A Semi-Solo September Dining Adventure TR Link Up! 10/21 - Page 4 - The DIS Discussion Forums

disnut1149 · 10-02-2011, 09:12 PM

Hi
I love your reviews!! Can't wait for more!

onelilspark · 10-07-2011, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by disnut1149

Hi
I love your reviews!! Can't wait for more!

Glad you're enjoying!

onelilspark · 10-07-2011, 11:44 AM

Later that afternoon I was craving something sweet and cold. Ice cream sounded great, so I headed over to the Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street.

The parade was about to start so I headed over to my favorite spot to sit and relax...the yellow umbrella area that's the smoking area. I don't smoke, but that area is usually quiet with no one around.

I took my Mint Chocolate Chip Sundae and found a table that provided me a view of the parade (sort of)

My parade view:

I enjoyed my treat, but once again, it was way too much food. I really needed someone to share this with!

I also had some duck friends that wouldn't leave me alone. That got a bit obnoxious. (I did not feed them.) I wound up watching a duck eat a frog. It was gross, but he was right in front of me. Needless to say, I stopped eating after that!

KatMark · 10-07-2011, 11:49 AM

Kelly, I am finally caught up (I had to get my TR and Dining Reviews started as my PTR reached the limit of pages almost).

Love the view you had eating your breakfast out on the balcony.

We didn't get to Columbia Harbor House when we were there and I really missed it. I tried Mary's (MaryAZ) Grey Goose Slush and she tried my Grand Mariner Slush...we both preferred our own.

That ice cream sundae looks heavenly; but your company--not so much.

onelilspark · 10-07-2011, 12:02 PM

That night, my parents came up to join me for dinner. I made ADRs for California Grill considering I was staying right there!

We walked over, checked-in, then were ushered up to the top floor to the restaurant. We had a small wait, so we went over to the bar and had some cocktails. Not too much longer, our pager went off and we were lead to our table.

We were off to the right and while we had a table in the center of the room, we had a nice view of the Magic Kingdom (it was Night of Joy that night, so no fireworks) and the Floridian as the sun set.

We ordered a bottle of wine and our appetizers, then our waitress (who was wonderful) started us off with some bread:

My Dad sneaking a piece:

I started with the Crab Stack:

I love crab, so this really was wonderful. Light and fresh, a true great start to the meal. The avocado added to that fresh taste. My only complaint is that there were peppers on it and they weren't listed on the menu. I *hate* peppers! So before I dug in, I picked off all the peppers!!

My Mom went with the Tomato Soup

She loves tomatoes (remember from my Memorial Day trip she got the Tomato salad at Flying Fish!) So this really hit the spot for her.

My Dad had the Peach Firecracker Salad:

Like mine, his was nice and fresh so he thought it was a great start to the meal.

For my entree, I had the Pork Tenderloin. Our waitress mentioned that the chef recommends it medium, so I ordered it like that as I trust chefs recommendations

(I also love my steak pretty rare, so a little pink doesn't bother me unless it's chicken!)

This was served with a goat cheese polenta. It was fantastic. I mean, really, just excellent. The pork was melt in your mouth it was so tender. I would totally go back and order this!

My Mom got the Yellow-tail snapper:

She enjoyed it, so I asked how it compared to the snapper over at the Flying Fish. She said she would order the Flying Fish one over this...but she likes red snapper better than yellow snapper.

My Dad ordered the Veal.

He cleaned his plate.

Last, but not least, we had dessert.

I got the Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

My Dad got the lemon trio

My Mom got a fork

The desserts were wonderful! The cobbler was wonderfully tart and sweet, the perfect ending to a meal! Of course I couldn't finish it, so my Dad ate the rest as he couldn't let it go to waste!

Overall it was just a fantastic meal. The last time we were there was well over 5 years ago and we had just awful service and mediocre food, which is why we hadn't been back in so long. This meal more than made up for it. Now I need to try it again to see if it was fluke or not

Our waitress was great too, really helped to pace the meal appropriately.

