My First and Last Time at Cal Grill !!!!!

[WDWChick]

I just returned from my vacation (boy isn't that depressing), and I had to share with you my experience at California Grill.
My DH, our 3 1/2 year old, and myself had dinner there on Wednesday night the 22nd.
We went because we had heard so many good things about it on these boards, and we wanted to try something new. BIG MISTAKE! The meal was horrible.
I'll start with my DH meal:
He ordered a filet mignon that sounded wonderful on the menu. When it came it was burnt and covered in BARBEQUE SAUCE!!!
It had 3 slices of potato next to it (very thinly sliced).
And it had 3 green beans.
Grand total for this was $34.00
My meal was salmon. It came with about a 1/2 to 3/4ths of a cup of very spicy sauce poured over it. That tiny piece of fish was swimming in a chili sauce. $28.00
Our waiter was more interested in arguing with his fellow waiters than helping us. After the meal was thankfully over, they brought us our meal again! We told them we had already eaten (duh), and they told us, "That's impossible!" We assured them we had eaten and we just wanted the check.
After close to 2 hours, we were thankfully out of there.
Thanks for letting me vent! I can definitely say we will not be returning again!

 

[luvpooh]

I'm sorry you didn't have a good experience. I've eaten at CA Grill several times and always had a wonderful time. Usually, the filet is fork-tender. Not sure if you saw on the menu, but the filet is served with a tamarind barbeque sauce (it's their signature dish). They are able to serve it with the sauce omitted or on the side though. I believe it used to be served w/mashed yukon gold potatoes, but they change the plating from time to time. I do agree that the prices are a little steep though.

Sounds like you didn't have the greatest server. We had a terrible server there once as well, but every other time, the service has been spot on.

We'll be returning later this week, and along with V&A's, this is the meal I'm looking most forward to.

 

[luveeyore2]

We ate here the night after you - on Thursday Sept 23rd and had a great experience. We both had the filet (the menu lists the barbecue sauce) - it was excellent and our server did a great job. I am sorry to hear your experience was not as magical. We would eat here again.

 

[harlock_jds]

did you send the filet back because it was burned?

 

[ducklite]

As far as the items being served with sauces that you didn't like, the menu clearly states that they are served with sauces. If you didn't know what the sauces were, you should have either asked for an explanation or asked for them on the side. You can't blame the restaurant because you didn't ask.

Sorry you didn't have a great experience. Sounds like you somehow ended up with a really bad waiter as far as the service goes.

Anne

 

[beacher]

FWIW, I just wanted to weigh in on California Grill also... DH and I ate there last December and will not be back. Service was OK but both of us did not like our entrees - DH ordered the salmon and had to send it back for cooking; the inside was completely watery and runny. I had the pork chop which was the other extreme and totally overcooked and dry. DH's sushi sampler appetizer was also a bust. Realize we could have hit it on a bad night and have read many positive things, but no amount of convicing will get my DH to agree to pay those prices again.

 

[Esmerelda]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience at CG. I ate there 2 years ago and had a great meal. I remember having some sort of pumpkin soup as my appetizer and it was the BEST soup I've ever had (I even tried to remake it at home w/NO luck...). I can't recall what our entrees were but I remember it all being very good.

Our service was impeccable when we dined. If I was not happy with their service or food, I would have spoken up.

Esmerelda

 

[TwingleMum]

Add us to the list of theunimpressed with Calif Grill. The food was OK and the prices unwarrented. The best thing was the view. We will not be going back. V & A on the otherhand was much much better. (AAA agrees only 4 diamond restaurant in WDW)

 

[time101]

I looked up the menu for CG on Deb's site and found that both dishes have the sauces clearly spelled out. The tamarind barbecue sauce on the filet and the chipotle aioli on the salmon. Chiptole is smoked jalapeno pepper.

While the filet being burned is certainly an issue...the prices and the sauces could have been checked online by looking at the menus.

I may be a Disney planning nut, but I always print out the menus to every restaurant we are thinking of trying in advance. That way, we rule out restaurants that are not our style.

 

[Threehearts]

I adore the California Grill and wouldn't return to V&A's if WDW paid ME! If I had a poor meal and bad service on top of it, I wouldn't return either. Both of those problems hapened to us at Victoria and Albert's. It's always interesting how different people have different experiences at the same place. I'm sorry you had such a disappointing meal. Threehearts

 

[minster22]

Count me in the disappointed group. A couple of years ago we ate there and had a very bad experience. First of all we were sooooooooo cold we could not wait to get out of there, yes we had sweaters for the air conditioning. The worst part was the waiter, so overbearing , overtalkative and never there when we needed him. ( I am a waitress so I am very forgiving in the service department). The food was OK but nothing to write home about. We gave it another try during our April 2004 trip, so many folks here rave about it. We had a decent meal with a good server but in comparsion to Narcoosee's, Flying Fish, Citricos and Artist Pointe, well no comparison, all of these were top notch in every way!!

