CA Grill was Awful

[Wendydagny]

Hmm....I am going to kind of bite here, and am almost regretting it as I do it....

1) Since I am a woman, Disney's signature dress code policy does not actually state what type of shirt I am supposed to weaar. It just mentions bottoms. I don't think they intend for me to go topless. Therefore it kind of makes sense to take guidance from the exclusions.

2) Jeans are also an allowed bottom, which is fairly casual. My understanding by "dress" shorts is that they are excluding sports/athletic shorts. I was under the impression that a t shirt is acceptable to be worn with say khaki docker type shorts, and definitely is acceptable with jeans.

3) There are many different kinds of t shirts. IMO the definition of a t shirt is a knit top with no buttons or collar. At least in MY wardrobe, there are several versions of this. For example at banana republic, this outfit:

http://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=5043&vid=1&pid=932038022

is labeled as containing a t shirt. Personally, I think this outfit is completely acceptable for a meal at a signature restaurant at Disney.

4) While I am at it, here is a men's outfit from banana republic that also contains a t shirt:

http://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=5439&vid=1&pid=687566012


That said, I AM wearing a dress to California Grill on Christmas Eve. But having been to every signature restaurant except MP, I can tell you that getting actually dressed up (fancy dresss and tie/jacket) to go to one of them at say 6:30 pm on a regular Tuesday will stand out almost as much as someone wearing shiny sports shorts and a basketball jersey.

 

[Lucys dad]

I actually thought the review was meant to be a parody. The review itself and some of the subsequent comments appear incredibly self indulgent and OTT.

"inhumane amounts of raw garlic "

 

[maxiesmom]

I don't think it is too tough to read between the lines to understand that while t-shirts are not explicitly prohibited, the guidelines of what "may" be worn steer you away from wearing t-shirts. Furthermore, since casual shorts -- which is what one wears with t-shirts -- are not welcomed, I think you can further infer the intent of the dress code suggestions.

Reading this over, I don't know how they can make it more clear (leave less to be inferred) because while "dress shorts" pretty clearly excludes "casual shorts", "collared shirts" is not clear enough to exclude "tee shirts" for some.

The thing is, guests shouldn't have to guess what is or isn't appropriate. And when we are left to do so, we all have different ideas of what they mean is right and what is wrong. A tee-shirt in itself means something different to different people. Do you mean a tee-shirt as a graphic tee with rock group printing? Or is a tee that is just plain ok? Or how about a tee with a flowered print? And what exactly is a casual short? Anything above the knee? Anything with pockets? Anything not pleated???

When a policy is not black and white we are all left to guess what Disney really means. And we all may not agree. It us not up to us to police what Disney wants, it is up to them.

 

[Karlzmom]

The thing is, guests shouldn't have to guess what is or isn't appropriate. And when we are left to do so, we all have different ideas of what they mean is right and what is wrong. A tee-shirt in itself means something different to different people. Do you mean a tee-shirt as a graphic tee with rock group printing? Or is a tee that is just plain ok? Or how about a tee with a flowered print? And what exactly is a casual short? Anything above the knee? Anything with pockets? Anything not pleated???

When a policy is not black and white we are all left to guess what Disney really means. And we all may not agree. It us not up to us to police what Disney wants, it is up to them.

Lol....hence my reference to the cartoon. What is stealing? If I steal by force; if you give the the property because I lied, if I told the truth, then changed my mind; if I worked for you but didn't the money over to you that was given me on your behalf....parse, parse, parse, parse parse. The fact that Disney has tried to segregate some restaurants as "special" seems like should be enough to tell people seeking to dine there the attire they wear to Cosmic Rays during a Commado raid of the park is not what they are after. For people are working hard to see how close up the line they can push and staying so close the the line you get chalk on your shoes and instead take the suggested dress code in the spirit intended; its really not that hard to figure out what is appropriate.

 

[nansmama]

We eat hummus very often in our house, almost every day. Since the garlic in hummus is raw it's a fairly easy mistake to put in double (or triple, LOL) the garlic if you're not paying attention to what you're winging into the food processor. I've done it a couple times. And yes, eating a whole buttload of raw garlic can be painful, even to people like us who LOVE garlic.