HOWEVER....as we were leaving and waiting for the elevator, there were 4 CMs standing around, including a manager. Not one said "have a great night." So that ended the evening on a bit of sour note. Not that it would prevent us from going back, but certainly worth noting.

onelilspark · 10-07-2011, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KatMark

Kelly, I am finally caught up (I had to get my TR and Dining Reviews started as my PTR reached the limit of pages almost).

Love the view you had eating your breakfast out on the balcony.

We didn't get to Columbia Harbor House when we were there and I really missed it. I tried Mary's (MaryAZ) Grey Goose Slush and she tried my Grand Mariner Slush...we both preferred our own.

That ice cream sundae looks heavenly; but your company--not so much.

Please forgive me for falling wayyy behind on your PTR/TR/DR...I'll have to hop over there now.

Making our seating chart has been eating away at all my free time

KatMark · 10-07-2011, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onelilspark

Please forgive me for falling wayyy behind on your PTR/TR/DR...I'll have to hop over there now.

Making our seating chart has been eating away at all my free time

No apologies necessary; I can't believe the wedding is just three weeks away.

I have read so many great reviews of California Grill that I think that will be the first Signature we try (well, if you don't count Brown Derby back in 2007 which we did NOT like at all). Your pork looks wonderful and I am now drooling.

janeapplemeadow · 10-07-2011, 04:20 PM

Great review. I love the photos of the pork and goat cheese polenta. That is a fabulous dish. I dream of that when I am hungry. Californian grill really is a great place for dinner!. Looking forward to more of your reviews.

jacksmom · 10-07-2011, 07:59 PM

Great reviews!

deenbrad · 10-07-2011, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onelilspark

I wound up watching a duck eat a frog. It was gross, but he was right in front of me. Needless to say, I stopped eating after that!

OMG! I definitely wouldn't be able to finish after that!

DonaldDoleWhip · 10-07-2011, 10:35 PM

Glad you had a very good meal at California Grill - looking forward to reading more of your reviews.

ChildAtHeart82 · 10-08-2011, 02:05 AM

Your meal at California Grill looked really good.

I would have picked off all the peppers on the crab dish as well.

hstrickland · 10-09-2011, 09:44 AM

Aren't you glad you tried CG again?!

Your food looked wonderful!!! Especially the Lemon Trio...haven't tried that one, yet. Cali Grill is always a must-do for us...the atmosphere really can't be beat. So glad your service was exceptional. On your way out, you should have looked directly at the CMs and said, "Thanks for a wonderful evening!"....(with a smile, of course

) perhaps that would have gotten their attention

vettegirl · 10-09-2011, 10:39 AM

I love the picture of the sundae with the castle in the background!

onelilspark · 10-15-2011, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KatMark

No apologies necessary; I can't believe the wedding is just three weeks away.

I have read so many great reviews of California Grill that I think that will be the first Signature we try (well, if you don't count Brown Derby back in 2007 which we did NOT like at all). Your pork looks wonderful and I am now drooling.

California Grill was really good. My favorite is still Citricos

Quote:

Originally Posted by janeapplemeadow

Great review. I love the photos of the pork and goat cheese polenta. That is a fabulous dish. I dream of that when I am hungry. Californian grill really is a great place for dinner!. Looking forward to more of your reviews.

I had heard on the DIS that the pork dish was the way to go, I'm glad I listened

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacksmom

Great reviews!

Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by deenbrad

OMG! I definitely wouldn't be able to finish after that!

It was totally gross!

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonaldDoleWhip

Glad you had a very good meal at California Grill - looking forward to reading more of your reviews.

It's lunch time and I haven't eaten anything yet, I could go for CG again!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChildAtHeart82

Your meal at California Grill looked really good.

I would have picked off all the peppers on the crab dish as well.

I always seem to have to pick off peppers. If it's listed on the menu, I'll ask for no peppers, but it's never listed

Quote:

Originally Posted by hstrickland

Aren't you glad you tried CG again?!

Your food looked wonderful!!! Especially the Lemon Trio...haven't tried that one, yet. Cali Grill is always a must-do for us...the atmosphere really can't be beat. So glad your service was exceptional. On your way out, you should have looked directly at the CMs and said, "Thanks for a wonderful evening!"....(with a smile, of course

) perhaps that would have gotten their attention

I am glad I tried it again!

