smuggler’s Run before but he was very happy to have experienced it for the first time and as a pilot! We worked well together and got both cargos. As we got off, it was a little after 11AM, and I was hungry so we reviewed what would be available through mobile order and agreed to just do Backlot Express as the food is simple and we had a better chance of it not being terrible than lets say, Pizzerizzo
While we were eating, I got a confirmation text message for Saturday’s dinner. We had reserved through Open Table which may be why we got one. Super easy to confirm!
As for the food, it was a bacon cheeseburger and chicken strips. Things that a theme park shouldn’t screw up and they didn’t. We were both happy with our food and our plastic cheese we shared for the fries. The mobile process was easy enough although I did need to stop off to the side for ordering so my faceid would work for Apple Pay. #maskproblems
After our lunch, we headed to Star Tours where yesterday’s car seat dividers from Soarin’ were being used as well. Parties of 2 are placed in row 1.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway had been down for a bit but it was up and running again by the time we were off of Star Tours. The wait was at 55 minutes which was the worst wait of the trip for a true wait time (not holding rain against Test Track) but we did hit a cleaning cycle when we were outside. It was 96 degrees and humid. After 40 minutes in direct sun, I felt dizzy. I told my husband I needed to go get something and headed over to a food cart for two powerades. The lady ahead of me was having payment issues so I totally chugged one of them without paying and still in line and the cast member was like - so nice to see someone smiling over something as simple as powerade. Florida heat is no joke! Make sure you hydrate!
No spoilers but we really enjoyed the ride!
After looking to see that Rise of the Resistance was only on boarding group 7 and we were group 43 - we called it a day. My heat incident made me feel drained and my husband was also a bit tired so we drove back to the hotel where I took a bath and then a 2 hour long nap. My husband went for a run at the gym before his much shorter nap. When we woke up, it was time to get ready for what hopefully would be an amazing fancy meal! I think our Rise of Resistance group was called around 5PM based on phone notifications so I’m glad we left as we would have been cranky to wait around that long.
We woke up naturally around 6AM even though we didn’t need to get up at that point. I made coffee and had one of the ready to eat Bakerly French Pancakes I had brought along with us. I updated this report because why not be a little productive?
At 9AM, we left the room and drove over to Hollywood Studios. There was some traffic on the way in when we arrived but we were parked by 9:25AM in a non-terrible location and heading inside the park. They have the new style of metal detectors there and they were a breeze to walk through. The park was already open and moving so we decided to start in Toy Story Land before deciding where to head next. Our first ride was Slinky Dog Dash which didn’t have a very long wait. What was an adventure was that it was going to be a ‘dash’ to see if we were finished with the ride by the time it turned 10AM to try for our boarding group for Rise of the Resistance.
I’m sad we didn’t get our slinky dog photo as it would have been funny seeing me staring at my phone waiting for the 10AM mark to hit. It hit 10am as we were just off the ride…
250 minutes would be right around 2PM so perfect time for a ride than leaving the park for the day. We headed off to do Toy Story Mania which proved to be harder than normal as fog from wearing masks added a new adventure to the experience! This didn’t stop my husband from excelling…
Yeah, I hate him too somedays.
We whirled and swirled some saucers before heading into Galaxy’s Edge
Apparently I forgot that my husband had never gone on Smuggler’s Run before but he was very happy to have experienced it for the first time and as a pilot! We worked well together and got both cargos. As we got off, it was a little after 11AM, and I was hungry so we reviewed what would be available through mobile order and agreed to just do Backlot Express as the food is simple and we had a better chance of it not being terrible than lets say, Pizzerizzo
While we were eating, I got a confirmation text message for Saturday’s dinner. We had reserved through Open Table which may be why we got one. Super easy to confirm!