I'm going to assume this is what the OP is talking about.

That said... most of the hummus we've had at Disney is prepackaged (they sell Sabra) or very mild (note: mild doesn't mean awful, it just means mild). Even at places like Tangierine Cafe and Sanaa. So if OP's daughter is used to commercial hummus, maybe that was the issue. We find commercial hummus to contain an overabundance of citric acid and not enough other flavor.

 

[canoe86]

WE cancelled our reservations this year based on the poor food that haunted us the whole trip. Couldn't see paying hundreds of dollars for another disappointment.

That said, we have eaten here a few times before, and I have worn a coat and tie every single time. I planned on the same for this year. My wife and daughters wear dresses and my son a tie.

I live in the sticks, I am a jeans type person, and even a wood tick like myself can figure out what to wear to a nice restaurant. If I can, then it shouldn't be hard for most others, believe me.

 

[DvF Diva]

The thing is, guests shouldn't have to guess what is or isn't appropriate. And when we are left to do so, we all have different ideas of what they mean is right and what is wrong. A tee-shirt in itself means something different to different people. Do you mean a tee-shirt as a graphic tee with rock group printing? Or is a tee that is just plain ok? Or how about a tee with a flowered print? And what exactly is a casual short? Anything above the knee? Anything with pockets? Anything not pleated???

When a policy is not black and white we are all left to guess what Disney really means. And we all may not agree. It us not up to us to police what Disney wants, it is up to them.

I'm now with you on this issue. Disney has been waffling about its dress code in its Signature Dining experiences, and they've pushed the line a little here and a little there. Now we're looking at a wavy, blurry line that's all over the place and there is pretty much no way to interpret what Disney wants except to look at the stated exclusions. At this point, the only thing clear to me is NO tank tops, swimsuits, swimsuit cover-ups, hats for gentlemen, cut-offs, torn clothing and t-shirts with offensive language and/or graphics.

I have to say, though, when women start arriving in dressy tanks (sequined, sweater knit, etc.) worn under jackets or sweaters, and then the dining room ends up being overheated and they need to remove said jacket/sweater, we're going to see Disney again blur the line on that front and then another bastion slips.

 

[Uncleromulus]

We've dined at CG probably 25 or more times in the Past--our first time at the "new" CG will be in April. So I shall see for my self just how things have changed.

I would add that the dress "code" business has really nothing to do with CG as opposed to any other Signature WDW spots. As long as folks don't wear what is actually "not permitted" in the dining room, they are dressed according to code. All that dress code "preamble" is simply a suggested way of dressing--how they would PREFER you dress. You are "asked" to adhere to their suggestions--not forced to.

Wendydagny: Tank tops refers only to men.

And to end--it's just a more casual world today, whether we like it or not. Even on the DCL they are abandoning almost any pretense of a dress code. I've attended a few weddings and funerals recently and what folks are wearing to those would have astonished people not too may years ago. The several fancy restaurants I go to (including V&A) no longer require a tie. Used to always be "coat and tie". But not anymore--just a coat is fine.

 

[aml3679]

We had a great experience.

We ordered a bottle of wine to share.

We were brought a huge basket of delicious rolls with our own butter which had sea salt on top.

We both had the oak fired filet served over tomato risotto ... Yummy! I will say that our steak at Le Cellier was better but it was a different cut.

We watched Wishes from their rooftop which was spectacular.

Then we came back and had dessert with coffee.

It was our most expensive meal but we enjoyed it.

Randall our server was great.

He gave us 2 glasses of champagne for our anniversary.

The room is beautiful. I had a view of the castle for my whole meal.

 

[scootert]

We had dinner at CG last Saturday. We had the kale and apple salad (great), red snapper and swordfish. The snapper was excellent, the swordfish just okay.

When our server delivered the dessert menu, we talked about missing the days when CG made dessert soufflés (yes, it was many, many years ago). At that point, she said they were still fine tuning the dessert menu and that while some of the items were "clever" the flavors were off. We decided to skip dessert and head back to Epcot to the bakery in France.