Hah! We should have said something to the CMs when we left!

Quote:

Originally Posted by vettegirl

I love the picture of the sundae with the castle in the background!

Thanks! It's one of my favorites from my trip...I think that means I have a food problem

10-02-2011, 09:12 PM	#46
disnut1149 DIS Veteran Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Broomall, PA Posts: 2,280	Hi I love your reviews!! Can't wait for more! __________________ 1972 Offsite, 1978 Offsite, 1980 Dutch Inn, 1989 Comfort Inn, 1990 CBR, 1993 Peabody, 1996 AllStar Sports, 1997 Dixie Landings, 2000 Holiday Inn Family Suites, 2001 Marriott World Center, 2004 Pop Century, 2005 Pop Century, 2006 Pop Century Aug & Dec, 2007 Pop Century Aug & CSR Dec., 2008 WL & POFQ Aug. & AS Sports Dec., 2009 Pop Aug., Pop Oct & CBR Dec., 2010 POR Sept & CBR Oct., 2011 CSR May & Pop & AKL Nov.

10-07-2011, 11:44 AM	#48
onelilspark DIS Veteran Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Melbourne, FL Posts: 6,983	Ice Cream! Later that afternoon I was craving something sweet and cold. Ice cream sounded great, so I headed over to the Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street. The parade was about to start so I headed over to my favorite spot to sit and relax...the yellow umbrella area that's the smoking area. I don't smoke, but that area is usually quiet with no one around. I took my Mint Chocolate Chip Sundae and found a table that provided me a view of the parade (sort of) My parade view: I enjoyed my treat, but once again, it was way too much food. I really needed someone to share this with! I also had some duck friends that wouldn't leave me alone. That got a bit obnoxious. (I did not feed them.) I wound up watching a duck eat a frog. It was gross, but he was right in front of me. Needless to say, I stopped eating after that! __________________ Hey look! I started a blog! Disney Update 2/19 Be Our Guest Lunch Review - Drink Around the World Adventure Me DH Bandit Follow me on Twitter! Feb '09 DR/TR - Aug '09 -DR/TR - Aug & Oct '09 PTR - Oct '09 -DR/TR - Mar '10-DLR PTR/TR - Oct/Dec '10 PTR - Oct '10 DR/TR - Dec '10 DR - May '11 PTR/DR/TR - Sept '11 DR / TR - DLR '12 TR (outside link)

10-07-2011, 11:49 AM	#49
KatMark DIS Veteran Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 34,997	Kelly, I am finally caught up (I had to get my TR and Dining Reviews started as my PTR reached the limit of pages almost). Love the view you had eating your breakfast out on the balcony. We didn't get to Columbia Harbor House when we were there and I really missed it. I tried Mary's (MaryAZ) Grey Goose Slush and she tried my Grand Mariner Slush...we both preferred our own. That ice cream sundae looks heavenly; but your company--not so much. __________________ December trip report: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3033112