As for the food, it was a bacon cheeseburger and chicken strips. Things that a theme park shouldn’t screw up and they didn’t. We were both happy with our food and our plastic cheese we shared for the fries. The mobile process was easy enough although I did need to stop off to the side for ordering so my faceid would work for Apple Pay. #maskproblems
After our lunch, we headed to Star Tours where yesterday’s car seat dividers from Soarin’ were being used as well. Parties of 2 are placed in row 1.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway had been down for a bit but it was up and running again by the time we were off of Star Tours. The wait was at 55 minutes which was the worst wait of the trip for a true wait time (not holding rain against Test Track) but we did hit a cleaning cycle when we were outside. It was 96 degrees and humid. After 40 minutes in direct sun, I felt dizzy. I told my husband I needed to go get something and headed over to a food cart for two powerades. The lady ahead of me was having payment issues so I totally chugged one of them without paying and still in line and the cast member was like - so nice to see someone smiling over something as simple as powerade. Florida heat is no joke! Make sure you hydrate!
No spoilers but we really enjoyed the ride!
After looking to see that Rise of the Resistance was only on boarding group 7 and we were group 43 - we called it a day. My heat incident made me feel drained and my husband was also a bit tired so we drove back to the hotel where I took a bath and then a 2 hour long nap. My husband went for a run at the gym before his much shorter nap. When we woke up, it was time to get ready for what hopefully would be an amazing fancy meal! I think our Rise of Resistance group was called around 5PM based on phone notifications so I’m glad we left as we would have been cranky to wait around that long.
2xcited2sleep
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2008
For some reason I never think of Tutto Italia as an option. I think I'm still bitter over Alfredo's closing. Yes, I can hold a grudge. 
Sorry your server was a bit MIA. I think a lot of places are still working out the kinks in this new normal of operations but water refills seem pretty basic... especially when it is surface of the sun hot. Sounds like a fun day in DHS. Sometimes basic fast food really hits the spot! Sorry your Rise boarding group didn't turn out. I'm really hoping your Wine Bar George dinner made up for it.
Sorry your server was a bit MIA. I think a lot of places are still working out the kinks in this new normal of operations but water refills seem pretty basic... especially when it is surface of the sun hot. Sounds like a fun day in DHS. Sometimes basic fast food really hits the spot! Sorry your Rise boarding group didn't turn out. I'm really hoping your Wine Bar George dinner made up for it.
Avery&Todd
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 20, 2010
BUT.....if you think about it - your butt was now super-duper sanitized and every place you sat you then applied said sanitizer from your butt onto the new surface you were sitting upon so you should have been THANKED for your sanitizing assistance!!
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2008
For some reason I never think of Tutto Italia as an option. I think I'm still bitter over Alfredo's closing. Yes, I can hold a grudge.
I held a grudge for the longest time over Flager's turning into Citricos so I feel you on Alfredo's closing. Eventually I tried it and was pleasantly surprised! My mother still is bitter about Ariel's and that has been closed even longer! So many changes over the years. Now I just want my various signature dinner places to open back up.
Yeah, I figure they are working out kinks and I know they are putting themselves at risk for working. At least with how quick the food came, we could manage. We had lots of water and an 8 pack of Gatorade in the room as well for hydration. I think we're going to end up bringing a bunch along with us in November.
Basic fast food was the right choice at HS! We didn't want to be tied down with an ADR b/c of the possibility of Rise. For our two HS days next trip - we will get Oga's and Brown Derby in though!
BUT.....if you think about it - your butt was now super-duper sanitized and every place you sat you then applied said sanitizer from your butt onto the new surface you were sitting upon so you should have been THANKED for your sanitizing assistance!!
It was super sanitized! I'm just glad I was in jeans and not like khakis or white pants as that would have been awkward. It got recharged at Spaceship Earth as well!
Avery&Todd
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 20, 2010
Well, DH and I chatted the other night and our October trip is a GO-FOR-GO!! WOOT!! which means I'll probably have a sanitized butt too!
Now, we just have to wait for our pts to be "extended" and I have to call MS and book the vacation!
We are contemplating either VGF or BLT - any thoughts since you just stayed at BLT?? We've stayed at GF, but not the villas and have never stayed @ BLT/Contemporary..
and we don't have dates yet for October - which is FREAKING me out! I've never known I was going to Disney the next month and not had a reservation or a plan......
Once our points are available to book the we'll see which dates which hotel and view is open and then our trip will come together!