CG had always been our favorite restaurant and was a tradition for us. Overall we thought the food was good, but not great. We thought it was much louder than in the past - and we were seated away from the kitchen. It's no longer on our "must do" list.

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

We've never had a bad meal at CG. We have 2 ADRs for our upcoming trip. We don't pay attention to how other people are dressed, we're too busy looking out the window and eating our own food. If people cancel their ADR because they read a bad review, awesome... more options available for us

 

[JZCubed]

We had dinner at CG last Saturday. We had the kale and apple salad (great), red snapper and swordfish. The snapper was excellent, the swordfish just okay.

When our server delivered the dessert menu, we talked about missing the days when CG made dessert soufflés (yes, it was many, many years ago). At that point, she said they were still fine tuning the dessert menu and that while some of the items were "clever" the flavors were off. We decided to skip dessert and head back to Epcot to the bakery in France.

CG had always been our favorite restaurant and was a tradition for us. Overall we thought the food was good, but not great. We thought it was much louder than in the past - and we were seated away from the kitchen. It's no longer on our "must do" list.

Thank you for being yet another voice that is mentioning the increased noise level.

Also, thank you for mentioning that your Server offered advice on desserts, "[T]hat while some of the items were "clever" the flavors were off."

Disney Servers are typically well trained. Included in that training is making 'small-talk' that includes the personal favorites of that Server.

Obviously, this Server has no favorite dessert.

T shirts are not against the dress code at California Grill (or any sig except V&A's) unless they contain offensive language. Neither are shorts.


"At this signature dining experience, Guests are asked to adhere to the dress code.

Men may wear khakis, slacks, jeans or dress shorts and collared shirts. Sport coats are optional.

Women may wear Capri pants, skirts, dresses, jeans or dress shorts.

Not permitted are tank tops, swimsuits, swimsuit cover-ups, hats for gentlemen, cut-offs, torn clothing and t-shirts with offensive language and/or graphics."

Another Post mentioned how Disney has blurred the lines on dress code. Does any grown-up who reads or listens to the dress code policy NOT think that they will be attending a 'fancy' restaurant?

As I've mentioned, maybe my experiences at CA Grill have been unique - maybe as many folks wear camp t-shirt at all of the other Signatures and I just never noticed.

That said, we have eaten here a few times before, and I have worn a coat and tie every single time. I planned on the same for this year. My wife and daughters wear dresses and my son a tie.

I live in the sticks, I am a jeans type person, and even a wood tick like myself can figure out what to wear to a nice restaurant. If I can, then it shouldn't be hard for most others, believe me.

The fact that Disney has tried to segregate some restaurants as "special" seems like should be enough to tell people seeking to dine there the attire they wear to Cosmic Rays during a Commado raid of the park is not what they are after. For people are working hard to see how close up the line they can push and staying so close the the line you get chalk on your shoes and instead take the suggested dress code in the spirit intended; its really not that hard to figure out what is appropriate.

You also make my case.

The Chef/Author Anthony Bourdain became famous, in part, for disclosing the so-called 'Three Second Rule' that exists in some restaurant kitchens. I was taught, "Would you serve that to your mother?"

Would adults chose to dress at the edge of the dress code if they were dining at CA Grill with their mother?

I do not want to blur the lines either - good food would have washed away much that was bad with my recent dining experience at CA Grill.

 

[Karlzmom]

The Chef/Author Anthony Bourdain became famous, in part, for disclosing the so-called 'Three Second Rule' that exists in some restaurant kitchens. I was taught, "Would you serve that to your mother?"

Would adults chose to dress at the edge of the dress code if they were dining at CA Grill with their mother?

I do not want to blur the lines either - good food would have washed away much that was bad with my recent dining experience at CA Grill.

Sadly, there are people who would still dress like they just rolled out of bed [or did a 4 park commando marathon] Sadly, there seems to be a trend to modeling behavior off the lowest common denominator rather than aspiring to be anything better. If one person is clueless or contrary enough to run against the grain then others take it as free license to do the same. Nothing is special...nothing is worth respect...its "all about me, don't you know." I will do what I feel like doing, and how dare ANYONE tell me otherwise. Hence, the parsing of the rules to look for how to *justify* the behavior - deep down, the violators *know* they are wrong, but don't want any form of discomfort intruding on their conscious misbehavior. They will fight to the death to justify the unjustifiable.

