~We seldom report of having eaten too little~ w/ PICS! ~ UPDATE: New Thread Started!

California Grill Menu

SUSHI
Yellowfin Tuna Three Ways…Poke, Tartare and Tataki 21
Sashimi…Yellowfin Tuna, Salmon, and Hamachi 19
“Snake in the Grass”…Barbecue Eel with Shrimp Tempura, Avacado, and Cucumber 22
“Medusa Roll”…Crispy Soft Shell Crab with Asparagus, Spicy Mayonnaise and Yuzu Pepper Sauce 20
Tempura “Malibu” Roll…Halibut, Cobia, Hamachi, Tuna Tartare and Spicy Sesame Sauce 20
Spicy Kazan Roll…Crab, Shrimp, Bay Scallops, Tuna and Fireball Sauce 20
California Roll…Jumbo Lump Crab with Avacado and Cucumber 20
Yoshie’s Deluxe Sushi Platter…Maki & Nigiri 25

FIRST COURSE
Lobster and Corn Beignets with Marscapone Cheese and local Sweet Corn Remoulade 16
Spring Salad with Florida Peaches, Candied Pecans, Point Reyes, and Raspberry Vinaigrette 13
Maine Lobster Risotto with Midnight Moon Goat Cheese, Lobster Oil, and Meyer Lemon Beurre Blanc 18
Asian Rock Shrimp Salad with local Citrus, Hearts of Palm, Red Onion, Soy Reduction, Wasabi Cream 16
Sauteed White European Asparagus with Citrus Gratinee, Micro Argulua, and Tomato-Lemon Vinaigrette 14
Hearts of Romaine with Roasted Garlic Dressing, Marinated Anchovies, Olives, Aged Parmesan, and Croutons 10
Zellwood Sweet Corn Bisque with Corn and Bacon “Hushpuppies” and Cumin Crème Fraiche 10
Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli with Sundried Tomatoes, Pesto, Shiitake Mushrooms and Basil 13

MAIN COURSE
Seared Pork Tenderloin with Goat Cheese Polenta, Button Mushrooms and Zinfandel Glaze 32
Filet of Beef with Cheesy Idaho Potato Mash, Buttered Asparagus and, Teriyaki Barbecue Sauce 44
Pan-roasted Pacafic Halibut with “Stir-fry” Vegetables, Sticky Rice, and Ginger-Soy Hijiki Broth 35
Duo of Lamb T-Bone, Marble Potatoes, Fiddleheads, Chickpeas, Salsa Verde, and Spring Vegetable Vinaigrette 40
Sauteed Soft Shell Crab, Celeriac Puree, Vidalia Onions, Sea Beans, Caper Berries, and Zellwood Corn Emulsion 35
Crispy Free Range Chicken with Handmade Cavatelli Pasta, Porcini Bolognese, Ramps, and Confit Tomato 32
Hand-crafted Spring Pea and Mascarpone Ravioli with Morel Mushroom, Pecorino, and Sweet Carrot Jus 26
Wild King Salmon with Heirloom Carrots, English Peas, Mushrooms, and Pinot Noir Mushroom Reduction 38
 
Hey welcome home! We just arrived tonight....just posted my first review but here is a hint, it wasnt a good one
 
California Grill - Mon Jun 1st

We arrived at the Contemporary at 7:45pm for our 8pm ADR. We proceeded to the 2nd floor to check in and I asked the hostess if Ron, my favorite California Grill server, was working; luckily he was :thumbsup2

I requested a table in his section and said that a window would be even better as it was Alice's first time. She handed us a pager and said they were running about 20-30 mins behind but we were welcome to head up to the lounge.

We hopped on the elevator and noticed that it was busy, but not crowded in the lounge. We grabbed a table and comfy chairs by the windows and....(this was becoming the theme of our trip) a few moments after we sat our pager went off.

We were escorted past the bar and into the very first section along the windows where I spotted Ron :goodvibes and a lovely two-top dusted in Mickey Confetti right at the window :wizard:

Now, Ron had been quadruple seated :scared1: having 4 tables start all at once, us, two other couples and a family of 6. He recognized me :woohoo: and whispered "We will keep you here till the fireworks...why don't you look over the menu for 10 or 15, then I'll take your wine order...then we'll start"

I thought this was incredibly smart. He was making me happy - I was guaranteed a window table for Wishes - and he was making his life easier - starting the other three tables and staggering ours slightly.

After 15 minutes Ron returned to take our wine orders. I got a glass of Conundrum ($13) and Alice got a glass of Selbach Riesling ($14).

We were still considering our sushi options, so Ron left to get our wine while we decided.