10-07-2011, 12:02 PM	#50
onelilspark DIS Veteran Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Melbourne, FL Posts: 6,983	California Grill That night, my parents came up to join me for dinner. I made ADRs for California Grill considering I was staying right there! We walked over, checked-in, then were ushered up to the top floor to the restaurant. We had a small wait, so we went over to the bar and had some cocktails. Not too much longer, our pager went off and we were lead to our table. We were off to the right and while we had a table in the center of the room, we had a nice view of the Magic Kingdom (it was Night of Joy that night, so no fireworks) and the Floridian as the sun set. We ordered a bottle of wine and our appetizers, then our waitress (who was wonderful) started us off with some bread: My Dad sneaking a piece: I started with the Crab Stack: I love crab, so this really was wonderful. Light and fresh, a true great start to the meal. The avocado added to that fresh taste. My only complaint is that there were peppers on it and they weren't listed on the menu. I hate peppers! So before I dug in, I picked off all the peppers!! My Mom went with the Tomato Soup She loves tomatoes (remember from my Memorial Day trip she got the Tomato salad at Flying Fish!) So this really hit the spot for her. My Dad had the Peach Firecracker Salad: Like mine, his was nice and fresh so he thought it was a great start to the meal. For my entree, I had the Pork Tenderloin. Our waitress mentioned that the chef recommends it medium, so I ordered it like that as I trust chefs recommendations (I also love my steak pretty rare, so a little pink doesn't bother me unless it's chicken!) This was served with a goat cheese polenta. It was fantastic. I mean, really, just excellent. The pork was melt in your mouth it was so tender. I would totally go back and order this! My Mom got the Yellow-tail snapper: She enjoyed it, so I asked how it compared to the snapper over at the Flying Fish. She said she would order the Flying Fish one over this...but she likes red snapper better than yellow snapper. My Dad ordered the Veal. He cleaned his plate. Last, but not least, we had dessert. I got the Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler My Dad got the lemon trio My Mom got a fork The desserts were wonderful! The cobbler was wonderfully tart and sweet, the perfect ending to a meal! Of course I couldn't finish it, so my Dad ate the rest as he couldn't let it go to waste! Overall it was just a fantastic meal. The last time we were there was well over 5 years ago and we had just awful service and mediocre food, which is why we hadn't been back in so long. This meal more than made up for it. Now I need to try it again to see if it was fluke or not Our waitress was great too, really helped to pace the meal appropriately. HOWEVER....as we were leaving and waiting for the elevator, there were 4 CMs standing around, including a manager. Not one said "have a great night." So that ended the evening on a bit of sour note. Not that it would prevent us from going back, but certainly worth noting. __________________ Hey look! I started a blog! Disney Update 2/19 Be Our Guest Lunch Review - Drink Around the World Adventure Me DH Bandit Follow me on Twitter! Feb '09 DR/TR - Aug '09 -DR/TR - Aug & Oct '09 PTR - Oct '09 -DR/TR - Mar '10-DLR PTR/TR - Oct/Dec '10 PTR - Oct '10 DR/TR - Dec '10 DR - May '11 PTR/DR/TR - Sept '11 DR / TR - DLR '12 TR (outside link)

10-07-2011, 07:59 PM	#54
jacksmom DIS Veteran Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: mooresville,nc Posts: 3,901	Great reviews! __________________

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10-07-2011, 04:20 PM	#53
janeapplemeadow Mouseketeer Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Townsend, MA Posts: 388	Great review. I love the photos of the pork and goat cheese polenta. That is a fabulous dish. I dream of that when I am hungry. Californian grill really is a great place for dinner!. Looking forward to more of your reviews.

10-07-2011, 10:35 PM	#56
DonaldDoleWhip DIS Veteran Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 3,194	Glad you had a very good meal at California Grill - looking forward to reading more of your reviews.

10-08-2011, 02:05 AM	#57
ChildAtHeart82 DIS Veteran Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 963	Your meal at California Grill looked really good. I would have picked off all the peppers on the crab dish as well. __________________ Me , DW , DD , DS , Rhino March 2012 TR October 2012 PTR Mar 2012: Coronado Springs; Mar 2011: French Quarter; Dec 2010: Port Orleans French Quarter; Oct 2008: All Star Movies - Disneymoon; June 2005: Pop Century; July 2004: Offsite; 1993: Contemporary; 1992: DL (offsite); 1991: Offsite; 1989: DL (offsite); 1987: DL (offsite)

10-09-2011, 09:44 AM	#58
hstrickland The Perpetual Planner Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: The Deep South Posts: 2,446	Aren't you glad you tried CG again?! Your food looked wonderful!!! Especially the Lemon Trio...haven't tried that one, yet. Cali Grill is always a must-do for us...the atmosphere really can't be beat. So glad your service was exceptional. On your way out, you should have looked directly at the CMs and said, "Thanks for a wonderful evening!"....(with a smile, of course) perhaps that would have gotten their attention __________________ Surf & Turf Trip Report 2012 AKL CL & The Dream Poly CL May 2010 TripReport DH & Me DS 11 DD 7 DS 6 FW & CR - May/June 2011 TripReport CR x 4 - WL x 2 - GF - ASMo - PolyCL - FW- AKL CL - Dream - POR

10-09-2011, 10:39 AM	#59
vettegirl Proud USAF Wife! Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: San Antonio Posts: 4,603	I love the picture of the sundae with the castle in the background! __________________

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