 

[canoe86]

Sadly, there are people who would still dress like they just rolled out of bed [or did a 4 park commando marathon] Sadly, there seems to be a trend to modeling behavior off the lowest common denominator rather than aspiring to be anything better. If one person is clueless or contrary enough to run against the grain then others take it as free license to do the same. Nothing is special...nothing is worth respect...its "all about me, don't you know." I will do what I feel like doing, and how dare ANYONE tell me otherwise. Hence, the parsing of the rules to look for how to *justify* the behavior - deep down, the violators *know* they are wrong, but don't want any form of discomfort intruding on their conscious misbehavior. They will fight to the death to justify the unjustifiable.

Spot on.

 

[maxiesmom]

Sadly, there are people who would still dress like they just rolled out of bed [or did a 4 park commando marathon] Sadly, there seems to be a trend to modeling behavior off the lowest common denominator rather than aspiring to be anything better. If one person is clueless or contrary enough to run against the grain then others take it as free license to do the same. Nothing is special...nothing is worth respect...its "all about me, don't you know." I will do what I feel like doing, and how dare ANYONE tell me otherwise. Hence, the parsing of the rules to look for how to *justify* the behavior - deep down, the violators *know* they are wrong, but don't want any form of discomfort intruding on their conscious misbehavior. They will fight to the death to justify the unjustifiable.

I don't find it unjustifiable. Disney states both what is and isn' t allowed and has left a huge grey area. Many posters are pointing out what Disney states is allowed as gospel. You can just as easily hold up what Disey states is not allowed as gospel and decided everything else is ok.

This thread has turned into a buch of scanctimonious whining. Probably the worst I've ever seen on the Dis, and that is saying something. No one here can control what other people wear, and being snotty about it surely won't convert people. Write Disney and complain but realize they have the final say. The alone can say what is ok and turn guests away if they choose to.

 

[Karlzmom]

Snotty....hmmm can't say I recall ever having called that before. Sanctimonious. Had a nice ring to it..thanks! Wonder why my "shoe fits.." Radar is going off?

If Cali Grill is going to market itself as a top notch/special dining spot then one is reasonable to expect the will provide top notch food and service in a special atmosphere...Lord knows they are charging based on that promise, yet multiple reports on this board and others strongly suggest they are more hype than distance at this time.

 

[JZCubed]

I don't find it unjustifiable. Disney states both what is and isn' t allowed and has left a huge grey area. Many posters are pointing out what Disney states is allowed as gospel. You can just as easily hold up what Disey states is not allowed as gospel and decided everything else is ok.

This thread has turned into a buch of scanctimonious whining. Probably the worst I've ever seen on the Dis, and that is saying something. No one here can control what other people wear, and being snotty about it surely won't convert people. Write Disney and complain but realize they have the final say. The alone can say what is ok and turn guests away if they choose to.

Dress codes are quite common. Disney does try to control what people wear.

Blue jeans are allowed in Signature restaurants; torn jeans are not allowed. And yet, if you arrived in one of those 'stylish' pair of jeans with the shredded fabric, you would likely be allowed to dine at CA Grill.

A pair of sandals are allowed; flip-flops are not allowed. And yet, if you arrived in a dress wearing flip-flops, you would likely be allowed to dine at CA Grill.

Shorts are allowed; cut-off shorts are not. And yet, if you arrived wearing cut-offs with others in your party dressed appropriately, you would likely be allowed to dine at CA Grill.

The people at CA Grill allow folks to violate the dress code policy all the time.

So what happens when another family shows up and sees dress code violations in plain view?

If they dressed in 'appropriate attire', these people may be uncomfortable or upset that they 'dressed' for dinner. Worse, the next time they return to CA Grill, they will argue that their ripped jeans are just as stylish as the people who were allowed into the dining room on their last visit.

Moreover, if you rarely dine at fancy places and wanted to have a celebration at a place charging $35 for pasta, how would you feel if you came 'dressed' for dinner with the people at the table next to you in Park t-shirts?