He returned and we ordered:

ry%3D400

SUSHI!
Top = Snake in the Grass
Middle = Spicy Kazan Roll
Bottom = Shrimp Tempura Roll

As usual, the sushi here is phenomenal! The Shrimp Tempura roll was light and refreshing, the tempura was perfectly crisp, the fruit was sweet and crunchy and the orange ginger sauce was the perfect accent.

The Spicy Kazan roll is out of this world. It is spicy without being overly so. It has the perfect combination of seafood for me: tuna, shrimp, crab and scallops :worship: and that fireball sauce...OMG I swear I nearly lick it clean off the plate.

I did not try the Snake in the Grass....yes I know....the sushi lover didn't try...but eel freaks me out :rotfl: Alice said it was very good, but the weakest of the three rolls in her opinion.

ry%3D400

Close up - Shrimp Tempura

ry%3D400

Close up - Spicy Kazan Roll

ry%3D400

Close up - Snake in the Grass

ry%3D400

Cheese Board
Right to Left
1 - Creamy, almost runny cow's milk cheese, very milky in flavor with an edible rind
2 - Tete du Moine - one of my FAVORITE cheeses, cow's milk, firmer and shaved off with a griolle, swiss-like in flavor
3 - Silky and smooth cheese with a Roquefort style mold on the rind
4&5 - Firm, crumbly cheese with a strong, slightly bitter flavor

4 was supposed to be a blue but im allergic. I can have 3 because the mold is on the rind, not in veins through the cheese

I am a recent fan of cheese boards. I cannot find my menu :headache: but all the selections were good. I felt the cheese board I had a Jiko in Oct 2008 was stronger, but this had Tete du Moine, one of my absolute favorites! The candied nuts and the honey comb were our favorite pairings.

Just after our cheese plate we were able to watch Wishes from our table :cloud9:

ry%3D400

Warm Sourdough Bread with Sea Salt topped Butter - This was so fresh that it was still warm, and I love the touch of the crunchy grains of sea salt on top of the butter.

ry%3D400

Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli (half a ravioli, shared 1st course presented separately, nice touch)

This is a first course that we always order. It was creamy, tangy and had the perfect acid balance in the tomato broth. I could have eaten a few of these :lmao:

ry%3D400

Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce

The pairing for the night was Strawberry, but I'm not the biggest fan (I prefer Raspberry) so Ron offered us Vanilla with Chocolate sauce. :eek:My god this was great! I've had this before, but never with vanilla, the subtle sweetness and creaminess helped balance the intense chocolatey richness.

Our meal cost:
Conundrum $13
Selbach Riesling $14
Evian $8.50
Sonoma Ravioli $13
Cheese Board $18
Shrimp Tempura Roll $14
Spicy Kazan $20
Snake in the Grass $22
Valrhona Cake $12
18% Gratuity $24.21
Tax $6.56
TIW Savings -$26.90
Additional Gratuity $10.79
TOTAL $149.16

Because Ron was fantastic, and because he kept us at the table for 3 hours I gave him a $35 on a $110 check. He was well worth it :cool1:

We give California Grill:
6/5 for service
5/5 for food
6/5 for ambience

Overall = :thumbsup2:thumbsup2:thumbsup2:thumbsup2:thumbsup21/2 out of 5!
 
Hey welcome home! We just arrived tonight....just posted my first review but here is a hint, it wasnt a good one

Hi Nicki!

Glad you arrived safely :)

I'll check out your review right now! Sorry that it wasn't a good one :( You will LOVE the California Grill! Ask for Ron and tell him Megan who he served the other night sent you :thumbsup2 We have had him as our server every time. He is fun and has excellent timing!
 


I'M HERE!!

Hi guys!

We arrived safe & sound :)

We were upgraded to a Junior Suite at Coronado! Its in Casitas 3 on the 2nd floor, so not refurbished but TONS of space and exactly where we wanted :goodvibes

The weather is fantastic, sunny and very hot.

Tonight we ate at Kona and everything was delicious. I haven't uploaded my pics yet, but I will tomorrow :)


I think I've been living under a rock. How the heck have I not kept up with your report? :confused3 I am so sorry to be late getting back in on it after your first post. I wonder if you were in the same suite we were at CSR. We too were upgraded to a junior suite in Casitas 3 on the 2nd floor last September for our 25th. I'm going to go now and catch up on all that I missed. :)
 
I think I've been living under a rock. How the heck have I not kept up with your report? :confused3 I am so sorry to be late getting back in on it after your first post. I wonder if you were in the same suite we were at CSR. We too were upgraded to a junior suite in Casitas 3 on the 2nd floor last September for our 25th. I'm going to go now and catch up on all that I missed. :)

Hi Kat!

LOL It's ok! It can be tough to keep up with all the trip reports and dining reports here! :lmao:

We were in 3225. Does that ring a bell? It was a fantastic location, close to El Centro, close to the quiet pool and about equal distance between bus stop 1 and bus stop 2.

