California Grill - Picture Report - Relive the experience! ADDED MAY '09 Pics Page 23

[ehagerty]

Wishes in January starts at 08:00 pm....

...and, my favorite (of this trip)

 

[ehagerty]

Quick look-back

The balcony at sundown:

A glass of house white.....

Halibut

Mickey Mouse (Shirley Temple) & special lighting effects (sundown)

Yellow Fin Tuna, 3 ways

 

[ehagerty]

Bread

Simple - and stunning

 

[ehagerty]

I have a call into the web host to see where my pictures went!! All of the others are present.....

Click here to go to next set of pictures

 

[scrump]

WOW!!! We are eating there for the first time next month! Great pics, thanks for sharing!

 

[jenr812]

You are so talented! Those pictures are amazing. I remember the beverage shot from October but never saw the others. These pics make me a bit sad we decided against CG this time around We all enjoyed it last time.

 

[ehagerty]

The food at CG is like great wine - flavorful, subtle, complex, unique...

My thoughts on what we had this time:

They have a new chef since last October - Jens, from the Flying Fish. We followed his recommendations (lobster appetizer and cod / scallops). In response to my son's inquiry about the filet (what he usually orders), Jens hesitated, then politely noted that he preference for a beef dish at CA is the short ribs. In my (not quoting the chef) opinion, the filet IS outstanding, but it IS "just" a filet - that is, flavorful, but not terribly subtle, complex or unique.

With this guidance, we had the following:

Salad - contained pomegranate vinaigrette - and was - you got it - flavorful, subtle, complex, etc.

Appetizer - I was planning to order the duck foie gras, but it wasn't on the menu. My second choice is always the yellow fin tuna 3 ways - but Chef suggested trying the lobster - there was a LOT of lobster for an appetizer. My son had a customized sushi plate (as seen in picture) to his specifications (he likes the way they use tempura in place of seaweed). The next table was so impressed with it, they asked the waiter to order them the same thing.

Entree - The scallops were great. The only reason I didn't say "out of this world" is that I make pan-seared scallops about once a week from a good seafood supplier and scallop for scallop, mine are very close to these. However, I have not attempted the risotto or sauce you see on this dish - which was excellent. The Cod, WAS out of this world. The fish was phenomenal - tender, break-away, flavorful (not fishy). The portabella mushroom and duck ravioli - unbelievable - and the sauce - soy-like, but subtle.

Dessert - warm valhrona chocolate cake is on the menu everyday - they change the accompaying ice cream daily, but you can almost always ask for vanilla substitute. My dessert read like "bananas foster meets butterscotch brulee". It was excellent, but you need to like sweet and rich. The brulee was exceptional in texture - firmer and more melt-in-your-mouth than the texture of most brulees (which lean toward pudding, custard).

Summary - there are many excellent restaurants in Disney. For all around dining, the CG is my favorite.

Menu - they print new menus each day. I would say that 80-90% of the menu does not vary - so I am now wise to looking for "what is new / different" on the assumption that the atypical items represent (a) chef's creativity and / or (b) availability of ingredients that are not always available. In the case of this meal, the lobster appetizer and cod entree fit the bill.

Here is a picture of my son and the chef:

 

[Minniespal]

Lovely piccies

 

[Leota]

OMG! I have got to say, this is the BEST food thread I have ever seen. Your pictures are so beautiful. They so perfectly capture the beauty of the dishes. They look like professional food porn. Are you a pro photog?

Thank you for putting this together. It is gorgeous & mouth-watering. It's making me want to go back NOW. But alas, I still have a few months to go.

 

[maxiesmom]

You owe me a new keyboard. I have just drooled all over mine.

It all looks great! What is the drink with the cherry floating on top?

 

[Booknut]

Absolutely gorgeous photos! You take Gastro-porn to new heights!!

 

[natalielongstaff]

Absolutely gorgeous photos! You take Gastro-porn to new heights!!

 

[jenr812]

Loved the review as well! I shouldn't have read it though - that along with your stunning pics have put me in a tizzy trying to figure out if we can somehow add CG to our trip...

 

[FormrCastMbr]

Wow! Excellent pictures...this should be on the photography thread! I am going to try to fit the CG on my trip! Thank you!

