So we both had plenty of time to shower and it appeared that I had managed to get a bit burnt while out on the boats, luckily it wasn't too bad as we had our honeymoon photo shoot in the morning and I didn't want to appear red in the photos!
We decided to dress up a bit more than usual for our meal at California Grill. My expectations were really high for this restaurant as all the reviews I had read had been fantastic, this was one meal I had never considered cancelling. I was disappointed that my mum didn't get to eat here, but in one week there was only so much I could do. I had initially reserved California Grill on a day my mum was still with us, but the 2 TS credits it required was too much out of her daily allowance (well had I known she was going to go to the Food Court one day, that would have helped)
Anyway I had looked at the menu months ago and had pretty much decided what I was going to have, I had pretty much decided what Steven was going to have too LOL.
We arrived at The Contemporary Resort after hopping on the monorail from our resort. I was excited to be going to the top and couldn't wait to see the view over MK. As soon as we got off the elevator a nice gentleman welcomed us to the California Grill and took our names. We were offered to sit at the bar for a drink if we wanted but as neither of us drink much (well coke maybe), we just declined. We only stood for about 5 minutes and the hostess showed us to our table. Unfortunately we didn't get an exact window seat, but we did have a view so I was quite happy where we had been seated.
There was confetti all over our table and the hostess came over and asked if she could take our picture. We said okay, a bit surprised however as she didn't use our camera...
California Grill is much bigger than it appeared online, much bigger and much louder! It was really crowded and although this didn't bother me much, it didn't have a very adult feeling about it, which had always been my initial impression of this place.
Our waiter came over and asked us if we wanted drinks (2 diet cokes) and then left us with our menus. I glanced at the menu to see if everything I had wanted was there (it was) and waited to see what Steven would order.
We both chose the Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli for our appetiser and ordered the Oak-fired Filet of Beef for our main. I was quite surprised by this as I half expected Steven to order chicken again but he said the last few steaks he had ordered had been great so was going for another tonight.
We people watched while we waited and tried to have a conversation, but the restaurant was really loud so most of the time we felt we had to talk rather loudly to be heard. Luckily we didn't have to wait too long for our appetisers.
As we both chose the same I can clearly state both our impressions of this ravioli. I had been hoping this was going to be amazing and I wish I could say that, but unfortunately it was very wet. Let me explain...
The ravioli itself was gorgeous, the sharpness of the goats cheese worked really well with the mushrooms and basil but the sun dried tomato sauce did not appeal to me and made the whole dish taste soggy
My bowl/plate seemed to be full of this sauce and the poor ravioli was drowning in it. This made the actual ravioli taste wet and the flavours didn't stand out. When I realised that the actual sauce was destroying this dish, I scraped the sauce off and ate the ravioli alone and this is when I could actually taste the different flavours and textures. Steven didn't really like his dish at all
, he agreed that it was wet and didn't attempt to salvage it. I on the other hand wanted to like it so I was damn well going to try and fix it. So once I had scraped all the sauce off, it tasted much better but to be honest it hadn't lived up the hype. Maybe there isn't normally that amount of sauce, I certainly hope not, so I am willing to try this dish again on our return.
We waited a long time for our main meal and as we waited so long we were able to take a time out and go and see Wishes from the outside balcony which our hostess came over to let us know about. This was the highlight of this restaurant for us. Seeing Wishes from the top of the Contemporary Resort was wonderful. It was a beautiful sight
and I wish we had taken some pictures of it as we were so close to the action. There was a beautiful breeze that night and the balcony filled up quickly, we struggled to get a good viewing position as so many people wanted it too, but luckily most places gave a good view of the fireworks below. It was nice to hear the music being piped in as it does add to the enjoyment of the show. Again this was my favourite show but I was yet to see it from the ground. Once it was over we made our way inside and hoped that our main meal would soon follow.
After another 10 minute wait our main meal found its way to our table. The filet was beautiful and had a slight smoky taste, perfectly cooked and cut like butter. Ordering medium seemed to be the way to go for us, even Steven didn't complain. I LOVED the teriyaki sauce which added a slightly sweet but tangy taste to the dish. The mash potato was so creamy and I think Steven would have happily had that alone. The portion was large and before long I was feeling pretty full. This worried me as I refused to leave without having or at least taking my dessert! It was getting late and I didn't particularly want to eat something so sweet this late, but needs must! I cleaned my plate bar some vegetables and although it wasn't the best steak I had eaten at Disney it was certainly up there.
Ten minutes after we finished our plates were cleared and we ordered our dessert to go after much pleading with Steven. In the UK I don't know if it is commonplace to order a dessert to go, to be honest I have never even asked if this was possible, I haven't seen anyone do it and I wouldn't want to be looked at like I was weird! However in the US, it seems normal to do this and containers do exist to house dessert and even complete meals to take home, WOW!
So for both of us I ordered the Bananas and Caramel as I thought it sounded gorgeous. We didn't have far to travel so I hoped it would be okay to take back to the resort and eat on the balcony. I can't say I gave it much thought and if I had I probably would have ordered something a bit easier to take away. When the dessert arrived it was clear that the mascarpone mousse wasn't going to take to the heat very well so it was probably going to be a foamy mess by the time we got back.
Just before we left the hostess came over with a card, inside was our photo and a picture of the Magic Kingdom during Wishes. The card wished us a Happy Honeymoon and was signed by the chef. I was touched and I thought this was a really nice gesture.
Now, I will say while our waiter wasn't rude to us directly, his waiting skills left a lot to be desired, so did his chat up skills if I'm honest. For the majority of our meal he was TRYING and I emphasise the word TRYING, to sweet talk a little redheaded waitress. He was so caught up in this that he barely remembered he had tables to wait on. I did hear some of his lines, and they needed much improvement if he was going to get anywhere with her or anyone for that matter, but he persevered, much to our disappointment. This was the worst service we had on property and had the food not been up to much, I probably wouldn't consider coming back here.
California Grill had really nice food and the view was stunning, but it was a bit loud and the service from our waiter was terrible. I did see other tables get better service from other waiters, so I will put this down to just being unlucky. I wouldn't agree that it was worth the 2 TS but I am eager to give it another go as I think it may have been an off night, I would however make our reservation after Wishes.
When we got back to the resort our dessert was indeed a foamy mess and if presentation of food normally gets the taste buds going, then it would have mine going in the opposite direction. Although it didn't look pretty, it certainly tasted pretty and you could tell that it would have been lovely had it been eaten at the restaurant. The caramel was smooth and creamy and the caramelised banana was oh so sweet but oh so moreish. The mascarpone unfortunately had melted, probably with the heat of the bananas, but it too would have been nice. I was full, but I had to sample it and once I started it was hard to put down. Steven had a bite but wasn't that impressed. I didn't finish it and threw the rest away as our fridge was slowly getting filled up with mini desserts from the previous nights LOL.
We stayed on the balcony for a little longer and chatted about what the next day would hold. We had an early morning ahead of us as we had the Epcot honeymoon shoot. We looked out at the night sky and sighed contentedly.
Coming up...
Epcot honeymoon shoot
So you know me, I am planning loads of surprises! We are still doing work on our house, the lounge, kitchen and hall are all done and we are in the process of getting new heating installed. It looks 100 times better than it did, but we had a bad winter and the roof in the lounge started leaking
That will have to be patched up soon. How about you? Any news, any new trips planned?
As for Disney movies, I know, I am terrible. I can't believe I am yet to see so many greats. One day I will sit down and watch them, after I finish seeing Star Wars which was lent to me 3 months ago, yup haven't seen that either.
Thanks for asking, Summer 