As a general update:

I promise I will fill in actual REVIEWS with the pictures soon! I kept all my receipts so I can give you exact costs (using Tables in Wonderland).

I still have pics from Liberty Tree Tavern, Le Cellier, Chefs de France and snacks left to share! :goodvibes

PLUS...my next trip is only 56 days away! :cheer2::cheer2::woohoo::woohoo::yay::yay:
 
Hi Kat!

LOL It's ok! It can be tough to keep up with all the trip reports and dining reports here! :lmao:

We were in 3225. Does that ring a bell? It was a fantastic location, close to El Centro, close to the quiet pool and about equal distance between bus stop 1 and bus stop 2.

As a general update:

I promise I will fill in actual REVIEWS with the pictures soon! I kept all my receipts so I can give you exact costs (using Tables in Wonderland).

I still have pics from Liberty Tree Tavern, Le Cellier, Chefs de France and snacks left to share! :goodvibes

PLUS...my next trip is only 56 days away! :cheer2::cheer2::woohoo::woohoo::yay::yay:

That WAS the suite we were in for our 25th. Wasn't it awesome. Even though just DH and I, it was nice to have separate televisions, bathrooms, etc.

I promise to keep up better with your report. Do you have a trip report too?
 


That WAS the suite we were in for our 25th. Wasn't it awesome. Even though just DH and I, it was nice to have separate televisions, bathrooms, etc.

I promise to keep up better with your report. Do you have a trip report too?

Very cool! It was a great room. We were so thankful for the extra space and the extra bathroom LOL it allowed us to actually get out the door on time.

I do have a TR, the link is in my signature :goodvibes

I'll be posting a CSR review on the resort boards and the CSR FAQ :thumbsup2
 
LOVE IT!!! great start
I didn't know that Kona had sushi now!!! It looked soooo good! I think we may have to go there again this time!!!
 
LOVE IT!!! great start
I didn't know that Kona had sushi now!!! It looked soooo good! I think we may have to go there again this time!!!

The sushi at Kona is AWESOME! They have had it for about a year. The Kona Island Coffee Bar becomes a sushi bar after 5pm.

The offerings I remember are:

Volcano Roll - Spicy Tuna with spicy shrimp mayonaise and tempura crunch

Shrimp Tempura Roll - with mango and lilikoi sauce

Luau Roll - crab and pineapple

Crab Cake Roll

Sashimi

Tuna Poke

Chef's Choice (4 volcano roll, 2 crab cake roll, 2 salmon, cream cheese, jalapeno and 2 hamachi citrus)
 
The sushi at Kona is AWESOME! They have had it for about a year. The Kona Island Coffee Bar becomes a sushi bar after 5pm.

The offerings I remember are:

Volcano Roll - Spicy Tuna with spicy shrimp mayonaise and tempura crunch

Shrimp Tempura Roll - with mango and lilikoi sauce

Luau Roll - crab and pineapple

Crab Cake Roll

Sashimi

Tuna Poke

Chef's Choice (4 volcano roll, 2 crab cake roll, 2 salmon, cream cheese, jalapeno and 2 hamachi citrus)
OMG that sounds amazing!!! i am DEF. going there. I just loved it in 2007 when we had dinner there...its time for another repeat!
 
I can't wait to read more about your 7 month adventure!!
I am living vicariously through others since we don't have a trip planned for 2009 :sad1:
 
Hi All!

I've updated my previous posts to include reviews and pricing. I'll add Le Cellier & Chefs de France later today. Right now I'm off to buy tickets to see UP! tonight :goodvibes
 
:scared1::scared1::scared1:

I'm so sorry I haven't updated!! :headache:

Work has become a little frenzied and I've barely had time to think, but I will update with reviews of Le Cellier & Chefs de France VERY soon!

Now for something more exciting....


36 days until my next WDW trip!!

AND I have to send my Sept ADRs to the Poly IPO today!! :scared1: Which means I need to stop changing them lol


Currently I have:

Sept 24th
LUNCH - Kona Cafe or Wolfgang Puck Express
DINNER - Chefs de France

Sept 25th
BREAKFAST - Poly CL Lounge
LUNCH - Liberty Tree Tavern
DINNER - Kona Cafe

Sept 26th
BREAKFAST - Poly CL Lounge
LUNCH - DTD, Wolfgang Puck Express, Paradiso 37?
DINNER - F&W Festival Booths

Sept 27th
BREAKFAST - Poly CL Lounge
LUNCH - F&W Festival Booths
DINNER - Victoria & Alberts! :woohoo:

Sept 28th
BREAKFAST - Poly CL Lounge
LUNCH - Garden View Lounge
DINNER - California Grill

Sept 29th
BREAKFAST - Poly CL Lounge
LUNCH - Offsite
DINNER - F&W Festival Booths/Kouzzina?