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2008
Well, DH and I chatted the other night and our October trip is a GO-FOR-GO!! WOOT!! which means I'll probably have a sanitized butt too!
Now, we just have to wait for our pts to be "extended" and I have to call MS and book the vacation!
We are contemplating either VGF or BLT - any thoughts since you just stayed at BLT?? We've stayed at GF, but not the villas and have never stayed @ BLT/Contemporary..
and we don't have dates yet for October - which is FREAKING me out! I've never known I was going to Disney the next month and not had a reservation or a plan......
Once our points are available to book the we'll see which dates which hotel and view is open and then our trip will come together!
I've only stayed at studios at either VGF or BLT. We own VGF (as well at AKV & BWV) so I may be biased but I do love the studios at VGF. We only own a handful of points there so we only stay about every other year. BLT has the advantage of being able to walk to MK but the studio is a bit smaller. I do like how BLT has a 'mini kitchen' section as it helps separate out the room and if you aren't using the pull out couch - its comfortable. It can be tight if there are more than 2 of you though. You can't really go wrong with either and your choice may be made for you based off availability.
It is so exciting to have a trip in the works! I hope you can figure out your dates soon and come up with a plan. Our plans were pretty basic as we knew things could change in an instant. It seems like most restaurants still have good availability as well and if you have a resort reservation, you can get into all the parks.
Avery&Todd
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 20, 2010
So excited for our trip!! We will be staying in a 1-br at either VGF or BLT - hubby is tall and he prefers a king bed so I guess I'll have to sacrifice and stay in the bigger place, right??
We have a possibility of 3 different weeks so I've been randomly booking ADRs for dates I think we might be there so there's that kinda planning going on...a hot mess if you ask me!
We have a possibility of 3 different weeks so I've been randomly booking ADRs for dates I think we might be there so there's that kinda planning going on...a hot mess if you ask me!
MamaMeems
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2020
I’m not gonna lie, it hurts my feelings that you guys bailed on Rise of the Resistance lol. I’m just kidding and it’s only because last time we were there we were unable to make a boarding group, so I still haven’t gotten to experience it yet. But I totally get it. The last time we were at Disney in the summer I had to bail on MK early because of feeling like I could pass out.
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2008
We save going to 1 bedrooms for certain occasions because of the points used - luckily we were able to get a 1 bedroom value for February and April for the race weekends. Hope you get decisions made soon for your trip!
Sorry you had to reschedule twice! Hopefully your March trip is amazing!
Yeah - it hurt a bit to not use it but yeah it was the smart choice plus so worth it for being relaxed and ready to enjoy dinner.
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2008
California Grill
After my nap, I had gotten myself looking presentable for our first fancy meal out in months. Oh, how I’ve missed having a reason to dress up and eat good food. Take out is ok but just isn’t the same.
All dressed up with somewhere to go!
Walkway
It was a very far journey to go across the bridgeway and down the stairs (the down escalator was broken - good thing I don’t wear heels!) where we had to check ourselves in on our phone. Walk away to be distanced only to immediately be called back to the podium after we sat down. A quick temperature check and we were on our way to the 15th floor alone in the elevator. We were taken towards a booth next to the observation deck, a nice distance away from other tables.
Using the QR Code, we reviewed the menu starting with wine. Our server was one of the sommeliers which was nice. We settled on a bottle of wine that would work fine with both of the selections whatever they ended up being as I was in an internal debate on what to do? Did I want sushi? Did I want chicken? Did I want to be weird and order scallops?
Chappellet Mountain Cuvee, 2018
Luckily, when our waiter had returned, I had solved my internal debate and we put our order in for food.
So as my husband enjoyed their sourdough bread, I enjoyed the appetizer that I always get now that my wasabi shrimp salad has gone the way of Fulton’s or Flager’s or Maelstrom. Never to be seen again. I love the flavors of this dish as it's just the right amount of spice. I had to laugh at my husband as he stole a piece of the pickled lotus root thinking it was going to be swiss cheese. His face was priceless. He actually likes lotus root when he’s had it before but it wasn’t what he was expecting at that time.