If a person smelled (that includes perfume) at the table next to us, we would ask management to move our table. If a baby is crying uncontrollably with indifferent parents or adults are being loud, we would ask management to move our table. Some of us find it offensive when people show a lack of decorum that bleeds into another family's ability to have a good time.

Would an adult male in a hockey jersey be OK with the folks who are finding this conversation sanctimonious? Would this same attire be OK for attending a wedding, a funeral, or a special occasion party?

Shouldn't we teach or children that there is a time and place for wearing t-shirts and a time and place for a shirt with a collar?

Would you go dressed in flip-flops, ripped jeans, or a hockey jersey if you were dining at CA Grill with your mother or would you 'dress up' just a little?

For me, that is the question - would your mother approve of the way you dressed to dine at a fancy restaurant?

Finally - this thread began as a review of food, but clearly has moved to a conversation about dress codes.

Has anyone been to CA Grill recently and tried the Scallops? Are they still over seasoned to where you cannot taste the main ingredient?

Has anyone tried the Nutella Chocolate Cake recently? Is is still over seasoned with salt?

Does anyone else find the restaurant more noisy than before the renovations?

Could you tell that there was Lavender on the Foccacia?

Did the sparkling water have bubbles?

Did the hummus have too much garlic?

Is the Sweet Potato Gnocchi still being served with Purple Potato as well?

 

[afnaechiquita]

i only read the first two pages but have two questions:

1. is it possible they were using purple sweet potatoes?
2. did you complain to a manager while physically in the restaurant?

i've read two reviews in the past day where people had serious complaints with a restaurant, but chose to bring their complaints to the boards versus directly to a manager at the time of the incident. i saw you said previously you did not want to waste time (or something to that effect). however, i don't believe cali grill will fully understand how unhappy people are with the service/quality through blog posts/write-ins to disney after the fact. "casting your vote with your dollar" doesn't work in a place like disney, where just because you aren't going doesn't mean there aren't 50 waiting behind you for a dining reservation.

i've never dined at cali grill, but we have a reservation in february and i'm hoping for a positive experience.

 

[JZCubed]

i only read the first two pages but have two questions:

1. is it possible they were using purple sweet potatoes?
2. did you complain to a manager while physically in the restaurant?

i've read two reviews in the past day where people had serious complaints with a restaurant, but chose to bring their complaints to the boards versus directly to a manager at the time of the incident. i saw you said previously you did not want to waste time (or something to that effect). however, i don't believe cali grill will fully understand how unhappy people are with the service/quality through blog posts/write-ins to disney after the fact. "casting your vote with your dollar" doesn't work in a place like disney, where just because you aren't going doesn't mean there aren't 50 waiting behind you for a dining reservation.

i've never dined at cali grill, but we have a reservation in february and i'm hoping for a positive experience.

1.) It is possible that the purple gnocchi were made from purple sweet potatoes.

2.) I believe that in a later post I mentioned that posting to DisBoard is more likely to elicit a change than speaking with a manager. Also, with a decade of restaurant experience under my belt, I have found that most people who complain want a freebie.

I too hope that you and everyone else have a positive experience at CA Grill.

 

[mobish]

Just returned from our almost annual early Dec trip with CG as our last dinner. Three adults dined and everything except the tomato flatbread was superb, but how exciting can that dish be? We had the flat bread and a Dragon Roll for apps. Only complaint was the bus person brought one soy wasabi set up for 3 people sharing but the roll was outstanding. Our mains were Pork 2 Ways, Filet of Beef (meat was delicious) and Bison special, also excellent. Dessert was the Seasonal Sampler (very good) and our 22 year old daughter's favorite "Kid Sushi".
Our server (Abdou) could not have been more accommodating. We sat at 7:30 and were encouraged to take out time as he knew we wanted to see the fireworks at 9pm. He held the dinner order so that it arrived at our table as we walked in from the viewing terrace. Yes the dining room is loud but it's still Disney with families as it is at every restaurant except V&A.

I was hesitant to keep our reservation after reading the reviews but so glad I did, we had a fabulous experience. Hope you give it a try and have the same.