Sept 30th
BREAKFAST - Pepper Market
LUNCH - Chefs de France/F&W Festival Booths
DINNER - Flying Fish/F&W Festival Booths

Oct 1st
BREAKFAST - Pepper Market
LUNCH - Flame Tree BBQ
DINNER - Jiko

Oct 2nd
BREAKFAST - Pepper Market
LUNCH - The Wave? Kona Cafe?
DINNER - Tokyo Dining
 
I just came across this thread & enjoyed each of your Cali Grill reviews! Now I'm just deciding which sushi I'm going to try IN 9 DAYS!!!!! :) :) :)
 
I've just read through your reviews and I can't wait for our next trip! Luckily you'll be going before us so maybe I'll have some more of your reviews to tide me over :thumbsup2
 
Ohana - Sunday May 31st

We arrived at Ohana at 6:30, our ADR was for 6:25 and we had to wait longer than expected for a cab. As we walked up the stairs and around the corner I saw the check-in line stretched all the way to the Kona Island Coffee/Sushi Bar! :scared1:

Thankfully it moved very quickly and we were checked in within 5 minutes. We found two seats at Tambu and glanced over the drink menu. Just then our pager went off. The hostess was very sweet and let us order our drinks from the bar before taking us to our table. As we were guided through the restaurant my eyes caught a wonderful table for 2 that was right against the windows with a PERFECT view. Lo and behold...it was ours! :love:

ry%3D400

View from our table

ry%3D400

View of the restaurant

ry%3D400

Welcome Bread - this was not as good as I remember it being. It was almost...fiberous...like there was too much pineapple and coconut in it

ry%3D400

Sauces - Sweet & Sour, Peanut and Spicy Mustard - Neither of us tried the peanut sauce, but the sweet and sour was fantastic with the dumplings and the shrimp. The Spicy Mustard was awesome with the turkey and the steak.

ry%3D400

Salad with Honey Lime Dressing - Alice hates salad but actually felt this was quite good. I love this dressing, it is light and the perfect balance of sweet and tangy.

ry%3D400

Pork Dumplings - the last time I was underwhelmed by these. This time...YUM! The wrapper was crispy, the filling was flavourful and the sweet and sour sauce was the perfect compliment.

ry%3D400

Honey Coriander Wings - these are always to die for! This time they were easily the biggest chicken wings I have ever seen!

ry%3D400

Stir Fried Veggies - I didn't touch these :rolleyes1 but Alice had 2 helpings, so they must have been pretty good :thumbsup2

ry%3D400

Noodles - While I was disappointed that there were no potatoes, these were SO much better than the noodles I had in August 2008. They were thinner and had a more earthy, soy based sauce. They were accented with juilienne carrots and green onion I believe. Not the potatoes, but definitely improved.

ry%3D400

Left to Right: Turkey, Steak, Pork - The turkey is always my favorite. The steak was actually cooked to a lovely medium and unfortunately the pork was like...a hockey puck LOL. The shrimp (not pictured) were nice and tender.

ry%3D400

Bread Pudding!! - Mmmmmmmmmm! Best dessert ever! I could easily have polished off the entire bowl.

For those who are interested, the menu board out front of Ohana lists the price as $32.99, that INCLUDES the $4 surcharge.

Our drinks (which i will add pictures of) were:
Glowtini $9.75
Sunken Treasure $8.25
18% Gratuity $3.24
Tax $1.17
TIW Savings -$3.60
TOTAL $18.81

Our meal cost:
2 @ $32.99 = $65.98
18% Gratuity $11.88
Tax $4.29
TIW Savings -$13.20
TOTAL $68.95

We give Ohana:
4/5 for Service
4/5 for Food
5/5 for Ambience

OVERALL = :thumbsup2:thumbsup2:thumbsup2:thumbsup2/5

Oh my I was so looking forward to this but now after reading your review I CAN'T WAIT. great review and pictures :banana:. Can I ask would they give you an additional steak instead of pork, DH is not a pork fan
 
Oh my I was so looking forward to this but now after reading your review I CAN'T WAIT. great review and pictures :banana:. Can I ask would they give you an additional steak instead of pork, DH is not a pork fan

Absolutely! All the meats are family style as well. They are brought around on skewers and you can have as much as you would like. We asked for seconds on the turkey (the best IMO) and the shrimp :thumbsup2
 
Absolutely! All the meats are family style as well. They are brought around on skewers and you can have as much as you would like. We asked for seconds on the turkey (the best IMO) and the shrimp :thumbsup2

You have just made me a very happy DW as now I can shut my DH up and have him to quit moaning:rotfl:

Subscribing for more - great details and pics
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!











facebook twitter
Top