Braised Beef Short Rib Wontons - Doenjang Miso-Cola-Onion Sauce, Crispy Garlic Chili Oil, Radish, Pickled Lotus Root
My husband ordered the special which was the normal filet with lobster mac & cheese instead of just regular Gouda mac & cheese. The mac and cheese had a ton of lobster meat in it and he was very happy with this selection. The filet was cooked to the appropriate temperature and was super tender.
Oak-fired Filet of Beef w/ Lobster Mac & Cheese, Brussels Sprouts, Oxtail Marmalade, Red Wine-Sweet Onion Jus
I went weird as I was craving something different. I know I’m insanely picky about scallops and usually avoid them at most restaurants but I knew I could trust California Grill to not screw them up and they didn’t. The beurre blanc sauce had just the right amount of kick to it that didn’t overpower the scallop. The lump crab meat was wonderful with its light citrus flavor. I was very happy!
Jumbo Scallops - Lump Crab in Yuzu Vinaigrette, Carolina Gold Rice, Glazed Dragon Carrots, Shishito Beurre Blanc
After we finished our bottle of wine and entrees, we decided to go for dessert. We couldn’t find the list of dessert wines by the glass but luckily our server went to see what they actually had available. He said he’s trying to get the website to accurately reflect it in these menu-less times but he was happy we asked! My husband made his dessert selection where as I went with a cocktail off the normal menu as I knew my dessert would be super sweet so I wanted something less sweet to drink.
Sonoma County Sunset - Sonoma Distilling Co Rye, Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc, Sweet and Sour & float of Sonoma County Merlot
My husband had a glass of tokaji which is a very sweet Hungarian wine which some strange processing used that my husband was excited about. Somehow, he’s become more of the wine expert than me but that's probably a good thing considering his job.
Tokaji
For dessert, there were only 3 options along with a cheese plate so we went with the two sweetest ones. My husband enjoyed his chocolate cake. Can you really go wrong with vanilla, milk chocolate and pretzels?
Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Milk Chocolate-Whipped Panna Cotta, Pretzel Crunch
I went with the white chocolate creme brulee. I was happy with this as while it was sweet, the serving size made it not too overpowering.
White Chocolate Creme Brulee, Cornflake Crunch, Sponge Cake, Coconut Whipped Ganache, Plant City Strawberries
We finished our drinks and paid our bill. Made me wish I had a Tables in Wonderland - hopefully they are selling them again in November. At least DVC got me 10% off food. We walked back to the room in the slightly buzzed and happily full state before calling it a night!
Magic Kingdom
Overall, this meal was excellent from start to finish. Reminded me of the awesome meals we always had at California Grill pre-remodel. Right now, we’re planning on returning in November but could change depending on what other signature dining opportunities open up between now and then. (I really struggled making a plan for our 9 night trip for November due to the amount of favorites that are closed)
After my nap, I had gotten myself looking presentable for our first fancy meal out in months. Oh, how I’ve missed having a reason to dress up and eat good food. Take out is ok but just isn’t the same.
All dressed up with somewhere to go!
Walkway
It was a very far journey to go across the bridgeway and down the stairs (the down escalator was broken - good thing I don’t wear heels!) where we had to check ourselves in on our phone. Walk away to be distanced only to immediately be called back to the podium after we sat down. A quick temperature check and we were on our way to the 15th floor alone in the elevator. We were taken towards a booth next to the observation deck, a nice distance away from other tables.
Using the QR Code, we reviewed the menu starting with wine. Our server was one of the sommeliers which was nice. We settled on a bottle of wine that would work fine with both of the selections whatever they ended up being as I was in an internal debate on what to do? Did I want sushi? Did I want chicken? Did I want to be weird and order scallops?
Chappellet Mountain Cuvee, 2018
Luckily, when our waiter had returned, I had solved my internal debate and we put our order in for food.
So as my husband enjoyed their sourdough bread, I enjoyed the appetizer that I always get now that my wasabi shrimp salad has gone the way of Fulton’s or Flager’s or Maelstrom. Never to be seen again. I love the flavors of this dish as it's just the right amount of spice. I had to laugh at my husband as he stole a piece of the pickled lotus root thinking it was going to be swiss cheese. His face was priceless. He actually likes lotus root when he’s had it before but it wasn’t what he was expecting at that time.
