DebbiC
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2000
- Messages
- 45
For our first night of dining on the dining plan, Tuesday November 6th, we choose California Grill at the Contemporary.
Our ADR was for 8pm but we arrived early and were seated with just a few minutes wait around 7:40pm. The Magic Kingdom had Wishes scheduled for 8pm so there seemed to be quite a bit of tables dragging out dessert as we headed toward the Wine Room and table 103 where dining is much quieter. We had a lovely view of Bay Lake and later on Fantasmic in the distance. We did have the option of walking out to the observation deck to see Wishes but declined and just enjoyed each other's company after a long and tiring traveling first day.
The California Grill is 2 table service credits per guests and in my opinion well worth it. Our server was David and our service was perfect, well paced without hovering.
We decided to share our starters and our first choice was a chipolte braised chicken flatbread with sweet onion marmalade, crispy bacon and chili aioli $12.00. The second choice was a fresh Maine lobster with hearts of palm, avocado, tomato, Serrano ham and citrus vinaigrette salad $18.00.
The third choice was the cheese board $17.00 with five cheeses including; Beaufort with a mild, sweet, fruity flavor (raw cows milk made in the Haute Savoie region of France) complimented with apple chutney, Pleasant Ridge Reserve with a sweet flavor of herbs, wildflowers and clovers (artisanal farmstead cheese made with milk of Wisconsin cows) complimented with honeycomb, Corus Vecchiu a semi-firm texture, tangy, sweet and nutty all at the same time (made from raw sheeps milk in Corsica) complimented with quince paste, Nettle Meadow Kunik with a tangy buttery flavor (made from goats milk and Jersey Cows milk in Thurman, NY) complimented with Candied Macona Almonds, and finally Hubbardston Blue with a creamy complex flavor reminiscent of truffles and mushrooms (made at Westfield Farms in Hubbardston Mass) complimented with a fig cake. There was also a bit of creamy churned sweet butter along with some date / nut toasts on the board.
I have to state.. there never has been a appetizer in life that I have not liked.. lol.. that being said, the flatbread was delightful and the cheeses provided a tempting array of flavors and although I enjoyed the lobster salad, it was not one that I would order again. We also enjoyed a bread basket but for the life of me I cannot remember the specifics.
For our entrees, we all choose the Oak fired Filet of Beef with roasted root vegetables, edamane and teriyaki barbecue sauce $36.00 . One of my friends choose the fingerling potatoes in lieu of the root veggies and definitely made the best choice. The root veggies were a bit on the uncooked side for me (meaning not real digestible) so I skipped over them. My filet was butterflied and done as requested, dead and dead again, with the sauce on the side and was delightfully tender and flavorful.
Desserts were divine.. our choices were the Pear Tart $10.00 (baked brown butter pear tart with brown sugar ice cream and quince syrup), the Caramel Apple $10.00 (apple jalousie tart with caramel foam, caramel apple shooter, and green apple meringue with apple sorbet), and the Banana and Butterscotch Buzz $10.00 (caramelized bananas and butterscotch custard stack with caramel sauce, cocoa nib and crunchy plantain). Every bite was oh my God delightful.
For our first night dinner, it was lovely and the $238.51 price tag was definitely a bargain with the dining plan.
Our ADR was for 8pm but we arrived early and were seated with just a few minutes wait around 7:40pm. The Magic Kingdom had Wishes scheduled for 8pm so there seemed to be quite a bit of tables dragging out dessert as we headed toward the Wine Room and table 103 where dining is much quieter. We had a lovely view of Bay Lake and later on Fantasmic in the distance. We did have the option of walking out to the observation deck to see Wishes but declined and just enjoyed each other's company after a long and tiring traveling first day.
The California Grill is 2 table service credits per guests and in my opinion well worth it. Our server was David and our service was perfect, well paced without hovering.
We decided to share our starters and our first choice was a chipolte braised chicken flatbread with sweet onion marmalade, crispy bacon and chili aioli $12.00. The second choice was a fresh Maine lobster with hearts of palm, avocado, tomato, Serrano ham and citrus vinaigrette salad $18.00.
The third choice was the cheese board $17.00 with five cheeses including; Beaufort with a mild, sweet, fruity flavor (raw cows milk made in the Haute Savoie region of France) complimented with apple chutney, Pleasant Ridge Reserve with a sweet flavor of herbs, wildflowers and clovers (artisanal farmstead cheese made with milk of Wisconsin cows) complimented with honeycomb, Corus Vecchiu a semi-firm texture, tangy, sweet and nutty all at the same time (made from raw sheeps milk in Corsica) complimented with quince paste, Nettle Meadow Kunik with a tangy buttery flavor (made from goats milk and Jersey Cows milk in Thurman, NY) complimented with Candied Macona Almonds, and finally Hubbardston Blue with a creamy complex flavor reminiscent of truffles and mushrooms (made at Westfield Farms in Hubbardston Mass) complimented with a fig cake. There was also a bit of creamy churned sweet butter along with some date / nut toasts on the board.
I have to state.. there never has been a appetizer in life that I have not liked.. lol.. that being said, the flatbread was delightful and the cheeses provided a tempting array of flavors and although I enjoyed the lobster salad, it was not one that I would order again. We also enjoyed a bread basket but for the life of me I cannot remember the specifics.
For our entrees, we all choose the Oak fired Filet of Beef with roasted root vegetables, edamane and teriyaki barbecue sauce $36.00 . One of my friends choose the fingerling potatoes in lieu of the root veggies and definitely made the best choice. The root veggies were a bit on the uncooked side for me (meaning not real digestible) so I skipped over them. My filet was butterflied and done as requested, dead and dead again, with the sauce on the side and was delightfully tender and flavorful.
Desserts were divine.. our choices were the Pear Tart $10.00 (baked brown butter pear tart with brown sugar ice cream and quince syrup), the Caramel Apple $10.00 (apple jalousie tart with caramel foam, caramel apple shooter, and green apple meringue with apple sorbet), and the Banana and Butterscotch Buzz $10.00 (caramelized bananas and butterscotch custard stack with caramel sauce, cocoa nib and crunchy plantain). Every bite was oh my God delightful.
For our first night dinner, it was lovely and the $238.51 price tag was definitely a bargain with the dining plan.
