updated 10/24/13
CALIFORNIA GRILL: part 2
i ordered an adult beverage. this one was right up my alley.
Napa Blue Martini
i really enjoy a delicious martini, especially a dirty martini with olives stuffed with blue cheese. there wasn't much blue cheese stuffed into the olives but the martini was made well & quite stiff. i loved the contemporary skewer too.
emme had a white milk as her drink of the night.
up next, bread service.
emme really enjoyed the sourdough bread. she had 2 servings of the bread. i loved the salt on the butter with the foccacia. scrumptious!
for my appetizer, i chose:
Duck in all its Glory - House-made Sausage, Rillettes, Prosciutto, Duck Liver Pate, Cranberry Compote $17.00
i was really excited about this appetizer. the presentation was rustic, simple & gorgeous.
here are some more photos:
accompanying the appetizer was this crispy "toast" to spread on the pate, rillettes & whatever else you wanted to smear on there. the bread was super crispy...almost too crispy as when you bit into it, most of it would crumble in front of your eyes. kind of messy to eat but it was totally worth the mess.
i loved this alone & i also added some of the cranberry compote on top of it as well. this was super flavorful, moist & so delectable. two thumbs up.
the duck sausage was very tasty!! i loved adding the grainy mustard on top of it as well. the sausage had great texture & flavor. i couldn't believe it was duck. it didn't have a super game-y flavor or smell. the onions were also divine. mmmm mmmm! so far so good.
i couldn't believe they made proscruitto out of the duck. it was so thin but packed with flavor. i loved the tiny layer of fat at the edges of the duck. it literally melted in your mouth.
it might not be right to say it, but i love foie gras...especially with cranberry. the duck liver pate reminded me of foie gras, just in pate form...i mean, it's made from the same part and all. this pate was so creamy & airy. it was pretty light and paired well on the toast with the cranberry compote.
my least favorite item on the platter was the rillette. i'm not much of a fan of rillette & i did give this a try. it didn't deter me from the overall experience of the appetizer as i was enjoying it immensely.
sweet pickles was another accompaniment.
another view of the platter:
this appetizer was a total bargain for $17.00. i thought it was super high quality, exceptionally put together, very well thought out and overall, super tasty. it was very fun to eat as you really couldn't go wrong with any combination. all the flavors & textures were so unique. it was like christmas on a wooden plate. i would definitely order this again on my next trip with no hesitation.
emme was enjoying herself during dinner. california grill is LOUD. it's not as loud as flying fish but it's a pretty lively place. we wer sitting in front of the kitchen so there's lots of noises coming from there, screaming kids, lots of laughter & loud conversation. some people were dressed up, some not so much but everyone seemed to be enjoying their meal (minus a few super cranky kids) but you run into that everywhere.
we ordered our entrees and did some people watching together while we were waiting.
i asked my CM to pair a white wine with my entree. he brings this over:
he pours me a sample & then just walks away, leaving the bottle at my table. i liked the chardonnay & waited a good 10 minutes for him to come back. he never came back.
i was thirsty. my martini was empty. so what's a girl to do?
i poured my own wine....yes i did.
$17 wine cost as much as my appetizer.
it was just enough for one pour. but i was irritated at this point especially when he comes back and said snarkily, "oh, you poured your own wine" to which i said, "you left the bottle and returned 15 minutes later." so he picked up the empty bottle and left. i should have tipped myself at this point. i thought he was pretty rude & it took a lot for me to keep my sassy-ness under control. being the bigger person sometimes does suck...especially when i have to pay for it at the end.
i've worked in fine dining, i've bartended fine dining experiences, i've been a server & that was just unacceptable in my view. i like to think i'm a pretty easy customer & my kid is well behaved but sometimes disney service is just awful.
which brings me to my next point. i use TIW wherever it's accepted at disney. you save 20% but also an automatic 18% gratuity is added to my bill. i wish they never ask if you are on a dining plan or TIW before your meal. i've received some pretty crappy service at disney & i'm not sure if it's because the server is having an off night or if its because i am using TIW. on the flip side, i've also had EXCEPTIONAL service as well. but when the service is crappy, it's
REALLY crappy. there never seems to be a happy medium.
but i digress....
i wasn't going to let him ruin our night so i found my zen moment & went back to my happy place...enjoying emme's company & my glass of wine (that i poured myself...yipee!).
we took a walk onto the empty observation deck. hallowishes was still 30 minutes away.
up next, our entrees.
) but my husband doesn't think we should bring him to a signature dinner. He sits well if occupied and never gets embarrassing. The other sig I am pushing is yachtsmen ever been here with her?