Braised Beef Short Rib Wontons - Doenjang Miso-Cola-Onion Sauce, Crispy Garlic Chili Oil, Radish, Pickled Lotus Root
My husband ordered the special which was the normal filet with lobster mac & cheese instead of just regular Gouda mac & cheese. The mac and cheese had a ton of lobster meat in it and he was very happy with this selection. The filet was cooked to the appropriate temperature and was super tender.
Oak-fired Filet of Beef w/ Lobster Mac & Cheese, Brussels Sprouts, Oxtail Marmalade, Red Wine-Sweet Onion Jus
I went weird as I was craving something different. I know I’m insanely picky about scallops and usually avoid them at most restaurants but I knew I could trust California Grill to not screw them up and they didn’t. The beurre blanc sauce had just the right amount of kick to it that didn’t overpower the scallop. The lump crab meat was wonderful with its light citrus flavor. I was very happy!
Jumbo Scallops - Lump Crab in Yuzu Vinaigrette, Carolina Gold Rice, Glazed Dragon Carrots, Shishito Beurre Blanc
After we finished our bottle of wine and entrees, we decided to go for dessert. We couldn’t find the list of dessert wines by the glass but luckily our server went to see what they actually had available. He said he’s trying to get the website to accurately reflect it in these menu-less times but he was happy we asked! My husband made his dessert selection where as I went with a cocktail off the normal menu as I knew my dessert would be super sweet so I wanted something less sweet to drink.
Sonoma County Sunset - Sonoma Distilling Co Rye, Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc, Sweet and Sour & float of Sonoma County Merlot
My husband had a glass of tokaji which is a very sweet Hungarian wine which some strange processing used that my husband was excited about. Somehow, he’s become more of the wine expert than me but that's probably a good thing considering his job.
Tokaji
For dessert, there were only 3 options along with a cheese plate so we went with the two sweetest ones. My husband enjoyed his chocolate cake. Can you really go wrong with vanilla, milk chocolate and pretzels?
Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Milk Chocolate-Whipped Panna Cotta, Pretzel Crunch
I went with the white chocolate creme brulee. I was happy with this as while it was sweet, the serving size made it not too overpowering.
White Chocolate Creme Brulee, Cornflake Crunch, Sponge Cake, Coconut Whipped Ganache, Plant City Strawberries
We finished our drinks and paid our bill. Made me wish I had a Tables in Wonderland - hopefully they are selling them again in November. At least DVC got me 10% off food. We walked back to the room in the slightly buzzed and happily full state before calling it a night!
Magic Kingdom
Overall, this meal was excellent from start to finish. Reminded me of the awesome meals we always had at California Grill pre-remodel. Right now, we’re planning on returning in November but could change depending on what other signature dining opportunities open up between now and then. (I really struggled making a plan for our 9 night trip for November due to the amount of favorites that are closed)
2xcited2sleep
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2008
What a great evening! Love your dress! I recently dined in a restaurant with some friends for the first time since March and it felt so wonderful to be somewhat normal for a bit. Those wontons are incredible - definitely my favorite too. And your picture of the sunset cocktail with the sunset in the background? 
Glad to hear CG is doing distancing well and that the food and service is still fantastic. Like you, I'm really struggling with October plans when so many typical faves are still closed (Jiko, Flying Fish, bluezoo, Crews Cup/Yachtsman, Takumi Tei, Chefs de France). Hoping some of these reopen over the next ~6 weeks ... as well as CG brunch.
Glad to hear CG is doing distancing well and that the food and service is still fantastic. Like you, I'm really struggling with October plans when so many typical faves are still closed (Jiko, Flying Fish, bluezoo, Crews Cup/Yachtsman, Takumi Tei, Chefs de France). Hoping some of these reopen over the next ~6 weeks ... as well as CG brunch.
caroline5177
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2019
Great reviews- thank you for sharing! California Grill has always been one of my faves.
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