 

[LvsTnk]

I love the filet and the tamarind sauce. We have eaten there several times and have to agree the service has been hit or miss. But....that view is lovely!

Also as far as the service goes we have had some not so great servers at several other restaurants as well. Citrico's and Flying Fish come to mind. Always on our next visit the service seems to be outstanding somehow???

To those thinking of trying a restaurant, do your homework and look at menu's and pricing. Don't be scared and give it a shot if it looks like something you would like.

 

[patsal]

WOW! SOrry your experience was so bad. We love it there and even the kids have a great time. our servers there have always been very attentive to detail and excellent answering the children's questions about the menu. Start to finish we always plan three hours for the meal. The only thing that has ever been a disappointment are the people who bring young children just for drinks to watch the fireworks--the kids are often tired and we've even seen afew make headbands out of the cloth napkins and add straws to give it a special effect! SARCASM* Of course who can blame the darlings for running around and stopping at the table for a look, afterall it is disney and should be all about kids wanting to see fireworks well after they should be in bed!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Sorry you had a bad time. It's upsetting when you pay top dollar and get a mediocre experience.

We've eaten there twice and had amazing and friendly service as well as fabulous food.

Perhaps an isolated incident?

 

[k&a&c'smom]

I have to say, we (DD-15 and I) were really looking forward to CG on our trip last month, but we probably won't return. The food was very good, but the service was lacking.

We split the mushroom flatbread, I had the mushroom risotto and DD had the pork with polenta, all very good, but it was soooo long between these courses, that we were kind of twiddling our thumbs waiting. Our waitress was nowhere to be found.

We really didn't get to enjoy the view, as the windows were steamed up, and just as we were trying to figure out how to go out to the observation deck(our server didn't mention it, but we noticed others heading down a ramp near us,) our entree arrived. We didn't want our food to get cold, so we stayed to eat, but since the lights were out, we couldn't see what we were eating and it got cold anyway! Oh, well, we should have gone outside.

Oh, and we noticed how freezing cold it was, too. DD couldn't wait to get finished so we could head back into the Aug. heat!! That makes it a little less than pleasant dining, when you're thinking the whole time about when you can leave!

Overall, nothing was a huge problem, just several little things. We rarely complain to management unless there is something drastic. But, there are so many restaurants that we love at WDW, I doubt we return to CG.

 

[WDWChick]

I guess I should have been more clear about my expierence.
Yes, I read the menu and knew both dishes came with sauces. However, the so-called tamarind barbeque sauce was cold and tasted like it came from a bottle at the local Publix. The filet was swimming in the sauce. As was my salmon, which looked more like chili soup with a very petit filet of salmon on top. Overpowering and completely aweful. I understand restaurants have good days and bad days, unfortunately we must have come on a very bad day.
I have been to most of the fine restaurants in Disney due to our close proximity to Orlando. I was so looking forward to this meal, and found it to be lacking. I hope I was a little more clear on my experience.
Also, I wrote this as a way to vent. I didn't mean to hurt any die hard Cal Grill lovers. Trust me when I say no one was more dissappointed than me.

 

[justKim]

I have to add to the list of disappointed CG patrons. We also ordered the salmon and the steak. The salmon was very undercooked and cold, and the steak was very well-done, rather than medium rare. We did not have the luxury of returning our food since we had waited so long to get it. We waited more than 20 minutes for our flatbread appetizer and our waitress would disappear for 20 minutes at a time. From ordering our meal to receiving our entree, we waited over at least an hour and 15 minutes. (I didn't start looking at my watch right away, so it could certainly have been longer). We were wearing long sleeves and jackets in May and I kept stepping outside to warm up. We would like to have sent back food or spoken to a manager, but we had children to get back to and didn't have the time. I can live with returning food to the kitchen, but an AWOL server can make an evening miserable.

That said, every other meal that we had at WDW was pleasant and we look forward to trying out some new ones next time.

Kim

 

[ducklite]

WDWChick,

Thanks for clarifying things a little bit.

I had a really, really bad experience the first time I ate at Artists point. Swore I'd NEVER go back. But a couple years later I did, and had a very good meal with excellent service. I'm glad I tried it again. Maybe you could do that with the CG some time down the road

Anne

 

[goldilocks_63]

or someone?

I may be out of line, because I don't eat at fine restaurants very often, but if the food was miserable,

coudn't you ask for something else... or at least tell them you didn't like it,

and maybe they would give you you're money back or something.

If it's bad, and you don't tell them, how do they know?

Goldi

 

[goofy4tink]

We ate at CG several years ago. The couple we were traveling with loved it, so we wanted to go with them. Well, at least we had a terrific server. My problem is that I'm a true meat and potato gal. Well, since South Beach it's been meat, no potato. I had very mediocre food that night. Even my dh, who enjoys food that is a little different wasn't overly impressed. Just too much money for trendy food. Maybe we'll try it again in the future tho. How can so many of you be wrong??