 

[ehagerty]

Ah, my favorite time to eat at Cali Grill--when it's still light when you get there, and the sun goes down, and the lights come up.....it's magical. I prefer it a million times to a fireworks timed meal......

Our attachment to this dining time occurred because of happenstance - we happen to prefer eating earlier and not sleeping on a full stomach. However, we have really come to appreciate the "changing light" experience. It provides more visually memorable moments (after sundown, the scenery really doesn't change much) and allows me to take food pictures with available light (which I prefer to flash). You can always return for the fireworks - and you probably will go to the balcony anyway. In winter (January, you can get both - eat at 5:30, wrap up around 7:45 - walk on to the balcony, watch Wishes. Perfect timing....

Oh no - now we'll probably have everyone booking for our "prime time"!!! Than again, maybe not - most people prefer sticking with his/her normal eating time. I hope.

 

[ehagerty]

They look like professional food porn. Are you a pro photog?

Someone gave me an Instamatic camera (the old "125") for my 8th grade graduation. Been a sporadic hobby every since.

For income, I manage global IT projects for a bank.

 

[ehagerty]

Loved the review as well! I shouldn't have read it though - that along with your stunning pics have put me in a tizzy trying to figure out if we can somehow add CG to our trip...

Have you been to CG before?

Where in Buffalo did you live? I work downtown.

 

[ehagerty]

Wow! Excellent pictures...this should be on the photography thread! I am going to try to fit the CG on my trip! Thank you!

Tell them ehagerty's pictures sent you!! They won't know what you are talking about, but we could start something!

I have occasionally posted to photography thread - sometimes get feedback that I should NOT be posting there, but on the food photo thread. Gets confusing. Maybe they should reorganize the FOOD PICTURES thread from one very long series of random pages to its own thread with sub-threads that can be more easily searched (by restaurant, thread starter, etc.). Just an observation. It does take some time to do this work - you'd like to think there will be enough viewers for it to be worth it!!

 

[jenr812]

Have you been to CG before?

Where in Buffalo did you live? I work downtown.

We went to CG on our first Disney trip back in July 2005. We all loved it! We were going to go again but considering how much our 11 day trip is already costing us, we couldn't justify it.

I grew up in Williamsville, where my parents still live. I'm wondering if you work at a particular bank but don't want to post it here for privacy issues My SIL works at a certain large bank downtown as well as my best friend's sister.

I asked in another of your threads but figured I'd post here too - what kind of camera do you have? I realize that it's your talent and not the camera itself that takes these amazing shots. But the right equipment sure does help Thanks.

 

[ehagerty]

We went to CG on our first Disney trip back in July 2005. We all loved it! We were going to go again but considering how much our 11 day trip is already costing us, we couldn't justify it.

I grew up in Williamsville, where my parents still live. I'm wondering if you work at a particular bank but don't want to post it here for privacy issues My SIL works at a certain large bank downtown as well as my best friend's sister.

I asked in another of your threads but figured I'd post here too - what kind of camera do you have? I realize that it's your talent and not the camera itself that takes these amazing shots. But the right equipment sure does help Thanks.

1. California Grill - We use the Disney Dining Plan to subsidize our dining extravaganza. CG "costs" two TS credits - which I estimate at $52/pp. We usually get about double that at CG on the bill - in other words, appetizer, entree, dessert, beverage, tips and tax are about $100/pp. Now, if you are not spending $52 on dinner anyway, this doesn't represent savings. But if you spend close to that, you are getting a really very nice meal for a fair price. Of course, the dining plan is a whole 'nother thread - well documented elsewhere.

2. Geography - My husband has relatives in Wmsville (North Forest, west of Main). Yes, given that there are only two large downtown banks, I worked for the smaller-big bank for a few years, and now, the gigantic-big bank - for that last two years. My IT project is international, so I know more colleagues in London and NY than on my own floor (the 9th).

3. Camera - got my first digital last year - Canon EOS Rebel xt 350D - with image stabilizer 28-135mm lens. I had two Canon Rebels film camera starting in 1991 (before that, Konica, before that Kodak Instamatic), so it was kind of a foregone conclusion that I was going to get the digital version unless I read somewhere about another manufacturer who had exceeded Canon. I am still learning the camera and its features. Lighting and composition I have had some prior experience!